Mae West: Out-Strutted Them

Reporters who met MAE WEST during the 1920s and early 1930s — — before stardom cloaked her utterly — — have a refreshingly different take than those who met her as a bonafide movie queen.
• • New York Herald Tribune reporter Stanley Walker came up to see Mae West often in New York.
• • A section in Stanley Walker’s 1935 memoir discussed Mae West. This is Part 14 of 19 segments.
• • “Sex Comes to America” • •
• • Entrance Line • •
• • Stanley Walker wrote: Miss West really became famous as a motion picture star by her entrance line in "Night After Night.”
• • Stanley Walker wrote: A hat check girl remarked, as she entered wearing more diamonds than clothes, “Goodness, what lovely diamonds." Miss West's comeback was, "Goodness had nothing to do with it, dearie.” 
• • [Note: This was a well-worn comeback by Texas Guinan, who was supposed to get the role of Maudie Triplett.]
• • Hollywood was inclined to be snooty towards Mae West • •

• • Stanley Walker wrote: Hollywood was inclined to be snooty toward her at first, but at the premiere of her picture "I'm No Angel,”' even the most high-toned stars turned out. This grand opening was described over two radio stations. Miss West, in a silver lace gown closely set with crystal beads and trimmed with yards of white fox, swished her hips and out-strutted them all.
• • Stanley Walker wrote: The Mae West library, of which she is proud, is a small collection of books composed entirely of the more elementary erotica and the lives of famous courtesans.
• • Mae West had little schooling • • . . .
• • This long chapter by Stanley Walker will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Chapter “Sex Comes to America” from "Mrs. Astor's Horse" written by Stanley Walker [NY: Frederick A. Stokes, 28 October 1935, 320 pages].
• • On Sunday, 31 March 1912 • •
• • The end of March signaled the beginning of excitement down at "The Corner" [Seventh Avenue and 42nd Street]. The New York Times announced on 31 March 1912 that "Mae West and Her Boys" would take the stage at Hammerstein's Victoria.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • An auction for a rare autographed b/w still from "The Heat Is On," showing Mae West surrounded by top-hatted gentlemen in a dance number, was auctioned last year in New Hampshire by LiveAuctioneer. Mae West signed her name on it.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Mirrors — — well, I like to see how I'm doin'."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • London’s newspaper The Guardian mentioned Mae West.
• • "John Kobal, the talking pictures man" • •
• • Richard Boston wrote: John Kobal has interviewed everyone from Arletty, Tallulah Bankhead, Louise Brooks, and Joan Crawford at one end of the alphabet to Mae West and Loretta Young at the other end, with Bette Davis, Marlene Dietrich, Katherine Hepburn, Anita Loos, Joel McCrea and almost every other Hollywood star you can think of in between.
• • Richard Boston wrote: Somehow they all managed to get plenty of words in edgeways and the result is a whole shelf of books. …
• • Source: The Guardian [U.K.]; published on Wednesday, 11 March 1987
• • 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 4,442nd 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/
________
Source: https://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml  
• • Be sure to bookmark or follow The Mae West Blog
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • on the red carpet in 1933 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Shops by Phone

Reporters who met MAE WEST during the 1920s and early 1930s — — before stardom cloaked her utterly — — have a refreshingly different take than those who met her as a bonafide movie queen.
• • New York Herald Tribune reporter Stanley Walker came up to see Mae West often in New York.
• • A section in Stanley Walker’s 1935 memoir discussed Mae West. This is Part 13 of 19 segments.
• • “Sex Comes to America” • •
• • Mae West’s letter to The N.Y. Times (continued) • •
• • According to Stanley Walker, Mae West wrote: “Nobody ever saw me In the dives I am supposed to know so intimately. . . . The reason is I never was in one. Nobody ever sees me in night clubs or cabarets anywhere. Even if I cared for night life, which I don't, I wouldn't have time to indulge myself in it. People who know their Broadway will bear me out that there is no star on the stage today who is less of an exhibitionist, or who shows herself less in public places than myself.
• • According to Stanley Walker, Mae West wrote: I am, in fact, retiring by nature, in my private life to the point of shyness. I even do all my shopping by telephone, because I cannot stand the attention other shoppers give me in a store. I am not looking to upstage. I am not conceited or anything like that, as anyone who knows me will agree, but it is averse to my nature to feel myself being pointed out in public as a celebrity. . . . I do not drink. I do not smoke, I have my books, my writings, my friends.That is my private life." ...
• • Entrance Line • • . . .
• • This long chapter by Stanley Walker will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Chapter “Sex Comes to America” from "Mrs. Astor's Horse" written by Stanley Walker [NY: Frederick A. Stokes, 28 October 1935, 320 pages].
• • On Wednesday, 30 March 1927 • •

• • By Wednesday, 30 March 1927, twelve male jurors had been selected for Mae West's "Sex" trial set for Jefferson Market Court on Sixth Avenue in Greenwich Village. Mae hired four attorneys to represent her. Her defense team was headed by Harold Spielberg, Herman "Beansie" Rosenthal's former associate. Trial coverage appeared in the N.Y. Herald Tribune, The N.Y. Times, Variety, and elsewhere.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Congressional hearings being conducted in February and March 1936 by the U.S. Senate were peppered with the name of Mae West, whose new motion picture "Klondike Annie" caused a lot of concern on Capitol Hill. Ramona Curry has written well-researched articles on this topic of how censorship tightened its noose around Mae's neck.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I was born in New York — — and it all evens up in the end."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Rocker Alice Cooper was in the cast of "Sextette" starring Mae West. Kevin Blair notes this comment by Cooper: While Lady Gaga is a huge fan of Alice Cooper, the macabre rocker also finds himself a fan of hers. Cooper said, "She's a cross between Madonna, Mae West and Liberace... She's a spectacle." ...
• • Source: Article: "Lady Gaga Meets Her Idol Alice Cooper" written by Kevin Blair for StarPulse.com; posted on Tuesday, 29 March 2011
• • 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 4,441st 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/
________
Source: https://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml  
• • Be sure to bookmark or follow The Mae West Blog
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • NYC, in court in 1927 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Minute Men

Reporters who met MAE WEST during the 1920s and early 1930s — — before stardom cloaked her utterly — — have a refreshingly different take than those who met her as a bonafide movie queen.
• • New York Herald Tribune reporter Stanley Walker came up to see Mae West often in New York.
• • A section in Stanley Walker’s 1935 memoir discussed Mae West. This is Part 12 of 19 segments.
• • “Sex Comes to America” • •
• • Mae West steadfastly denied it • •
• • Stanley Walker wrote: Miss West, although confronted with the evidence, steadfastly denied that she had ever been married to Frank Wallace.

• • Stanley Walker wrote: When pressed about her private life, she takes one of Jimmy Walker's phrases and says, “I’ll match my private life with any woman's."
• • Stanley Walker wrote: She is known for flip remarks. It is said that once, when refusing an Invitation to attend a luncheon given by the Los Angeles Minute Men, she said: “I like a man who takes his time.”
• • Stanley Walker wrote: Once she became irritated by the gossip about her and wrote a letter to the New York Times. And this is what Mae West said — —
• • "Because my book 'The Constant Sinner' [1931] is but another in a string of hits [sic] I have turned out — — my batting average being 1,000 In this respect — — and because my plays have dealt with sex and the dregs of humanity, some persons see fit to assume that I write vividly about such subjects because I know them by experience. . . .”
• • Mae West’s letter to The N.Y. Times (continued) • • . . .
• • This long chapter by Stanley Walker will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Chapter “Sex Comes to America” from "Mrs. Astor's Horse" written by Stanley Walker [NY: Frederick A. Stokes, 28 October 1935, 320 pages].
• • On Monday, 27 March 1989 • •
• • Published on Monday, 27 March 1989 was Carol Ward's fascinating book "Mae West: A Bio-bibliography" [Greenwood Press, 241 pages]. Ward's chapters include a biography, an examination of the art of Mae West, and a bibliographical checklist of key Mae West sources. One of her helpful sections summarizes and partially reprints several early interviews, spanning many years and quoting liberally — — including the full texts of interviews by Ruth Biery and George Christy.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • The Mae West picture, "Go West Young Man," was completed right on schedule. Emanuel Cohen, president of Major Pictures, celebrated with a party at the studio upon the completion of the picture, which was directed by Henry Hathaway.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: “I had often thought of things, but I was usually too lazy to write them down.”
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on film actresses and vamps mentioned Mae West.
• • Times Union staff writes: NOT EVIL: Mae West in "She Done Him Wrong" (1933). Only in a period of mental health with regard to sex could a character like Mae West arrive — — a vision of female strength and good humor, who, in her films, bragged of having many lovers. In 1915, she would have been presented as an evil vamp — — in 1933, she was a comic heroine. ...
• • Source: Pictorial: "The Evil Beauties of Cinema" in Albany Times Union; posted on 21 March 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 4,440th 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/
________
Source: https://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml  
• • Be sure to bookmark or follow The Mae West Blog
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • with Frank Wallace in 1911 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Conflicting Rumors

Reporters who met MAE WEST during the 1920s and early 1930s — — before stardom cloaked her utterly — — have a refreshingly different take than those who met her as a bonafide movie queen.
• • New York Herald Tribune reporter Stanley Walker came up to see Mae West often in New York.
• • A section in Stanley Walker’s 1935 memoir discussed Mae West. This is Part 11 of 19 segments.
• • “Sex Comes to America” • •
• • Jim Timony took a rosary from his pocket • •
• • Stanley Walker wrote: At the trial, Timony took a rosary from his pocket and fingered the beads in prayer. It was no use. With Miss West and Morganstern he was fined $500 and sentenced to ten days in jail.
• • Stanley Walker wrote: The private life of Miss West has been the subject of many legends and conflicting rumors. In the spring of 1935 a boondoggler in the Middle West, going through some old records, found that she had been married in 1911 to a fellow actor, Frank Wallace.
• • Stanley Walker wrote: Now, there was a Frank Wallace who played with Miss West as a singing waiter in "Diamond Lil," but he died in 1933.

• • Stanley Walker wrote: Another Frank Wallace, who said he was the original bridegroom, turned up on Broadway. He was a vaudeville actor and broke. For a few weeks he tried to cash in on the glamorous fact that he had once been the husband of Mae West, and then he dropped back into obscurity.
• • Mae West steadfastly denied it • • . . .
• • This long chapter by Stanley Walker will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Chapter “Sex Comes to America” from "Mrs. Astor's Horse" written by Stanley Walker [NY: Frederick A. Stokes, 28 October 1935, 320 pages].
• • On Wednesday, 26 March 1958 • •
• • Rock Hudson, age 32, and Mae West performed the song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” together, in point style, at the 30th Annual Academy Awards on Wednesday, 26 March 1958.
• • The 1957 Academy Awards were presented at the RKO Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, California and broadcast on NBC-TV.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • "Curvaceous," the Mae West descriptive adjective coined by Blake MacVeigh of Paramount's publicity department, will be listed in the next edition of Funk and Wagnalls dictionary.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Tell the truth if it hurts, gentlemen, but don't bruise yourself badly."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on witty sayings regarding sex mentioned Mae West.
• • The Daily Mail explained: Here, Liz Rowlinson selects some of the wittiest quotations...
• • Liz Rowlinson wrote: "I know nothing about sex because I was always married." — — Zsa Zsa Gabor, actress.
• • Liz Rowlinson wrote: "Sex is emotion in motion." — — Mae West, actress.
• • Source: Article: "From Mae West to Woody Allen: Everyone has something witty to say about sex" written by Liz Rowlinson for The Daily Mail [U.K.]; published on Friday, 23 March 2007
• • 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 4,439th 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/
________
Source: https://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml  
• • Be sure to bookmark or follow The Mae West Blog
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • Frank Wallace in 1941 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Veteran Racketeer

Reporters who met MAE WEST during the 1920s and early 1930s — — before stardom cloaked her utterly — — have a refreshingly different take than those who met her as a bonafide movie queen.
• • New York Herald Tribune reporter Stanley Walker came up to see Mae West often in New York.
• • A section in Stanley Walker’s 1935 memoir discussed Mae West. This is Part 10 of 19 segments.
• • “Sex Comes to America” • •
• • the principal financial backer of “Sex” was Owney Madden • •
• • Stanley Walker wrote: From time to time somebody starts the rumor that Timony and Miss West are married, but there has never been any proof of a wedding. Timony, a Broadway lawyer with theatrical interests, organized the Morals Production Company, which produced the play "Sex.”
• • Naturally, Owney Madden remained in the background • •

• • Stanley Walker wrote: It was pretty well known at the time that the principal financial backer of “Sex” was Owney Madden, New York's veteran racketeer, but he naturally remained in the background.
• • Stanley Walker wrote: Owney Madden was a great admirer of Miss West's playwriting ability and, with his friends, regarded her as an authentic artist.
• • Stanley Walker wrote: In 1927 Mae West, Jim Timony and Charles W. Morganstern, associated with the production, were Indicted for staging an indecent performance, “Sex.”
• • Timony took a rosary from his pocket • • ... 
• • This long chapter by Stanley Walker will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Chapter “Sex Comes to America” from "Mrs. Astor's Horse" written by Stanley Walker [NY: Frederick A. Stokes, 28 October 1935, 320 pages].
• • Tuesday, 25 March 1924 in San Antonio History • •
• • On Tuesday, 25 March 1924 Mae West appeared on a vaudeville program at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, Texas. It’s likely she took a room at the Menger Hotel during that trip. [See below.]
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • The headline was "Mae West Could Be Star of Her Own Situation Comedy." Critic Rick Du Brow was favorably impressed. Papers in the U.K. and the USA reviewed the TV episode as well. 
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: “Saving love doesn’t bring any interest.”
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on a haunted hotel in San Antonio, Texas mentioned Mae West.
• • My San Antonio wrote: Any San Antonio ghost tour worth its salt will stop at the Menger Hotel for a spell of spectacular, spooky tales that give this spot the unofficial title of "Most Haunted Hotel in Texas."
• • My San Antonio wrote: Less than 25 years after the Battle of the Alamo, the Menger Hotel opened its doors to a motley bunch of travelers in San Antonio. And through the years, the hotel has hosted infamous characters from Sam Houston, Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, Oscar Wilde, Babe Ruth, Mae West, and Bill Clinton.
• • My San Antonio wrote: But perhaps the Menger Hotel's most legendary visitors of all are the dozens of spirits that guests and hotel staff have reported encountering. …
• • Source: My San Antonio; published on Wednesday, 5 August 2015 
• • 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 4,438th 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/
________
Source: https://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml  
• • Be sure to bookmark or follow The Mae West Blog
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • with Owney Madden in 1930 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Fond of Fighters

Reporters who met MAE WEST during the 1920s and early 1930s — — before stardom cloaked her utterly — — have a refreshingly different take than those who met her as a bonafide movie queen.
• • New York Herald Tribune reporter Stanley Walker came up to see Mae West often in New York.
• • A section in Stanley Walker’s 1935 memoir discussed Mae West. This is Part 9 of 19 segments.
• • “Sex Comes to America” • •
• • Miss West is fond of fighters • •
• • Mae’s mother, Matilda Delker • •

• • Stanley Walker wrote: Miss West's mother was Matilda Delker West, a French actress [sic] reputedly of Jewish blood, who died in 1930. Battling Jack, who became a chiropractor [sic], died in Hollywood in 1934. Miss West is fond of fighters, and tries to give as many of them as possible parts in her productions.
• • Editor’s note: Notice there is no mention here of the later added name: “Doelger.”
• • Stanley Walker wrote: At the prize-fights, Miss West is usually accompanied by James Timony, a large red-faced man who has been associated with her since 1926.
• • the principal financial backer of “Sex” was Owney Madden • • . . .
• • This long chapter by Stanley Walker will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Chapter “Sex Comes to America” from "Mrs. Astor's Horse" written by Stanley Walker [NY: Frederick A. Stokes, 28 October 1935, 320 pages].
• • On Tuesday, 24 March 1970 in Look Magazine • •
• • "Raquel Welch, Mae West Talk about Men, Morals and Myra Breckinridge," on page 45 in Look Magazine's weekly issue dated for Tuesday, 24 March 1970.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • It takes more than merely acting to become a national figure — an emblem — which, strange and contradictory as it may seem, is exactly what Mae West is.
• • Describing her attraction to fellows in uniform, Mae West told a Hollywood newsman this: "I even choke up when I see The Good Humor Man."
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I like restraint if it doesn't go too far."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A London newspaper discussed Diane Arbus and Mae West.
• • Mae West’s monkeys were Toughie and Pretty Boy • •
• • Nicholas Haslam wrote: While I was the Art Editor of Show Magazine in New York during the 1960s, I commissioned the great Diane Arbus to photograph the (by then) forgotten Mae West (Books, 16 March) at her home in Los Angeles.
• • Nicholas Haslam wrote: The results revealed that Miss West had a fearsome fetish for symmetry — matching grubby white grand pianos bearing vast identical plaster statues of her naked self, duplicate papier-maiché urns of dusty mock camellias, place settings mirrored either side of the plates, etc. 
• • Nicholas Haslam wrote: Mae West also slept between two (real) apes called Toughie and Pretty Boy. . . .
• • Source: Letter (page 29) in London's Spectator; published on Saturday, 23 March 1996 
• • 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 4,437th 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/
________
Source: https://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml  
• • Be sure to bookmark or follow The Mae West Blog
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • with Matilda West in 1927 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: A Vigil Light

Reporters who met MAE WEST during the 1920s and early 1930s — — before stardom cloaked her utterly — — have a refreshingly different take than those who met her as a bonafide movie queen.
• • New York Herald Tribune reporter Stanley Walker came up to see Mae West often in New York.
• • A section in Stanley Walker’s 1935 memoir discussed Mae West. This is Part 8 of 19 segments.
• • “Sex Comes to America” • •
• • a vigil light in Mae’s apartment is never extinguished • •
• • Stanley Walker wrote: One of the robbers, Edward Friedman, was caught, convicted and sentenced to twelve years in San Quentin [sic] prison. Friedman's uncaught pals have threatened to throw acid in her face, so she is guarded wherever she goes.
• • Stanley Walker wrote: The guards even follow her to the Roman Catholic church near her home, where she goes almost every morning. The religious touch in her nature is illustrated also by a vigil light in her apartment which is never extinguished.
• • Mae West’s father was a bouncer at Fox’s Folly • •

• • Stanley Walker wrote: Miss West likes to go to prize-fights, and follows the work of the pugilists with the eye of an expert. Her father was Battling Jack West, a Brooklyn middle-weight. Between fights in the summer, he worked as a bouncer in a Coney Island dance hall. And in the winter he threw out the rowdy ones at Fox's Folly in Brooklyn.
• • Miss West is fond of fighters • • . . .
• • This long chapter by Stanley Walker will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Chapter “Sex Comes to America” from "Mrs. Astor's Horse" written by Stanley Walker [NY: Frederick A. Stokes, 28 October 1935, 320 pages].
• • On Friday, 23 March 1934 • •
• • French magazine Hebdo (No. 50), released on a Friday, 23 March 1934, flashed a beautiful Mae West cover. At the time, Jean Esters was the Editor-in-Chief and Hebdo was being published by Baudiniere, Paris.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West is cast as a Western cattle rancher who inherits a small fortune when her partner-to-be in matrimony dies suddenly. She decides to become a lady, hence the title "Now I'm a Lady."
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Love conquers all — — except poverty and a toothache."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on "dirt plays" mentioned Mae West.
• • "Mae West Trial Opens" • •

• • The Frederick News Post wrote: Mae West with her attorney Nathan Burkan are shown as they enter General Sessions court in New York after opening day of her trial before Judge Amadeo Bertini. She is being tried on charges of producing an ''indecent, immoral, improper and obscene'' play. Several others of the cast also face prosecution. The case's most important angle is in its probable effect on …
• • Source: The Frederick News Post; published on Thursday, 20 March 1930
• • 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 4,436th 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/
________
Source: https://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml  
• • Be sure to bookmark or follow The Mae West Blog
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • film scene (1934);image from Courting Mae West Comic Book, Michael DiMotta, illustrator • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: No Vacations

Reporters who met MAE WEST during the 1920s and early 1930s — — before stardom cloaked her utterly — — have a refreshingly different take than those who met her as a bonafide movie queen.
• • New York Herald Tribune reporter Stanley Walker came up to see Mae West often in New York.
• • A section in Stanley Walker’s 1935 memoir discussed Mae West. This is Part 7 of 19 segments.
• • “Sex Comes to America” • •
• • Mae West did not take vacations • •
• • Stanley Walker wrote: Miss West is known as an exceptionally shrewd business woman. Her contract calls for two pictures a year, and contains a provision that she must approve all her scenarios. Thus she approves the scenarios written by herself, which she sells for high prices.

• • Stanley Walker wrote: She never takes a vacation; as soon as one picture is finished, she starts on another.
• • Stanley Walker wrote: Like the character in "Diamond Lil," Miss West is fond of jewelry. For years she delighted in displaying her glittering collection.
• • Stanley Walker wrote: Her pet piece was a large pendant in the form of a champagne bottle covered with blue-white diamonds. One night in September 1934, three men with guns stopped her automobile and robbed her of her diamonds, worth $17,000, including the champagne bottle, and $4,400 in cash.
• • a vigil light in Mae’s apartment is never extinguished • • . . . 
• • This long chapter by Stanley Walker will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Chapter “Sex Comes to America” from "Mrs. Astor's Horse" written by Stanley Walker [NY: Frederick A. Stokes, 28 October 1935, 320 pages].
• • On Wednesday, 20 March 1940 in the Independent • •
• • "Harrison in Hollywood" • •
• • British newsman Paul Harrison noted that Mae West was considerably shorter than the height given on her press materials. He said she is barely taller than five feet. Her fans were given a glimpse of how she exercises and a hint that she loves sweets and hates to diet. But if she has to lose weight in a hurry, she goes on a steak diet. Details about her writing habits followed along with the news that she had completed a new script about Catherine the Great and hoped a producer would come up and see her.
• • Paul Harrison concluded his piece by speculating about the film star's age in light of what he gleaned about her early Broadway credits.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West's plans for a vacation trip have been blasted by a Paramount Pictures notice that she must be ready to start on her next picture about the middle of July. Meanwhile, she must help get the screenplay in shape.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Love the men, ladies — — but not too much."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The N.Y. Times mentioned Mae West.
• • "One Juror Lacking in Mae West Trial” read one headline.  ...
• • Source: New York Times; published on Wednesday, 19 March 1930
• • 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 4,435th 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 • • wearing her prized diamond necklace in 1932 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Rose-Scented Tub

Reporters who met MAE WEST during the 1920s and early 1930s — — before stardom cloaked her utterly — — have a refreshingly different take than those who met her as a bonafide movie queen.
• • New York Herald Tribune reporter Stanley Walker came up to see Mae West often in New York.
• • A section in Stanley Walker’s 1935 memoir discussed Mae West. This is Part 6 of 19 segments.
• • “Sex Comes to America” • •
• • Mae has a keen appreciation of her body • •
• • Stanley Walker wrote: She passes most of her spare time in bed and composes most of her dramatic masterpieces there.
• • Stanley Walker wrote: She used to write scenarios in longhand, but now she calls in a stenographer and dictates. She is said to have a keen appreciation of her body, and likes to stretch out full length in a warm, rose-scented tub and soak.

• • Stanley Walker wrote: She is particular about her clothes; the skirts must be instep length to bring out the curve of her hips. Her dresses must be tight in the right places, and low-necked.
• • Stanley Walker wrote: Because of an eccentricity in dressing (she combs her hair and puts on her hat before her dress), her street clothes are made with slits and buttons on the shoulders and down the back. She likes heavy-scented Oriental perfumes, high-heeled satin pumps, and wide-brimmed hats.
• • Mae West did not take vacations • • . . .
• • This long chapter by Stanley Walker will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Chapter “Sex Comes to America” from "Mrs. Astor's Horse" written by Stanley Walker [NY: Frederick A. Stokes, 28 October 1935, 320 pages].
• • On Saturday, 19 March 1927 • •
• • Mae West signed the "Sex" checks. Three promissory notes dated for Saturday, 19 March 1927 from the Moral Producing Corporation, $1,000 each to Harold Spielberg, signed on the verso in original ink "Mae West" together with a check drawn on the Bowery and East River National Bank, dated 2 March 1927, signed by Mae West as President of the Moral Producing Corporation.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Andy Warhol started collecting pictures of movie stars such as Shirley Temple and Mae West when he was eight years old, Eric Shiner said. He would write letters to the Hollywood movie studios and ask for photographs, then kept dozens of them in a photo album.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Don't believe that in my search for realism in the plays I write I invite police interference. My last trouble with the police cost me a small fortune in litigation and a lot of headaches."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The L.A. Times mentioned Mae West.
• • Obituary: Stanley Musgrove, 61; TV Producer, Writer
• • Stanley E. Musgrove, for 20 years president of the Friends of the USC Libraries, a support group for the 16 libraries at the university, died Thursday (on 13 March 1986) of cancer at a Mission Hills Hospital. He was 61.
• • The producer and writer, who graduated from USC's School of Cinema-Television in 1947, was responsible for dinners honoring such entertainment celebrities as Cole Porter, George Cukor, Moss Hart, and Louis Armstrong. He also was publicist for Mae West, Cole Porter, and Guy Madison and at his death was preparing to produce a TV film of a book on Miss West that he co-authored. …
• • Source: The L.A. Times; published on Wednesday, 19 March 1986
• • 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 4,434th 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/
________
Source: https://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml  
• • Be sure to bookmark or follow The Mae West Blog
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • at Madison Square Garden on March 14, 1939 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Junior, a Monkey

Reporters who met MAE WEST during the 1920s and early 1930s — — before stardom cloaked her utterly — — have a refreshingly different take than those who met her as a bonafide movie queen.
• • New York Herald Tribune reporter Stanley Walker came up to see Mae West often in New York.
• • A section in Stanley Walker’s 1935 memoir discussed Mae West. This is Part 5 of 19 segments.
• • “Sex Comes to America” • •
• • a monkey named Junior and a small Chihuahua dog • •
• • Stanley Walker wrote: The other occupants of the apartment are a monkey named Junior and a small Chihuahua dog.
• • Stanley Walker wrote: An oversized bed dominates the bedroom. It is white and frilly, with a regal canopy, and stands on a dais carpeted with another white bearskin. A huge mirror is embedded inside the canopy so she can survey her famous figure as she lies outstretched in one of her favorite black lace nightgowns.
• • Mae’s Manhattan bedroom • •

• • Stanley Walker wrote: During her "Sex" and "Diamond Lil" days in New York, her bed was of carved wood with a velveteen canopy of green and gold attached to a six-pointed coronet. A tall pier glass stood opposite the foot of the bed and was adorned with a crest designed by Mae, which bore the legend, "Mae West, Sex, Diamond Lil."
• • Mae has a keen appreciation of her body • • . . .
• • This long chapter by Stanley Walker will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Chapter “Sex Comes to America” from "Mrs. Astor's Horse" written by Stanley Walker [NY: Frederick A. Stokes, 28 October 1935, 320 pages].
• • On Wednesday, 18 March 1953 • •
• • ”New Film Star” • •
• • It was on Wednesday, 18 March 1953 that folks were reading about a new motion picture based on the life story of Mae West.
• • Hollywood gossip columns announced this: Her name is Pat Morrissey. She is a 24-year-old singer with platinum blonde hair and big dark eyes. She expects soon to star in a film of the life of Mae West.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West signed a new contract with Paramount which calls for two pictures a year from her for the next four years. The actress has the option of writing her own stories, selecting her own cast, and working for a percentage of the grosses on the eight pictures, under the terms of her new deal.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "It takes two to get one in trouble."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The Chief Executive Magazine mentioned Mae West.
• • Dr. Meera Viswanathan, Head of School at Ethel Walker said: The great Mae West once noted, “Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere.”  Surely, we want girls and women to be cosmopolitan, worldly, in the best sense of the word.  …
• • Source: Chief Executive; published on Friday, 6 March 2020
• • 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 4,433rd 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/
________
Source: https://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml  
• • Be sure to bookmark or follow The Mae West Blog
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • at home in 1933 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Swan Ashtrays

Reporters who met MAE WEST during the 1920s and early 1930s — — before stardom cloaked her utterly — — have a refreshingly different take than those who met her as a bonafide movie queen.
• • New York Herald Tribune reporter Stanley Walker came up to see Mae West often in New York.
• • A section in Stanley Walker’s 1935 memoir discussed Mae West. This is Part 4 of 19 segments.
• • “Sex Comes to America” • •
• • Mae’s specially constructed front door is of the speakeasy type • •
• • Stanley Walker wrote: Her Hollywood apartment is typical of her character. Her specially constructed front door is of the speakeasy type; visitors are carefully squinted at through a grilled slit by a butler. The color scheme of the apartment is white and gold. All the furniture, including a large grand piano, is white.
• • Numerous ash trays in the form of golden swans • •

• • Stanley Walker wrote: The drawing room contains several white sofas upholstered in cloth of gold. Thick bearskin rugs cover the floors. Numerous ash trays in the form of golden swans are scattered about on little tables. Dozens of mirrors are used as wall decorations.
• • Stanley Walker wrote: She has a gold dinner set from which she and her brother Jack, who lives with her, dine often, served by a Negro butler and maid.
• • a monkey named Junior and a Chihuahua dog • •  . . .
• • This long chapter by Stanley Walker will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Chapter “Sex Comes to America” from "Mrs. Astor's Horse" written by Stanley Walker [NY: Frederick A. Stokes, 28 October 1935, 320 pages].
• • On Monday, 17 March 1930 • •
• • It was on Monday, 17 March 1930 when Mae West's "Pleasure Man" trial before Judge Amadeo Bertini began, and the New York District Attorney charged that Mae violated Section 1140-a by writing another gay play and he also charged her with the crime of maintaining a public nuisance — — an insulting charge typically levied at speakeasies and skidrow saloons not playwrights.
• • On Thursday, 17 March 1966 • •
• • On 17 March 1966 caricaturist Al Hirschfeld wrote on one page: "John P. Sullivan has purchased a drawing of mine of Mae West for $250.00."
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Actress Rose McGowan said, "There's definitely a little Mae West in me."
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Saving love doesn't bring any interest."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A North Carolina newspaper mentioned Mae West.
• • W. C. Fields coyly kisses Mae West's hand in one of the uproarious scenes from the comedy "My Little Chickadee," which plays Friday at the Playhouse. ...
• • Source: Statesville Record and Landmark (Statesville, N.C.); published on Saturday, 11 March 1950
• • 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 4,432nd 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/
________
Source: https://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml  
• • Be sure to bookmark or follow The Mae West Blog
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • in 1933 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest