Mae West: NYE 2021

MAE WEST is ready to wish you a blissful and an a-MAE-zing fresh start in 2022.
• • On Saturday, 31 December 1927 at Club Deauville • •
• • Mae West spent New Year's Eve on Saturday night, 31 December 1927, entertaining a crowd.
• • The nonfiction book "The Year the World Went Mad" is exclusively focused on the most vibrant events and the most fascinating individuals of 1927.
• • Author Allen Churchill wrote: "Another New York night club listed a gala unveiling for New Year's Eve. This was Mae West's Club Deauville, at Park Avenue and Fifty-ninth Street. Here a New Year's Eve Supper was advertised for a cover charge of ten dollars. Together with this went "A Program of Distinctive and Unique Entertainment Conceived and Directed by the Distinguished Star in Person." ...  Too bad we don’t know more.
• • On Friday, 31 December 2021 • •
• • "You Are the Star" • •

• • Mark Desjardin wrote: This mural is called "You Are The Star" and this is a close-up detail of the work. [When you see the complete artwork, you will note E.T. calling home in the lobby.] 
• • Mark Desjardin wrote: In 1983, it was painted by Thomas Suriya. Due to weather damage and vandalism over the years, it had been restored in 1995 and (most recently) in 2011, when a protective coasting was applied to the work.   
• • Mark Desjardin wrote: This 20 x 30 mural is located on the side of a building on the corner of  Wilcox and Hollywood Blvd, in the heart of Hollywood.  
• • Where: 1665-1699 Wilcox Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028
• • Born in 1948 in Wisconsin, self-trained artist Thomas G. Suriya, Jr. now lives and paints in New Mexico.
• • Photo shared by Mark Desjardin; the detail used shows a close-up of Mae.
• • On Friday, 31 December 2021 • •
• • Wishing all of our readers health and happiness in the New Year: 2022. .•:*¨¨*:•.  We hope you enjoyed our Mae West blog posts so much that you'll follow us next year. .•:*¨¨*:•. Will you?
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •

• • Ringo Starr enjoyed working with Mae West in “Sextette” and invited her to a wrap-up gala he threw in a rented house on Woodrow Wilson Drive.
• • Ringo Starr wrote: "I had this party there and about a hundred people came including Mae West. We had a band and a lot of musicians and rock `n' rollers were there obviously."
• • Ringo Starr continued: "Mae West just sat in a big chair and all these rockers were on their knees to her because she was so great. Since Mae had such a huge personality, obviously she could mix with the best of them."
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: “The warden appeared to be sorry that I was leaving. He smiled wistfully. I thanked him for his kindness, and he said, ‘Come and see us again, sometime.’  And I replied, "Thanks, I will, but not via the Little Black Wagon."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A Singapore newspaper featured an interview with Mae West.
• • It was on Sunday, 30 December 1934 that the final installment of "The Story of Mae West" was published in a Singapore newspaper.
• • "The High Priestess of Hokum" • •
• • John C. Moffitt wrote: Recently, when Mae began to work on her picture "It Ain't No Sin," someone thought it would be a pretty sentiment to have George Raft, the star of her first movie, play opposite her. George thought otherwise. He had a nervous breakdown and started for Europe.
• • "It would be like starring in a story about a boil doctor," George Raft said. "All that dame would let you see of me would be the back of my neck." ...
• • Source: In syndication to The Straits Times; published on Sunday, 30 December 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 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 4,899th 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 • • onscreen in 1937; detail of artwork in 1983 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Curve-Kissing Costumes

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 52 of a lengthy piece — — and our final segment of it.
• • Laughing off the “Fatness” ― Mae West’s Body Image and Female Spectators in the Early 1930s • •
• • Mae West: Sequins made costumes sparkle to spotlight curves • •
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: Once Lady Lou comes up on the stage, the camera occasionally turns to the floor, panning to show us the faces of the charmed audience.
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: It is noteworthy that we see a glimpse of the troop’s performance when Chick Clark tries to strangle Lou.
• • Mio Hatokai wrote:Here, Lou is wearing a glittering, revealing sequined dress that emphasizes her voluptuous figure to the maximum.

• • Mio Hatokai wrote: Giving up the idea of killing her, Chick drops his knees, and clings on to her waist, and tearfully begs for her love.  
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: This moment signifies Chick’s submission to the allure of Lou’s body, and in the next shot, we see the dancing troop twirling around, kicking up their legs to a gleeful tune.
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: This inserted shot underlines the victorious power of female body.
• • “You Don’t Have to Have Feet to Be a Dancer” • •
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: In her next film, “I’m No Angel,” Mae West plays a circus performer named Tira. Loved by men, Tira gets luxurious gifts from her admirers.
• • Mio Hatokai’s lengthy excerpts of his article have now ended. However, you can read his entire 22-page article at Waseda University.
• • Source: Academic anthology on film stars released by Waseda University, 2015.
• • On Saturday, 30 December 1933 • •
• • Picturegoer, a British publication sold in movie houses, ran a three part series: "Making Love to Mae West." The first installment ran on 10 December 1933, it continued on Saturday, 30 December 1993, and the final portion appeared on 6 January 1934.
• • Cary Grant's byline appeared. The actor either wrote it or (perhaps) merely signed it.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • The trouble with writing a biography of someone like Mae West is that her image is not only larger than life, it's also big enough to dwarf the portrait you are trying to create. For most of her life, unto the very brink of the grave, she was engaged in imprinting that image of the sexiest of sexy women. Every action, every word, every gesture, off screen and on, seemed to be devoted to making indelible that persona.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: “I have to tell you you're the greatest of all the funny men, Groucho. Whenever you're in L.A. come up and see me."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on a new accessories line mentioned Mae West.
• • "Vintage Glamour: Mae West gets a makeover" • •
• • As uncertain times push consumers to seek comfort in nostalgia, screen legend Mae West is returning in a modern form. Jo Roberts reports.
• • Jo Roberts wrote: Old-style glamour is making a comeback. Legendary Hollywood actress and playwright Mae West is to become the face of a fashion brand — — 29 years after her death. It is hoped the late icon will bring some star quality to a range of bags and wallets, which will be sold in boutique stores from spring 2009.
• • Jo Roberts wrote: Using the well-known faces of a bygone era in advertising is not unusual. Gene Kelly has danced to Singing in the Rain for Volkswagen, while Elvis adorned the television screen for defunct mobile brand One-to-One. But featuring a dead celebrity on new products is less common. Could this manner of generating comforting nostalgia in difficult economic times become a wider trend? ...
• • Source: Brand Strategy Magazine; published on Wednesday, 10 December 2008
• • The evolution of 2 Mae West plays that keep her memory alive • •
• • A discussion with Mae West playwright LindaAnn LoSchiavo — —
• • http://lideamagazine.com/renaissance-woman-new-york-city-interview-lindaann-loschiavo/
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 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 4,898th 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 • • onscreen in 1933 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Body Conscious

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 51 of a lengthy piece.
• • Laughing off the “Fatness” ― Mae West’s Body Image and Female Spectators in the Early 1930s • •
• • Mae West: Her body aroused desire • •
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: The painting is a celebration of the buxom female body, and arouses the desire for the power it represents.
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: As the film progresses, we find more celebratory moments of female body, mostly in relation to vaudeville elements.

• • Mio Hatokai wrote: Before Lou’s first singing act in the film, a troop of bare-legged women sings and dances to a song introducing Lou.
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: This moment not only heightens the spectators’—— both diegetic and otherwise — — expectation for Mae West / Lady Lou’s stage act, but also celebrates the female body in a broader sense.
• • Mae West: Sequined costumes sparkle, spotlight curves • • ...   
• • Mio Hatokai’s lengthy article excerpts will conclude on the next post.
• • Source: Academic anthology on film stars released by Waseda University, 2015.
• • On Wednesday, 29 December 1937 • •
• • Variety did an article on the ill-fated broadcast Mae did on NBC: "Mae West Case Big Dilemma in Washington." This piece was printed in Variety on Wednesday, 29 December 1937.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West had her own style. The colors of her living room were white, cream, beige, gold, and pale pink, with expansive arrangements of artificial flowers, polar bear rugs, coffee tables with mirrored tops backed in gold, and ornate lamps with bare-breasted women playing lutes.
• • But the pièce de résistance was a nude statue of Mae West’s likeness atop a white-and-gold piano. Her boudoir had mirrors everywhere, including on the ceiling.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Tired of all those jokes about my figure and my man talk? No, if people expect me to be the same off-stage — why I call that flattery."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article printed in People Magazine mentioned Mae West.

• • Brad Darrach wrote: By 1930 he was playing leads on Broadway, and in 1932 Paramount signed him to a five-year contract at $450 a week and changed his name to Cary Grant. In a year Cary Grant did bit parts in seven movies.
• • Brad Darrach wrote: Then one day Mae West got an eyeful of his sultry good looks. "If he can talk," she's supposed to have said, "I'll take him." Cary Grant disliked the woman [sic] but "She Done Him Wrong" made him faintly famous as the hunk she hooked with a notorious (and frequently misquoted) line: "Why dontcha come up sometime and see me?"
• • In People Magazine, Brad Darrach wrote: In my opinion, “Topper” [1937] made him a star. ...
• • Source: "Cary Grant Remembered" by Brad Darrach for People Magazine; written 15 December 1986; reposted on 27 April 2011
• • 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 4,897th 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 • • Mae West onscreen in 1933 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Evokes Arousal

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 50 of a lengthy piece.
• • Laughing off the “Fatness” ― Mae West’s Body Image and Female Spectators in the Early 1930s • •
• • Mae West: Turns the table on the men • •

• • Mio Hatokai wrote: Rowe goes further by applying Gaylyn Studlar’s argument of masochistic pleasure that men may feel when they give themselves over to the image of a female who evoke the all-powerful mother, saying, “Mae West turns the table on the men, asserting both her power over — and desire for — men.”  
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: However, both Seidman and Rowe fail to mention the effects that this painting brings about on the minds of female spectators.
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: Gaylyn Studlar’s model is also applicable; for women, it evokes the desire for what the powerful pre-Oedipal mother possesses, namely, the breast and the womb.
• • Mae West: Her body aroused desire • • ...    
• • Mio Hatokai’s lengthy article excerpt will continue on the next post.
• • Source: Academic anthology on film stars released by Waseda University, 2015.
• • On Sunday, 28 December 1919 on Broadway • •
• • It was Sunday, 28 December 1919 and Mae West was very busy in Manhattan — — double-booked, in fact.
• • The 26-year-old "firefly of vaudeville" was appearing that night at the Lyric Theatre [on 42nd Street, west of Broadway]. Sharing the Lyric bill with her were these entertainers: Eugene and Willie, the Howard Brothers; Carl McCullough; the 4 Haley Sisters; and "8 other favorite acts."
• • On the same Sunday night, Mae West performed at the 44th Street Theatre [near Broadway]. On the program was the top-billed act — — Sophie Tucker and Her Kings of Syncopation — — along with Ames and Winthrop, Mae West, Riggs and Witchie, and "8 other favorite acts."
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West said she liked Elvis Presley. "He was raw and the sexiest actor around. He could sing, too.”
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "There is something about big cats that appeals to me."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Cheat Sheet featured an article on Mae West.
• • Why Did Mae West Turn Down a Role in a Movie with Elvis Presley? • •
• • Laura Dorwart wrote: Mae West also considered her carefully crafted persona to be an important part of her art. That’s why it’s not too surprising that, at the age of 69, Mae West decided to turn down what many would have considered to be an incredible opportunity to star in a film with the King of Rock and Roll. …
• • Source: Showbiz Cheat Sheet; published on Sunday, 24 January 2021
• • 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 4,896th 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 • • paperback version • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Object of Desire

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 49 of a lengthy piece.
• • Laughing off the “Fatness” ― Mae West’s Body Image and Female Spectators in the Early 1930s • •
• • Mae West: When a woman’s legs were confidential • •
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: Moreover, by telling us that the film takes place in the age when “legs were confidential,” it prepares us for bosomy figures with tight bodice and ankle-length skirt to come up on the screen.

• • Mio Hatokai wrote: In the opening sequence after the credits, we see men in a busy saloon, drinking and talking, and they soon start discussing the nude portrait of Lady Lou hanging over the bar.
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: Steve Seidman argues that this fixed image presents Lady Lou [Mae West] as an object of desire.
• • Mae West: Turns the table on the men • • ...      
• • Mio Hatokai’s lengthy article excerpt will continue on the next post.
• • Source: Academic anthology on film stars released by Waseda University, 2015.
• • On Monday, 27 December 1937 • •

• • "Every Day's a Holiday" starring Mae West was reviewed (on page 8) for Film Daily on Monday, 27 December 1937.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Colonel Parker, who managed Elvis, dispatched a few telegrams to Mae West in Hollywood.
• • A Western Union telegram from him (dated Monday, 17 August 1964) reads “Dear Miss West, All best wishes to you on your birthday. And for many more on behalf of Elvis and myself.  Sincerely, The Colonel."
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: “If Kinsey is right, then I have only done what comes naturally, what the average American does secretly, drenching himself in guilt fixations and phobias because of his sense of sinning. I have never felt myself a sinner or committed what I would call a sin.”
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Cheat Sheet featured an article on Mae West.
• • Why Did Mae West Turn Down a Role in a Movie with Elvis Presley? • •
• • Laura Dorwart wrote: She was asked to take on a supporting role alongside Elvis Presley in ‘Roustabout.’
• • Laura Dorwart wrote: But Mae West was known for maintaining a high degree of creative control over her roles. She didn’t give in to pushback easily. …
• • Source: Showbiz Cheat Sheet; published on Sunday, 24 January 2021
• • 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 4,895th blog post. Unlike many blogs, which draw upon reprinted content from a newspaper or a magazine and/ or summaries, links, or photos, the mainstay of this blog is its fresh material focused on the life and career of Mae West, herself an American original.

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

Mae West: Sordid Realism

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 48 of a lengthy piece.
• • Laughing off the “Fatness” ― Mae West’s Body Image and Female Spectators in the Early 1930s • •
• • Mae West: To avoid “sordid realism” • •  

• • Mio Hatokai wrote: This Gay Nineties setting, however, worked not only as a camouflage for “sordid realism” that the Hays Office and the SRC worried about, but also as a perfect backdrop to present West’s voluptuous body as a standard.
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: The intertitle after the opening credits reads: “A lusty, brawling, florid decade when there were handlebar on lip and wheel — and legs were confidential!”
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: Only a few minutes into the film, this statement makes it clear that we are about to see plenty of feminine curves in this film, which is quite easy to tell for those with knowledge of women’s fashion in the 1890s.
• • Mae West: A woman’s legs were confidential • • ...    
• • Mio Hatokai’s lengthy article will continue on the next post.
• • Source: Academic anthology on film stars released by Waseda University, 2015.
• • On Friday, 24 December 1937 • •
• • "NBC Bans the Name of Mae West from the Airwaves" • •
• • "Joking References to Adam-Eve Skit are Barred" • •
• • New York, Dec. 23. [AP] Word went out from the National Broadcasting Company today to keep the name of Mae West out of all programs over which it has control.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • "Roustabout" would surely be "a Mae West picture with Elvis as her stooge,” Col. Parker shouted at Hal Wallis.
• • Elvis was bitterly disappointed to learn that Mae West was out, with the role going to Barbara Stanwyck instead.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Santa Baby, come and trim my Christmas tree."
• • Mae West said: "I never think about age. I'm health-minded. If you take care of your health and you're interested in positive thinkin' you'll be okay."  
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Cheat Sheet featured an article on Mae West.
• • Why Did Mae West Turn Down a Role in a Movie with Elvis Presley? • •
• • Laura Dorwart wrote: But when called upon to act in the 1964 film Roustabout alongside Elvis Presley, West turned the role down. According to Elvis Presley’s former bodyguard, Sonny West, here’s why she was so opposed to acting with the King. …
• • Source: Showbiz Cheat Sheet; published on Sunday, 24 January 2021
• • 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 4,894th blog post. Unlike many blogs, which draw upon reprinted content from a newspaper or a magazine and/ or summaries, links, or photos, the mainstay of this blog is its fresh material focused on the life and career of Mae West, herself an American original.

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