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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
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Mae West.
It's been years since MAE WEST toured the midwest so happy Hoosiers are hand-clapping about her revisiting next month.
• • The upcoming season of the Lawrence County Concert Association revolves around the theme "Stars of the Silver Screen," with "appearances" by Mae West, Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, John Wayne, Charlie Chaplin, and possibly Marilyn Monroe or Frank Sinatra.
• • On Saturday, 26 September 2009, ticket-holders will enjoy a performance of "Red Hot Hollywood" with actress Maggie Timan slinking into the spotlight as the Empress of Sex.
• • Just announced is this event — — From the silver screen to the stage, Matt Davenport Productions, Inc. presents a thrilling "red carpet" review of Hollywood's greatest music memories. A versatile cast of eleven sing, dance, and recreate magical movie memories.
• • Get details from the Lawrence County Concert Association of Bedford, Indiana by phoning 812-279-6542. Tell them the Mae West Blog pointed you in their direction.• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
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Mae West.
It was August 1944 and MAE WEST was back on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre wearing furs, jewelry, a tiara, and a rather chilly and serious expression.
• • Czarina Catherine, who was born on 2 May 1729 and died on 17 November 1796, reigned as Empress of Russia for 34 years, from 28 June 1762 until her death — — which was not caused by post-dramatic stress disorder.
• • Though the play was neither hilarious nor a big box-office draw, it did eke out 191 performances.
• • Time Magazine's drama critic made this assessment.
• • "Catherine Was Great" (by Mae West; produced by Michael Todd) is an opulent and incredible fancy-undress affair in which the queen of all the sirens essays the Empress of All the Russias. "Catherine," said Mae West in a first-night curtain speech, "had 300 lovers. I did the best I could in two hours." For a while her best was reasonably good: she seemed to make Lords of the Bedchamber of the whole Russian court and boud-warriors of half the Russian army. As she followed her hips about the stage in a solemn slink, as she languidly drew shameless innuendos from her husky throat, Actress West caught some of the aplomb, humor and matchless vulgarity of her "Come up and see me some time." But pretty soon her unvaried role began to pull and so, soon after, did her unvarying way of playing it.
• • Worse yet, the man-eater in Catherine was not enough for Actress West; she insisted on encompassing the Empress as well, and far from spoofing the imperial manner, tried to outdo it. When a courtier reminded her that "They also serve who only stand and wait," she replied "Quoting Milton's 'prome,' I presume!" She had sponged up enough history to soak her play with wars, uprisings and palace intrigues. But the excitement was conveyed in dialogue that had the specific gravity of lead, and the results, when not merely sedative, were often crushing.
— — Source: — —
• • "The Theatre" Column: "Catherine Was Great"
• • Published in: Time Magazine — — printed edition
• • Published on: Monday, 14 August 1944
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
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An amusing article appeared about Rae Bourbon, who performed on Broadway with MAE WEST.
• • "Eventually Rae Bourbon had his own club on Sunset Strip in L.A., where he hobnobbed with Hollywood elite such as Mae West and Bob Hope. He released dozens of comedy and bawdy-song records on several labels, including his own, UTC (Under The Counter, where one often found the risqué records in a shop)," writes Nick DiFonzo [Houston Press, "Cutout Bin: Rae Bourbon — — Let Me Tell You About My Operation," Friday, 31 July 2009].
• • Born in Texas as Hal Wadell, the vaudeville comedian and female impersonator called himself either Ray or Rae Bourbon [11 August 1892 — 20 July 1971] onstage. Not unlike that other not-very-beautiful entertainer born during August — — Madonna — — Bourbon kept his bookings going by navigating a shifting terrain of social attitudes about gender, censorship, bisexuality, transgression, transvestism, bawdiness, and sheer snark.
• • A memorable date for Rae Bourbon took place 65 years ago — — the Broadway debut of "Catherine Was Great," when Mae West portrayed the Empress of Russia and Bourbon had a minor role as Florian.
• • Let's imagine the crowds that gathered on 2 August 1944 in front of the Shubert Theatre [225 West 44th Street] to celebrate this grand premiere.
• • An enthusiastic group will gather in the same spot on 16 August 2009 for a walking tour — — "Gaudy Girls on The Gay White Way: Mae West & Texas Guinan in the Theatre District" — — and we hope to see you, too, at 4 o'clock that Sunday.• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
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Mae West.
MAE WEST was accompanied in 1930 by Rudy Vallée, whose birthday and death date fall during the month of July.
• • Born in Island Pond, Vermont, Rudy Vallée [28 July 1901 — 3 July 1986] was an actor as well as a singer, bandleader, and popular entertainer. His parents had ancestors who were of French Canadian origin and some who had emigrated from Ireland. [Similarly, Mae West's father's side was from Ireland and Canada and her maternal grandmother was French.]
• • Rudy Vallée grew up in Westbrook, Maine. In high school, he took up the saxophone. Supposedly, he acquired the nickname "Rudy" after a then famous saxophonist Rudy Wiedoeft. 
• • In the spring of 1930, Texas Guinan, who was covering "The Pleasure Man" trial for a newspaper, invited Mae to perform at a fundraiser she was co-hosting at the Imperial Theatre [249 West 45th Street]. This playhouse had 1443 seats. Texas Guinan had tapped entertainers such as Helen Morgan, Ruth Etting, Charles Butterworth, Lily Damita, De Wolf Hopper, Paul Ash, and Harry Richman.
• • Jobless herself, Mae agreed to sing a few numbers to raise money at the "Give a Job Benefit" taking place on 12 April 1930.
• • Rudy Vallée and his orchestra backed Mae as she sang "Frankie and Johnny" and a few other favorites on the wide proscenium stage of the Imperial. For awhile, Vallée's trademark was a raccoon coat and megaphone. Other co-hosts helping this worthy cause were Walter Winchell, Mark Hellinger, Jack Donahue, and the event's organizer Heywood Broun.
• • Rudy Vallée died on 3 July 1986 at the age of 84 in Hollywood.
• • Harmony and stage stars still find their way to the Imperial. If you have seen the current crowd-pleasing musical at this West 45th venue, then you know this playhouse looks rather different now.
• • 2009 TOUR: On Sunday afternoon 16 August 2009, the Annual Mae West Walk, will briefly visit West 45th. This August the entertaining, informative birthday celebration of the actress-writer, which will begin at Shubert Alley and proceed uptown to Mae's WESTside apartment, is called "Gaudy Girls on The Gay White Way: Mae West and Texas Guinan in the Theatre District." These tours are always accompanied by vintage illustrations, memorabilia, and rare photos that show how the buildings, vaudeville houses, billboards, Playbills, and blockfronts looked when Mae West was there. Surprises are in store.
• • • • Mae West Walking Tours You Might Have Enjoyed • • • • • • 2006 TOUR: Our regular Mae-mavens will recall seeing the historical exhibition "Onstage Outlaws: Mae West and Texas Guinan in a Lawless Era,” which opened to the public after a Gala Roaring-20s theme Press Preview on Mae’s birthday 17 August 2006. And on Sunday afternoon 20 August 2006, more than two dozen beautiful people gathered on West Ninth Street to enjoy a special treat — — "Washington Square Women: Mae West and Texas Guinan in Greenwich Village" — — followed by a Jazz Era brunch served with champagne and the Cos-MAE-Politan cocktail, garnished with two strategically placed plump raspberries.
• • 2007 TOUR: On Friday evening 17 August 2007, a fascinating guided adventure — — "The Mae West Side Story" — — escorted numerous intrepid walk-abouts to three of Mae's former residences along with other sites linked to the Brooklyn bombshell.
• • 2008 TOUR: On Sunday afternoon 17 August 2008, the captivating Diamond Divas led a group of over two dozen Mae-mavens to several locations in Greenwich Village linked to her stage career, gay themes, courtroom woes, and the work of individuals she admired such as Lillian Russell, Tony Pastor, Texas Guinan, Eugene O'Neill, and Rae Bourbon. The 2008 walking tour — — "Mae West's Walk on the Wild Side" — — celebrated the 115th birthday of the Empress of Sex with an extravagant musical program, performed live by Met Opera soprano Marlena de la Mora and Sharon Weinman, which included these numbers: "Everything's Coming up Mae West"; "Mon Coeur S' Ouvre a Ta Voix"; "The Prisoner's Song"; "Frankie and Johnny"; "Come Down Ma Evening Star"; "I Could Have Danced All Night"; "Gentleman Jimmy"; and a grand finale taken from the score of "Diamond Lil."
• • Tour photos can be seen on the Mae West Blog.
• • For more details, do read this blog and/ or post your email. [Your info will not be posted nor available so that miscreants and rascals can access it.]• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • Imperial Theatre during the 1920s• •
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Mae West.
MAE WEST loved music but her choices had little to do with with Mozart, Grieg, Chopin, or salon society. The blues compositions that got Mae moving had more in common with the wooden tables of smoky saloons. Many music-makers have grooved to the Empress of Sex. Hollywood resident Ramfis Diaz — — a handsome 47-year-old musician possessed of charm and deftly adorned by a-Mae-zing tattoos inspired by the Brooklyn bombshell — — is in that group. 
• • Having read an article about the screen queen's long-standing relationship with the professional fighter William "Gorilla" Jones, Ramfis Diaz decided to give the journalist a ring — — and here is the aftermath.
• • Mark J. Price, Beacon Journal staff writer, did a follow-up feature, titled "Gorilla Jones story a virtual knockout: Mae West fan pleased to learn about Akron boxer's role in life of actress."
• • Mark J. Price writes: Hollywood musician Ram Diaz, 47, called to say he loved our story about Akron boxer William ''Gorilla'' Jones (1906 — 1982), a former middleweight champion who was posthumously inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame this month.
• • Ramfis Diaz is a big fan of screen legend Mae West (1893 — 1980), who employed Jones as a bodyguard and chauffeur after he retired from the ring. Jones and West were close companions for 40 years and might have been romantically involved.
• • ''I didn't know much about Gorilla Jones because she was so secretive about her men,'' Diaz said. ''Mae West didn't kiss and tell. She might have given you a clue here and there.''
• • He believes such a clue can be found in West's 1932 movie "Night After Night," in which George Raft plays an ex-boxer. It was the same year that Jones won the middleweight title.
• • In one scene, Mae West remarks: ''Hey, Gorilla. Come here.''
• • ''She was given full right to rewrite her scenes in that movie,'' he said. ''So I know for a fact that she put that name in there.''
• • A lifelong collector of memorabilia, Diaz has been enamored with West since he saw My Little Chickadee on TV as a boy in the 1960s. He lives in a building near the late star's Ravenswood apartment complex.
• • ''I can actually see her bedroom window from my bedroom window,'' he said.
• • Since 1988 [when he was 26 years old], Ramfis Diaz has thrown a Hollywood birthday party in Mae West's honor every August 17 on the roof of Gramercy Tower in Hancock Park and in his top-floor apartment. The potluck dinner, which is open to the public, includes some of West's inner circle of friends, including Kevin Thomas, Tim Malachosky, and Chris Basinger.
• • Not all guests are acquainted with Mae West's work, though.
• • ''There's a lot of people that really don't know much about her, but they get educated when they arrive,'' Diaz said.
• • He praised the Beacon Journal article for teaching him something new.
• • ''That's the fascinating thing with Miss West,'' he said. ''There's always something new.''
• • Mark J. Price is a Beacon Journal copy editor. He can be reached at 330-996-3850 or send e-mail to mjprice@thebeaconjournal.com.
— — Source: — —
• • Column: "This Place, This Time: Going West"
• • Gorilla Jones story a virtual knockout: Mae West fan pleased to learn about Akron boxer's role in life of actress
• • Byline: Mark J. Price | Beacon Journal copy editor
• • Published in: The Akron Beacon Journal — — http://ohio.com
• • Published on: Monday, 29 June 2009
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• • In her hometown, New Yorkers also celebrate Mae West's birthday. One event open to the public is the Annual Mae West Walking Tour, which will be held on Sunday 16 August 2009. This year the walking tour begins at Shubert Alley and proceeds uptown to Mae's WESTside apartment. To get more details, read this blog and/ or post your email. [Your info will not be posted nor available so that miscreants and rascals can access it.]• • The tour takes a path up and down blocks associated with Mae West's career. For instance, the speak run by the George Raft character in "Night After Night" [1932] was based on Club Napoleon, a speakeasy on the grand scale, once located at 33 West 56th Street on a fancy block of Beaux Arts mansions. Years before it became an illegal ginmill, 33 West 56th had been the childhood home of Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton. • • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1932 • •
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Mae West.
Born under the sign of Leo, MAE WEST enjoyed being onstage and on display. Noticing people bunched down, burying the urges, she shimmied to the microphone and spelled a new name for everything. 
• • Many individuals took her picture — — or tried to catch the Empress of Sex with a charcoal stick, pencil, chalk, oil paints, or mixed media. Recently, book designer Nancy Vala tried her hand at sketching Mae.
• • Born under the sign of Leo, Nancy Vala spends her working hours focused on designing, illustrating, and writing. In her spare time, she relaxes by enjoying motion pictures and museums and going kayaking,
• • Nancy Vala posts her artwork here — — http://walkingsatellite.blogspot.com — — so come up sometime and admire her colorful creations.
• • The 24th of June was memorable for Mae West and men she knew. Her lover, heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey was born on this date. So was a singer/ songwriter Mae admired and worked with at Paramount: Gene Austin.
• • Mae-mavens already know that the curious motion picture "Myra Breckinridge" was released on 24 June 1970.• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • drawn by Nancy Vala • •
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Mae West.
Henri Sabin did an outstanding likeness of MAE WEST in 1936, perhaps as a work commissioned by Paramount Pictures.
• • The Frenchman seems to have relocated to Hollywood during the 1930s, where he found work sketching for motion picture industry books. Using pastels, Sabin created softly glamorous and luminous portraits of the screen royalty of the era. In addition to the Empress of Sex, Sabin did a colorful bust of Joan Crawford, Merle Oberon, and the Mexican lovely Delores Del Rio.
• • In 1965, Sabin turned out a lush oil painting of Parisienne sex kitten Brigitte Bardot [born 1934]. Continuing his specialty of celebrity portraiture, Sabin also did a sizable oil of boxer Mohammed Ali.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1936 • •
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Mae West.
Emerysworld.com has dedicated the month to MAE WEST by introducing several useful items embellished with her image.
• • The Empress of Sex graces their two-year calendar, buttons, magnets, keychains, mirrors, and a handy dandy address book.
• • As a special good luck gift to "Courting Mae West," Emery made a few items expressly for the playwright and the cast! Wow!
• • We know you will really love seeing the Brooklyn bombshell on a come-up-and-see-me keychain as well as on these other nifty items.• • Located in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, the clever creators at Emerysworld can be found online at their EBAY emporium as well as their virtual boutique — — Emerysworld.com, Emerysthestore.com, and Emerysworld.etsy.com — — and wait until you see what intriguing gifts and a-Mae-zing treats they have in store for you. Emery makes Valentine's Day shopping easier.
• • Be sure to come up and see Emery (whose idea bank is never empty) and tell 'em Mae sent you.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • made by Emery • • 2009 • •
NYC
Mae West.
While you may think MAE WEST passed from your life on 22 November 1980, the happy news is that authors are keeping the Empress of Sex very much alive. 
• • Remember Charlotte Chandler — — whose second book, The Ultimate Seduction, included conversations with Mae West, Tennessee Williams, Henry Moore, and others? Well, Charlotte Chandler's newest book is She Always Knew How — — Mae West, a Personal Biography [NY: Simon & Schuster]; this hardcover will be released on 10 February 2009.
• • Charlotte Chandler is a member of the board of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and is active in film preservation. She lives in New York City — — and is currently finishing a book on Bette Davis.
• • On the West Coast, former film critic Kevin Thomas — — who enjoyed conversing with Mae for many years — — is busy doing a book about her.
• • On the East Coast, who is a native New Yorker — — as Mae West was — — is at work writing an illustrated book: Mae West's New York.
• • Mae West — — many individuals have said that to know her was to love her.
MAE WEST has been given a licensing make-over. Now the Empress of Sex, who once lived in Greenpoint, has become two 'personas' for a new campaign from Greenlight. 
• • California transplant, attorney Roger Richman used to represent the Mae West estate for a number of years — — but Richman did a very poor job of it. Under his quarterbacking, the Mae West brand went north, and stayed frozen and inaccessible for years. • • Recently, an oddly punctuated press release announced that "Iconic Hollywood actress Mae West is having her brand made over by Greenlight, which represents the estates of personalities such as Albert Einstein and Steve McQueen."
• • The company has spent time creating two personas to build on the star's classic presence, appearance, and sexuality to connect with today's consumers.
• • The result is both an updated contemporary classic Mae West that exudes her timeless appeal, plus a young, 'aniMae' to appeal to today's youth.
• • Greenlight partnered with NYC-based Kick Design to create the classic persona, which involved reviewing photo archives to select the right pictures to work with.
• • Hallmark is already using Mae West's voice and quotes for a musical greeting card line.
• • For 'aniMae,' meanwhile, Greenlight partnered with Jonathan Taub Design and Seattle-based Harry Briggs to create 12 new color caricatures to appeal to a younger demographic.
• • Each character is accompanied by an equally racy West quote. The first deal has been signed with BioWorld Merchandising to launch a line of signature bags and wallets to be sold in boutique shops.
— — Source: — —• • Byline: Samantha Loveday
• • Published by: Licensing Biz — — www.licensing.biz
• • Published on: 21 October 2008• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • aniMae 2008 • •
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Mae West.
