Mae West: Marketing Herself

MAE WEST is introduced to a new audience whenever a documentary film pops up. Mark Kennedy analyzes the most recent PBS biography. Was it a hit or a miss, in his opinion? This is Part 6 of 8.
• • PBS invites you to come up sometime and see a Mae West doc • •
• • “Mae West: Dirty Blonde,” the first major documentary film on this cultural figure, makes its world premiere Tuesday on PBS, an attempt to look beyond West's gowns, curves and jewels.
• • Mae West: Never apologizes for who she is • •
• • Mark Kennedy wrote: What emerges is a portrait of a woman who was incredibly savvy about marketing herself.

• • Mark Kennedy wrote: When Mae West was charged with obscenity in 1927 for her play “Sex,” she was sentenced to 10 days in prison but was offered the opportunity to pay a fine and be released immediately. Seeing the huge publicity value of the case, she demanded [sic] to be sent to prison.
• • Mae West: Offered the Chance to Pay the Fines • •
• • Mark Kennedy wrote: “Mae’s example is about the sort of a woman who doesn’t experience shame or embarrassment, and she never, ever apologizes for who she is,” Marchesi said. “Women are always apologizing for everything all the time. She just didn’t care [sic] what anybody thought of her.”
• • Ed: Mae West was intensely protective of her image and her brand to the point of white-washing facts about her birth-year and what her father did for a living, pretending she was never married (even though she was a bigamist), and claiming she never drank or smoke when her apartment was filled with ashtrays and cigarette paraphernalia during the 1930s? How could anyone say that a woman like this "didn't care" what people thought about her?
• • Mae West: A Female Trailblazer • •  ...
• • To be continued.
• • Source: Associated Press (syndicated content); published on Monday, 15 June 2020.
• • On Sunday, 31 March 1912 • •
• • The end of March signaled the beginning of excitement down at "The Corner" [Seventh Avenue and 42nd Street]. The New York Times announced on Sunday, 31 March 1912 that "Mae West and Her Boys" would take the stage at Hammerstein's Victoria.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • With more than 125 films to his credit, Franz Planer certainly had his successes. For instance, the cinematographer shot five of Audrey Hepburn's films including the iconic "Breakfast at Tiffany's" [1961]. And though "The Heat's On" is tepid fare, at least he got to work with Mae West.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said:  "I was always fascinated by prisons and mental institutions. ... I wasn't going to be deprived of that experience."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article about Rossmore Street mentioned Mae West.
• • Fans Hoping to Designate Rossmore between Melrose and Beverly Blvd “Mae West Curve” • •
• • Patricia Lombard wrote: According to an online petition, fans want the city to erect a brown local landmark sign in honor of the legendary Hollywood actress Mae West, to commemorate the 50 years West resided on Rossmore Avenue in the Ravenswood Apartments.  
• • Patricia Lombard wrote: In addition, Angelenos explain that Mae West was a groundbreaking woman in the history of Hollywood when she started making movies for Paramount Pictures in the 1930s, at the age of 40. ...
• • Source: Larchmont Buzz; published on Monday, 18 March 2019
• • 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 4,700 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,702nd 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 1927 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Black Entertainers

MAE WEST is introduced to a new audience whenever a documentary film pops up. Mark Kennedy analyzes the most recent PBS biography. Was it a hit or a miss, in his opinion? This is Part 5 of 8.
• • PBS invites you to come up sometime and see a Mae West doc • •
• • “Mae West: Dirty Blonde,” the first major documentary film on this cultural figure, makes its world premiere Tuesday on PBS, an attempt to look beyond West's gowns, curves and jewels.
• • Mae West: No civil rights activist • •
• • Mark Kennedy wrote: “She was no civil rights activist. She was not marching in the streets. This was the 1930s,” Marchesi said. “But we do know that she was around a lot of black entertainers and musicians. And she does seem to have had a lot of respect for them and want to sort of prop them up in the industry.”

• • Mark Kennedy wrote: The documentary tries to get to the heart of Mae West with observations from biographers, historians, friends, directors, her former manager and journalists.
• • Mark Kennedy wrote: Stars like Candice Bergen, Lady Bunny, Margaret Cho, Natasha Lyonne, Ringo Starr, Dita Von Teese, Kathy Najimy and Mario Cantone add their insights, too.
• • Mae West: Never apologizes for who she is • •  ...
• • To be continued.
• • Source: Associated Press (syndicated content); published on Monday, 15 June 2020.
• • On Wednesday, 30 March 1927 • •
• • By Wednesday, 30 March 1927, twelve male jurors had been selected for Mae West's "Sex" trial set for Jefferson Market Court on Sixth Avenue in Greenwich Village. Mae hired four attorneys to represent her. Her defense team was headed by Harold Spielberg, Herman "Beansie" Rosenthal's former associate. Trial coverage appeared in the N.Y. Herald Tribune, The N.Y. Times, Variety, and elsewhere.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • During the month of March in 1970, there were rumors about a feud between Raquel Welch and her co-star Mae West during the filming of "Myra Breckenridge." Quarreling over the gowns and costumes had started. Raquel also said a few “very unflattering things” about the director, Michael Sarne.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Tell the truth if it hurts, gentlemen, but don't bruise yourself badly."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article about body image mentioned Mae West.
• • "Mae West: A Body Image Icon" • •
• • Mae West said: "I don't like myself, I'm crazy about myself."
• • Patricia Biesen wrote: I recently came to the point in my life when I really needed to adopt a spiritual badass. I needed to be inspired by a larger-than-life persona. Maybe other people prefer more serene spiritual guides but Mae West works for me.
• • Patricia Biesen wrote: Why? She is the exact opposite of me. She was extremely extroverted, curvy, spicy and always confident womanly woman. I did a little research and my admiration grew. Not only was she a sex symbol but she was a successful playwright and producer. The character of Samantha Jones from Sex and the City is a modern day Mae West in many ways. She is a take charge woman in the boardroom and bedroom. . . .
• • Source: Chicago Now; posted on Wednesday, 21 March 2012
• • The evolution of 2 Mae West plays that keep her memory alive • •
• • A discussion with Mae West playwright LindaAnn LoSchiavo — —
• • http://lideamagazine.com/renaissance-woman-new-york-city-interview-lindaann-loschiavo/
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 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 4,700 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,701st 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 1936 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Subtle Nods

MAE WEST is introduced to a new audience whenever a documentary film pops up. Mark Kennedy analyzes the most recent PBS biography. Was it a hit or a miss, in his opinion? This is Part 4 of 8.
• • PBS invites you to come up sometime and see a Mae West doc • •
• • “Mae West: Dirty Blonde,” the first major documentary film on this cultural figure, makes its world premiere Tuesday on PBS, an attempt to look beyond West's gowns, curves and jewels.
• • Mae West: More than a Sex Siren • •
• • Mark Kennedy wrote: As the filmmakers peeled back layers to Mae West, they discovered more than just a sex siren who was playing almost a parody of a sex siren. They found a woman embodying female empowerment who was giving subtle nods to lift up African Americans and the gay community.

• • Mark Kennedy wrote: Mae West wrote the 1927 play “The Drag,” which dealt with homosexuality and cross-dressing, and later penned the movie “I’m No Angel,” in which her character sings, dances and gossips about men with several black maids, unheard of in 1933. She also insisted, over objections from the movie studio, that Duke Ellington and his band be hired for “It Ain’t No Sin.”
• • Mae West: No civil rights activist • • ...
• • To be continued.
• • Source: Associated Press (syndicated content); published on Monday, 15 June 2020.
• • On Saturday, 29 March 1930 • •
• • As reported by The N.Y. Times on Saturday, 29 March 1930, the "Pleasure Man" trial presided over by Justice Amedeo Bertini was not without its own impromptu entertainment value. Called to the stand by Nathan Burkan, cast member Chuck Connors II sang the controversial "She's the Queen of the Beaches" for Judge Bertini and the jurors. Though somber and bereaved, Mae West had to stuff a black handkerchief in her mouth to keep from laughing as Chuck Connors, "clasping his hands together, crooned the song."
• • On Sunday, 29 March 1936 • •
• • "Has Mae West Done Herself Wrong?" was the intriguing headline teasing readers of the Atlanta Journal Magazine in their issue dated for Sunday, 29 March 1936.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • It takes more than merely acting to become a national figure — an emblem — which, strange and contradictory as it may seem, is exactly what Mae West is.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said:  "Stay young, ladies — — even if you have to change your birth dates in the family Bible. Have your face lifted if necessary."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on a TV show mentioned Mae West, who was their guest star.
• • "Guest Shot Indicates Mae Needs Own Program" • •
• • Hollywood (UPI) Mae West turned up Sunday night on CBS-TV’s “Mr. Ed” series, and made one yearn for her to have a situation comedy of her own as a spoofing antidote to the many drab females on television.
• • She once helped save a movie company, and there’s no reason she couldn’t make the television mouse roar a little.
• • “Mr. Ed” is about a talking horse. Sunday night, Miss West, in a rare video appearance, was brought into the show by having her ask the horse’s owner (Alan Young) to redesign her stables in French Provincial style.  ...
• • Source: UPI; published on Tuesday, 24 March 1964
• • 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 4,700 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,700th blog post. Unlike many blogs, which draw upon reprinted content from a newspaper or a magazine and/ or summaries, links, or photos, the mainstay of this blog is its fresh material focused on the life and career of Mae West, herself an American original.

• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source: https://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml  
• • Be sure to bookmark or follow The Mae West Blog
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • in 1933 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Many Witticisms

MAE WEST is introduced to a new audience whenever a documentary film pops up. Mark Kennedy analyzes the most recent PBS biography. Was it a hit or a miss, in his opinion? This is Part 3 of 8.
• • PBS invites you to come up sometime and see a Mae West doc • •
• • “Mae West: Dirty Blonde,” the first major documentary film on this cultural figure, makes its world premiere Tuesday on PBS, an attempt to look beyond West's gowns, curves and jewels.
• • Mae West: Mae's many witticisms • •
• • Mark Kennedy wrote: Mae West launched Cary Grant’s career, she was sentenced to prison, and during the Great Depression she became the second highest paid person in the entire country, behind only newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst.

• • Mark Kennedy wrote: Many of her witticisms have been embraced, including "When I’m good, I’m very good, but when I’m bad, I’m better” and "Marriage is a great institution but I'm not ready for an institution" and “Between two evils, I always choose the one I’ve never tried before.”
• • Mark Kennedy wrote: “Mae West was this incredibly smart woman who had a message about power and sexuality and gender. And she found a way to get people to listen to her — — and that was by making them laugh,” Julia Marchesi said.
• • Mae West: More than a Sex Siren • • ...
• • To be continued.
• • Source: Associated Press (syndicated content); published on Monday, 15 June 2020.
• • On Wednesday, 26 March 1958 • •
• • Rock Hudson, age 32, and Mae West performed the song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” together, in point style, at the 30th Annual Academy Awards on Wednesday, 26 March 1958.
• • The 1957 Academy Awards were presented at the RKO Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, California and broadcast on NBC-TV.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • An enormous international cast was assembled to do justice to Mae West's ambitious screenplay "Now I'm a Lady" centered around the horsey set. Script approval would be granted by the Hays Commission on Monday, 1 April 1935.
• • 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. I was always fascinated by prisons and mental institutions... “
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article in Look quoted Mae West.
• • "Raquel Welch, Mae West Talk about Men, Morals and Myra Breckinridge” • •
• • Jack Hamilton wrote: The personality chasm between these two women yawns deep.
• • Jack Hamilton wrote: Mae West dotes on what she is and has always been — an immortal sex symbol. .. But didn't Raquel know what she was getting into? ...
• • Source: Look Magazine; issue dated for Tuesday, 24 March 1970
• • 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 4,699th 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 with Jack LaRue in 1928 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Mae's Leap

MAE WEST is introduced to a new audience whenever a documentary film pops up. Mark Kennedy analyzes the most recent PBS biography. Was it a hit or a miss, in his opinion? This is Part 2 of 8.
• • PBS invites you to come up sometime and see a Mae West doc • •
• • “Mae West: Dirty Blonde,” the first major documentary film on this cultural figure, makes its world premiere Tuesday on PBS, an attempt to look beyond West's gowns, curves and jewels.
• • Mae West: Has Mae been forgotten? • •  
• • Mark Kennedy wrote: “She really does belong in the pantheon of great, strong American women. She’s just been forgotten. So we wanted to shine a bit of a light on what she achieved,” said Sally Rosenthal, who co-directed and co-produced the film with Julia Marchesi.

• • Mark Kennedy wrote: The film, executive produced by Bette Midler, traces West’s origins in vaudeville, her leap to Broadway as performer and playwright, her Hollywood debut as a sex symbol at age 40, and her last acts as Vegas nightclub star in her 60s and camp icon in her 80s.
• • Mark Kennedy wrote: It’s a remarkable life: Despite having only a third grade education, West wrote her own plays and screenplays [sic] and rarely delegated any detail.
• • Ed: Mae West always worked with co-writers and collaborators.
• • Mae West: Mae's many witticisms • •   ...  
• • To be continued.
• • Source: Associated Press (syndicated content); published on Monday, 15 June 2020.
• • On Tuesday, 25 March 1924 in San Antonio • •
• • On Tuesday, 25 March 1924 Mae West appeared on a vaudeville program at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, Texas.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West made her entrance at Alan Young’s home by arriving with three handsome young men. “Believe it or not,” she told them, “I gotta see a man about a barn."
• • Dressed to the teeth, and strutting her stuff, Mae West was welcomed to the home and invited to sit down. “Honey,” she said, “you don’t dare sit down in this gown. It’s standing room only.”
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "A lotta issue over a little tissue."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article in Look quoted Mae West.
• • "Raquel Welch, Mae West Talk about Men, Morals and Myra Breckinridge” • •
• • Jack Hamilton wrote: Their scenes together are minute.
• • Jack Hamilton wrote: “I never appear opposite a woman,” Mae says sweetly.
• • Jack Hamilton wrote: “I would not have minded,” says Raquel. “But Mae didn't write me into her scenes.” ...
• • Source: Look Magazine; issue dated for Tuesday, 24 March 1970
• • 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 4,698th 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 • • posing in 1932 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Savvy Media Star

MAE WEST is introduced to a new audience whenever a documentary film pops up. Mark Kennedy analyzes the most recent PBS biography. Was it a hit or a miss, in his opinion? This is Part 1 of 8.
• • PBS invites you to come up sometime and see a Mae West doc • •
• • “Mae West: Dirty Blonde,” the first major documentary film on this cultural figure, makes its world premiere Tuesday on PBS, an attempt to look beyond West's gowns, curves and jewels.
• • Mark Kennedy wrote: NEW YORK (AP) — Before there was a Cher or Madonna, Beyoncé or Rihanna, there was another savvy female media star who unapologetically embraced her sex appeal and femininity.

• • Mark Kennedy wrote: That would be Mae West, the bawdy, witty, sex symbol of the 1930s who pioneered a path for modern women with guts and a nod and a wink.
• • Mark Kennedy wrote: “Mae West: Dirty Blonde,” the first major documentary film on this cultural figure, makes its world premiere Tuesday on PBS, and this production attempts to look beyond Mae West’s famous gowns, curves and jewels.
• • Mae West: Has Mae been forgotten? • • ...  
• • To be continued.
• • Source: Associated Press (syndicated content); published on Monday, 15 June 2020.
• • On Saturday, 24 March 1934 in California • •
• • The recording of "My Old Flame" performed by Mae West, backed by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra, took place on Saturday, 24 March 1934.
• • Initially, it was released on an audio single. "My Old Flame" was first heard in the motion picture "Belle of the Nineties" [Paramount Pictures, 1934].
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • It takes more than merely acting to become a national figure — an emblem — which, strange and contradictory as it may seem, is exactly what Mae West is.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I like my sexes stable."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article in Look quoted Mae West.
• • "Raquel Welch, Mae West Talk about Men, Morals and Myra Breckinridge” • •
• • Jack Hamilton wrote: "Raquel does not masquerade as a man (she has a male alter ego, Rex Reed).”
• • Jack Hamilton wrote: "Mae West wrote her own scenes, completely changing the book's Letitia Van Allen from a masochistic victim of men to a Mae West all-conqueror.” ...
• • Source: Look Magazine; issue dated for Tuesday, 24 March 1970
• • 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 4,697th 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 • • poster in 1951 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Honest Frivolity

The purity police dogged the heels of MAE WEST with a Javert-like intensity. Barry Chapman analyzes how the censors affected her film Belle of the Nineties. This is Part 8 of 8 parts.
• • N.B.: When Toronto Film Society presented Belle of the Nineties (1934) and My Gal Sal on Monday, January 8, 1990 as part of their Season 42, this article was first written.  
• • Censorship and Belle of the Nineties (1934) starring Mae West • •
• • Mae West: The film is filled with honest frivolity • •

• • Barry Chapman wrote: By modern standards, most of Mae’s dialogue is pretty mild and innocuous. Belle would probably have been a lot funnier more of the time if the Hays Office hadn’t “protected” moviegoers. However, it’s still pretty amusing stuff, and viewed as a cavalcade, for the music, choreography, and glamour, not so much for the story, it is an entertaining and exuberant picture. 
• • Barry Chapman wrote: It is excellent musical comedy, filled with honest frivolity, atmosphere, and at least one unforgettable song.
• • Cast: Mae West (Ruby Carter), Roger Pryor (Tiger Kid), John Mack Brown (Brooks Claybourne), John Miljan (Ace Lamont), Katherine DeMille (Molly Brant), James Donaln (Kirby), Stuart Holmes (Dirk), Harry Woods (Slade), Edward Gargan (Stogie), Libby Taylor (Jasmine), et cetera.
• • This article has now been concluded with Part 8. Hope you enjoyed it.
• • Source: Toronto Film Society; reprinted on Sunday, 15 November 2020.
• • On Monday, 23 March 1964 • •
• • Rick Du Brow, a Hollywood columnist, discussed the episode "Mae West Meets Mister Ed" (broadcast on Sunday, 22 March 1964) on page 4 of Cumberland Evening Times, on Monday, 23 March 1964. The headline was "Mae West Could Be Star of Own Situation Comedy." Du Brow was favorably impressed. Papers in the U.K. and the USA reviewed the TV episode.
• • "Mae West Meets Mister Ed" is the twenty-first episode of the fourth season of "Mister Ed," and the ninety-ninth episode overall. Director was Arthur Lubin. Airdate was on Sunday, 22 March 1964.
• • Guest Stars: Mae West (Herself), Nick Stewart (Charles), Mae West (Herself), Jacques Shelton (1st Groom), Roger Torrey (2nd Groom).
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Emanuel Cohen announced in Film Daily that Mae was making a new motion picture for Major Pictures Corp. The title, said Cohen, was "Sapphire Sal — Night of Mystery." Starring Mae West and Grant Richards, and directed by Eddie Sutherland, the story was being written by Jo Swerhing.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "He seemed to have a lot of trouble. I think he was all right, but he just couldn't get the money he needed."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A London newspaper reader recalled Diane Arbus and Mae West.
• • Dear Sir: While I was art editor of Show Magazine in New York during the 1960s, I commissioned the great Diane Arbus to photograph the (by then) forgotten Mae West (Books, 16 March) at home in Los Angeles.
• • The results revealed that Miss West had a fearsome fetish for symmetry — matching grubby white grand pianos bearing vast identical plaster statues of her naked self, duplicate papier-maiché urns of dusty mock camellias, place settings mirrored either side of the plates, etc. Mae also slept between two (real) apes [sic] called Toughie and Pretty-boy.
• • As Cecil Beaton once said about Josephine Baker, if that is not camp, I don't know what is!
• • Written by: Nicholas Haslam, 12 Holbein Place, London SW1
• • Source: Letter (page 29) in London's Spectator; published on Saturday, 23 March 1996
• • The evolution of 2 Mae West plays that keep her memory alive • •
• • A discussion with Mae West playwright LindaAnn LoSchiavo — —
• • http://lideamagazine.com/renaissance-woman-new-york-city-interview-lindaann-loschiavo/
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 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 4,696th 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 1934 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Fantastic Guises

The purity police dogged the heels of MAE WEST with a Javert-like intensity. Barry Chapman analyzes how the censors affected her film Belle of the Nineties. This is Part 7 of 8 parts.
• • N.B.: When Toronto Film Society presented Belle of the Nineties (1934) and My Gal Sal on Monday, January 8, 1990 as part of their Season 42, this article was first written.  
• • Censorship and Belle of the Nineties (1934) starring Mae West • •
• • Mae West: Garbed in Travis Banton's designs • •

• • Barry Chapman wrote: While Gene Austin croons “My American Beauty,” garbed in designer Travis Banton’s most exotic confections, Mae appears in a variety of fantastic guises: a gigantic rose, a spider, a bat and a butterfly (with fanciful wings like a Japanese kite). The climax of this extravaganza is Mae’s incarnation as the Statue of Liberty. Torch held proudly aloft, Mae brings the shouting music hall audience to its feet. Upon viewing this amazing sight, Vanity Fair‘s critic, George Jean Nathan, dubbed her “the Statue of Libido.”
• • Mae West: The film is filled with honest frivolity • •  ...
• • To be concluded tomorrow.
• • Source: Toronto Film Society; reprinted on Sunday, 15 November 2020.
• • On Saturday, 22 March 1930 in The N.Y. Times • •
• • It was Saturday, 22 March 1930, and the headline in The N.Y. Times read like this: "Mae West Counsel Assailes Capt. Coy; Police Officer Admits Relying More on Sergeant's Notes Than Own in Testimony. Says Two Made 'Synopsis' Too Dark in Theatre to Write Clearly, He Asserts — — Reveals He Acted 28 Years Ago."
• • Captain James J. Coy of Inspector Mulrooney's staff, who appeared Thursday in General Sessions, told Judge Amadeo Bertini and a jury why he had raided Mae West's play "Pleasure Man" in October 1928.
• • Why? Why indeed! Well, you can learn more about these obscenity trials from the stage play "Courting Mae West." The "Sex" trial is dramatized during Act 1 and the 1930 trial for "Pleasure Man" takes place during Act 2.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • L.M. Boyd wrote: It was Mae West who revitalized the old bird-in-the-hand line. Except what she said was: ''A man in the house is worth two in the street.''
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Gentlemen, pet your women. They love it like a tabby cat. Occasionally suggest that they buy a new dress, even if they have enough to clothe an 1890 chorus."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A Singapore newspaper mentioned Mae West.
• • Paramount presents Mae West in "I'm No Angel" with Cary Grant. Come up and see me sometime — — any time. Screening shortly . . . .
• • Source: The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser; published on Saturday, 17 March 1934
• • The evolution of 2 Mae West plays that keep her memory alive • •
• • A discussion with Mae West playwright LindaAnn LoSchiavo — —
• • http://lideamagazine.com/renaissance-woman-new-york-city-interview-lindaann-loschiavo/
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 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 4,695th 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 1934 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Not for Good

The purity police dogged the heels of MAE WEST with a Javert-like intensity. Barry Chapman analyzes how the censors affected her film Belle of the Nineties. This is Part 6 of 8 parts.
• • N.B.: When Toronto Film Society presented Belle of the Nineties (1934) and My Gal Sal on Monday, January 8, 1990 as part of their Season 42, this article was first written.  
• • Censorship and Belle of the Nineties (1934) starring Mae West • •
• • Mae West: Sashays down the gangplank • •

• • Barry Chapman wrote: For instance, when the steamboat docks at New Orleans, Mae sashays down the gangplank arm in arm with a playboy millionaire (John Mack Brown).  The men surge forward eagerly and she is asked “Are you in town for good?”  Mae replies, “I expect to be here, but not for good.”  She also informs the boys in the bar, “It’s better to be looked over than overlooked.”
• • Barry Chapman wrote: The film’s plot — — the usual underworld melodrama — — exists mainly to provide Mae with a series of elaborate production numbers.  
• • Barry Chapman wrote: The opening number is the most spectacular in all her films.  
• • Mae West: Garbed in Travis Banton's designs • • ...
• • To be continued.
• • Source: Toronto Film Society; reprinted on Sunday, 15 November 2020.
• • On Saturday, 19 March 1927 • •
• • Mae West signed the "Sex" checks. Three promissory notes dated for Saturday, 19 March 1927 from the Moral Producing Corporation, $1000 each to Harold Spielberg, signed on the verso in original ink "Mae West" together with a check drawn on the Bowery and East River National Bank, dated 2 March 1927, signed by Mae West as President of the Moral Producing Corporation.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West signed a new contract with Paramount which calls for two pictures a year from her for the next four years. The actress has the option of writing her own stories, selecting her own cast and working for a percentage of the grosses on the eight pictures, under the terms of her new deal.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said:  "Love the men, ladies — — but not too much."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article about Andy Warhol mentioned Mae West.
• • Eveline Danubrata wrote: Andy Warhol started collecting pictures of movie stars such as Shirley Temple and Mae West when he was eight years old, Eric Shiner said. He would write letters to the Hollywood movie studios and ask for photographs, then kept dozens of them in a photo album. . . .
• • Source: Article: "Andy Warhol, the Pope of Pop, is making a pilgrimage to Asia on the 25th anniversary of his death" written by Eveline Danubrata in Singapore for Reuters; posted on Friday, 16 March 2012
• • The evolution of 2 Mae West plays that keep her memory alive • •
• • A discussion with Mae West playwright LindaAnn LoSchiavo — —
• • http://lideamagazine.com/renaissance-woman-new-york-city-interview-lindaann-loschiavo/
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 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 4,694th 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 1934 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest