Thursday, March 05, 2020

Mae West: Moral Corruption

The films of MAE WEST are being shown on college campuses. A showing at Indiana University inspired this fascinating article by Katherine Johnson, a PhD Candidate in Communication and Culture. This is Part 2 of 6 segments.
• • Mae West: More Than Meets the Eye • •
• • Mae was thought to be morally corrupting influence • • 
• • Katherine Johnson wrote:  On April 19, 1927, Mae West was sentenced to ten days in jail for being a morally corrupting influence on American youth. This scandal jump-started West’s popular culture image as a star with a penchant for scandalous sexuality and a sharp, yet provocative comedic style.
• • Katherine Johnson wrote: Her career in movies really only lasted through the 1930s—she has a handful of credits sprinkled throughout the 1940s, 1960s, and 1970s. Her first film, Night After Night, was released in 1932, and her second, She Done Him Wrong, in 1933. The latter was based on another Broadway play of West’s titled Diamond Lil.
• • Katherine Johnson wrote: It was released a year after Sex and, unlike the previous play, it fared well with critics.
• • establishing Mae West’s film image • • . . . 
• • To be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Article by Katherine Johnson for Indiana University Cinema… A Place for Film™; posted on Wednesday, 26 September 2018.
• • On Thursday, 5 March 1936 • •
• • The Associated Press broke the news first: “Mae West Quits Studio; She and Paramount Accuse Each Other of Breaking Contract.”
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Chester Beecroft of Famous Players bears the sorrowful distinction of having held an option on Mae West's picture services for three years and being unable to get his Florida backers to go through with the deal.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Beautiful but dumb girls have had their day. They're finished."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The Hollywood Reporter mentioned Mae West.
• • "Beef Trust Chorus Wanted" • •
• • "It Ain’t No Sin" (Rehearsing); Cast: Mae West, George Raft, Duke Ellington and Orchestra.
• • They noted: Leo McCarey is searching for a Beef Trust chorus. Director wants a bulging line for the Mae West picture, "It Ain't No Sin." …
• • Source: The Hollywood Reporter; published on Monday, 5 March 1934
• • 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 4,424th 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 • • "Night After Night" in 1932 • •
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