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Many professional boxers worked with MAE WEST. When Frank Moran portrayed a framed convict in a memorable scene in "She Done Him Wrong" [1933], this was his fourth credit on the silver screen.
• • Born in Cleveland, Ohio on 18 March 1887, in 1916 (when he was 29 years old), Frank Moran fought Jess Willard for the heavyweight championship — — but lost. By the late 1920s, it seems he had hung up his mouth guard and padded gloves for good.
• • For three decades, from 1928 — 1957, he was seen in 145 motion pictures. You can almost hear Mae saying, "You ain't no oil painting!" when you consider a casting agent's impression of the six-foot-one athlete. Some of the knuckle-dragging parts he played included: bruiser, fighter, truck driver, prisoner, jail guard, process server, sergeant, mug, tough guy, bouncer, gangster, plug-ugly # 3, ape man, bettor, craps player, moving crew, repo man, cabbie, bartender, waiter, stagehand, sailor, a cop with a "gravel voice," etc.
• • Frank Moran died of a heart attack in Hollywood in the month of December — — on 14 December 1967. He was 80 years old.
• • In December, Let's Remember Gregory Ratoff [1897 — 1960] • •
• • Gregory Ratoff [20 April 1897 — 14 December 1960] was a Russian-born actor and director.
• • In "I'm No Angel," Gregory Ratoff played the prosecutor; Tira hires Benny Pinkowitz to sue Jack Clayton (Cary Grant) for breach of promise.
• • It was 21 October in 1943 when the film "The Heat's On" was in previews. Sharp-eyed Harry Cohn [1891 — 1958] of Columbia Pictures was in the audience. Though Gregory Ratoff had been most persuasive when pitching this project to him, Harry decided on the spot to buy him out. "This picture is going to be a bust," predicted Cohn. Even Mae West was disappointed in Ratoff by the end.
• • Leukemia finished off Gregory Ratoff. He died in Solothurn, Switzerland in mid-December — — on 14 December 1960. He was 63 years of age.
• • On 14 December 1937 • •
• • Conservative Catholic Martin Quigley's hand-wringing article, "Radio Begs Trouble," found its way into Motion Picture Daily. The issue, centered around the controversial NBC broadcast starring Mae, was dated 14 December 1937.
• • On 14 December 2009 • •
• • An article in a British newspaper [published on 14 December 2009] described a charming lodge, whose famous guest list includes Mae West.
• • According to British reporter Chris Sullivan, The Olde Bell is the oldest inn in the country (built in 1163).
• • Situated about an hour away from London in the Berkshire hamlet of Hurley, The Olde Bell has attracted a cross-section of individuals for centuries. "It wowed the great and the good of America including Mae West, Clark Gable, Bob Hope, and Liz Taylor," notes Chris Sullivan. "Winston Churchill also stopped here during the war to make an urgent phone call from the now empty phone booth."
• • The Olde Bell is located on High Street, Hurley, Berkshire, SL6 5LX. The London Times posted lovely photos. To see where Mae slept, go to www.timesonline.co.uk.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Everything's in the mind. That's where it all starts. Knowing what you want is the first step toward getting it."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article in the Mercury News in Australia mentioned Mae West in the first sentence.
• • The Mackay Daily Mercury staff wrote: IT WAS Mae West who said: Is that a pistol in your pocket or are you pleased to see me? Well, Mackay reveller Clayton Ainslie didn't have a pistol in his pocket — — it was a snooker ball. ...
• • Source: Article: "Police pocket snooker ball" in The Mackay Daily Mercury; posted on 14 December 2011
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started seven years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2145th 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 • • with Owen Moore in 1932 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
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Mae West.
"The Heat's On" might not be a fan's favorite MAE WEST movie. Certainly, this is purely cinema of the Cuisinart — — take a ragged plot, dice up the most popular ingredients available (music! comedy! costumes!), toss it all in a blender, and say a prayer to Saint Genesius. Then count on the safety of numbers: acclaimed actresses and brilliant band leaders and velvety vocalists — — a hopeful cast mustering together to lend bulk and momentum to a script they suspect is threadbare. But, alas, purebred raisins cannot redeem a rotten pie.
• • Though Mae West felt she got tricked by Gregory Ratoff, she probably enjoyed working with Lester Allen, who was seen in the role of Mouse Beller.
• • Born in Utica, New York on 17 November 1891, Lester Allen was a variety artist who worked in vaudeville, burlesque, and the circus. After numerous stage bookings, Lester Allen was featured in Paramount shorts 1932 — 1933. His cinema resume lists only 19 titles.
• • Unfortunately, Lester Allen was killed by a 25-year-old driver while crossing Ventura Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley. He died in the month of November — — on 6 November 1949. Lester Allen was 57.
• • • • "The Heat’s On" [2 December 1943] • • • •
• • Critic Guy Savage summed it up: "The Heat’s On" (AKA "Tropicana") is a sly knock at censorship and how it affects the entertainment industry. Broadway legend Fay Lawrence (Mae West) is in "Indiscretions" — — a show destined to flop — — until producer Tony Ferris (William Gaxton) gets the bright idea to rustle up free publicity on an indecency issue. ...
• • The director responsible for this rum-soaked cinematic mirth-quake was Gregory Ratoff.
• • The appealing costume designs for Mae West were done by Walter Plunkett.
• • The main cast was:
• • Mae West — — Fay Lawrence
• • Victor Moore — — Hubert Bainbridge
• • Lloyd Bridges — — Andy Walker
• • William Gaxton — — Tony Ferris
• • Mary Roche — — Janey Bainbridge
• • Hazel Scott — — Herself
• • Lester Allen — — Mouse Beller
• • Xavier Cugat — — Xavier Cugat
• • In November, Let's Remember Harvey Thew [1883 — 1946] • •
• • Harvey Francis Thew massaged a famous screenplay with Mae West, who chose this collaborator herself.
• • Born in Missouri on 4 July 1883, writer Harvey F. Thew collaborated with Mae West, and screenwriter John Bright, and Lowell Sherman in 1932 on the film version of the bombshell's best-known three act stage play "Diamond Lil." For Paramount Pictures, Mae turned her 3-hour Bowery melodrama into a trim 66-minute comedy with the aid of Harvey Thew.
• • The studio released "She Done Him Wrong" on 9 February 1933. A Valentine for movie-goers!
• • At the age of 63, hard-working Harvey F. Thew died in Los Angeles on 6 November 1946.
• • On 6 November 1997 • • 
• • In their weekly issue for 6 November 1997, the hip San Jose publication Metro critiqued a new compendium by Simon & Schuster called "Tijuana Bibles" (edited by Bob Adelman) — — and the book review title and sub-title were "The Ultimate Mae West Movie: Even racier than her movies was the Tijuana Bible 'The Hip Flipper,' starring the comic-book version of Mae West."
• • "The Hip Flipper" cover depicted Mae West [as shown here on the left].
• • On 6 November 1933 in Time Magazine • •
• • In October 1933, Time Magazine reported this: "The Central Association of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, meeting in Milwaukee last week, congratulated Mae West for popularizing plump female figures . . . ."
• • The edition of Time for 6 November 1933 printed readers' letters reacting to that group of physicians along with the publishing of Mae's measurements in the same article.
• • On 6 November 2010 in Texas • •
• • On Saturday, 6 November 2010 an exhibit opened in Dallas.
• • Publicity materials announced that the title of this show "There is Never Only One Game in Town" is (supposedly) a Mae West quote and this statement is also on one of the drawings in the project starring the Brooklyn bombshell. Did Mae ever say that? Doubtful, I'd say.
• • No stickler for veracity, Lone Star artist Mary Beth Edelson was offering a look at work created from 1981 — 1997. Most of the 46 framed mixed-media wall pieces featured collages inspired by feminine power. The artist's imagination was fed (she said) by Hollywood nostalgia, which could be seen in her renderings of marquee names such as Mae West, Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich in a military uniform, Helen Reddy, and also TV's Wonder Woman Lynda Carter.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "He who hesitates is a damned fool!"
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article about a hotel in Tennessee mentioned Mae West.
• • The Daily Meal writes: Check in to Union Station, a splendidly restored former train station-turned-hotel with custom-made furniture and more than a century of celebrity stays including Mae West, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and mafia kingpin Al Capone, who was being escorted to a Georgia penitentiary. ...
• • Source: Article: "A Long Weekend: Eating And Drinking In Nashville" written by The Daily Meal; posted on 5 November 2011
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started seven years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2106th 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 • • 1943 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
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Mae West.
It was 21 October in 1943 when MAE WEST's film "The Heat's On" was in previews. Sharp-eyed Harry Cohn [1891 — 1958] of Columbia Pictures was in the audience. Though Gregory Ratoff had been most persuasive when pitching this project to him, Harry decided on the spot to buy him out.
• • "This picture is going to be a bust," predicted Cohn. Even Mae was disappointed in Ratoff by the end.
• • The Mae West # 4 • •
• • The Mae West Vegetarian is the #4 special and served hot at Stuft Pizza Homestead [2898 Homestead Road, Santa Clara, CA 95051]. Stuft was established in 1976 in California. Tell them you heard about this very popular menu selection on the Mae West Blog.
• • On 21 October 1947 • •
• • It was on 21 October 1947 that Mae West first set foot in a playhouse in Manchester, England to present her Bowery melodrama "Diamond Lil" onstage.
• • The plan was to route the production though Manchester, Blackpool, Birmingham and Glasgow before opening in London by January 1948.
• • Playing very minor roles were twenty actresses and eighteen actors over six feet tall. Bruno Barnabe [1905 — 1998] was cast as Juarez, the Latin Lothario. The actor recalled getting the part after being asked by Mae West to clasp her breasts. He also emphasized that he drew 40 pounds a week whereas the leading lady was pulling in 2,000 pounds weekly.
• • The UK run was produced by Val Parnell [1892 — 1972] and Tom Arnold — — very shrewd fellows.
• • 21 October 1993 • •
• • On 21 October 1993, the readers of The New York Sun read an article about Mae West by writer John Cohen: "And West Is West." Unfortunately, the weekly newspaper The New York Sun folded a few years ago.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Personality is the glitter that sends your little gleam across the footlights and the orchestra pit into that big black space where the audience is."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on a male performer mentioned Mae West.
• • New England reporter Michelle Magnum interviewed performer Anthony Rizzo, who shared this story: Once I was performing in Paris with two companies at the same time, in two theaters that have been in competition for years. I was in the poster on both theaters, but no one noticed. I was a giant Bumble Bee in one show, and I was Mae West in the other. My mom and brother were in town and got to see both. My mom watched the show of Mae West from backstage. I start the show as Neil Armstrong and then had a quick change in 15 minutes to become Mae West. Just as I was about to make my entrance, my mom tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and she said, “Oh, you would be so beautiful if you just did not have my nose!” . . .
• • Source: Article: "Anthony Rizzi talks about Dedham roots" written by Michelle Magnum for The Dedham Transcript; posted on 20 October 2011
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started seven years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2090th 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 • • 1943 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
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Mae West.
It's doubtful that MAE WEST was overjoyed at the release of "The Heat's On," which debuted on 2 December 1943.
• • A sharp-eyed California costume designer who watched this curiosity recently shared this poignant observation: "It was not a great film but Mae West looked fabulous and sang better than ever. Unfortunately, one shot disclosed that she was certainly not the star — — in the dressing room where the back of her dress had severe unsightly horizontal wrinkles from its tightness. Obviously, the audience was supposed to focus on her face in the mirror, but a more expert or reverential cameraman would have simply shaded the back area to near darkness."
• • Did you notice this off-beat detail, too?
• • In early 1943, when "Catherine Was Great" was being hammered out, Mae got a visit from Ratoff. He wanted her to star in a new film for Columbia Pictures to be called "The Heat's On," which he would direct. To arouse Mae's interest further, he hinted that he might also produce her newest extravaganza rushing to Broadway. Alas, when The New Times sat through this mess, the critic noted, "The heat is definitely OFF!"
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1943 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.
MAE WEST got a round of applause from Variety only on a few occasions.
• • “Going to help redistribute a nice chunk of the nation's coin. Mae West is today the biggest conversation-provoker, free space grabber, and all-around box office bet in the country” — — announced Variety [referring to the newly released motion picture "I'm No Angel" in 1933].
• • Gone to his final rest with the other cinema angels is a plucky actor featured in "I'm No Angel" — — Gregory Ratoff, who started life in the month of April.
• • Ratoff was related to Mae thanks to his shifty cousin Vladimir Baikoff, who was the actress's brother-in-law and Beverly's second Russian husband.
• • Born in Samara, Russia in April — — on 20 April 1897 — — the 25-year-old actor first sailed to the USA in 1922. A year later Gregory Ratoff wed actress Eugenie Leontovich. He returned to New York in July 1925 on the SS Mauretania with his Russian-Jewish mother, deciding to settle in.
