Mae West: Lower-Class Sex

MAE WEST’s plump, curvaceous body was a vital element in her comedy. Academics have emphasized that “excessive body is one of the qualities of female unruliness, suggesting that she is unwilling or unable to control her physical appetites.” Japanese film historian Mio Hatokai discusses how Hollywood publicists and fan zines responded to this “fatness” in 1933. This is Part 9 of a lengthy piece.
• • Laughing off the “Fatness” ― Mae West’s Body Image and Female Spectators in the Early 1930s • •
• • Mae West: Sexuality wrapped in a veil of irony • •
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: Yet, in 1928, West eventually succeeded in appealing to a broader public with her play, “Diamond Lil,” by “wrapp[ing] her sexual style in a veil of irony and detachment,” according to Marybeth Hamilton’s book.

• • Mio Hatokai wrote: The Broadway stage play “Diamond Lil” (1928), on which the Paramount Pictures motion picture “She Done Him Wrong” is based, served as a bridge between “seamy” and “lower-class” sex and Mae West’s nation-wide success in Hollywood.
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: Since what West presented on Broadway (especially in “Sex”) greatly differs from her screen personae, her pull with female film spectators requires an explanation from a different angle.
• • Mae West: Her female fan base was captured by this • • ...  
• • Mio Hatokai’s lengthy article will continue on the next post.
• • Source: Academic anthology on film stars released by Waseda University, 2015.
• • 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 Saturday, 29 October 1932. This was the red carpet debut for "Night After Night" in Hollywood. Mae was seen in a few scenes as Maudie Triplett.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West was perhaps the only truly autonomous female star of the screen in the 1930s and 1940s. (Or maybe of any decade.) She did as she pleased and she was pleased with what she did.  
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "The box office business in the entire industry has dropped off 30 per cent in the past four months."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Liz Smith mentioned Mae West.
• • "Trailblazer and Friend Remembered" • •
• • Liz Smith wrote: "Too much of a good thing is wonderful," said Mae West. And leaving the Helen Gurley Brown memorial the other day reminded me of that quote. ...
• • Source: Huff-Post; posted on Monday, 22 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 17th anniversary • • 
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past seventeen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 4,800 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started seventeen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,854th 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 • • onstage in 1928 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Sensual Embrace

MAE WEST’s plump, curvaceous body was a vital element in her comedy. Academics have emphasized that “excessive body is one of the qualities of female unruliness, suggesting that she is unwilling or unable to control her physical appetites.” Japanese film historian Mio Hatokai discusses how Hollywood publicists and fan zines responded to this “fatness” in 1933. This is Part 8 of a lengthy piece.
• • Laughing off the “Fatness” ― Mae West’s Body Image and Female Spectators in the Early 1930s • •
• • Mae West: Importance of her physical self, her curvy body • •   
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: Marybeth Hamilton also focuses on the importance of Mae West’s body image: The heaviness of that body, clad in short and flimsy modern attire, was particularly crucial.
• • when a boyish silhouette defined “respectable sexuality” • •

• • Mio Hatokai wrote: In the 1920s, when a boyish silhouette defined respectable sexuality, a thick-set body like West’s brought seamy and distinctly lower-class associations to mind: above all, burlesque actresses, who were widely equated with prostitutes and whose overblown -gestures reputedly signalled an aggressive embrace of sensual passion.
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: In summary, without a sense of irony or parody, in “Sex,” Mae West’s body had negative connotations of “seamy and distinctly lower-class associations.”
• • Mae West: Sexuality veiled in irony • • ...  
• • Mio Hatokai’s lengthy article will continue on the next post.
• • Source: Academic anthology on film stars released by Waseda University, 2015.
• • On Sunday, 28 October 1934 • •
• • "Mae West Philosophy" • •
• • 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."
• • "I'm a regular Voltaire when it comes to satire, honey!" • •
• • "Honey," Mae West said, sitting down and speaking earnestly, "It's like this. The women don't razz me because I don't make 'em jealous. The only censorship directed at me comes from men because intelligent men resent my satire. In one way I'm a regular Voltaire when it comes to satire, honey, because I show that bigshot guys with a lot of dough and tailcoats and culture will fall like shooting gallery ducks for a lady lion tamer or any Madame Honky Tonk that gets a range on them. Once in a while that burns up an intelligent man because it makes him feel inferior." ...
• • Source: The Straits Times (Singapore); published on Sunday, 28 October 1934.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •

• • Mae West's curvaceous charms caught newspaper readers off guard during October 1933.
• • Paramount Pictures ran sexy ads for “I’m No Angel” showing their newest movie star, Mae West, cupping her hands under her breasts in motion picture advertisements. No angel indeed!
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I cut down on physical sex when I'm writing or plotting a play."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Box Office mentioned Mae West.
• • Indianapolis — First-run motion picture houses encountered strong competition, with Mae West doing four shows at English’s Theatre, and packing them in on every occasion.  
• • All flesh houses have closed for the summertime and now the movies will have everything to themselves for a time at least, or until night baseball begins. ...
• • Source: Box Office; published on Saturday, 2 June 1945
• • 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 17th anniversary • • 
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past seventeen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 4,800 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,853rd 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 • • as Margy LaMont in "Sex" • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Parody of Sex

MAE WEST’s plump, curvaceous body was a vital element in her comedy. Academics have emphasized that “excessive body is one of the qualities of female unruliness, suggesting that she is unwilling or unable to control her physical appetites.” Japanese film historian Mio Hatokai discusses how Hollywood publicists and fan zines responded to this “fatness” in 1933. This is Part 7 of a lengthy piece.
• • Laughing off the “Fatness” ― Mae West’s Body Image and Female Spectators in the Early 1930s • •
• • Mae West: A new demand for “sex plays” in the theatres • •  
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: Indeed Mae West and “Sex” attracted a female audience, but it may be that the demand for “sex plays,” rather than the appeal of the actress and the play itself, brought women to the theater.
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: This account suggests that Mae West’s popularity among women during the Broadway days of the 1920s may not be fully attributable to her own appeal.
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: But then how about her Hollywood success?

• • Mio Hatokai wrote: Did Mae West as Margy LaMont in “Sex” and later Mae West heroines on-screen show the same characteristics?
• • A crucial difference • •
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: In Marybeth Hamilton’s book about Mae West, When I'm Bad, I'm Better, the author argues that there is a crucial difference in the Mae West play “Sex,” that is, “there was not the least hint of an ironic joke,” meaning that it showed “no suggestions, either in the script or in Mae West’s performance, that she was parodying a sexy woman (actually, a sex worker in Montreal, Canada!) as well as playing one.”
• • Mae West: Importance of her physical self, her curvy body • • . . .  
• • Mio Hatokai’s lengthy article will continue on the next post.
• • Source: Academic anthology on film stars released by Waseda University, 2015.
• • 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.
• • On Sunday, 27 October 1935 • •
• • 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 on Sunday, 27 October 1935.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • When Mae West saw a photo of the tall, debonair John Davis Lodge, she demanded him as her romantic lead for her next film, "She Done Him Wrong."  
• • But the Harvard grad did Mae West wrong, buckling to family pressure and pulling out of the project. John Davis Lodge was replaced by a promising newcomer named Cary Grant.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "That piano guy Liberace's got a lot of charm. I could go for someone that charming. I see good in every man.That's why I'm not married."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Box Office mentioned Mae West.
• • Fox Staff  to "Catherine" • •
• • Des  Moines — The 20th-Century Fox manager and sales force attended the Mae West show, “Catherine  Was  Great,” at the Shrine  Auditorium here.  
• • The new 20th-Century Fox film, “Royal Scandal,” starring Tallulah Bankhead, is based on the Mae West stage show. …
• • Source: Box Office; published on Saturday, 5 May 1945
• • 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 17th anniversary • • 
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past seventeen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 4,800 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,852nd 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 • • as Margy LaMont in "Sex" • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Crass Porn?

MAE WEST’s plump, curvaceous body was a vital element in her comedy. Academics have emphasized that “excessive body is one of the qualities of female unruliness, suggesting that she is unwilling or unable to control her physical appetites.” Japanese film historian Mio Hatokai discusses how Hollywood publicists and fan zines responded to this “fatness” in 1933. This is Part 6 of a lengthy piece.
• • Laughing off the “Fatness” ― Mae West’s Body Image and Female Spectators in the Early 1930s • •
• • Mae West: Was “Sex” merely “bald, crass porn? • •
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: According to Hamilton, contemporary theater critics condemned Sex as bald, crass pornography. Despite that, the show “drew massive and heavily female crowds,” and such patronage worried powerful morality traditionalists, eventually leading to West’s arrest [sic] on charges of public obscenity.
• • Note: Mae West's gay play "The Drag" was the play that really worried the authorities and which led to her imprisonment. The play "Courting Mae West" dramatizes the issues behind the real-life events and the trials.

• • Mio Hatokai wrote: However, West’s “Sex,” in which she played a tough prostitute heroine Margy, was not the sole attraction for female theatergoers.
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: In the 1920s Broadway, young middle-class women seeking for an outlet for their revolt against prudery were its most avid patrons, and the producers rushed to present “sex plays” to comply with their taste, according to Hamilton’s book.  
• • Mae West: New demand for sex plays onstage • • …   
• • Mio Hatokai’s lengthy article will continue on the next post.
• • Source: Academic anthology on film stars released by Waseda University, 2015.
• • 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 • •
• • 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.  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.  
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said:  "I was ten years ahead of my time. Someday, I'm going to produce those plays again."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Variety mentioned Mae West.
• • Mae West Sails Thursday to Do "Diamond Lil" in England • •
• • Mae West and her manager, James Timony, plus a couple of key actors, sail tomorrow (Thurs.) on the Queen Mary to ready a British touring (and ultimately London) production of "Diamond Lil," the play in which the actress appeared on Broadway 20 years ago.
• • It will be the first time the show has been done in England.
• • Under the terms of a deal set last week by London's Harry Foster with the William Morris agency in Hollywood, Miss West's personal share of the production is around $5,000 a week.
• • It was figured the British Government would permit her to take half of that amount out of the country. …
• • Source: Variety; published on Wednesday, 10 September 1947
• • 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 17th anniversary • • 
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past seventeen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 4,800 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,851st 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 1926 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Ribald Reputation

MAE WEST’s plump, curvaceous body was a vital element in her comedy. Academics have emphasized that “excessive body is one of the qualities of female unruliness, suggesting that she is unwilling or unable to control her physical appetites.” Japanese film historian Mio Hatokai discusses how Hollywood publicists and fan zines responded to this “fatness” in 1933. This is Part 5 of a lengthy piece.
• • Laughing off the “Fatness” ― Mae West’s Body Image and Female Spectators in the Early 1930s • •
• • Mae West: Her burlesquian curves and ribald reputation • •  
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: In her book “When I’m Bad, I’m Better,” Marybeth Hamilton explains: [G]iven her burlesquian curves and ribald reputation, most had assumed she’d prove a limited stag draw.

• • Mio Hatokai wrote: On the contrary, “I’m No Angel” drew such a large female audience that an Omaha theater owner held women-only screenings, complete with complimentary coffee and rolls, so that women could savor Mae West among themselves.    
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: In fact, before coming to the silver screen, Mae West already had many female admirers.
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: Prior to Hollywood, she enjoyed great success on Broadway.
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: In another essay, Hamilton provides a detailed discussion on West’s play, SEX, which opened in April 1926 and became a Broadway sensation.
• • Mae West: Was “Sex” merely “bald, crass porn"? • • …  
• • Mio Hatokai’s lengthy article will continue on the next post.
• • Source: Academic anthology on film stars released by Waseda University, 2015.
• • Saturday, 25 October 1930 • •
• • In their issue dated for Saturday, 25 October 1930, Publishers Weekly announced the clever contest Mae West's publisher Macauley came up with to draw more attention to her novel titled "Babe Gordon."  
• • Asking a reader to rename it, Macauley offered a prize of $100. The winning title was "The Constant Sinner."
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Maybe “Diamond Lil,” with Mae West who wrote it and Cary Grant, who co-starred will  reopen the 11-year-dark Majestic, the Freres Schubert have declared.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Tired of all those jokes about my figure and my man talk? No, if people expect me to be the same off-stage — — why I call that flattery."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An Illinois newspaper mentioned Mae West.
• • Coming Sunday to the Rialto Theatre — — Mae West in "I'm No Angel." . . .
• • Source: Urbana Daily Courier; published on Thursday, 19 October 1933
• • The evolution of 2 Mae West plays that keep her memory alive • •
• • A discussion with Mae West playwright LindaAnn LoSchiavo — —
• • http://lideamagazine.com/renaissance-woman-new-york-city-interview-lindaann-loschiavo/
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 17th anniversary • • 
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past seventeen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 4,800 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,850th 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