Mae West: Eternally Edith

Born in the month of October, Edith Head is one of several costumers who whipped up wicked fashions for screen queen MAE WEST.
• • Still traveling the theatre circuit is the one-woman show "A Conversation With Edith Head" written by and starring Susan Claassen, who received her inspiration from a TV bio-pic about Edith Head.
• • The Oscar-winning designing woman Edith Head [28 October 1897 — 24 October 1981] once told an interviewer that "Mae West taught me everything I know about sex, clothes-wise." Claassen, as her alter-ego Head, dishes her dry-witted Hollywood dirt to the audience. The show has played in London's West End, at the Fringe Festival, and elsewhere.
• • Certainly Edith Head would have a lot to talk about since she spent six decades in Tinseltown. Over 40 years were at Paramount Pictures, where Edith Head dressed Mae West, Clara Bow, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Bette Davis, and others.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • a costume design by Edith Head • •
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Mae West.

Mae West: Flo Bert

In "The Mimic World of 1921" MAE WEST was cast as Flo Bert — — and the actor-singer Cliff Edwards was cast as Flo's husband El Brendel.
• • Born in Pennsylvania in the month of December, Flo Bert [2 December 1898 — 8 April 1981] was a popular white vaudeville headliner, touring both as a solo act and in partnership with her husband, the Swedish-dialect comedian El Brendel [1890 — 1964].
• • The team began playing the lesser New York–area vaudeville houses around 1918.
• • By the mid-1920s, these married vaudevillians were a featured act at Manhattan's Hippodrome on Sixth Avenue as well as on many other stages in the legit. They also appeared in the New York productions of "Cinderella on Broadway: A Fantasy of the Great White Way" at the Winter Garden [1920] and in "The Mimic World of 1921" at the Century Promenade near Central Park. Alas, the Internet Broadway db misspelt the actress's name as "Flo Burt."
• • Together, Flo and Elmer made one Vitaphone short in 1929.
• • Flo Bert played a showgirl in the motion picture "I'm from Arkansas" (1944).
• • Flo Bert resurfaced again in the 1950s with small character roles in such films as "Laffing Time" and "The She-Creature."
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1921 • •
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Mae West.

Mae West: Karl Struss

MAE WEST said her favorite cinematographer was Karl Struss because he made her look more beautiful onscreen than anyone else. Like her, he was of German descent.
• • The son of a wire manufacturer, cinematographer Karl Struss was born in New York City on 30 November 1886 and studied photography at Columbia University. Hal Mohr — — a fellow film cameraman — — called Struss one of the greatest still photographers who ever lived.
• • In 1914, he took over the portrait studio of Clarence White [1871 — 1925] at 5 West 31st Street, which was then the heart of the photography district. Struss maintained a flourishing business there until 1918, when (at the outset of the war) he voiced a pro-German sentiment. The damning information given to the authorities came from other members of the PPA [Pictorialist Photographers of America]. In 1918 he was asked to resign from the PPA and was struck from their membership. Though he vigorously defended his patriotism and even spent time at Fort Leavenworth as a guard, his studio closed, clients vanished, and his reputation was damaged. Disillusioned with New York, Struss realized that it would be difficult to re-establish himself as a photographer. Therefore, he decided to go straight to Los Angeles in 1919 as soon as he was discharged from the Army.
• • In 1919, Karl Struss was first hired as a still photographer by Cecil B. DeMille. Climbing to the top in relatively short order, Struss worked most often in collaboration with Charles Rosher; he and Rosher shared the first-ever Best Photography Academy Award for their eye-popping work on F.W. Murnau's Sunrise [1927].
• • Many of Struss' own innovations were often mistakenly credited by film historians to directors. For instance, it was Struss and not director Rouben Mamoulian who came up with the idea of using infrared filters for the transformation scenes in 1931's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. During his many years at Paramount Pictures, Struss helped train some of the best cameramen of the 1950s.
• • When film historians cite his best work, Goin' to Town starring Mae West is, alas, not one of the motion pictures referenced.
• • In the month of December — — on 15 December 1981 — — 95-year-old Karl Struss died in Los Angeles.
• • Goin' to Town — — Paramount production and release. Stars Mae West. Directed by Alexander Hall. Produced by William LeBaron. Original by Marion Morgan and George B. Dowell; screenplay and dialog. Miss West. Songs, Sammy Fain, Irving Kahal; camera, Karl Struss. At the Paramount N.Y. — — week of 10 May 1935. Running time, 75 mins.
• • Cast:
• • Cleo Borden . . . Mae West
• • Edward Barrington . . . Paul Cavanagh
• • Ivan Veladov . . . Ivan Lebedeff
• • Taho . . . Tito Coral
• • Mrs. Crane Brittony . . . Marjorie Gateson
• • Buck Gonzales . . . Fred Kohler, Sr.
• • Fletcher Colton . . . Monroe Owsley
• • Winslow . . . Gilbert Emery
• • Young Fellow . . . Grant Withers
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West's cameraman • • Karl Struss in 1937 • •
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Mae West.

Mae West: Joe Louis

The daughter of "Battling Jack," a boxer, MAE WEST became a fight fan. Often photographed in a ringsize seat, Mae also befriended certain black pugilists such as Chalky Wright, William "Gorilla" Jones, and Joe Louis.
• • Born in Detroit, Michigan, Joseph Louis Barrow [13 May 1914 – 12 April 1981], best known as Joe Louis — — and nicknamed The Brown Bomber — — is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight boxing champions that ever lived. Joe Louis held the title for over 11 years, recording 25 successful defenses of the title. But the former sparring partner probably wouldn't have gotten a chance to BE champ if it weren't for the Brooklyn bombshell.
• • Asked how she used her influence to give Joe Louis the biggest break he ever had, Mae West explained the situation to Jet Magazine's editor.
• • Joe Louis was scheduled to fight Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom, a native of New York City's Harlem who was born on 6 September 1903. In 1932, Slapsie Maxie had earned the title of "Light Heavyweight Champ of the World."
• • Mae West grew concerned after Julian Black, Joe's manager, revealed that he had agreed to the match only one one condition — — that Rosenbloom "would agree not to do any slapping" [and make Louis look bad, thereby damaging his box-office appeal].
• • Smelling trouble, Mae West phoned her former lover, Owney Madden, who was in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Madden said, "I don't think Joe Louis should fight Maxie. Tell Joe's manager to get in touch with me. I'll give Joe a chance to go a few rounds with the champ — — Jimmy Braddock."
• • The match was set for 22 June 1937 — — and Joe Louis would become the new champ.
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• • Seventy years ago, in Chicago, Joe Louis, the "Brown Bomber from Detroit," captured the heavyweight boxing crown by knocking out James Braddock in eight rounds.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West's lover Joe Louis • • 1937 • •
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Mae West.

Mae West: Head for Fashion

MAE WEST influenced Hollywood's wardrobe wiz Edith Head [born 28 October 1897 – – died 24 October 1981], whose impressive screen career earned her 34 Academy Awards nominations. "Mae taught me all I know about sex," quipped the gown guru, "clothes-wise." Head won an Oscar eight times – – all for helping MAE WEST and others don their gay apparel for memorable scenes in big-budget movies.
• • How many fans knew what Mae's costumes looked like in COLOR?
• • As costume designer at Paramount Pictures, Edith Head took on a side chore: the custodian of a score of costumes that had been sentimentally preserved because they contributed to movie history.
• • In November 1960, an article in The New York Times discussed the final appearance of these glamourous gowns. "I'm only managing to hold them together with emergency sewing now. This will be about their last time out," said Edith Head. The collection, referred to as a "million dollar" affair, included Mae West's emerald green, jewel-encrusted come-up-and-see-me-sometime gown from "She Done Him Wrong," Texas Guinan and Clara Bow outfits, and Ginger Rogers's mink dress from "Lady in the Dark." . . . [excerpt, N.Y. Times 29 November 1960]
• • Co-starring Cary Grant as a Salvation Army Officer, "She Done Him Wrong" was the only Mae West film that was considered for an Academy Award. Nominated for "Best Picture" in 1933, it lost out to the winner: "Cavalcade." [The trophy-winning motion picture dramatized a cavalcade of English life from New Year's Eve 1899 until 1933 seen through the eyes of well-to-do Londoners Jane and Robert Marryot.] For her portrayal of the wealthy Mrs. Marryot, actress Diana Wynyard received a "Best Actress" nomination but did not go home with the statuette.
• • The Oscar – – that should have gone to Mae West – – was awarded that year to Claudette Colbert, another headliner dressed from time to time by Edith Head. Colbert may have won over the Academy but she never captured the admiration of Ms. Head, who barely concealed her dislike.
• • In contrast, this designing woman had enormous affection for Mae West and other glamour girls such as Barbara Stanwyck and Grace Kelly.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West's friend • • designing woman Edith Head • •
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Mae West.

Mae West: Hazel Scott

Bouquets did not shower MAE WEST after her film "The Heat Is On" was released right before Christmas in December 1943. All the same, Mae enjoyed working with several talented cast mates. Among those was Hazel Scott, who played herself.
• • Born in Port au Spain, Trinidad in the month of June — on 11 June 1920 — this classical and jazz musician became one of America's premier pianists of her time.
• • A child prodigy, Hazel first faced the eighty-eights at age 3 under the tutelage of her mother. In 1924, the family relocated to the USA. By age 8, Hazel was performing in New York City and receiving scholarships to study classical music at the Juillard School of Music.
• • The glamourous vocalist was a night club headliner and radio star by the late 30s, performing with Count Basie and others.
• • Hazel Scott died of cancer in New York in 1981.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • none • •
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Mae West.