• • As an accent piece, he was harmless. Gregory Ratoff played Tira's New York City lawyer Benny Pinkowitz in "I'm No Angel" [1933]. And many fans remember the amusing scene in which Mae West and Ratoff are discussing the breach-of-promise suit.
• • In early 1943, when "Catherine Was Great" was being hammered out, Mae got a visit from Ratoff. He wanted her to star in a new film for Columbia Pictures to be called "The Heat's On," which he would direct. To arouse Mae's interest further, he hinted that he might also produce her newest extravaganza rushing to Broadway.
• • After many delays and disruptions, "The Heat's On" was released 9 February 1944 to jeers, sneers, and razzleberries.
• • For the record, "Catherine Was Great" had its live mainstage premiere on 2 August 1944. The show closed on the Gay White Way on 13 January 1945.
• • Gregory Ratoff's most famous screen role was his portrayal of the producer Max Fabian who feuds with star Margo Channing (Bette Davis) in "All About Eve" [1950].
• • Director, actor, and producer Gregory Ratoff contracted leukemia and died on 14 December 1960 in Switzerland.• • 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.
The Garden State will host classic motion pictures from the 1930s starring MAE WEST, Cary Grant, and others. 
• • Middletown Township Public Library, a busy book-lovers junction in leafy Monmouth County, will channel that Tinseltown vibe during October when they present "Friday Afternoon at the Movies — Coffee, Dessert, and a Cool Classic Comedy with Victor Zak." A veteran journalist and film critic, Zak will enlighten the audience with anecdotes about the actors, directors, writers, and studios that supplied polish and pizazz during Hollywood's glory days before each screening.
• • This exciting series will begin at 2:00 PM on Friday 9 October 2009 with "I'm No Angel" [1933] — — written by and starring Mae West, and featuring Cary Grant, Gregory Ratoff, and even one of Mae's monkeys.
• • Directed by Wesley Ruggles, this Paramount Pictures favorite was originally released with great fanfare on 6 October 1933 — — 76 years ago.
• • Screen classics shown next month will include "The Awful Truth" [1937] with Cary Grant and Irene Dunne; "Libeled Lady" [1936] starring Spencer Tracy, Jean Harlow, William Powell, and Myrna Loy: and Greta Garbo in "Ninotchka" [1939].
• • Journalist and film commentator Victor Zak is the former travel editor for Gannett newspapers in New Jersey.
• • HERE: Middletown Township Public Library [55 New Monmouth Road, Middletown, NJ 07748]. The Main Branch is located just east of Route 35.
• • Take your questions directly to the library: 732-671-3700, ext. 333.• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • "I'm No Angel" 1933 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWestNYC
Mae West.
When MAE WEST was writing the screenplay for "I'm No Angel," she wove a tiny strand of her own bio into the playful narrative — — including a reference to her shimmy, her belief in the occult, her love of animals, and her birthday in August. 
• • "I'm No Angel" Cast • •
• • Mae West as Tira
• • Cary Grant as Jack Clayton
• • Gregory Ratoff as Benny Pinkowitz
• • Edward Arnold as Big Bill Barton
• • Mae-centered morsels • •
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• • Tira, who performs in a circus sideshow, is famous for her hootchie-cootchie style — — a gal who discovered you don't have to have feet to dance. Tira goes to the resident gypsy to have her fortune told.
• • Rajah [played by Nigel de Brulier], the astrologer reads her horoscope.
• • Rajah: You were born in August.
• • Tira: Yeah, one of the hot months.
• • Rajah: It was on the 17th under the sign of Leo, the Lion.
• • Tira: Aw, King of the Beasts, huh.
• • Tira [pronounced TY-rah] is warned to be careful that night — — because she could be unlucky. Tira tells him that she'd like to know her future (because she knows all about her past).
• • Rajah: Ah, you have a wonderful future. I see a man in your life.
• • Tira: What — — only one?
• • Rajah: But this is one very particular man. He is very wealthy, enormously wealthy.
• • Tira: ... What does he look like?
• • Rajah: I see he has brown eyes. In fact, I see two men... two different men. In the near future, I see a change. ... I see a change of position.
• • Tira: Sitting or reclining? . . .
• • Rajah: The horoscope — — keep this where you may consult it frequently.
• • Tira: All right, I'll take it to bed with me.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
— — excerpt from "I'm No Angel" written by Mae West — —
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• • 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/MaeWestNYC
Mae West.
Victor Moore was in one motion picture with MAE WEST.
• • Born in Hammonton, New Jersey, Victor Moore [24 February 1876 — 24 July 1962] was a star of stage and screen, as well as being a comedian, writer, and director. The five-foot-seven vaudevillian and his first wife Emma Littlefield [1883 — 1934] trooped together in variety for several decades. Victor Moore made his film debut in 1915. During his versatile career, Victor Moore appeared in over 50 films and 21 Broadway shows.
• • During the month of July — — on 24 July 1962 — — Victor Moore had a heart attack and died in East Islip, Long Island, New York. He was 86 years old. Victor Moore is interred in a crypt in a Cypress Hills Cemetery mausoleum in Brooklyn, New York.
• • "The Heat's On" was released on 2 December 1943.
• • The director responsible for this rum-soaked fruitcake was Gregory Ratoff.
• • The appealing costume designs for Mae West were done by Walter Plunkett.
• • The main cast was:
• • Mae West — — Fay Lawrence
• • Victor Moore — — Hubert Bainbridge
• • Lloyd Bridges — — Andy Walker
• • William Gaxton — — Tony Ferris
• • Mary Roche — — Janey Bainbridge
• • Hazel Scott — — Herself
• • Lester Allen — — Mouse Beller
• • Xavier Cugat — — Xavier Cugat• • 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.
Gregory Ratoff and MAE WEST did not always see eye to eye.
• • Ratoff was related to Mae thanks to his shifty cousin Vladimir Baikoff, who was the actress's brother-in-law and Beverly's second Russian husband.
• • Born in Samara, Russia in April — — on 20 April 1897 — — the 25-year-old actor first sailed to the USA in 1922. A year later Gregory Ratoff wed actress Eugenie Leontovich. He returned to New York in July 1925 on the SS Mauretania with his Russian-Jewish mother, deciding to settle in.
• • As an accent piece, he was harmless. Gregory Ratoff played Tira's New York City lawyer Benny Pinkowitz in "I'm No Angel" [1933]. And many fans remember the amusing scene in which Mae West and Ratoff are discussing the breach-of-promise suit.
• • In early 1943, when "Catherine Was Great" was being hammered out, Mae got a visit from Ratoff. He wanted her to star in a new film for Columbia Pictures to be called "The Heat's On," which he would direct. To arouse Mae's interest further, he hinted that he might also produce her newest extravaganza rushing to Broadway.
• • After many delays and disruptions, "The Heat's On" was released 9 February 1944 to jeers, sneers, and razzberries.
• • For the record, "Catherine Was Great" had its live mainstage premiere on 2 August 1944. The show closed on the Gay White Way on 13 January 1945.
• • Gregory Ratoff's most famous screen role was his portrayal of the producer Max Fabian who feuds with star Margo Channing (Bette Davis) in "All About Eve" [1950].
• • Director, actor, and producer Gregory Ratoff contracted leukemia and died on 14 December 1960 in Switzerland.• • 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.
MAE WEST was in one motion picture with handsome Lloyd Bridges, who was 30 at the time. 
• • Born in San Leandro, California on 15 January 1913, Lloyd Bridges died during the month of March — — on 10 March 1998 — — of natural causes at age 85. Best known as Mike Nelson, the manly frogman who made a splash on TV's undersea adventure series "Sea Hunt" [1958 — 1961], Bridges had been briefly blacklisted for political activism during the Joe McCarthy era. He is also the father of the actors Beau Bridges and Jeff Bridges.
• • Critics didn't even break a sweat when they rushed to judgment on the rather lame 1943 "comeback comedy" that ran for an unfunny 79 minutes. For instance, the headline for the review in The New York Times razzed: "The Heat Is Definitely Off!"
• • In his All Movie Guide, Hal Erickson offers this fair assessment: After an absence of three years, Mae West returned to the screen in the musical comedy "The Heat's On." La West is cast as Fay Lawrence, a famous Broadway actress who is loved intensely by her producer Tony Ferris (William Gaxton). Rival producer Forrest Stanton (Alan Dinehart) steals Fay away from Ferris by convincing her that she's been blacklisted from Broadway by blue-nosed moralist Hannah Bainbridge (Almira Sessions). Meanwhile, Hannah's puckish brother Hubert (Victor Moore) syphons money from his sister's "clean up show business" committee to produce a musical show for his actress niece Janey (Mary Roche). Somehow, all these characters converge for a spectacular closing production number spotlighting the formidable Fay. Part of the reason for the failure of "The Heat's On" is the fact that Mae West didn't write her own dialogue, as was usually her custom. The film performed so poorly that it would be 27 years before West would again appear on the Big Screen.
• • Presenting a tertium quid, however, Guy Savage cannily observes: "The Heat’s On" (AKA Tropicana) is a sly knock at censorship and how it affects the entertainment industry. Broadway legend Fay Lawrence (Mae West) is in "Indiscretions" — — a show that’s destined to flop — — until producer Tony Ferris (William Gaxton) gets the bright idea to get some free publicity on an indecency issue. ...
• • The director responsible for this rum-soaked cinematic mirth-quake was Gregory Ratoff.
• • The appealing costume designs for Mae West were done by Walter Plunkett.
• • The main cast was:
• • Mae West — — Fay Lawrence
• • Victor Moore — — Hubert Bainbridge
• • Lloyd Bridges — — Andy Walker
• • William Gaxton — — Tony Ferris
• • Mary Roche — — Janey Bainbridge
• • Hazel Scott — — Herself
• • Lester Allen — — Mouse Beller
• • Xavier Cugat — — Xavier Cugat• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1943 • •
NYC
Mae West.
Watching MAE WEST in "I'm No Angel" — — and looking ahead to the rest of the titles in the screen series called "Breadlines and Champage" at Film Forum [NYC] — — steered many conversations towards the unfortunate economic desperation of Americans and speculations about whether or not Hollywood's hit machine can still tune us up. 
• • Former history professor June Sochen was thinking similar thoughts and penned a Guest Commentary for the Naples News.
• • Speaking her mind, June Sochen writes: During the Great Depression, Hollywood flourished.
• • To be sure, 1930 and 1931 were bad years, with declining revenues at the movie studios. Paramount Pictures, for example, was on the verge of bankruptcy when it recruited a New York vaudevillian named Mae West to Hollywood. Although she alone was not responsible for the turnaround, Paramount’s fortunes improved dramatically once her quips and winks enchanted viewers across the country.
• • The movie studios absorbed the cost of transferring from silent film to sound technology and began an aggressive marketing campaign to lure people into the theaters. They offered free dishes on Thursday night (normally a slow night), lowered the ticket price (it was about 12 cents in the late 1930s), and gave viewers their money’s worth — — two full-length feature movies, an episode in a serial, and a summary of the news.
• • Despite high unemployment and uncertain times, Americans needed entertainment, particularly of the escapist variety. The big screen and the darkened theater allowed viewers to indulge their imaginations, enter other worlds, and laugh and cry with their favorite stars. As a result, about half of all Americans went to the movies every week.
• • The meaning of this statistic is profound: Americans shared their popular culture. They talked about their favorite movies with each other and they worried about the marital problems of their favorite stars. Young women particularly started fan clubs and wrote letters. . . .
— — Excerpt: — —
• • Article: Guest Commentary: Popular culture during bad times
• • Byline: June Sochen, Naples, Florida [June Sochen is history professor emeritus at Northeastern Illinois University]
• • Published by: Naples News — — www.naplesnews.com
• • Published on: Saturday, 7 February 2009
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• • Gregory Ratoff played Tira's New York City lawyer Benny Pinkowitz in "I'm No Angel" [1933]. How many remember this funny scene with Mae West and Ratoff discussing the breach-of-promise suit?• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • "I'm No Angel" • • 1933 • •
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Mae West.
MAE WEST worked with director Wesley Ruggles, who died on January 8th.
• • Here is what The New York Times film critic had to say about "I'm No Angel" in his review (printed in the newspaper on 13 October 1933). Mordaunt Hall wrote: "Miss West plays her part with the same brightness and naturalness that attended her second film role. There is no lack of spontaneity in her actions or in the utterance of her lines. She is a remarkable wit, after her fashion. Cary Grant is pleasing as Clayton and Walter Walker is excellent as the considerate old judge. Gregory Ratoff does well as Tira's lawyer. Wesley Ruggles has directed the film with his usual intelligence. ..."
• • Born in Los Angeles was Hollywood director Wesley Ruggles [11 June 1889 — 8 January 1972]. A younger brother of actor Charles Ruggles, Wesley directed one of Mae West's most successful films in 1933.
• • In 1915, he began his career as an actor, appearing in several silent films — — a few with Charlie Chaplin. In 1917, he turned director, making more than fifty insignificant and forgettable films before he won acclaim with "Cimarron" [1931] and the financially flush and critically astounding blockbuster starring Mae West the following year. "I'm No Angel" raked in even more profits than "She Done Him Wrong" — — and this was in the height of the Depression.
• • Wesley's brother, actor Charles Ruggles had one of the longest careers in Hollywood, lasting more than 60 years and encompassing more than 100 films.
• • Wesley Ruggles died on 8 January 1972 — — at age 82 — — in Santa Monica, California.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1933 • •
NYC
Mae West.
On 6 October 1933, MAE WEST wowed the world when Paramount released "I'm No Angel."
• • To celebrate that blockbuster, in which Mae steps into a cage to tame the king of beasts, thereby making a childhood dream come true, let's enjoy a vintage review written by Mordaunt Hall, film critic for The New York Times, in 1933.
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• • Arrayed in a variety of costumes which set off her sinuous form, Mae West is appearing at the Paramount in her latest screen vehicle, "I'm No Angel," a title which, as might be surmised, fits the leading character. Here Miss West — — who wrote the story herself from "suggestions contributed" by Lowell Brentano — — is beheld as a circus beauty named Tira, who wins applause and admiration by risking her blonde head in a lion's mouth twice daily. 
• • It is a rapid-fire entertainment, with shameless but thoroughly contagious humor, and one in which Tira is always the mistress of the situation, whether it be in the cage with wild beasts, in her boudoir with admirers, or in a court of law.
• • Tira is ever ready with a flip double entente, and she permits no skeleton to be found behind her cupboard doors. She has an emphatic personality, which proves a magnet for even social lights with millions. She receives costly presents, including diamond necklaces, but she is hardly a gold-digger. She refrains from posing, preferring to keep her natural slangy speech in her journey through the story from a tent to a penthouse.
• • She admits that she has thrown discretion to the winds — — and she sometimes finds herself in an awkward predicament — — but through a wily lawyer she succeeds in proving that she is guiltless.
• • The feeble parts of this picture are those in which a criminal known as Slick is introduced. The less one sees of him the better one feels, for the production is interesting only as long as it proceeds on its merry route.
• • The glimpses of Tira making her impressive entry to the circus arena, and then proceeding to the big cage with the roaring lions, are depicted shrewdly. Tira does not actually stick her whole head in the lion's mouth, but contents herself by putting her face between the beast's jaws, which is quite enough. Even this is set forth with a certain degree of fun, and one feels that Tira probably has a pistol ready for an emergency and that other circus employee are ready to shoot in the event that the beast starts to close its mouth. But one is apt to wonder whether they could possibly be quick enough. Society among the spectators is thrilled, all except one snobbish girl, who is furious because her fiancé is very enthusiastic over the performer's courage — — and her beauty.
• • Later there comes the time when Tira puts her fair head into a court of law as the plaintiff in a breach-of-promise case. She sues Jack Clayton, whom she really loves, for $1,000,000, and it is not Tira's artful counsel who wins the case, but the circus queen herself. She cross-examines the defendant's witnesses and turns their testimony in her own favor, the unusual proceeding being countenanced by a judge whose sympathy Tira wins with the utmost ease.
• • Miss West plays her part with the same brightness and naturalness that attended her second film role. There is no lack of spontaneity in her actions or in the utterance of her lines. She is a remarkable wit, after her fashion. Cary Grant is pleasing as Clayton and Walter Walker is excellent as the considerate old judge. Gregory Ratoff does well as Tira's lawyer. Wesley Ruggles has directed the film with his usual intelligence.
— — 1933 film review — —• • Source: The New York Times
• • Film Critic: Mordaunt Hall
• • Originally published on: 13 October 1933
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1933 • • NYC
Mae West.
Many professional boxers worked with MAE WEST. When Frank Moran portrayed a framed convict in a memorable scene in "She Done Him Wrong" [1933], this was his fourth credit on the silver screen.
