Mae West: Erratic Side

When Helen Lawrenson came up to see MAE WEST, Esquire's first female journalist was closing in on her sixtieth birthday and the Brooklyn bombshell was 73. A color photo by Diane Arbus flashed across the double-page-spread, hunched under half the title as if warding off a punch in the nose.
• • In honor of Helen Lawrenson's October birthday, enjoy her seldom seen interview. This is Part 15 of 46 parts.
• • "Mirror, Mirror, on the Ceiling: How'm I Doin’?" • •
• • Not bad, Mae, for a woman of seventy-three • •
• • Mae West: Mother worked as a corset model • •
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: Her mother, who was German and came from Bavaria, worked for a while as a corset model.  
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: Mae’s memory is on the erratic side, so she advised me to check everything in her autobiography, Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It, which Prentice-Hall published in 1959.  

• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: “It’s all in there, dear. I can’t remember the dates and things. I had people look ’em up for me.” (The book title comes from one of her most famous lines.) 
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: In her first movie, Night After Night, filmed in 1932 with George Raft, she makes a glittering entrance in a nightclub. “Goodness!” says the hatcheck girl. “What beautiful diamonds.” Mae’s immortal response, with all the insinuating melisma of her custard-and-sandpaper voice, was, “Goodness had nothin’ to do with it, dearie.”
• • Mae West: Elks amateur talent contest in Brooklyn, New York • • . . .
• • Helen Lawrenson's interview will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Esquire; published on Saturday, 1 July 1967.
• • On Saturday, 30 October 1948 in New York City • •
• • It was on Saturday, 30 October 1948 that Mae West signed an Actor's Equity Association Stock Jobbing Contract on Equity's letterhead in New York. The Broadway star of "Diamond Lil" was agreeing to a weekly salary of $2,500, and the play would be opening in Montclair, New Jersey on 21 November 1948.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • New comedy LPs released this month include packages by Mae West and the late W. C. Fields.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: “I take an enema every single day of my life — — after I leave the bathroom, you can go in and fry an egg.”
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Benjamin Britten mentioned Mae West in October 1935.
• • The movie queen had an admirer in the British composer—pianist Benjamin Britten [1913 — 1976].
• • Writing in his diary on Saturday, 26 October 1935, Britten noted:  Have to see Done (which I do at Bridges) about Timon.  ... Meet Henry Boys in evening. He is a nice person. Eat with him and see Mae West in "Goin' to Town." She is a very great personality. ...
• • Source: "Journeying Boy: The Diaries of the Young Benjamin Britten 1928—1938" edited by John Evans [London, England: Faber and Faber, Thursday,  21 October 2010]
• • 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 16th 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 4,500 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,593rd 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 • • artwork in 1973 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: American Phenomenon

When Helen Lawrenson came up to see MAE WEST, Esquire's first female journalist was closing in on her sixtieth birthday and the Brooklyn bombshell was 73. A color photo by Diane Arbus flashed across the double-page-spread, hunched under half the title as if warding off a punch in the nose.
• • In honor of  Helen Lawrenson's October birthday, enjoy her seldom seen interview. This is Part 14 of 46 parts.
• • "Mirror, Mirror, on the Ceiling: How'm I Doin’?" • •
• • Not bad, Mae, for a woman of seventy-three • •
• • Mae West: An American phenomenon • •
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: She was, as Richard Watts once wrote, “an historic American phenomenon.”

• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: Summing up, she put it to me forthrightly: “I was in a class by myself. I had no competition.”
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: It all began in Brooklyn, where she was born [in Bushwick]. Her father, known as Battling Jack West (the sobriquet derived, I gathered, more from street and barroom affrays than from prowess in the ring), was of Anglo-Irish descent and ran a livery stable.  
• • Mae West: Mother worked as a corset model • • . . .
• • Helen Lawrenson's interview will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Esquire; published on Saturday, 1 July 1967.
• • On Saturday, 29 October 1932 • •
• • Paramount Pictures held a star-dusted premiere of their speakeasy movie starring George Raft — — and which introduced Mae West to the silver screen — — on 29 October 1932. This was the red carpet debut for "Night After Night" in Hollywood.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • The Palace had a strong, ten-year run hosting shows by Houdini, Mae West, and many other performers. But it too was placed on the back burner when RKO opened the 2,500-seat Riverside Theater on Plankinton and Wisconsin Avenues in April of 1928.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Certain minds always misconstrue everything. I have a very big public that understands what I say."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article about Marilyn Monroe mentioned Mae West.
• • Lidija Haas wrote: "There are tantalizing flashes of insight about how Marilyn Monroe developed her screen persona: Natasha Lytess encouraged her to imitate Mae West’s walk; Johnny Hyde told her to study Chaplin movies. ...
• • Source: "Rewriting the Marilyn Monroe story" for TLS; posted on Friday, 26 October 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 16th 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 4,500 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,592nd 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 George C. Scott at a film premiere in 1974 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Often Quoted

When Helen Lawrenson came up to see MAE WEST, Esquire's first female journalist was closing in on her sixtieth birthday and the Brooklyn bombshell was 73. A color photo by Diane Arbus flashed across the double-page-spread, hunched under half the title as if warding off a punch in the nose.
• • In honor of Helen Lawrenson's October birthday, enjoy her seldom seen interview. This is Part 13 of 46 parts.
• • "Mirror, Mirror, on the Ceiling: How'm I Doin’?" • •
• • Not bad, Mae, for a woman of seventy-three • •
• • Mae West: Her mannerisms were mimicked • •
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote:  In Hollywood she not only wrote the scripts for her films but picked the cast, had the okay on music and costumes, and supervised production. The movies she made were international hits—one of them ran for two years in Paris—and are still being shown.  
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: Her voice, her walk, her mannerisms were mimicked; her phrases were quoted so often they became part of our idiom (“Come up and see me sometime”); and randy Mae West jokes were the rage.

• • Helen Lawrenson wrote:  (Sample: Mae calls up the Chinese laundry and says, “Where the hell is my laundry? Get it over here right away.” A short time later her doorbell rings and there stands a breathless Chinaman. “Here I am, Miss West. I come lickety-split.” “Well, never mind that. Just gimme the laundry.”)
• • Mae West: An American phenomenon • • . . .    
• • Helen Lawrenson's interview will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Esquire; published on Saturday, 1 July 1967.
• • On Sunday, 28 October 1934 • •
• • "Mae West Philosophy" • •
• • On this date, a Singapore newspaper said: This is Mae West's philosophy:  "I'm a tonic to tired housewives. My style of vamping makes the women rest easy. I, myself, hate those slinky dames."  How Mae West swept to success in face of strong opposition from many quarters ...
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Which actresses would be most popular in 1936?  The L.A. Times weighed in on the merits of Mae West, Katharine Hepburn, and Jean Harlow in an article printed during late October in 1935.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I am not done. I will adapt 'Diamond Lil' [for a British audience] and improve the dialogue and introduce new jokes.”
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article recently discussed Mae West.
• • "Where to start with film icon Mae West" • •
• • Phil Dyess-Nugent wrote:  There’s a key difference between Mae West and most of the actresses who are remembered as sexy comediennes, like Marilyn Monroe: Monroe was a limited actress who, in her quest to be famous, learned to use what nature had given her.   
• • Phil Dyess-Nugent wrote: Mae West, who wrote all her best material, chose sex as her subject matter, and if the audience accepted her as sexy, it was because there was clearly no percentage in arguing with her. A female rock critic once wrote that it might never have occurred to her, or anyone else, that Mick Jagger was beautiful if he hadn’t told them, and there was a lot Mick might have learned from West. (“When I was born with this face,” she tells her maids in I’m No Angel, “it was the same as strikin’ oil.”)  ...
• • Source: Article for A.V. Club; published on Thursday, 6 September 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 16th 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 4,500 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,591st 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 • • playing the Frisco Doll in 1936 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Duchess of Kent

When Helen Lawrenson came up to see MAE WEST, Esquire's first female journalist was closing in on her sixtieth birthday and the Brooklyn bombshell was 73. A color photo by Diane Arbus flashed across the double-page-spread, hunched under half the title as if warding off a punch in the nose.
• • In honor of Helen Lawrenson's October birthday, enjoy her seldom seen interview. This is Part 12 of 46 parts.
• • "Mirror, Mirror, on the Ceiling: How'm I Doin’?" • •
• • Not bad, Mae, for a woman of seventy-three • •
• • Mae West: Marina, Duchess of Kent gave a party for Mae • •
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: The Duchess of Kent [1906—1968] gave parties for her, to which the queen came, and the redoubtable critic, Hannen Swaffer, began his review by writing, “Diamond Lil, in the legendary person of Mae West, came to London last night—and conquered it.”

• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: She was cock-a-hoop wherever she went and everyone wanted to meet her, from college boys and prizefighters to captains of industry and politicians.
• • Harold Ickes [1874—1952], Secretary of the Interior • •
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: (“In Washington I tossed a little soiree for Harold Ickes. He was Secretary of the Interior. Everybody was there—the place was crawlin’ with Senators—Alben Barkley of Kentucky, Bob Wagner from New York, everybody.”)
• • Mae West: Her mannerisms were mimicked • • . . .
• • Helen Lawrenson's interview will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Esquire; published on Saturday, 1 July 1967.
• • On Saturday, 27 October 1934 • •
• • Picture-goer, Britain's publication for film fans, discussed the costumes designed for Mae West for her latest movie "Belle of the Nineties" in their issue dated for Saturday, 27 October 1934.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Missives flew back and forth from the Hays Office about the wicked script for "Klondike Annie" and Mae West.
• • In Hollywood, Will Hays emphasized this: "We wish to repeat our general caution, as set forth to you in our letter of October 19, regarding the photographing of Mae West's breasts.  We again remind you that there is a definite code provision which ordains the breasts must never be exposed, either in whole or in part — — nor should these be emphasized in the costume.  ..."
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said:  "He who hesitates is a damn fool."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The Straits Times discussed Mae West.
• • "Threat to Mae West — —7 Men Arrested for Racketeering Effort" • •
• • Hollywood — — Seven men have been arrested in connection with an alleged plot to extort $1,000 from the film star Mae West, under threats of disfiguring her with acid.
• • The police later released six of the men, detaining a Greek immigrant George Janios, the 38-year-old employee  of a studio and restaurant, on a charge of suspected extortion.  ...
• • Source: The Straits Times (Singapore);  published on Sunday, 20 October 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 16th 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 4,500 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,590th 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 the 1940s • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Sultan of Johor

When Helen Lawrenson came up to see MAE WEST, Esquire's first female journalist was closing in on her sixtieth birthday and the Brooklyn bombshell was 73. A color photo by Diane Arbus flashed across the double-page-spread, hunched under half the title as if warding off a punch in the nose.
• • In honor of  Helen Lawrenson's October birthday, enjoy her seldom seen interview. This is Part 11 of 46 parts.
• • "Mirror, Mirror, on the Ceiling: How'm I Doin’?" • •
• • Not bad, Mae, for a woman of seventy-three • •
• • Mae West: Best-known woman in the world • •
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: In 1949, according to a public-opinion poll of that year, she was the best-known woman in the world, along with Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt. (“I was better known than Einstein, Shaw or Picasso.”)  

• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: Will Rogers said she was the most interesting woman in Hollywood; Dali designed a red silk sofa from an enlarged photograph of her lips; the Sultan of Johor made a special trip from India to see her; and inclusion in Mme. Tussaud’s Wax Museum in London signaled athanasia of a sort.
• • Note: Sultan of Modern Johor: Ibrahim Iskandar al-Masyhur [1895–1959]
• • In 1938, Time Magazine described Sultan Ibrahim like this: "Wealthy, virile, tiger-hunting . . .  an oriental potentate . . . . His Highness, while making a round-the-world tour in 1934, was photographed in Hollywood with Mae West, and was the guest in Washington of Mr. and Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt.”
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: In 1948, when she was fifty-four, she appeared on the stage in London and the provinces in a revival of her most famous play, “Diamond Lil" (which originally opened in New York in 1928 and ran for nine months), and played two performances a night, at six and at nine, six nights a week for eight months.
• • Mae West: Marina, Duchess of Kent gave a party for Mae • • . . .
• • Helen Lawrenson's interview will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Esquire; published on Saturday, 1 July 1967.
• • On Thursday, 26 October 1995 • •
• • "Mae West and the Men Who Knew Her" [57 minutes] — — the VHS format was released on Thursday, 26 October 1995.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West struts, waddles, and wiggles in the most provocative manner. She insists that this and that is "simply gor-juss."
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "A book author had more freedom of expression than the stage permitted at that time."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article discussed censorship and mentioned Mae West.
• • Miss Cellania wrote: Mae West continued acting in TV and various motion pictures until her death in 1980, at age 87, when The New York Times called her "the epitome of playfully vulgar sex." Mae West had spent her entire life pushing the limits, even as they were pushing back. ...
• • Source: Mental Floss;  published on Wednesday, 2 March 2016
• • 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 16th 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 4,500 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,589th 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 Sultan of Johor in May 1934 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Rhadamanthine

