Mae West: Prison Diary #5

There are many myths about MAE WEST as a prisoner — — silliness such as she drove there “in a limousine” or she arrived “carrying roses” and “accompanied by her maid.” What better way to banish the falsehoods than invite the Brooklyn bombshell to describe this experience in her own words. This is Part 5 of 7 segments.
• • Mae West, Sunbeam, Trips from Prison • •     
• • Island's Lady Bountiful Plans a Prison Library • • 
• • Mae West Asked for Undies • •
• • Elenore Kellogg wrote: Mae West continued, "Later I worked in the library, dusting books and things, and that's where I got the idea of starting a library. I thought it wasn't much of a library they had. Of course, I’ll let a committee and the warden pick the books."

• • Elenore Kellogg wrote: "No exceptions whatever were made in her case," Warden Schleth [1879— 1963] interposed, "and she didn't ask for any special favors outside of the underwear."
• • Elenore Kellogg wrote: Here Miss West passed over a poem whose authorship she admitted. It read: “Mae West to Warden Schleth.”   
• • Mae West’s “panty poem” to the Warden • • . . .
• • Note: Stage play “Courting Mae West” covers her two Prohibition Era trials in NYC. Producers can request a copy.
• • Source: N.Y. Daily News (New York, NY); published on Thursday, 28 April 1927.
• • On Tuesday, 29 May 1934 in New Zealand • •
• • A flattering article on Mae West's emergence as a new screen star was published in New Zealand in the Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser (on page 2) on Tuesday, 29 May 1934. Very nice to discover it.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • "I'm No Angel" did good box office. Mae West's stock rose even higher in Tinseltown after two successes in the States.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Anybody who needs a dirty play ought to call on Mr. Wallace for suggestions."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A NYC theatre critic discussed Mae West.
• • Mae West “Sex” Capade! • •
• • Frank Rich wrote: Politics turned a hit into a Jazz Age phenomenon. When New York’s rakish mayor, Jimmy Walker, took a Havana holiday in February 1927, the acting mayor, Joseph V. (“Holy Joe”) McKee, raided three risqué Broadway shows. Mae West was the prime target: Sex, then in the tenth month of its run, had been seen by 325,000 theatergoers. To the delight of the tabloid press, its twenty actors were hauled off to a police station in Hell’s Kitchen. The star spent the night in the Jefferson Market Women’s Prison. …
• • Source: New York Magazine; published in their 1 April 2012 issue
• • 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 4,485th 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 the warden in April 1927 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Prison Diary #4

There are many myths about MAE WEST as a prisoner — — silliness such as she drove there “in a limousine” or she arrived “carrying roses” and “accompanied by her maid.” What better way to banish the foolish B.S. than invite the Brooklyn bombshell to describe this experience in her own words. This is Part 4 of 7 segments.
• • Mae West, Sunbeam, Trips from Prison • •     
• • Island's Lady Bountiful Plans a Prison Library • • 
• • Mae West Feels Evangelical • •
• • Elenore Kellogg wrote: Mae West continued, "Several of those I met would respond to better treatment, I'm sure, and I'm arranging to get them positions when they come out in two or three months."

• • Elenore Kellogg wrote: Right here both actress and warden admitted that the picture of Mae West mopping floors or working in the laundry on Welfare island was a myth.
• • Elenore Kellogg wrote: Mae West did little work beyond keeping her cell clean because there isn't enough work even for the six-months-prisoners.
• • Elenore Kellogg wrote: Mae West added, "I got up about 9, and I went to bed at 9," she went on, "but I didn't get to sleep till about 1. They could put me to bed, but they couldn't make me go to sleep.”
• • Mae West Asked for Undies • • . . .
• • Note: Stage play “Courting Mae West” covers her two Prohibition Era trials in NYC. Producers can request a copy.
• • Source: N.Y. Daily News (New York, NY); published on Thursday, 28 April 1927.
• • On Tuesday, 28 May 1935 • •
• • The Straits Times in Singapore carried this headline: "Mae West Marriage Claim — —   Come Up and See My Lawyer Some Time."  Uh-oh. Trouble brewing.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: From the Secret Files of Harry Pennypacker" [2008] was a novel. In one chapter, Michael Druxman, a longtime Hollywood PR agent, poked fun at the scandals the studio went mad to hush up and he has fictionalized gossip about Mae West and W.C. Fields. Amusing.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "You have to outfight everyone else to succeed."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A syndicated columnist interviewed Mae West.
• • Journalist George Lait wrote: On April 19, 1927, Mae West was sentenced to serve 10 days in the New York City work house on Welfare Island and to pay a $500 fine.
• • George Lait wrote: Warden’s Words. When Mae left Welfare Island, Warden Henry O. Schleth called newspaper reporters aside and said: “She’s a fine woman, boys. A great character.” . . .
• • Source: Syndicated content, rpt by Winona Republican Herald (Winona, MN); published on Tuesday, 12 December 1933
• • 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 4,484th 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 • • newspaper headlines in April 1927 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Prison Diary #3

There are many myths about MAE WEST as a prisoner — — silliness such as she drove there “in a limousine” or she arrived “carrying roses” and “accompanied by her maid.” What better way to banish the moronic B.S. than invite the Brooklyn bombshell to describe this experience in her own words. This is Part 3 of 7 segments.
• • Mae West, Sunbeam, Trips from Prison • •     
• • Island's Lady Bountiful Plans a Prison Library • • 
• • Mae West had enough material, she said • •

• • Mae West added: "I got enough material for two or three plays, oh, I got plenty. The other inmates interested me very much. I went around with a matron and talked to them. I studied some of their cases. What did they say? Oh, they said plenty. But I really think something should be done for them, and I may start to do something like that. These girls go out of here with about ten cents, and what are they going to do back in the city? There's nothing for them except to carry on as lawbreakers. That's why they come back here again and again."
• • Mae West Feels Evangelical • • . . .
• • Note: Stage play “Courting Mae West” covers her two Prohibition Era trials in NYC. Producers can request a copy.
• • Source: N.Y. Daily News (New York, NY); published on Thursday, 28 April 1927.
• • On Friday, 27 May 2005 • •
• • Talented artist Tom Tierney released his wonderful "Mae West Paper Doll" book on Friday, 27 May 2005.  Dover published it. This is a must-have for Mae mavens..
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West rarely appeared on radio. When she did, she was there to promote one of her motion pictures.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: “I pity weak women, good or bad, but I can't like them. A woman should be strong either in her goodness or badness."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A syndicated columnist interviewed Mae West.
• • Mae West said this to journalist George Lait: “So we talked it over, Jim Timony and I, and we decided to finance the first stage play ourselves. Jim put up a large sum of money, my mother put in some of her savings, and I put up the rest [sic]. Thus we financed [“Sex”] our first play.” . . .
• • Source: Syndicated content, rpt by Winona Republican Herald (Winona, MN); published on Tuesday, 12 December 1933
• • 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 4,483rd 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 • • the Women's Workhouse, 1927 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Prison Diary #2

There are many myths about MAE WEST as a prisoner — — silliness such as she drove there “in a limousine” or she arrived “carrying roses” and “accompanied by her maid.” What better way to banish the useless B.S. than invite the Brooklyn bombshell to describe this experience in her own words. This is Part 2 of 7 segments.
• • Mae West, Sunbeam, Trips from Prison • •     
• • Island's Lady Bountiful Plans a Prison Library • • 
• • Mae West had a run in her silk stockings • •
• • Elenore Kellogg wrote: Only a run in the cream colored silk stockings betrayed that Mae West had been arrested, and all that sort of thing.
• • Kind Attendants • •

Mae and Warden shake hands

• • Elenore Kellogg wrote: "Like it here?" Mae West shook her head. "I was surprised. I expected it to be a great deal worse. No. I wasn't worried, for I never worry about anything. But I expected to see a lot of terrible people around cops and things who would keep reminding you that they were attendants and matrons. They treat them — — not only me — — but everybody as though they were patients rather than criminals. In fact, I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner. And I don't feel as though I'd been here more than two days.”
• • Mae West had enough material for several stage plays, she said • • . . .
• • Note: Stage play “Courting Mae West” covers her two Prohibition Era trials in NYC. Producers can request a copy.
• • Source: N.Y. Daily News (New York, NY); published on Thursday, 28 April 1927.
• • On Saturday, 26 May 1934 • •
• • A week-long series, titled "Roads of Romance" by Harry Lee and Winfield Meggs (illustrated with charming pen and ink drawings of Mae West on page 31), was printed in The Winnipeg Evening Tribune on Saturday, 26 May 1934 (and 5 other dates).
• • On Sunday, 26 May 1935 • •
• • A Singapore paper announced the latest talkie starring Mae West.
• • The Straits Times wrote: The Girl with the Hour-glass figure makes every second count! 
• • Mae West in "Belle of the Nineties" — A Paramount Picture! At the Capitol Next Week.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West reads trade magazines and a few newspapers. She has no taste for fiction, because she says she can write her own. 
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: “Virtue has its own reward, but has no sale at the box office.”
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A syndicated columnist interviewed Mae West.
• • Mae West said this to journalist George Lait: “My play was lurid and shocking. Clerics and clergymen denounced it, critics assailed It. But people talked about it and what is more, they struggled to pay to see it and those who saw It told their friends and they came in droves," Mae reminisces.  . . .
• • Source: Syndicated content, rpt by Winona Republican Herald (Winona, MN); published on Tuesday, 12 December 1933 
• • 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 4,482nd 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 • • photographed at the Women's Workhouse, 1927 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Prison Diary #1

There are many myths about MAE WEST as a prisoner — — silliness such as she drove there “in a limousine” or she arrived “carrying roses” and “accompanied by her maid.” What better way to banish the total B.S. than invite the Brooklyn bombshell to describe this experience in her own words. This is Part 1 of 7 segments.
• • Mae West, Sunbeam, Trips from Prison • •     
• • Island's Lady Bountiful Plans a Prison Library • •  
• • Reporter Elenore Kellogg wrote: Mae West, the sunbeam of the workhouse, left that institution yesterday after ten [sic] days of study and cotton stockings. Her sentence for being star and co-author of "Sex," convicted of immorality, ended at 4 p. m.

• • Elenore Kellogg wrote: Before she left, Warden Henry O. Schleth described her as "a woman of wonderful character." He said the $1,000 she receives from Liberty magazine for a story of her experiences will go to found the "Mae West library" for unfortunates in the workhouse.
• • Elenore Kellogg wrote: "I'm not going to keep a nickel of it," chimed in the actress, her usual self again in black satin, blonde curls, and just a ladylike touch of mascara.
• • Mae West had a run in her silk stockings • •  . . . 
• • Note: Stage play “Courting Mae West” covers her two Prohibition Era trials in NYC. Producers can request a copy.
• • (N.Y. Daily News photo) Starry-eyed Mae West on the ferry leaving Welfare island.
• • Source: N.Y. Daily News (New York, NY); published on Thursday, 28 April 1927.
• • On Monday, 25 May 1936 • •
• • Sydney, Sunday — — Australians will not be permitted to view Mae West's latest picture, 'Klondyke Annie,' as the Federal film censorship has placed a ban on it, explained Brisbane's Courier-Mail in an article printed on Monday, 25 May 1936.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Jewelry historian Janet Zapata wrote: The actress who epitomized, or possibly caricatured, extravagance was Mae West.  Her line "Without diamonds, honey, I'd feel undressed" encapsulates the importance of jewelry to her and to the film business of the period.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: My play “Sex” was a work of art.
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A fellow inmate mentioned Mae West.
• • Mae on Welfare Island • •
• • Manhattan: About your write-ups of Mae West "doing her bit" on Welfare island, I am contradicting them. She is not doing any mopping. She is playing a piano and taking sun baths. Also, she wears silk stockings and high heeled shoes. She is working hard at writing a new play.
• • Meanwhile, I "wrote my plays" with a Workhouse mop. Too bad I was not an actress. — — EX-INMATE.
• • Source: N.Y. Daily News (New York, NY); published on Wednesday, 27 April 1927
• • 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 4,481st 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 a ferry leaving Women's Workhouse, 1927 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: James Brockman

Though most vaudevillians honed an act and toured with it for years, MAE WEST was always seeking new material. Moreover, she liked singing about rough and tumble types such as a grizzly bear and a cave man.
• • Kendis and Brockman wrote "I Want a Cave Man . . .,” a novelty number that Mae really grooved to.
• • In 1919, James Kendis [1883 — 1946] and James Brockman [1878 — 1967] were located at 145 West 45th Street in New York when they released this song.
• • James Brockman was born on Sunday, 8 December 1878.
• • Some sources have said he was born in Russia, then emigrated to New York. Supposedly, his birth name was Jacob Brachman.  Since it was often mis-pronounced, he Americanized it to “James Brockman.” 
• • The full title of the song Mae West included in her routines for four years (from 1919—1923) was "I Want a Cave Man Like William Hart — — The Movie Star" [words and music by James Kendis and James Brockman; arrangement by Freda Applebaum; published and copyrighted in June 1919]. Though "I Want a Cave Man" is a number ostensibly about Bill Hart, a Western film star, the lyrics reveal very little association with Hart except the fact that a title like this would capitalize on his famous name.
• • James Brockman successfully composed music for the film industry. He died in Santa Monica, California in May — — on Monday, 22 May 1967. He was 88 years old.
• • On Friday, 22 May 1936 • •
• • Graham Greene reviewed "Klondike Annie" for London's publication The Spectator, printed on Friday, 22 May 1936.
• • Unlike so many critics, Greene praised Mae's satire on the revivalists, astutely noting that "it never occurred to me that Miss West's conversion was to be taken seriously." He wrote: "I am completely uncritical of Mae West. I enjoy every one of her films . . . ."
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •

• • Owen Moore is back from New York to play with Mae West in her first Paramount starring vehicle, "Ruby Red." He is abandoning a personal appearance tour which started in Hollywood last April and which has taken him through the South and East. 
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Too many women make the mistake of waking up some morning and saying, 'I am no longer attractive to men.'  That does it, brother, from then on they're not!"
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Billboard mentioned Mae West.
• • “Mae West to Invade Atlantic City” • •
• • NEW YORK. Aug. 8. — — Mae West's new one, “The Constant Sinner,” is set to open in Atlantic City on August 24, with Mae in the lead. Now rehearsing under direction of Lawrence Marston. The much fought-over play “Daughter of Diamond Lil” seems to have been dropped.
• • Show is Shubert backed.
• • Those contracts that Equity has received have been signed by Joe Gaites. No bond as yet posted.
• • Source: Billboard; published on Saturday, 15 August 1931
• • 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 4,480th 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 • • sketch in 1933 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Loses Cooch

After the huge acclaim “Diamond Lil” enjoyed on Broadway, a box office bonanza and critical darling both, it would seem that the future would forever look bright for MAE WEST.
• • Certainly, a false and distorted ideal of one career success after another was described in her memoir. 
• • But if you flip through Variety during 1930, especially a number of several dismal entries for Mae West during May, bitter truths emerge.
• • Let’s have a look at what Mae was up against just one month after the nerve-wracking “Pleasure Man” trial — — another battle that she fought her way through.
• • “Mae West Blue: Loses Cooch” • •
• • Variety wrote: Operation for removal of her cooch dance on Mae West’s act, after the opening at Fox’s Audubon, was Mae West’s first date on a Fox percentage route.

• • Variety wrote:The West turn at the uptown Fox Theatre was reported to have reached a new level in blue stuff. Management decided to cut out all the dirt, but later, from accounts, discovered that if cutting the dirt, nothing would be left. Decision was to let it go as was — —all but the cooch.
• • Variety wrote: Prior to going with Fox, Mae West was submitted to R-K-O and Loew’s — — and rejected by both.
• • Note: Built in 1912, Fox’s Audubon, 3950 Broadway, NYC, had 2,368 seats.
• • Source: Variety; published on Wednesday, 7 May 1930.
• • On Monday, 21 May 1973 in Variety • •
• • A brief item appeared in Variety on Monday, 21 May 1973.  Mae West mentioned she was writing a new book "Sex Drive," that would include real names and be largely autobiographical.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: “If you can’t go straight, you have to go around.”
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Time Magazine reviewed a film starring Mae West.
• • Cinema: The New Pictures • •
• • Time Magazine wrote: “Goin' to Town” (Paramount). “She Done Him Wrong,” the first picture in which Mae West was starred, was her funniest.
• • Time Magazine wrote: “I'm No Angel” made the most money, $3,000,000. The cleanest was “Belle of the Nineties,” at the height of last summer's Legion of Decency Campaign.
• • Time Magazine wrote: “Goin' to Town” is the only one which deals with the contemporary scene [sic] but, aside from this detail, it is distinguished mainly by the strictness with which it adheres to the basic Mae West formula which, as the constant element in all four of her productions, can now ...
• • Source: Time Magazine; published on Monday, 20 May 1935 
• • 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 4,479th 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 • • news in May 1930 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Illusion of Height

In late 1933, Central Press commissioned a series of stories on the life of MAE WEST, described to their readership as “the first authentic account of her personality, habits, origins, and background.” Here is a short excerpt (Part 2 of 2 segments).
• • Mae West’s Drama of New York in the Gay Nineties — — in Extremely High Heels • •
• • Mae West made herself taller by wearing extremely high heels • •
• • George Lait wrote: Actually, she is only five feet four inches tall [sic] and she weighs 120 pounds. In an effort to build up her weight, Mae went on a special diet, one meal of which could keep a family for a week.  [Ed: Mae West was barely five feet tall.]
• • Ah, Me! Ah, Mae! • •
• • George Lait wrote: She drank bottles of cream spread and pounds of butter on rich pastries. But the best she could do was to work herself up to 135 pounds. Mae, therefore, made herself taller for the role by wearing extremely high heels and a high pompadour.

• • George Lait wrote: She also accentuated her already voluptuous, buxom appearance by wearing a specially designed padded corset affair, which gave her the appearance of some additional weight. She wore a similar contraption for her role in her first starring film, “She Done Him Wrong.”
• • Her next vehicle was “The Constant Sinner,” which ran for nine months [sic] in New York and, when warm weather came, Mae decided to take a rest.
• • But her vacation was not destined to last. Pictures were to claim Mae West. ...
• • Central Press Editor’s note:  This is the fourth of a series of stories on the life of Mae West, the first authentic account of her personality, habits, origins, and background published in 1933.
• • This excerpt written by George Lait has now been concluded with this post [Part 2 of 2]. 
• • Source: Syndicated content written for Central Press rpt in Winona Republican Herald (Winona, Minnesota); published on Tuesday, 12 December 1933.
• • On Sunday, 20 May 1934 in The L.A. Times • •
• • The article "So Mae West's Slipping? Not So She Can Notice It!" was published in The Los Angeles Times in their weekend edition on Sunday, 20 May 1934. By then Mae had two motion picture hits behind her and her third "Belle of the Nineties" would be released in September 1934.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • As with all the Mae West films, her showmanship personality dominates the scene.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "If we can send a man to the moon, why don’t we send all of 'em?"
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The Canberra Times mentioned Mae West.
• • "Inflation Hits Mae West" • •
• • Miss Mae West, publicised as the "girl with the 50,000 dollars treasure chest," now holds a policy for that amount from Lloyds of London. ...
• • Source: News Item in The Canberra Times; published on Wednesday, 21 May 1952
• • 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 4,478th 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 • • shoes worn by Diamond Lil in 1928 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Lil in Heels

In late 1933, Central Press commissioned a series of stories on the life of MAE WEST, described to their readership as “the first authentic account of her personality, habits, origins, and background.” Here is a short excerpt (Part 1 of 2 segments).
• • Mae West’s Drama of New York in the Gay Nineties — — in Extremely High Heels • •
• • By George Lait. Written for Central Press. New York — — Mae West first came to the notice of the public generally through her plays in New York — — plays that the police decided were too frank. Of these plays, which brought Mae a goodly fortune, she says: "I became convinced that the public was ready to view sex frankly. I had been thinking over the play plots in which I pictured myself in a role of a very wicked lady, a laughing good-natured queen of sin.  And Jim Timony liked the idea too, so I wrote ‘Sex.’  . . .  .

• • George Lait wrote: Park Avenue battled with Tenth Avenue to see Mae West as the heartless, two-timing blonde bejeweled Diamond Lil who sang “Frankie and Johnny,” and other bawdy ballads in Gus Jordan's Suicide Hall on the Bowery. It was as Diamond Lil that Mae first built up the now well-known Mae West “curves.”
• • George Lait wrote: For the characterization of the wicked belle of the Bowery, Mae had to take on weight and build up her height.
• • Mae West made herself taller by wearing extremely high heels • • . . .
• • This excerpt written by George Lait will be concluded on the next post with Part 2 of 2. 
• • Source: Syndicated content written for Central Press rpt in Winona Republican Herald (Winona, Minnesota); published on Tuesday, 12 December 1933.
• • On Saturday, 19 May 1945 in Oakland, California • •
• • Starring Mae West, the play "Ring Only Twice" was staged in California in Oakland's Auditorium Theatre. There were two weekend performances on May 19th and 20th, 1945.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • A Hollywood columnist reported today [19 May 1951] that Mae West is writing another stage show for herself — — a musical comedy.  
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said this to journalist George Lait: “Although ‘Sex’ was the first full-length play I had ever written, it I was not much of a job for me. I had written a number of vaudeville sketches. I knew the theater. I knew what audiences wanted.”
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A fan magazine mentioned Mae West.
• • "The Real Mae West" • •
• • Herb Howe wrote: As a member of the stock company, when there were no child parts in the plays, Mae West was called upon to take part in what are known in old-fashioned plays as "olios," or vaudeville acts in between the scenes of the plays.
• • Herb Howe wrote: She sang popular songs and gave her imitations, being what was known on the billboards as a "coon shouter." It was at this stage of the game, she avers, that she learned to roll her eyes, a propensity, however, that had to be curbed when she became, for the sake of drama, "Little Eva" or "Little Red Riding Hood." …
• • Source: The New Movie Magazine;  issue dated for June 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 4,477th 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 • • onstage as Diamond Lil in 1928 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Adult Sexuality

“I first went to interview MAE WEST after the collapse of ‘Myra Breckinridge’ [1970]. Like almost everyone else, I was in awe of the woman,” wrote Jacoba Atlas. Let’s read her fascinating first-hand account from 1974. This is Part 19 of 19 segments, the final segment.
• • Image from a Cracked Mirror • •
• • Mae West seemed mummified, somehow rendered sad • •
• • Jacoba Atlas wrote: She’s a tireless worker for charity, but her refusal to meet people on neutral ground bespeaks of a woman who can only function on a well-staged forum. Her comments about the necessity for sex right through "old age" are admirable (“age has nothing to do with sex, sex is a frame of mind, and let me say I’ve got a very good mind”), but her entourage of muscle men makes a travesty of comfortable, adult sexuality.

• • Jacoba Atlas wrote: Eluding the wrinkle-inducing sun, Mae West seemed mummified, a liberated woman who could cope with everything but that most fundamental human challenge — the passage of time. A remarkable woman, somehow rendered sad in her pursuit of a persona that bares little relationship to present reality or to what is and was fundamentally her most outstanding attributes; a keen mind and a quick wit.
• • Jacoba Atlas wrote: Next week in Los Angeles Free Press, Mae West’s own words, 1974. □
• • This long profile by Jacoba Atlas has now been concluded with this post. We hope you enjoyed it.  
• • Source: Los Angeles Free Press, Volume 11, issue 517; published on Friday, 14 June 1974.
• • On Saturday, 18 May 1912 in Variety • •
• • Frank Bohm bought a generous ad in Variety (issue dated for 18 May 1912) to help publicize his client Mae West as "The Scintillating Singing Comedienne, Late of Ziegfeld's Moulin Rouge." Billboard gave the vaudevillian's act a favorable review the following month.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Now there is talk that Jim Aubrey and Hunt Stromberg Jr. will produce for Warner Brothers-Seven Arts a film version of a Mae West play, “Sextet,” starring Mae. It would be her first film since “The Heat’s On” 25 years ago.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: “Have we gone too far? Yes. I walked out of ‘Last Tango in Paris.’ People have abused their freedoms.”
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The Ottawa Evening Citizen mentioned Mae West.
• • E.W.H. wrote: Thursday, May 16th — — So finished my stint and then to see Mae West in "Goin' to Town," a roaring comedy in which the swaggering, bejeweled, and predatory Mae continues her variations upon the theme that, to women, love is a "business" and shouldn't be taken seriously, and her practice of eyeing males solely as — — males. Some of her tricks grow tedious, but she is still a striking person.   . . .
• • Source: The Ottawa Evening Citizen; published on Friday, 17 May 1935
• • 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 4,476th 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 • • taken by Diane Arbus in 1965 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Cannot Relax

“I first went to interview MAE WEST after the collapse of ‘Myra Breckinridge’ [1970]. Like almost everyone else, I was in awe of the woman,” wrote Jacoba Atlas. Let’s read her fascinating first-hand account from 1974. This is Part 18 of 19 segments.
• • Image from a Cracked Mirror • •
• • Mae West cannot relax into her current self • •
• • Jacoba Atlas wrote: She also coined the phrase “tall, dark and handsome” to then pretty-boy ingenue Cary Grant. In almost a dozen films, Mae West has written every line of her own dialogue (and everyone else’s with the exception of W.C. Fields in “My Little Chickadee”) and virtually directed those films as well — — without screen credit, of course.
• • Jacoba Atlas wrote: She also saved a floundering Paramount Pictures from total bankruptcy, in much the same way that sound saved Warner Bros, from the same fate.
• • Jacoba Atlas wrote: But she does not, or cannot, relax into her current self. Her skin is smooth and soft, attractive at any age and, yes, astonishing at 82; but her constant invitation to visiting journalists to touch it for themselves smacks of a pitiful need for outside reassurance.
• • Mae West seemed mummified, somehow rendered sad • • …
• • This long profile by Jacoba Atlas will be concluded on the next post, the 19th segment.  
• • Source: Los Angeles Free Press, Volume 11, issue 517; published on Friday, 14 June 1974.
• • On Saturday, 15 May 1948 • •

• • Mae West and Jim Timony boarded the Queen Mary on Saturday, 15 May 1948 at Southampton, England for a return voyage to New York City, arriving in their home port on 19 May 1948.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West's plans for a vacation trip have been blasted by a Paramount 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: "Tired of all those jokes about my figure and my 'man' talk? No. If people expect me to be the same off-stage — — why I call that flattery."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on a camp classic mentioned Mae West.
• • "Camp Classic Good for Laughs" • •
• • Susan Dunne wrote: There's never been another movie like "Myra Breckinridge," and many people think that's a good thing. But that kind of legacy is what camp classics are made of. Rex Reed, the film critic, stars as Myron Breckinridge, who wants a sex change. He gets one courtesy of a whacked-out doctor, and becomes Myra (Raquel Welch). Myra heads to Hollywood, to go into the biz, to claim an inheritance from her uncle (John Huston), and to teach university classes. Her uncle's friend is a horny seventy-something talent scout, played by Mae West.  ...
• • Source: The Hartford Courant; published on Thursday, 15 May 2008
• • 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 4,475th 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 • • aboard a ship in 1947 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Healthy Diet

“I first went to interview MAE WEST after the collapse of ‘Myra Breckinridge’ [1970]. Like almost everyone else, I was in awe of the woman,” wrote Jacoba Atlas. Let’s read her fascinating first-hand account from 1974. This is Part 17 of 19 segments.
• • Image from a Cracked Mirror • •
• • Mae West is a great ad for health food and self-control • •
• • Jacoba Atlas wrote: She also warns against Los Angeles water ("I never drink it"), the evils of salt (“There’s enough natural salt in the food we eat”), and all in all Mae West is one of the best advertisements for health food and self-control. Her famous phrases are now part of daily usage at most, and known by all film fans at the very least.
• • Jacoba Atlas wrote: Who can forget, “I used to be Snow White, but I drifted”; or, "Between two evils I always pick the one I haven’t tried before.”
• • Jacoba Atlas wrote: Her screen debut is legendary: swaying into a night club, covered with diamonds, she listened while a hat check girl gasped, “Goodness, what beautiful diamonds” — to which La West replied, “Goodness had nothing to do with it,” and disappeared up a sweeping staircase and into history, as they say.
• • Mae West cannot relax into her current self • • …
• • This long profile by Jacoba Atlas will be concluded on the next post.  
• • Source: Los Angeles Free Press, Volume 11, issue 517; published on Friday, 14 June 1974.
• • On Saturday, 14 May 1927 in Collier's • •

• • After Mae's arrest in 1927, Booth Tarkington was commissioned to write an article — — and "When Is It Dirt?" [published in Collier's, The National Weekly, on Saturday, 14 May 1927] discussed the issue of censorship and government intervention.
• • An author himself, Tarkington never champions the rights of the censors, of course, in his thoughtful essay.  Though Mae's name is not mentioned in his piece, the magazine page was designed around a huge photo of Mae, looking very annoyed, in court.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Paramount Pictures announced: "She Done Him Wrong," a story of the New York Bowery, which opens today at the New Santa Cruz Theatre, was written by Miss Mae West. It is her greatest success and breaking all attendance records! 
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I was told I could pay the fine and get out of going to jail, but I made up my own mind. I decided it would be more interesting to go to prison."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on keeping a diary mentioned Mae West.
• • Craig Brown wrote: The brassy Mae West, who relished a good scandal, recommended keeping a diary so that "some day it’ll keep you."  But just as diaries can make authors, they can break them, too. ...
• • Source: Article: "Here's to you, the original Mrs Robinson: Compelling diary of a well-to-do Victorian lady reveals her darker secrets" in The Daily Mail [U.K.]; published on Saturday, 12 May 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 4,474th 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 trial in 1927 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest