Mae West: Phenomenally Healthy

MAE WEST dictated a fanciful retelling of her life to her secretary Larry Lee. The material was reshaped by ghostwriter Stephen Longstreet and published as "Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It" in 1959. For Mae mavens interested in a factual, insightful account, The Mae West Blog recommends the riveting biographies written by Jill Watts and Emily Wortis Leider. Meanwhile, enjoy these (uncorrected) excerpts below from the pen of Mae West.
• • "Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It" by Mae West • •
• • Chapter 1: Take the Spotlight — — Part P • •
• • They were both beautiful babies • •
• • Mae West wrote: Then, when I was four months past five, my sister Beverly made her appearance, and a year later my brother John Edwin. They were both beautiful babies; I loved them dearly. But they were different from me in that they suffered through the customary childhood illnesses, whereas I was phenomenally healthy. As a matter of fact, I have never had anything more serious than a cold.
• • Mae West wrote:  I never minded losing my mother's exclusive attention. I had already been concentrating on myself, developing my own personality, and becoming more and more interested in the stage.
• • Mae West wrote:  I have always been too busy with my own affairs to be envious of anyone.
• • Learn to let go of things • •  . . .
• • To be continued on the next post.
• • Source: The Autobiography of Mae West [N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1959].
• • On Tuesday, 18 February 2003 • •

• • The biography written by Jill Watts "Mae West: An Icon in Black and White" was published on Tuesday, 18 February 2003 by Oxford University Press [USA]. If you love Mae West, then you must own this bio.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • In Los Angeles, Pete Ermalinger, manager of the Biltmore Theatre, was negotiating for "Diamond Lil" the Mae West starrer currently in Texas.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Let Shakespeare do it his way, and I'll do it mine. We'll see who comes out better."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article about a social club mentioned Mae West.
• • Chicago’s Dill Pickle Club • •
• • Quinn Myers wrote: From the moment it opened, the Dill Pickle became known for being a place where anything goes and anyone was welcome, says Paul Durica, director of programs for Illinois Humanities and a Dill Pickle aficionado.  ...
• • Quinn Myers wrote: The club quickly grew into a kind of freewheeling, low-stakes creative workshop, frequented by writers like Carl Sandburg and Sherwood Anderson, journalist and screenwriter Ben Hecht, or actress Mae West.  . . .
• • Source: wbez.org; published on Saturday, 2 February 2019

• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 14th anniversary • •  

• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past fourteen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 4,100 blog posts. Wow!  

• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fourteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4151st blog post. Unlike many blogs, which draw upon reprinted content from a newspaper or a magazine and/ or summaries, links, or photos, the mainstay of this blog is its fresh material focused on the life and career of Mae West, herself an American original.

• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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• • Photo: • • Mae West • • a superb biography in 2003 • •
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