When Helen Lawrenson came up to see MAE WEST, Esquire's first female journalist was closing in on her sixtieth birthday and the Brooklyn bombshell was 73. A color photo by Diane Arbus flashed across the double-page-spread, hunched under half the title as if warding off a punch in the nose.
• • In honor of  Helen Lawrenson's October birthday, enjoy her seldom seen interview. This is Part 10 of 46 parts.
• • "Mirror, Mirror, on the Ceiling: How'm I Doin’?" • •
• • Not bad, Mae, for a woman of seventy-three • •
• • Mae West: At 73, Mae bragged she still looked like 26 • •
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: I followed her to the kitchen, where she pointed to a large glass tank of Puritas water. “When I was actin’ I always had a bottle of Poland water in my dressin’ room. Regular water’s terrible for your skin. See how nice mine is.”  
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: She held up a plumpish white arm for me to inspect. It did, indeed, look smooth and youthful. “You know,” she went on, “if you didn’t know how old I am, a person’d think I’m twenty-six.”  

• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: I gulped.  
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: She gave me a rhadamanthine glance and waited.
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: “You’re doing all right,” I said.
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: At her peak she was called the greatest box-office champ of all time.
• • Mae West: Best-known woman • • . . .
• • Helen Lawrenson's interview will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Esquire; published on Saturday, 1 July 1967.
• • On Friday, 23 October 1931 • •
• • It was on Friday, 23 October 1931 that the New York City tabloid Evening Graphic reported on the very strange fan letters Mae West was receiving.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae says “erster” for “oyster“ • •
• • Mae West has always said "appernt-ment" for appointment and "erster" for oyster and I suspect she always will. I have never seen her when she wasn't wearing thick artificial eyelashes, be it during the pre-midnight hours or by day's early light.  
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I cut down on physical sex when I'm writing or plotting a play."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Vanity Fair mentioned Mae West.
• • Meryl Gordon wrote: A quote by Mae West sounds like good advice — — “Keep a diary and one day it'll keep you." But the secret diaries of dramatist Moss Hart were full of negative remarks, spiteful sniping, or bitter predictions about people he knew. His wife kept these notebooks private for decades. No wonder.
• • Moss Hart [24 October 1904 — 20 December 1961]  • •
• • Meryl Gordon wrote: Had Moss Hart been publishing movie reviews during this period rather than confiding his thoughts to his diary, he would have been the scourge of stage and screen. After attending a screening of "On the Waterfront," Hart writes that “Marlon Brando had become a caricature of himself.”  
• • Meryl Gordon wrote: Moss Hart had a prudish reaction to a live performance by Mae West, feeling repulsed by her and describing the show as “horrendous.”  . . .
• • Source: Vanity Fair; published on Wednesday, 30 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 16th 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 4,500 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,588th 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 1969 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Health-minded

When Helen Lawrenson came up to see MAE WEST, Esquire's first female journalist was closing in on her sixtieth birthday and the Brooklyn bombshell was 73. A color photo by Diane Arbus flashed across the double-page-spread, hunched under half the title as if warding off a punch in the nose.
• • In honor of  Helen Lawrenson's October birthday, enjoy her seldom seen interview. This is Part 9 of 46 parts.
• • "Mirror, Mirror, on the Ceiling: How'm I Doin’?" • •
• • Not bad, Mae, for a woman of seventy-three • •
• • Mae West: Born in 1892 or 1893? • •
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: She says she was born August 17, 1893. Webster’s gives the year as 1892 (she’s in the dictionary because of the inflatable life jacket named after her by R.A.F. pilots during World War II).

• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: Whichever it is, Mae doesn’t look it.  
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: “See!” she says, opening wide. “I got all my own teeth. No cavities.” Only the throat line gives her away, although she is careful to keep away from strong light and is said to take her daily walks after dark. “I’m health-minded. I never smoked or drank [sic]. I eat organically grown food and I only use bottled water for cookin’, drinkin’, washin’ my face. C’mere. I’ll show you.”
• • Mae West: At 73, Mae bragged she still looked like 26 • • . . .
• • Helen Lawrenson's interview will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Esquire; published on Saturday, 1 July 1967.
• • On Sunday, 22 October 1933 • •
• • On Sunday, 22 October 1933 The N.Y. Herald Tribune drew attention to the significance of Mae West, the hottest movie star of the year.  The editors noted Mae was "as much one of the major phenomena of 1933 as the NRA, "The Three Little Pigs," or Senator Huey Long." Wow.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West has a penchant for smacking her lips, rolling her eyes and patting an imaginary unruly curl back into place while perched upon a love seat. She never stops moving even while seated. None of it is an act — — it's pure Mae Westian.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I'm like Will Rogers — all I know is what I read in the papers.”
• • Mae West said: "You shouldn't believe all you read any more than you'd believe all you hear."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An archive mentioned a letter written on Oct. 22, 1935 to Mae West.
• • This ungrammatical extortion note written by George Janios reads exactly like this: Miss West We told you before $1000 or you have your face lifted Sunday by 8 o’clock or by God we will get your face at Western and Sunset you personally — — Acid Burns
• • George Janios was released from custody two days later.  …
• • Source: Extortion Letters; published on Tuesday, 22 October 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 16th 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 4,500 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,587th 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 • • during the 1960s • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Revealing a Lot

When Helen Lawrenson came up to see MAE WEST, Esquire's first female journalist was closing in on her sixtieth birthday and the Brooklyn bombshell was 73. A color photo by Diane Arbus flashed across the double-page-spread, hunched under half the title as if warding off a punch in the nose.
• • In honor of  Helen Lawrenson's October birthday, enjoy her seldom seen interview. This is Part 8 of 46 parts.
• • "Mirror, Mirror, on the Ceiling: How'm I Doin’?" • •
• • Not bad, Mae, for a woman of seventy-three • •
• • Mae West: Revealing a lot of skin under beige lace • •
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: She was dressed in a floor-length off-white satin skirt, with a ruffle at the bottom, and a low-necked beige lace over-blouse through which was clearly visible a lot of Mae, bare from the waistline up, with the exception of her bra.

• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: Her lemon-yellow hair was piled high in front, in an early Betty Grable pompadour, with the addition of long straight bangs. The rest of it flowed over her shoulders. She was vividly made-up, with bright red lipstick to match her fingernails, and long, thick, false eyelashes. (“Your eyes are blue, aren’t they?” “They’re turquoise, dear.”)
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: Mae West looked as if she should be lolling on a satin chaise longue, eating chocolate bonbons from a heart-shaped red-satin gift box and listening to a Victrola playing “On Moonlight Bay.“
• • Mae West: Born in 1892 or 1893? • • . . .
• • Helen Lawrenson's interview will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Esquire; published on Saturday, 1 July 1967.
• • On Tuesday, 21 October 1947 • •
• • It was on Tuesday, 21 October 1947 that Mae West first set foot in a playhouse in Manchester, England to present her Bowery melodrama "Diamond Lil."
• • On Thursday, 21 October 1993 • •
• • John Cohen's article on Mae West, "And West Is West," appeared in The New York Sun on Thursday, 21 October 1993.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West talks the best sex-appeal you've ever heard. The world — — that is, the most important city, Hollywood — — is completely sold on the idea that Mae slays 'em. The result is the pleasant tinkle of silver running through the box-office.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said:  "I've been so absorbed in myself since I've been a child. I've never been interested in anybody but myself. Just me, me. What other woman in the world has done what I've done?"
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article discussed censorship and mentioned Mae West.
• • Miss Cellania wrote: But as someone who had spent her entire life testing boundaries, she wasn't about to stop because her studio wanted to dump her.  Mae West went on to make a few more movies for other studios, most notably My Little Chickadee with W.C. Fields in 1940. She returned to the Broadway stage, and in the 1950s, she took her innuendo-laden act to Las Vegas.  ...
• • Source: Mental Floss;  published on Wednesday, 2 March 2016
• • 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 16th 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 4,500 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,586th 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 • • playing the guitar  in 1970 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Woopsie Dolls

When Helen Lawrenson came up to see MAE WEST, Esquire's first female journalist was closing in on her sixtieth birthday and the Brooklyn bombshell was 73. A color photo by Diane Arbus flashed across the double-page-spread, hunched under half the title as if warding off a punch in the nose.
• • In honor of  Helen Lawrenson's October birthday, enjoy her seldom seen interview. This is Part 7 of 46 parts.
• • "Mirror, Mirror, on the Ceiling: How'm I Doin’?" • •
• • Not bad, Mae, for a woman of seventy-three • •
• • Mae West: Her collection of “woopsie dolls” • •
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: Scattered on the floor were a pink-plush toy dog and several of those limp, elongated rag dolls favored as bed ornaments by adolescent girls forty years ago (they called them “woopsie dolls”).  
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: The whole effect was slightly staggering. “I did the decoratin’ myself,” said Mae, and I’m sure she did.

• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: Best of all, there was Mae, herself, as splendiferous as her setting, sashaying around with that famous undulating walk, entering a room with the old, bold, flamboyantly regal air.  
• • Mae West:  Revealing a lot of skin under beige lace • • . . .
• • Helen Lawrenson's interview will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Esquire; published on Saturday, 1 July 1967.
• • On Saturday, 20 October 1934 in Popular Song Hits • •
• • Popular Song Hits Magazine featured Mae West on the cover of issue number 6 dated for Saturday, 20 October 1934. What a spectacular gown on Mae adorning the black and white front page. Weekend whoopee.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Fellini was fascinated by Mae West. Visiting Hollywood for the Academy Awards, Federico Fellini tried to recruit some Hollywood legends for his film, including Mae West, whom he wanted to cast in the role of Bishma for "Juliet of the Spirits" [released in 1965].
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Marilyn Monroe was a synthetic star.  A copy of me. I never met her, but I OK'd her for my life story."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An item in Australia mentioned a movie fan who is missing Mae West.
• • A Merge member wrote: Mae West had screen presence like no one else. Always the aggressive sexual force in her films, rather than the man, she's the woman who first said, 'Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?'
• • I don't know where I'm going with this. It's just that every time I see an Oscar winning actress selling mascara or anti-wrinkle cream I miss Mae West a little bit more.  ...
• • Source: Opinion: Merge in Australia; posted on Tuesday, 13 October 2009
• • 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 16th 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 4,500 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,585th 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 • • Effanbee dolls in 1980 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Ivory and Gold

When Helen Lawrenson came up to see MAE WEST, Esquire's first female journalist was closing in on her sixtieth birthday and the Brooklyn bombshell was 73. A color photo by Diane Arbus flashed across the double-page-spread, hunched under half the title as if warding off a punch in the nose.
• • In honor of  Helen Lawrenson's October birthday, enjoy her seldom seen interview. This is Part 6 of 46 parts.
• • "Mirror, Mirror, on the Ceiling: How'm I Doin’?" • •
• • Not bad, Mae, for a woman of seventy-three • •
• • Mae West: Off-white, pale beige, touches of gold • •  

• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: Everything was off-white and pale pinkish beige, with touches of gold: sofas and chairs upholstered with cream-colored brocade and ivory satin, beige satin pillows dripping with lace, white lamps, white shades, little gold tables, mirror-topped, covered with gold-framed photographs of Mae.  
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: A white piano, gold-trimmed, was in one corner and on it stood a bouquet of large white plastic flowers and a white marble statue of Mae in the nude.  
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: On the wall behind a white furry sofa was a huge oil painting of a naked Mae lying on her back, looking rosily receptive. (“It’s insured for $100,000 by Lloyds of London.”)  
• • Mae West: Her collection of “woopsie dolls” • • . . .
• • Helen Lawrenson's interview will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Esquire; published on Saturday, 1 July 1967.
• • On Saturday, 19 October 1935 • •
• • Joe Breen and John Hammel exchanged yet another letter about Mae West's latest controversial project "Klondike Annie" on Saturday, 19 October 1935.
• • On Sunday, 19 October 1969 • •
• • In their weekly weekend insert dated for Sunday, 19 October 1969, Parade Magazine printed an article on Mae West.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • During mid-October in 1932, Mae West's jewel robbery was on the front page.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said:  "Hiring someone to write your autobiography is like hiring someone to take a bath for you."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article discussed censorship and mentioned Mae West.
• • Miss Cellania wrote: By 1938, when The Hollywood Reporter published an ad from the Independent Theatre Owners Association labeling her “box office poison,” Mae West got caught up in a campaign to rid Hollywood of its most expensive screen stars along with Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, and Katharine Hepburn.  ...
• • Source: Mental Floss;  published on Wednesday, 2 March 2016
• • 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 16th 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 4,500 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,585th 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, The Ravenswood on Rossmore in 1933 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest