Mae West: Fully Restored

MAE WEST had many admirers: some who enjoyed her and others who understood her. John Seal, who recommends “Sextette,” explains  how to appreciate this campy comedy. This is part 9 of 9.
• • Making a case for “Sextette” • •

• • Mae West: “Sextette” needs a fully restored version • •
• • John Seal wrote: A strangely effective version of The Beatles’ “Honey Pie” by Dom Deluise is actually the best tune on offer, even though it calls to mind another 1978 movie musical, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts’ Club Band.”
• • John Seal wrote: "Sextette" was previously available on DVD via Rhino Home Video.
• • John Seal wrote: And though it’s long been out of print, you can easily find copies on Ebay. The disc was, however, a bare bones edition, containing a full-frame print ported in from videotape with no extras.

• • John Seal wrote: What we really need is a fully restored "Sextette" with a commentary track from the two primary surviving cast members, Timothy Dalton and George Hamilton, who surely have some remarkable tales to tell about their time working on this film.
• • John Seal wrote: That’d truly be something worth singing about.
• • Note: John Seal writes a weekly film recommendation column at Box Office Prophets, as well as a column in The Phantom of the Movies’ Videoscope, a quarterly print magazine.
• • John Seal's fascinating 9-part analysis of  ”Sextette” has now been concluded.
• • Source: Berkeleyside; published on Tuesday, 15 June 2010.
• • On Monday, 29 January 1917 in Brooklyn • •
• • Mae West was a witness at her younger sister's wedding, which took place on a weekday, Monday, 29 January 1917 in Brooklyn City Hall, not far from the West family's Brooklyn residence.
• • January 1971 in Playboy Magazine • •
• • An interview with Mae West was featured in Playboy, Vol. 18, No. 1 — January 1971. Naturally, the Hollywood legend was invited to tell all about the men on her mattress. She did volunteer that the fellows who drink make the worst lovers.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Directly under a striking color portrait of Mae West on the cover of the January 1934 issue of Screenland, the Smart Screen Magazine, the editors promised that you would find "Mae West's Personal Message to You!" on page 24.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "You learn to get along in life by studying life."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The New York Clipper mentioned Mae West.
• • "Benefit a Success" • •
• • The benefit given in aid of the sufferers of the Equitable fire, on the New York Theatre Roof, on January 18, was a big success, and the size of the crowd was a tribute to the cause of the management. Pat Casey and William Fox were the inceptors of the affair, and John Zanft and Harry Reichenbach shelled out the pasteboards.
• • Among those who volunteered were: Mae West and Company, Claude Golden, the card king; Carrie LilIe, Fields and Lewis, De Almo and Mae, Andy Rice, Evelyn Bennett, Dorothy Russell and Company, ln Ambition; King and Mackay, Adele Ritchie, Weston, Fields and Carroll, Great Lester, and Billy Hall, a real fireman.  ...
• • Source: The New York Clipper; published on Saturday,  27 January 1912
• • 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 4,600 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,659th 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 • • from her last film in 1978 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Musical Sequences

MAE WEST had many admirers: some who enjoyed her and others who understood her. John Seal, who recommends “Sextette,” explains  how to appreciate this campy comedy. This is part 8 of 9.
• • Making a case for “Sextette” • •
• • Mae West: “Sextette” has musical sequences • •
• • John Seal wrote: The musical sequences are, however, the real reason to watch "Sextette" because they’re atrocious — — but utterly riveting.

• • John Seal wrote: From the Van McCoy-penned theme tune (‘Marlo, The Female Answer to Apollo!’) to the 'Love Will Keep Us Together' duet tunelessly crooned by West and Dalton and the disco version of 'Baby Face,' to the shoddily choreographed dance numbers (including a wretched 'Hooray for Hollywood,' in which hoofing bellboys waggle bouquets of flowers to disastrous effect), these are once seen, never forgotten performances.
• • Mae West: We need a fully restored "Sextette" • • ...    
• • John Seal's 9-part analysis of ”Sextette” will conclude on the next post.
• • Source: Berkeleyside; published on Tuesday, 15 June 2010.
• • On Saturday, 28 January 1978 in Los Angeles • •
• • Trying to catch up on paperwork on a Saturday, Mae was paying bills. A personal check was signed by Mae West on 28 January 1978. It was payable to "Dept. of Water and Gas" for the sum of $18.47.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • "Belle of the Nineties" [1934] was Mae West's first film that was produced after Hollywood implemented the repressive Hayes code.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said:  ''You've got to rock with the rock — — and roll with the roll.''
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A New York campus paper mentioned Mae West.
• • The small strip of land in the East River — known first as Blackwell's Island, then Welfare Island in 1921, and Roosevelt Island in 1973 — housed some of the city's most famous "undesirables" in its penitentiary: Boss Tweed, Mae West, and Billie Holiday, who served a four-month term for prostitution charges.
• • "The river became the place where they put all sorts of public institutions," says Edwin Burrows, professor of history at Brooklyn College, holder of a doctorate from Columbia, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898." He adds, "It wasn't until the early 1940s and 1950s that it became prime real estate."  . . .
• • Source: Columbia Daily Spectator; published on Thursday, 28 January 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 4,600 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,658th 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 • • a dance sequence from her last film in 1978 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Marlo's Bed

MAE WEST had many admirers: some who enjoyed her and others who understood her. John Seal, who recommends “Sextette,” explains  how to appreciate this campy comedy. This is part 7 of 9.
• • Making a case for “Sextette” • •
• • Mae West: If only Marlo's bed could talk! • •

• • John Seal wrote: But it’s sad to see Walter Pidgeon and George Raft share screen time with the likes of Regis Philbin, Rona Barrett, and sports announcer Gil Stratton (who, when confronted by the bridal suite, breathlessly announces “oh, if only this bed could talk!”).
• • John Seal wrote: "Sextette" also suffers from poor production values: some exteriors were shot on location in central London, but all the interiors were shot in Hollywood, and it shows—badly.
• • John Seal wrote: Director Ken Hughes didn’t even bother to crop out the incorrect hotel name (Regency Lafayette) from one scene, and the bit parts are filled with actors who barely attempt to disguise their American accents.
• • Mae West: “Sextette” has musical sequences • • ...
• • John Seal's 9-part analysis of ”Sextette” will continue.
• • Source: Berkeleyside; published on Tuesday, 15 June 2010.
• • On Friday, 27 January 1933 in the USA • •
• • The red carpet premiere of "She Done Him Wrong" took place in Hollywood on Friday, 27 January 1933. What a great day for Mae West.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • An “imaginative” meeting between frosty, anti-social Greta Garbo and sultry sex-empress Mae West generated commentary in a number of fan magazines early in 1933.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: ''I've been things and done places.''
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A book mentioned Mae West.
• • Picture Play editor Norbert Lusk identified some taboos the movie studios imposed on newsmen.
• • Anthony Slide wrote: Mention of Mae West’s business acumen is taboo, and Sonia Henie’s enormous earnings as a skating star of rink and screen must be ignored. Marriage and fatherhood are forbidden topics in interviews with Gary Cooper and Fred Astaire, nor must the latter’s real name of Austerlitz be given, while Ginger Rogers’ union with Lew Ayres was a non-existent fact which the compliant reporter shunned till divorce routed the hobgoblin. George Raft’s choice of fisticuffs as the quickest means of settling a difference of opinion was a virtue never to be extolled in the fan magazines.  ...
• • Source: "The Golden Age of the Fan Magazine" by Anthony Slide; published in 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 4,600 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,657th 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 her last film in 1978 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Bewigged Bellboys

MAE WEST had many admirers: some who enjoyed her and others who understood her. John Seal, who recommends “Sextette,” explains  how to appreciate this campy comedy. This is part 6 of 9.
• • Making a case for “Sextette” • •
• • Mae West: “Sextette” has pointless cameo appearances • •
• • John Seal wrote: Unfortunately, the film suffers when old movie stars and modern day rockers are shoe-horned into the proceedings via pointless cameo appearances.

• • Bewigged Bellboys • •
• • John Seal wrote: Ringo Starr is awful as director Karolny (referred to by Marlo as ‘The Son of Lubitsch’) and Alice Cooper’s appearance as a bewigged, ballad-singing bellboy is befuddling.
• • John Seal wrote: Keith Moon does a bit better as a swishy couturier and even manages to work his infamous Robert Newton impersonation into the proceedings.
• • Mae West: If only Marlo's bed could talk! • • ...    
• • John Seal's 9-part analysis of ”Sextette” will continue.
• • Source: Berkeleyside; published on Tuesday, 15 June 2010.
• • Diem Obiit Mater: on Sunday, 26 January 1930 • •
• • Mae West and her mother were really the love of each other's lives until Matilda died in the month of January — — on Sunday, 26 January 1930 — — at age 59. How terrifying it was for Mae during the winter of 1929, knowing that her mother's illness was worsening. After Matilda died, Mae felt, "There wasn't anyone to play to."
• • Note: On the April 1911 marriage license for Mae West and Frank Wallace, her mother's name is noted as "Matilda Dilker" not Delker, quite probably a clerical error.
• • On Monday, 26 January 1948 • •
• • In Britain, The Times reported on Monday, 26 January 1948 that "Miss West is a competent actress. Appearing in a tawdry ornate framework of her own devising, she puts across her own kind of audacity with good timing and a shrewd sense of its own absurdity."
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Believing the title "It Ain't No Sin" may invite criticism at this time, Paramount had decided to give the forthcoming Mae West picture the handle of "That Saint Louis Woman," but found out the title had been used before.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I freely chose the kind of life I led because I was convinced that a woman has as much right as a man to live the way she does if she does no actual harm to society."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on Icons of the Century mentioned Mae West.
• • Carole Horst wrote: Mae West made only a handful of films, but they not only launched the career of Cary Grant, they gave us snappy double entendres and the Hays Code. “I believe in censorship,” she once said. “I made a fortune out of it.”  ...
• • Source: Variety; published on Sunday, 16 October 2005
• • 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 4,600 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,656th 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 her last film in 1978 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Sextette VIP Walk-Ons

MAE WEST had many admirers: some who enjoyed her and others who understood her. John Seal, who recommends “Sextette,” explains  how to appreciate this campy comedy. This is part 5 of 9.
• • Making a case for “Sextette” • •
• • Mae West: Marlo Manners coxed with the crew • •
• • John Seal wrote: There’s an unintentional moment of hilarity when Deluise’s character refers to Dalton’s character as “bigger than 007”— almost a full decade before Dalton portrayed James Bond in "The Living Daylights"!
• • John Seal wrote: Filled with copious double entendres (“in ’69, I coxed with the entire crew”) and badly dated racial and homophobic humor, "Sextette" neither does Mae full justice nor does it serve as the embarrassing career footnote it’s long been considered.

• • John Seal wrote: Mae West basically portrays an older version of the character she always played: a strong-willed woman who likes men.
• • Mae West: “Sextette's” pointless cameo scenes • • ...    
• • John Seal's 9-part analysis of ”Sextette” will continue.
• • Source: Berkeleyside; published on Tuesday, 15 June 2010.
• • On Sunday, 25 January 1948 • •
• • On Sunday, 25 January 1948, The New York Times's London correspondent noted: "The audience displayed little interest in the comedy melodrama of the nineties but it warmed to Miss West. ..."
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• •  Hollywood — — Mae West added to her millions by unloading a hunk of real estate in Hollywood.  The Palladium, a new $500,000 version of the same-named landmark ballroom on Sunset Boulevard, will be built there.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "William Shakespeare had his style — — and I have mine."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on Icons of the Century mentioned Mae West.
• • Carole Horst wrote: A child star on the vaudeville circuit, where she honed her wit and physical presence, she segued to the legit stage, where her “Diamond Lil” on Broadway brought Hollywood knocking: Mae West became a celluloid smash.  ...
• • Source: Variety; published on Sunday, 16 October 2005
• • 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 4,600 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,655th 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 her last film in 1978 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Enjoyed Sex

MAE WEST had many admirers: some who enjoyed her and others who understood her. John Seal, who recommends “Sextette,” explains  how to appreciate this campy comedy. This is part 4 of 9.
• • Making a case for “Sextette” • •
• • Mae West: “Sextette” takes full advantage of her reputation • •
• • John Seal wrote: Mae West was a living legend in 1978, a well-preserved model of libidinous, liberated femininity. This film—based on a play written by West and briefly staged at Chicago’s Edgewater Beach Playhouse in 1961—takes full advantage of her reputation as a woman who enjoyed sex and had no regrets about it.
• • John Seal wrote: Though generally shot in soft focus, West doesn’t look bad, and delivers her dialogue with twinkling eye and ribald tongue.

• • John Seal wrote: Playing the straight man (in more than one sense of the word), co-star Timothy Dalton is outstanding, as is a surprisingly svelte Dom Deluise, whose mile a minute delivery and improvisatory riffs are amongst "Sextette’s" highlights.
• • Mae West: Marlo Manners coxed with the crew • • ...
• • John Seal's 9-part analysis of ”Sextette” will continue.
• • Source: Berkeleyside; published on Tuesday, 15 June 2010.
• • On Monday, 22 January 1934 in Times Square • •
• • It was a festive Monday evening, on 22 January 1934, when Mae West and Eddie Cantor and many other stars entertained at the New Amsterdam Theatre — — at the 52nd annual benefit for the Actors' Fund.
• • Mae West, a longtime member of Actors Equity, left them one-third of her Estate. However, they were unaware of this and never received the funds Mae had intended.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • All Hollywood is laughing at the song parody which Mae West has composed about her recent front-page marriage rumors. It's a wow and not for public consumption.  
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said:  "It takes two to get one in trouble."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on Icons of the Century mentioned Mae West.
• • Carole Horst wrote: Without Mae West, Hollywood would not have the model for an independent, smart, sexy bombshell. Without West, Hollywood would not have quips like “When I’m good, I’m very, very good. When I’m bad, I’m better.”
• • Carole Horst wrote: Mae West personified the sexually liberated woman at a time when that could get you arrested — and Mae was, for her play “Sex.” . . .
• • Source: Variety; published on Sunday, 16 October 2005
• • 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 4,600 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,654th 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 • • promoting her last film in 1978 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Sex Memoirs

MAE WEST had many admirers: some who enjoyed her and others who understood her. John Seal, who recommends “Sextette,” explains  how to appreciate this campy comedy. This is part 3 of 9.
• • Making a case for “Sextette” • •
• • Mae West: “Sextette” has a cast worthy of the U.N. • •
• • John Seal wrote: State Department official Dockweiler (George E. Carey) approaches Marlo’s manager Turner (Deluise) with a plea from Uncle Sam: can his client somehow entice "sexy Alexei" into changing his vote?
• • Marlo Manners dictating her sexy memoirs • •

• • John Seal wrote: Meanwhile, a cassette tape of Marlo’s memoirs threatens to up-end her new marriage, as does the arrival on the scene of two previous husbands, filmmaker Laslo Karolny (Ringo Starr) and gangster Vance Norton (George Hamilton). Can Marlo help usher in a new era of world peace, whilst also maintaining connubial bliss in the honeymoon suite?
• • Mae West: Sextette takes full advantage of her reputation • • ...
• • John Seal's 9-part analysis of ”Sextette” will continue.
• • Source: Berkeleyside; published on Tuesday, 15 June 2010.
• • On Tuesday, 21 January 2003 in the UK • •
• • Ben Southwell directed the episode "Living Famously — Mae West," which was part of a television series originally broadcast in Great Britain from 2002 — 2003. Starring W.C. Fields, Cary Grant, Mickey Hargitay, et al, this footage originally aired in the UK on Tuesday, 21 January 2003.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West, that well-upholstered and much-quoted paragon of applied pragmatism, was once asked by an interviewer why she had the four walls and the ceiling of her boudoir covered in mirrors. "Because," dimpled Mae, "I like to see how I'm doin'."
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said:  “A dame that knows the ropes isn't likely to get tied up.”
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article in Australia discussed Mae West.
• • "Action Against Mae West" • •
• • Los Angeles, Thursday — — Miss Mae West, the film actress, and Paramount Pictures have been sued for 1,000,000 dollars (£A200,000) by Mr. Mark Linder, an author, who has charged them with fraud in connection with the story of the film "She Done Him Wrong," which, he alleges, was written by him.
• • Mr. Linder claims that he was induced to sell his interest in the story for 25,000 dollars (£A5,000), while Paramount Pictures made 4,000,000 dollars (£A800,000) and Miss West 330,000 dollars (£A67,800). ...
• • Source: The Argus (Melbourne); published on Friday, 21 January 1938
• • 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 4,600 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,653rd 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 her last film in 1978 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Marlo's Old Flame

MAE WEST had many admirers: some who enjoyed her and others who understood her. John Seal, who recommends “Sextette,” explains  how to appreciate this campy comedy. This is part 2 of 9.
• • Making a case for “Sextette” • •
• • Mae West: “Sextette” is pure camp • •
• • John Seal wrote: The actual result, however, is pure camp on a par with The Village People’s Can’t Stop the Music and Menahem Golan’s The Apple.
• • John Seal wrote: 85-year old West stars as Marlo Manners, a legendary movie star who’s just acquired her sixth husband, British nobleman Sir Michael Barrington (Dalton), and the story begins at London’s fictional Sussex Court Hotel, where the newlyweds plan to spend their honeymoon.

• • John Seal wrote: As fate would have it, the Sussex Court is also hosting an international conference led by avuncular American diplomat Chambers (Walter Pidgeon, in his last performance)—and one of the delegates is stubborn Soviet ‘Sexy’ Alexei Karansky (Tony Curtis), an old flame of Marlo’s who refuses to vote ‘da’ on a resolution of tremendous importance to world peace.
• • Mae West: “Sextette” has a cast worthy of the U.N. • • ...    
• • John Seal's 9-part analysis of ”Sextette” will continue.
• • Source: Berkeleyside; published on Tuesday, 15 June 2010.
• • On Sunday, 20 January 1929 • •
• • On Sunday, 20 January 1929 Mae brought "Diamond Lil" to Chicago, where it made its Midwest debut to a packed house. For most of the 16-week engagement, the play attracted a large audience in the Windy City.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West among the cows and chickens! Romance in a barnyard and love among the hayricks! That's “Go West Young Man,” Miss West's latest starring vehicle with Warren William, Randolph Scott, Lyle Talbot and many others.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: “I’m no model lady.  A model’s just an imitation of the real thing.”
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A recent book review mentioned Mae West.
• • Review: "The Entertainer" depicts old Hollywood • •
• • Associated Press wrote: Even after finding his groove as an actor, Lyle Talbot was still a bit of a wide-eyed kid from Nebraska. He was a party-goer and ladies' man, but he was so put off, even frightened, by actress Mae West's in-your-face sexuality that he hid out for a  week to avoid joining the road company of "Sex," her latest scandalous play. ...
• • Source: Deccan Chronicle (in syndication); published on Tuesday, 15 January 2013
• • 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 4,600 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,652nd 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 • • with Tony Curtis in her last film in 1978 • •
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Mae West: In Praise of Sextette

MAE WEST had many admirers: some who enjoyed her and others who understood her. John Seal, who recommends “Sextette,” explains  how to appreciate this campy comedy. This is part 1 of 9.
• • Berkeleyside’s film writer John Seal looks at a movie he recommends you check out on DVD.
• • John Seal wrote: “Why are you watching this?” If you’re at all like me, you’ve been asked this question on more than one occasion in your life.
• • John Seal wrote:Thankfully, I always have logic and reason on my side: It’s got Whit Bissell in it.” “I’ve seen all the other Edward L. Cahn films.” “Look, there’s Bronson Canyon!”
• • Making a case for “Sextette” • •

• • John Seal wrote: Or, in the case of "Sextette," let us say “Mae West, Timothy Dalton, and Dom Deluise are the leads, and they all get to sing!”
• • John Seal wrote: Independently produced and distributed via Crown International Pictures, "Sextette" attempted to cross-pollinate the magic of Golden Age Hollywood with elements of contemporary pop culture, the end product presumably being an irresistible taste treat for the entire family.
• • Mae West: “Sextette” is pure camp • • ...   
• • John Seal's 9-part analysis of ”Sextette” will continue.
• • Source: Berkeleyside; published on Tuesday, 15 June 2010.
• • On Saturday, 19 January 1889 • •
• • It was Saturday, 19 January 1889, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY, Battling Jack West and Tillie Delker took their wedding vows before a local minister with Jack's sister Julia West acting as maid of honor.
• • California biographer Emily Wortis Leider wrote: If they knew about it, Matilda's family almost certainly would have attempted to thwart her impetuous marriage at age eighteen to John "Battlin' Jack" West, a cigar-chomping, street-smart tough. The marriage certificate of Tillie Delker and John West, dated January 19, 1889, in the city of Brooklyn — — a separate city then, not yet a part of metropolitan New York — — lists the groom's age as twenty-two, his birthplace as New York City, and his occupation: "mechanic."
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • No one was more surprised than Cary Grant at how successful he was opposite the voracious Mae West.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Homely men make good husbands. They usually have more S.A."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on films mentioned Mae West.
• • 8 Vintage New Year’s Eve Movies to Watch Before the Ball Drops • •
• • "Every Day’s a Holiday" (1937) • •
• • Laura Dorwart wrote: From the clink of champagne glasses to slinky-sparkly gowns and the chance to reinvent yourself again and again, Mae West seems to embody the spirit of New Year’s Eve. In Every Day’s a Holiday, for which she co-wrote the script, West plays an 1890s con artist who disguises herself as a cabaret singer after she’s pushed to leave New York City by a disgruntled police captain.
• • Laura Dorwart wrote: Instead of booking the next train ticket out of town, though, West dons a wig to entertain and seduce all the right men before the stroke of midnight at a raucous New Year’s Eve party. But don’t worry: Things will turn out all right in the end for Mae West’s character…as they always do.
• • Source: ShowBiz Cheat Sheet; posted on Tuesday, 29 December 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 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 4,600 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,651st 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 • • in her last film in 1978 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: A Cult Film

In 1967, 73-year-old MAE WEST told Helen Lawrenson (during an interview for Esquire) that “if you didn’t know how old I am, a person’d think I’m twenty-six.”  
• • Eleven years later, in 1978, Mae would play a coquettish bride in "Sextette." Was it a good film or a misfire? Journalist Steve Palace has his own perspective. This is Part 6 of 6 parts.
• • "Sextette" — Mae West’s Last Movie Saw Her Play the Vamp in Her 80s! • •
• • Mae West: An embarrassing attempt at camp • •

• • Critics didn’t hold back, with savage assessments appearing in the press. Variety described "Sextette" as “an embarrassing attempt at camp from the lady who helped invent the word.” The New York Times called it “a poetic, terrifying reminder of how a virtually disembodied ego can survive total physical decay and loss of common sense.”
• • Mae West passed away in 1980, following a stroke. People were quick to laugh at her final foray on the big screen, but ultimately movies like "Go West, Young Man" (1936) and "My Little Chickadee" with W.C. Fields (1940) are what she’ll be remembered for.
• • Steve Palace wrote: She made one last request for audiences to come up and see her some time. They didn’t accept, but the offer is appreciated today by cult film fans…
• • This feature as reached the sixth segment. A critic's appreciation of “Sextette” will follow.
• • Source: The Vintage News; published on Tuesday, 29 September 2020.
• • Cary Grant [1904 — 1986] • •
• • It's a kick to see January birthday boy Cary Grant [18 January 1904 — 29 November 1986] opposite Mae West before his own movie star status rose high on the marquee.
• • Watch their two smash hits on the Criterion Channel.
• • On Sunday, 18 January 1981 in Hollywood • •  
• • "Mae West Left Million, Mostly to Her Sister" • •
• • Los Angeles, Jan. 18th, 1981 — Reuters — Mae West, who died in November at the age of 87, left $1 million, according to her Will filed in court here.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West, being one of the screen's leading luminaries, and something of a national sensation, has been deluged with requests for the use of her name. Occasionally she has been agreeable, but for the most part she has declined with thanks.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "A noted sculptor is doing my figure in marble and says I'd have made a perfect stand-in for Venus. Flattering, of course. But maybe not. That dame was cold, and didn't have any arms."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on “Sextette” discussed Mae West.
• • Nathan Rabin of A.V. Club wrote: In an interview about the film, Ian Whitcomb, who clearly adores Mae West and considers working with her one of the highlights of a busy and eclectic career, shares the tragi-comic story of watching an already-senile Miss West meet with a costumer for the film early in the project and look at an old picture of herself from decades before.
• • Nathan Rabin of A.V. Club wrote: A nostalgic West told the costumer that she wanted a diaphanous gown exactly like the one she wore in the picture. Furthermore, she proclaimed, she wanted the handsome co-star in the picture to star in her new film as well.
• • Nathan Rabin of A.V. Club wrote: As tactfully as possible, the costumer told West that wouldn’t be possible, since the man in the picture had died more than 20 years earlier. ...
• • Source: A.V. Club; published on Wednesday, 29 February 2012
• • The evolution of 2 Mae West plays that keep her memory alive • •
• • A discussion with Mae West playwright LindaAnn LoSchiavo — —
• • http://lideamagazine.com/renaissance-woman-new-york-city-interview-lindaann-loschiavo/
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 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 4,600 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,650th 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 her last film in 1978 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest