Thursday, February 20, 2020

Mae West: Penetrative Insight

MAE WEST never learned to type and wrote longhand. Though most of her personal correspondence was typed by a secretary, Mae wrote to a stranger in 1933, Canadian graphologist Zita Lomas. This is Part 8 of 14 segments.
• • “An Open Letter to Mae West” • •
• • Mae West’s mentality is a fine blending • • 
• • Zita Lomas wrote: As a matter of fact, you are the type who would rather wear out than rust out. We don’t blame you.
• • Everything about your writing points to a superior intellect — — shrewd and astute with a quick penetrative insight into human nature. Your mentality is a fine blending of logic and intuition, of deductive reasoning and crystal-clear discernment.
• • Alert observation and a retentive memory are denoted. You remember scads of things which others never notice in the first place.
• • You are clever, nimble-witted, and quick on the trigger. What could be a better illustration of that than the stories, lines, dialogue which you write for yourself? . . . Whoops m'dear. ...
• • Zita cannot overlook Mae’s faults • • . . .
• • This very long article by Zita Lomas will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: The Vancouver Sun (page 4); published on Saturday, 30 December 1933.
• • On Friday, 20 February 1998 in Seattle • •
• • "Sex" written by Mae West and directed by Ed Hawkins was onstage in Washington. It was performed at Annex Theatre, 1916 Fourth Ave., Seattle, WA.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West portrayed an evangelist in Nome, Alaska in her film "Klondike Annie" — — released in February 1936 after a lengthy hold-up by the censors who refused to let Mae West appear as a preacher or religious worker onscreen. 
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I never expected to be sent to jail."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Simon Doonan's interview mentioned Mae West.
• • "My Night with Raquel" • •
• • Simon Doonan wrote: According to Raquel Welch, Mae West had only one speed. It mattered not whether the cameras were whirring. Her entire life was spent mincing about in circles and dispensing those double-entendres in that voice. ...
• • Source: Slate; posted on Thursday, 16 February 2012
• • The evolution of 2 Mae West plays that keep her memory alive • •
• • A discussion with Mae West playwright LindaAnn LoSchiavo — —
• • http://lideamagazine.com/renaissance-woman-new-york-city-interview-lindaann-loschiavo/
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 15th anniversary • • 
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past fifteen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 4,400 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,414th 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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• • Be sure to bookmark or follow The Mae West Blog
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • Mae's handwriting in 1933 • •
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1 comment:

  1. I think was another problem in Klondike Annie -- the interracial sex. True, Chan Lo, the Chinese gang boss Rose needed to escape was played by Harold Huber, a fine actor but white, but even that was absolutely forbidden -- even though it was never published. But there is no instance that I know of in Hollywood films of a man of color, any color, touching a white woman. So the key scene where Rose struggles with Chan Lo and accidentally stabs him disappeared, leaving a huge hole in the plot. (And it would have been so much better if they'd left it in!)

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