Mae West: Skirt Dance

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 X • •
• • I did my skirt dance • •
• • Mae West wrote:  With the spotlight on my shoulders like white mink, I went to center stage and sang my song, "Movin' Day." I did my skirt dance without missing a word or a step. Instead of having stage-fright I was innocently brazen. My angry mood overcame any nervous doubts I might normally have felt. I've never had stage-fright in my life.
• • Mae West wrote:  I was a hit with the audience. They were fine in their applause. I received a gold medal from the Elks organization. Papa was proud.
• • Mae West wrote:  After that, Papa was outvoted and I was set for the stage and only the stage. I went on a few more amateur night performances. Father was feeling better about my stage appearances. He insisted on taking me to the theatres himself.
• • I sang comic dialect songs • •  . . .
• • To be continued on the next post.
• • Source: The Autobiography of Mae West [N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1959].
• • On Tuesday, 28 February 1933 • •

• • An article on Mae's staying power — — "Paramount's Unusual 3d Week for Mae West" — — was printed in Variety on Tuesday, 28 February 1933.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West broke her ankle when she slipped on a rug in her hotel suite, ending that engagement at the Coronet Theatre on Broadway.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said:  About "Myra," Mae West said: "I like my sexes stable."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The Australian mentioned Mae West.
• • Bombshell meets bomb-thrower • •
• • Tessa Akerman wrote:  When playwright Stephen Sewell discovered a meeting had occurred between American photographer Diane Arbus and Hollywood bombshell Mae West, he couldn’t believe the story hadn’t already been written.  “I thought that was such a mad idea it had to be a brilliant play,” Sewell says. . . .
• • Source: The Australian; published on Saturday, 23 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 4159th 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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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • an Edith Head gown designed for Mae West • •
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