Mae West. . . Mae West. . . Mae West. . . This site is all about the actress MAE WEST [1893-1980] - - and the ANNUAL MAE WEST GALA. More than just a movie star was MAE WEST. Come up and see her!
• • "Courting Mae West" — — excerpt from Act I, Scene 2 • • MAE WEST — — Yvonne Sayers • • BEVERLY WEST — — Sarah Kanter • • EDWARD ELSNER — — Neal Sims • • male voice — — Steven Viola • • An arrest after "The Drag" made for arresting headlines. Pole-vaulted out of the ghetto of the clubby entertainment section, MAE WEST suddenly became notoriously noteworthy in the national news on 2 February 1927. • • On Tuesday February 1st at 5:00 AM, the Brooklyn bombshell was arrested along with her sister and the director Edward Elsner in Bridgeport, Connecticut. • • According to The New York Times, Edwin [sic] Elsner of New York, stage director of "The Drag," which opened here last night, and Miss Beverly West of New York, sister of Mae West, author of the play, were arrested at 5:30 o'clock this morning in Miss West's room at the Arcade Hotel and will be arraigned in the City Court on Wednesday on technical charges of breach of the peace. • • The police allege misconduct, but both Elsner and Miss West deny there was any wrongdoing, explaining that they were in the room going over the events of the opening night and possible changes in the play. • • Elsner, known for his work in staging "Within the Law," "Bought and Paid For," "Pygmalion," "Sex," and other plays, was released under bond of $250, as was Miss West, after spending several hours locked up at Police Headquarters following a ride from the hotel in the police patrol wagon. . . . • • The arrest at the Arcade Hotel is dramatized in the play "Courting Mae West." Beverly's drunken antics and Mae's strategies are featured in Act I, Scene 2 [a dramatic 10-minute scene]. • • Arcade Hotel — 1001 Main St, Bridgeport, CT 06604; Tel (203) 333-9376. • • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/ ________ Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml Mae West • • Photo: • • Mae West's cast • • "Courting Mae West" • • NYC Mae West.
MAE WEST shared a sheet (of paper) with Mario Fratti recently, who admired the recent production of "Courting Mae West" that was staged as part of the 6th Annual Fresh Fruit Festival. • • Teatro — — Broadway & Dintorni • • New York e tutta un festival • • di Mario Fratti • • "D'estate si hanno numerosi festival di nuovo teatro," writes the America Oggi columnist and Tony-Award winning playwright. . . . Partecipazione italo-americana al Festival Algonquin Fresh Fruit [123 East 24th Street, New York, NY 10010] e stata la presentazione di una nuova versione di "Courting Mae West" della poetessa e giornalista LindaAnn Loschiavo. Molte rivelazioni sulla formidabile personalita della West (la convincente Yvonne Sayers). L' audace difesa dei suoi testi a delle sue interpretazioni, la censura, gli arresti, il tribunale. E' aiutata da attori validi . . . ." • • Here is an English translation of his article: • • Theatre — — Broadway & Elsewhere • • New York is full of festivals • • by Mario Fratti • • Summer offers numerous festivals of new theatrical productions. . . . Italian-American participation in the Annual Fresh Fruit Festival [Algonquin Theatre, 123 East 24th Street] included the presentation of an all new version of "Courting Mae West" by the poet and journalist LindaAnn Loschiavo. There are many insightful revelations into the formidable character of Miss West (convincingly portrayed by Yvonne Sayers). Mae West mounts her audacious defense and rebuttal to the police witnesses who have interpreted her plays as indecent, and she is shown dealing with censorship, her arrests, and her courtroom trials. Yvonne Sayers is surrounded by an able cast: the journalist Mario (Jason Emanuel); Beverly West (Sarah Kanter Emanuel); news vendor Declan Rourke and his daughter Eliza Rourke (Steven Viola and the very enjoyable Mary Murphy); the elegant Gloria M. Buccino (in multiple roles). Well directed by Louis Lopardi. • • In the same festival there is also "Sapphire's Kiss" by Maggie Zarillo and . . . — — Source: — — • • Column: "Teatro — — Broadway & Dintorni" • • Byline: Mario Fratti • • Published by: America Oggi • • Published: during July 2008 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • MARIO FRATTI, professor emeritus of Italian literature at Hunter College, is an internationally acclaimed playwright and drama critic. • • Author of such works as Suicide, The Cage, The Return, The Academy, Mafia, Races, and The Bridge, he is best known for his musical Nine (inspired by Fellini's famous film, 8 1/2) which in its original production in 1982 won the O'Neill Award, the Richard Rodgers Award, two Outer Critics Circle Awards, eight Drama Desk Awards, five Tony Awards, and in 2000 was a recipient of the Otto Award for Political Theater. • • In its 2003 revival, Nine won three Outer Critics Circle Awards and two Tony Awards. • • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/ ________ Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml Mae West • • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1935 • • NYC Mae West.
In her 1935 release "Goin' to Town," MAE WEST's character — — newly rich Cleo Borden — — has an evening soiree and decides to impress the guests by "throwing an opera." Always envisioning herself as a seductress, Mae (hilariously costumed) performs an erotic French aria by Camille Saint-Saëns: "Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix." • • On 17 August 2008, the glamorous Diamond Divas invite you to an a-MAE-zing birthday celebration that includes a musical walking tour of historical sights near Washington Square Park. Join Metropolitan Opera singer Marlena De La Mora and tour guide Sharon Weinman and historian LindaAnn Loschiavo for a noteworthy Sunday afternoon in Greenwich Village. • • Metropolitan Opera singer Marlena De La Mora will sing excerpts from arias associated with Mae West including Delilah's French aria. Sharon Weinman, who has a long background in musical theatre, will punctuate the walking tour with showtunes linked to Mae's career. Playwright LindaAnn Loschiavo will provide secret addresses tied to Mae West that have not been disclosed before. • • This year the Annual Mae West Birthday Gala will also commemorate the 80th anniversary of "Diamond Lil," which Mae West wrote and brought to Broadway in 1928. • • Soprano Marlena de la Mora has sung with both The Met & NYC Opera. A former winner of the New York Liederkranz Foundation's Wagnerian Vocal Competition, Madame de la Mora is a soloist at Fordham United Methodist Church. • • Sharon Weinman has been leading walking tours for over a decade and performs in community theatre; she is also a Recreation Therapist with the New York State Recreation and Park Society. • • LindaAnn Loschiavo's latest play "Courting Mae West" was onstage in July as part of the Fresh Fruit Festival; she is at work on a biographical travel guide "Mae West's New York, 1899—1959" and will show some of her rare vintage photos during the tour. • • Walking Tour: "Mae West's Walk on the Wild Side" • • When: 1:00 PM on Sunday — — 17 August 2008 — — rain or shine • • Meet: Village Restaurant, 62 West Ninth Street, New York, NY 10011 • • Price: $20 • • Subway: E or F [IND] train to West Fourth Street; PATH to 9th Street station • • Attire: why not wear a Mae West-inspired hat? • • Info: Seesaw864@juno.com • • This event — — which is part of the Annual Mae West Birthday Gala — — is open to the public. • • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/ ________ Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml Mae West • • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1935 • • NYC Mae West.
The new selection of Movie Icons titles from Taschen includes a tribute to the controversy-courting Statue of Libido herself: MAE WEST (£5.99). • • The fast-talking gal broke all the rules but it was her blatant, unabashed sexuality that had the censors in a permanent blue fit. West went in her time from being the highest paid woman in America to 'box office poison' but she's been imitated ever since. • • This little collection of movie stills, publicity pictures, and on-set shots — — with a sprinkling of some of her best quotes — — is a delightful reminder of why. — — Source: — — • • Article: "A Hollywood icon back in black and white: Mae West" • • Byline: none • • Published in: MetroLife Books — — www.metro.co.uk • • Published on: 9 July 2008 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/ ________ Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml Mae West • • Photo: • • Mae West • • none • • NYC Mae West.
Come up and see MAE in Boston, Massachusetts through 26 April 2008. • • Inspired by the "smart, sexy, and sassy'' female pioneers who helped forged modern women's identities, Betsyann Duval drew "Super Models,'' 22 large-scale charcoal portraits that are currently on display at Bromfield Gallery in Boston. • • Mae West is in the exhibition along with Edith Piaf, Bette Davis, Susan Sarandon, Hillary Clinton, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, and other notables. Working on her exhibit for two years, Duval drew a varied group of 32-by-40-inch portraits, including political activist Rosa Parks, choreographer Martha Graham, poet Anne Sexton, Italian actress Sophia Loren, and opera diva Marian Anderson. • • Each portrait is accompanied by a direct quotation which Duval believes succinctly expresses her subject's essential character. • • For the platinum bombshell Mae West, Duval chose: "To sin is human but it feels divine.'' • • "I am a woman above everything else" reads the quote from Jackie Kennedy Onassis. • • The artist was quite enthused about selecting and sketching these iconic women. Duval said: "They have been so powerful and influential and helped women define their lives.'' • • Note: Betsyann Duval's "Super Models'' is on view at the Bromfield Gallery, 450 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02118 through 26 April 2008. Bromfield Gallery is Boston's oldest artist-owned gallery. Bromfield Gallery — — www.bromfieldgallery.com — — Tel 617-451-3605. • • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/ ________ Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml Mae West • • Photo: • • Mae West • • none • • NYC Mae West.
MAE WEST made a brief appearance in an article about strong women even though the focus was on Bette Davis who was, Johann Hari wrote, "self-confident enough to demand to look bad on camera." • • Johann Hari's column observed: Precisely a century ago, in a suburb of Boston, a child called Bette Davis erupted into the world. She was not only a woman; she was an electrical storm with skin. With nothing but raw talent and raw determination, she became the most famous woman in the world, taking on the Hollywood studio system, the FBI and the Catholic Church. • • For a while, this not-especially-beautiful woman in her forties ruled Hollywood, playing tough women who chose their careers and their own desires over sacrificing for men or children or a picket fence. She never pretended to be dumb, or a little girl. She didn't do soft, or simpering. She had a voice like sour cream, and eyes like a raven. Humphrey Bogart said about her: "Unless you're very big she can knock you down." And she was one of the great events of her time. • • She was popular with the mostly-female movie audience - women like my grandmother, who gave me my first glimpse of Bette Davis movies from her lap - in part because her characters will not accept 'their place.' They want more, more, more. It was not easy to be a strong woman then; she said, "When a man gives his opinion he's a man. When a woman gives her opinion she's a bitch." But she fought, and women responded to it. She was only the most shimmering example of a generation of tough Hollywood women whose characters saw the world as a place not to cower from or simper at, but to conquer: MAE WEST (who made her first film at 40), Lauren Bacall, Katherine Hepburn, Joan Crawford, Barbra Stanwyck, Rosalind Russell, Marlene Dietrich, and more. ... — — Excerpt: — — • • "Where have all the strong women gone?" • • Byline: Johann Hari • • Published in: The London Independent — — www.independent.co.uk/ • • Published on: 27 March 2008 • • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/ ________ Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml Mae West • • Photo: Mae West • • none • • NYC Mae West.
Calculating the MAE WEST arithmetic ought to be easy. Born in 1893 in Brooklyn, the actress lived in New York City for thirty-nine years until the summer of 1932 when she left for Los Angeles. Box office success in Tinseltown turned Mae into a California real estate investor. She resided at her apartment building on North Rossmore from 1932 —1980. • • Since the empress of sex is often referred to as the Brooklyn bombshell, and since Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz is a big Mae West fan, at his annual "State of the Borough" address (on 7 February 2008), over two dozen residents of Kings County were informally polled about her birthplace. • • The first question was: "Do you like Mae West?" • • Only when the adult responded enthusiastically —— saying things like "I love her! I've seen all her movies!" ——was the second question posed: "Where was Mae West born?" • • Not one Brooklynite guessed correctly. • • Incorrect guesses included: the midwest, the West Coast, Philadelphia, and California. • • Misguided New Yorkers are especially invited to come up and see Mae during July 2008 when Brooklyn-based director Louis Lopardi will direct the play "Courting Mae West: Sex, Censorship & Secrets" at the 99-seat Algonquin Theatre [123 East 24th Street, NYC]. • • This serious-minded comedy, based on true events 1926 —1932, follows the controversial actress around her hometown as she gets involved in lawsuits that will change her life. • • Tickets, indicates Lopardi, will be under $20. Are you listening, big spender? • • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/ ________ Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml Mae West • • Photo: • • Mae West • • artist unknown • • NYC Mae West.
New York City's venerable PAGE SIX led off its gossip column with MAE WEST, who has got to be the most quotable actress that ever lived. • • Page Six wrote: The inimitable actress Mae West once quipped “Virtue has its own reward, but no sale at the box office.” Hopefully [sic] that won’t be the case for Jessica Biel’s new romantic comedy Easy Virtue, a period film currently filming in Oxfordshire U.K. based on a play by Noel Coward. Justin Timberlake's girlfriend stars [sic] an American divorcée who spontaneously marries a young Englishman, played by Ben Barnes. ... • • Source: Page Six column, The New York Post • • Published on: 15 January 2008 • • Now, if only the New York Post's editors could learn to use the word "hopefully" correctly and also proofread their copy. Is it too much to ask for? Sigh. • • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/ ________ Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml Mae West • • Photo: • • Mae West • • none • • NYC Mae West.
