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This Saturday — — today on 28 January 2012 — — Marie-Therese Byrne will take the role of MAE WEST in "Courting Mae West," a serious-minded comedy written by LindaAnn Loschiavo. A one-time only presentation Down Under, the play will have a rehearsed reading under the direction of Cameron Menzies during the Midsumma Festival, now in its 24th year.
• • Australia's trendy L.O.T.L. Magazine said: "Those in the mood for some titillating theatre should consider 'Courting Mae West,' part of Midsumma's Playing in the Raw season."
• • She broke the law — — but the law didn't break her! • • 
• • Based on true events during the Prohibition Era — — from December 1926 until December 1932 — — the play follows a pre-Hollywood Mae West, age 33, as she socializes in the drag cabaret where she had cast "The Drag" (in Act I, Scene 1), a daring production she plans to bring to Broadway. Unfortunately, she gets arrested and jailed instead (Act 1, Scene 3). Censorship, courtroom battles, bankruptcy, and other crises will dog her footsteps, forcing the Brooklyn bombshell to climb the ladder of success wrong by wrong. Finally, a Paramount Pictures star at 39 years old, Mae gets to bring her box-office blockbuster "Diamond Lil" to the silver screen on her own terms by the end of 1932.
• • Veteran actress Marie-Therese Byrne will portray the 33-year-old Broadway star — — and outspoken Jefferson Jail inmate. Her bio notes that Bryne's vast experience stretches across decades and includes theatre, opera, film, and television. A consummate performer with a powerful presence, she has thrilled audiences in productions as versatile as Five Minute Call, The Secret Garden, Dimboola, Seven Little Australians, The Sound of Music and Summer of the Saw. Her stunning voice has seen her work with the Victorian State Opera on Joan of Arc, Aida and Carmen along with The Merry Widow and Di Fledermaus. On screen she appeared in the Aussie films The Castle, and Evil Angels along with appearances on Blue Heelers, Neighbours, Sons and Daughters, Phoenix, Prisoner, Australia's Most Wanted and Flying Doctors. 
• • The various men, judges, attorneys, news dealers, directors, and drag queens in Mae West's life will be brought to life by the actors Marc Opitz, Sarah Roberts, Kathryn Tohill, Gabrielle Llewelyn-Salter, Glen Moore, Tom Beaupaire, and Joshua Hackett.
• • WHAT: "Courting Mae West: Sex, Censorship & Secrets" by US playwright and Mae West authority LindaAnn Loschiavo
• • WHEN: Saturday, 28 January 2012 — — from 2.00pm — 4:30pm
• • WHERE: Midsumma Playing-In-The-Raw at The Chapel [Prahran, Australia]
• • VENUE: Chapel Off Chapel, in the City of Stonnington, has earned, both nationally and internationally, an excellent reputation as a progressive arts and entertainment venue.
• • Restrictions: R18
• • Special thanks to Robert Chuter for selecting "Courting Mae West" for Midsumma Playing-In-The-Raw's series.
• • Tell them you heard about it on The Mae West Blog.
• • Colette [1873 — 1954] • •
• • Colette was the pen name of the novelist Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette [28 January 1873 — 3 August 1954]. Born in January in Yonne, France twenty years before Mae West, Colette praised the Brooklynite as the ultimate woman who did not defer to a man — — on celluloid or in reality.
• • The frisky French author wrote a notable essay in 1934, assessing the impact of Mae West onscreen. Colette observed: "She alone, out of an enormous and dull catalogue of heroines, does not get married at the end of the film, does not die, does not take the road to exile, does not gaze sadly at her declining youth in a silver-framed mirror …. She alone has no parents, no children, no husband. This impudent woman is, in her style, as solitary as Chaplin used to be. ..."
• • Zora Neale Hurston [1891 — 1960] • •
• • January is an ideal time to look back at another sharp-eyed female scribe, Zora Neale Hurston.
• • Born in Alabama, Zora Neale Hurston [7 January 1891 — 28 January 1960] was a folklorist and an author during the time of the Harlem Renaissance. Her best known work was the novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God" [1937]. In 2002, scholars listed Zora Neale Hurston among the 100 Greatest African-Americans.
• • It seems that Mae West had tinted some photographs to make herself resemble her black maid. And chronicler Zora Neale Hurston in a 1934 essay, ''Characteristics of Negro Expression,'' said that Mae West ''had much more flavor of the turpentine quarters than she did of the white bawd.''
• • On Thursday, 28 January 1937 in Maryland • •
• • "At the Tivoli today and tomorrow!" announced the paid notice in the Frederick News-Post, covering the arts and entertainment scene for Frederick, Maryland. "Mae West in Paramount's 'Go West Young Man' with Warren William, Randolph Scott, Alice Brady." This bold-faced stand-alone ad stood out in the Frederick News-Post on Thursday, 28 January 1937.
• • On Friday, 28 January 1938 in The Harvard Crimson • •
• • The Moviegoer, W.B., informed his student readers with this headline: "Fred Warning and Pennsylvanians Cut Capers on Stage; Mae West Takes Lead in a Clean Picture."
• • The Moviegoer, W.B. wrote: Fred Warning and his mad, merrymaking Pennsylvanians top the bill at the Metropolitan Theatre this week with an hour of swing punctuated by the informal capers of the orchestra. On the screen Mae West plays the rather weak part of a confidence girl with an honest heart in "Every Day's A Holiday." ...
• • The Moviegoer, W.B. continued: The picture is not of the best, but it does sustain interest, and Charles Butterworth and Charles Winniger should get top honors for the many laughs they provide in this drama of New York at the turn of the century. Both dialogue and action are definitely clean, perhaps suspiciously so. Miss West's fans will find, however, that she wears the gowns of the era to perfection, although they may not like the change from blonde to brunette. ...
• • These excerpts are from a longer feature published in The Harvard Crimson Friday, 28 January 1938.
• • On Saturday, 28 January 1978 in Los Angeles • •
• • Trying to catch up on paperwork on a Saturday, Mae was paying bills. A personal check was signed by Mae West on 28 January 1978. It was payable to "Dept. of Water & Gas" for the sum of $18.47.
• • On Friday, 28 January 2011 in New Jersey • •
• • Known for screening motion picture classics, The Landmark Loews Jersey Theatre located on Journal Square in Jersey City, New Jersey, showed "She Done Him Wrong" [1933] starring Mae West, Cary Grant, and Noah Beery, Sr. on Friday night, 28 January 2011. The brochure noted: Mae West's first and best film, since it was not watered down by the subsequently production code censors. It is the ultimate distillation of her charismatic persona of simmering seductiveness and innuendo-laced one liners. Directed by Lowell Sherman (65 Minutes).
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: Don’t confuse procreation with recreation. She’s married. Maybe she can’t breed in captivity. (long pause) So is your cash disappearing? Mmm. How safe are the FAMILY JEWELS? [one line from the play "Courting Mae West"]
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Lillian Schlissel wrote: "The vulgarity of Mae West plays was meant to disrupt the standards of propriety. The speech was intended to sow the seeds of revolution.”
• • Source: "Three Plays by Mae West: 'Sex,' 'The Drag' and 'The Pleasure Man'," edited by Lillian Schlissel [Routledge, 246 pages]. A good book to own.
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started seven years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2191st 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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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • Courting Mae West • •
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Mae West.
So many authors attached their musings to pondering the career and personality of the iconic MAE WEST.
• • This early August date — — 3 August 1954 — — is when Colette died. The frisky French author wrote a notable essay in 1934, assessing the impact of Mae West onscreen. Seventy-seven years ago, Colette observed: "She alone, out of an enormous and dull catalogue of heroines, does not get married at the end of the film, does not die, does not take the road to exile, does not gaze sadly at her declining youth in a silver-framed mirror …. She alone has no parents, no children, no husband. This impudent woman is, in her style, as solitary as Chaplin used to be. ..."
• • Mae West on the Newsstand • •
• • Hope you kept a copy of the Mae West theme issue of Harper’s Bazaar [August 2010]. 
• • Lovingly lensed by Jean-Paul Goude, model Laetitia Casta portrayed Hollywood screen queen Mae West for the August 2011 edition of Harper’s Bazaar USA. Styled by Alex Aikiu in eye-catching couture from Dior, Armani, and others, Laetitia’s portrayal is nothing short of stunning in "I’m No Angel."
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "He's the kind of man a woman would have to marry to get rid of."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Nancy Wride writes: Dabbing away a tear, outgoing Mayor Beverly O'Neill gazed out at 800 admirers in the Long Beach Convention Center ballroom. For once in 12 years she didn't quote Mae West. Hours of adoration more befitting a eulogy than a retirement had preceded O'Neill to the podium. ...
• • Source: Article: "O'Neill Era Comes to a Close: Supporters and critics praise the three-term pro-growth mayor of Long Beach, who stepped down last week after 12 years in office" written by Nancy Wride, Times Staff Writer for the L.A. Times; published on 24 July 2006
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started seven years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2011th 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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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1933 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
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Mae West.
MAE WEST sung "Willie of the Valley" in "My Little Chickadee" [1940]. Though the songwriter was uncredited, he is being unmasked on his birthday. 
• • Born in New York City as Milton Druckman on 3 August 1916, Milton Drake was one of four children in a family that had emigrated from Romania (the Transylvania region).
• • Though Milton dropped out of school and did not study music formally, nevertheless, while still in his teens he began playing the ukulele and telling stories on his own radio program
• • During the 1930s, Milton lived in Hollywood and wrote songs for motion pictures. In 1940, he wrote "Willie of the Valley" with Ben Oakland [1907 — 1979] for the film "My Little Chickadee" and this had the distinction of being the only number in the movie and it was sung by Mae West herself.
• • He was known as The King of Novelty during the 1940s and scored a smash hit in 1943 with "Mairzy Doats," a novelty song he composed with Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston.
• • Milton Drake passed away in Palm Beach, Florida on 13 November 2006.
• • This early August date — — 3 August 1954 — — is when Colette died. The French author wrote a notable essay in 1934, assessing the impact of Mae West onscreen. Seventy-six years ago, Colette observed: "She alone, out of an enormous and dull catalogue of heroines, does not get married at the end of the film, does not die, does not take the road to exile, does not gaze sadly at her declining youth in a silver-framed mirror …. She alone has no parents, no children, no husband. This impudent woman is, in her style, as solitary as Chaplin used to be. ..."• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/________
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1940 • •
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Mae West.
Born under the sign of Leo, MAE WEST had her shining moments as a cougar.
• • In her sassy pictorial, "Brief Moments in Cougar History" [New York Magazine, 1 November 2009] Mary Kaye Schilling gives the Brooklyn bombshell her due, noting this: Mae West said, “I’ve been in more laps than a napkin.” Samantha Jones, meet your sassy, shameless ancestor.
• • To see a neat picture of the mature and unbowed Mae, along with a light and lively take on Catherine the Great and other women Mae admired, and also including Phaedra, The Wife of Bath, Colette, Mrs. Robinson, Demi Moore, et al, beam in on the online edition — — nymag.com.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • none • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWestNYC
Mae West.
MAE WEST, Colette noted in a 1938 publication, had the confidence to create an unapologetic majority-of-one presence on the silver screen — — as self-sufficient and durable as a diamond solitaire. "She alone, out of an enormous and dull catalogue of heroines, does not get married at the end of the film, does not die, does not take the road to exile, does not gaze sadly at her declining youth in a silver-framed mirror …. She alone has no parents, no children, no husband," wrote Colette. "This impudent woman is, in her style, as solitary as Chaplin used to be."
• • Can you imagine the buxom Brooklynite translated into the character of one of the 1890s Parisian prostitutes who people "Gigi," an arch novella written in 1944 by Colette [28 January 1873 — 3 August 1954]? Ooooh-la-la!
• • Defanged by the American musical comedy team of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, who laundered and starched all the sex and naughtiness out of the original, "Gigi" became a romantic tale of mismatched parts and was chastely adapted for the screen in 1958, starring a very ladylike French native Leslie Caron [born 1 July 1931] as the ingenue tutored by the scarlet women in her family. The motion picture version premiered at the Royale Theatre — — the Broadway house where "Diamond Lil" debuted in 1928 — — in Manhattan on 15 May 1958.
• • Still active and sought after, the 78-year-old Academy-Award-nominee will soon portray Madame Armfeldt in a Paris revival of Stephen Sondheim’s "A Little Night Music," a musical about shady ladies that leaves the sex and sass intact. Moreover, Leslie Caron's memoir "Thank Heaven" will be published by Viking around Christmas.
• • Mae West and Leslie Caron • •
• • In The Examiner, Alan Petrucelli has put together a most intriguing profile that includes this morsel about Leslie Caron and Mae West.
• • Pittsburgh Stage and Screen Examiner Alan Petrucelli writes: And this story, which we’ll call The Women, Part Deux, is a hoot! One day director George Cukor “begged” Caron to make up a lunch quartet with — — are you ready? — — Mae West, Greta Garbo, and Barbra Streisand. Caron coos: “An absolutely historical luncheon, I know, but I would have felt very uncomfortable in front of these great dames. You know what happened? Streisand says, ‘Gee, Miss West, I do so admire your work,’ and West replies, ‘Sure honey, I can tell by the way you been stealin’ it…’” [from "Leslie Caron? Oui! Make no reservations about it, just thank heaven for this little/ big girl" printed on 7 September 2009; by Pittsburgh Stage and Screen Examiner Alan Petrucelli; published in: The Examiner — — www.examiner.com].
• • Hmmmm. Though that nostalgic nugget goes together like misfitted pipes amid nougat, and the imagined comeback by Mae West to Brooklyn's Barbra twangs like a nail mis-struck, it is nice to see the Empress of Sex fondly recalled by an awestruck foreign thespian who did not have lunch with her after all (and who did not do her own singing on screen either). We do hope her memoir is a real page-turner quite unlike the clutch of mud most of these celeb tell-alls have been.• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • none • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWestNYC
Mae West.
