skip to main |
skip to sidebar
The films of MAE WEST are being shown on college campuses. A showing at Indiana University inspired this fascinating article by Katherine Johnson, a PhD Candidate in Communication and Culture. This is Part 6 of 6 segments, the finale.
• • Mae West: More Than Meets the Eye • •
• • Mae West’s impact has lasted far beyond her career • •
• • Katherine Johnson wrote: Mae West’s impact has lasted far beyond her career as a prominent female figure in early Hollywood. To this day she is seen as a sex symbol and an important figure for the camp tradition. West is hard to forget for the defiant nature that still clings to her image; but she is also so often forgotten for the other creative and brave things that she did during her career. A woman with creative liberties like hers, who pushed back against the Production Code in the 1930s through her storytelling and dialogue, was something quite unique. She was more than met the eye, and I’d argue she still is.
• • For more on West see Biography’s piece on the actress, comedian, and writer.
• • “She Done Him Wrong” played at the IU Cinema on Saturday, September 29 at 4 pm as a part of the City Lights Film Series.
• • Katherine Johnson is a PhD Candidate in Communication and Culture, Katherine studies film and media, genre (particularly the Western), gender, and performance. She has a BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and has been fascinated with film since she could remember.
• • This article by Katherine Johnson has now been concluded with this sixth segment.
• • Source: Article by Katherine Johnson for Indiana University Cinema… A Place for Film™; posted on Wednesday, 26 September 2018.
• • On Sunday, 11 March 1934 • •
• • "Lemme see this Mae West first. Then I tell you!" • •
• • Jacob I. Lieberman, age 89, sat down in the theater, took one look at the huge figures on the screen, fumbled for his hat and cane and exclaimed: "I'm going out! People are climbing on the walls." Asked for his opinion of Greta Garbo, he said: "I want to see this Mae West first. Then I tell you."
• • Source: The San Bernardino Daily Sun; published on Sunday, 11 March 1934.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • This month may also mark the beginning of Mae West's slide down from her current peak of popularity — unless she does something different. In "I'm No Angel," she repeats the formula that brought her such immense original success.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Men, make every woman love you — — but don't love every woman. Pet them, like a tabby cat. They love it."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A Lancaster, PA newspaper mentioned Mae West.
• • “Divas and Dames: Kiss the Heels Goodbye’’ • •
• • Musical revue for adult audiences featuring marionettes and impressions of stars by Robert Brock, including Mae West, Bette Davis, Judy Garland, Bette Midler and Carol Channing. Show continues through 7 March 2020. Sat. 7 p.m. $30. Lancaster Marionette Theatre on 126 N. Water St. Phone: 717-394-8398. …
• • Source: Lancaster Online; published on Thursday, 20 February 2020
• • The evolution of 2 Mae West plays that keep her memory alive • •
• • A discussion with Mae West playwright LindaAnn LoSchiavo — —
• • http://lideamagazine.com/renaissance-woman-new-york-city-interview-lindaann-loschiavo/
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 15th anniversary • •
•
• Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during
these past fifteen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors.
And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 4,400 blog posts.
Wow!
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,428th
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/
________
Source: https://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml
• • Be sure to bookmark or follow The Mae West Blog
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • showing off her assets in 1932 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
After the fact, MAE WEST recalled that her former personal chauffeur, Ray Charles Wallace had threatened to kill himself. Depressed, the 44-year-old African-American World War 2 veteran had huddled under a quilt in the backseat of the screen star's Cadillac for his final (and fatal) nap. Then there was this headline on Thursday, 17 February 1955.
• • "Probe into Suicide of Chauffeur for Mae West" • •
• • Authorities yesterday were investigating the apparent suicide of Ray Charles Wallace, 44, personal chauffeur for actress Mae West. His body was found Tuesday in Miss West's Cadillac limousine on a farm near Patoka, Indiana.
• • Miss West, currently appearing at a Chicago night club, said she could give no reason for Wallace's death. Her manager, Vincent Lopez, said Wallace left Miami on Feb. 7 to drive the car here. Lopez said Wallace called him several times en route to complain of having "lots of trouble." Lopez said he notified Indiana state police Sunday to be on the lookout for Wallace.
• • Coroner Robert Kendall termed the death suicide. He said a hose ran from the exhaust pipe to the car's interior. In the car was a sealed metal box bearing Miss West's name. Miss West, who flew here from Miami, said she didn't know what the box contained.
• • Source: article in Chicago Tribune; published on Thursday, 17 February 1955.
• • On Saturday, 17 February 1951 in Los Angeles • •
• • In Los Angeles on February 17th, Pete Ermalinger, manager of the Biltmore Theatre, was negotiating for "Diamond Lil" the Mae West starrer currently in Texas.
• • "Hollywood Biltmore Seeks Lil Date" was the headline and the piece was datelined Hollywood, Saturday 17 February 1951. The popular show starring Mae West was, at that time, onstage in The Lone Star State.
• • Here's Mae looking ravishing in her Lil costume in 1951. She did bring the show to Los Angeles for an acclaimed run at the Biltmore.
• • This item ran in Billboard Magazine on 24 February 1951.
• • On Monday, 17 February 2003 in Sun-Sentinel • •
• • Reporting on an upcoming Gem and Jewelry Show in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, 17 February 2003, The Sun-Sentinel wrote that pieces owned by Mae West would be on display and available for purchase.
• • The Florida editors noted: Pearls, rubies, and diamonds will be among the sparkling pieces displayed at the upcoming International Gem and Jewelry Show.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Morgan Conway may be the heavy in Mae West's "It Ain't No Sin."
• • At the Friday Nite Hollywood Legion Fites [sic] some of the old faces have returned — — like Mae West and Jim Timony.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "So this is the place where a leaf falls up in some canyon and they tell you it's winter."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The Daily mentioned Mae West.
• • "Mae West Sick" • •
• • New York, Feb. 17th (A.A.P.) — — Mae West collapsed on the stage at Rochester last night, but the show went on. She was unable to continue with the third act of the play, 'Diamond Lil.' It was presented without her.
• • Source: News item (on page 1) in The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Australia); published on Saturday, 18 February 1950
• • Image: This was a generic program cover that Mae West used for the out-of-town bookings for the revival of "Diamond Lil" (not the cover of Playbill)
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 11th anniversary • •
• • Thank
you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these
past eleven years. The other day we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a
milestone recently when we completed 3,300 blog posts. Wow!
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started ten years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 3379th 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/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • in 1950 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC Mae West
MAE WEST tried to fight the racists and bigots by including black performers and black music in her projects. She would have beamed at this headline printed on Saturday, 5 February 1938.
• • "Storm Theatre for Mae West Film, Benny Goodman Band" • •
• • New York, Feb. 3. (A.N.P.) — Unlike some Southern audiences and censors who violently object to white and colored together on what they call "terms of social equality,” a crowd of 1,500 persons stormed the Paramount theatre on Wednesday to hail the return of Benny Goodman and his band featuring Teddy Wilson and Lionel Hampton, and see the new Mae West comedy film, “Every Day’s a Holiday,” in which Louis Armstrong plays his trumpet.
• • Last week the Memphis board of censors cut out all scenes from a new film showing the Goodman quartet because Wilson and Hampton were present, but this same quartet was one of the reasons for the unprecedented Paramount crowd. Lines started forming outside the theatre at 5 a.m., and the management had to call special police to care for the throng of 1,600 on hand when doors were opened at 7:30, a half-hour before scheduled time. The box office was forced to close at 10:30 with a line extending a block away, and the entire house of 3,664 seats had been sold out by nine.
• • When the Goodman band appeared on the stage, the audience roared a hearty greeting and couples began dancing in the aisles, with some of the more venturesome even going up on the stage.
• • As a precautionary measure doors were scheduled to open a half hour earlier during the band’s engagement there.
• • Source: Article written by A.N.P. for the Indianapolis Recorder; published on Saturday, 5 February 1938.
• • On Sunday, 5 February 1933 in New York World Herald • •
• • In an interview with New York World Herald in their Sunday issue, on 5 February 1933, Mae West boasted about discovering Cary Grant and getting him the role of Captain Cummings for her motion picture.
• • On Monday, 5 February 1934 in Scandinavia • •
• • "I'm No Angel" starring Mae West made its debut in Denmark on 5 February 1934.
• • On Saturday, 5 February 1949 on Broadway • •
• • Mae West fused herself to the persona of "Diamond Lil" like no other character she had ever played.
• • In the month of February, a Broadway revival of "Diamond Lil" opened at the Coronet Theatre [show dates: 5 February 1949 — 26 February 1949].
• • However, this hugely successful revival was interrupted, alas, after a few weeks. Mae West broke her ankle on February 26, causing performances to halt after she slipped on a rug in her midtown Manhattan hotel room. Ouch!
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West, in her own words, is an American legend and institution, one of our living classics.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I've always been aware of sex, and it's always been aware of me."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Columnist Mike Connolly mentioned Mae West.
• • Prentice-Hall handed Mae West one of the biggest advance royalties in publishing history for her autobiography, "The Queen of Sex." [Obviously, the title was changed along the way to the printer.]
• • Source: Gossip column item in Desert Sun; published on Wednesday, 5 February 1958
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 11th anniversary • •
• • Thank
you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these
past eleven years. The other day we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a
milestone recently when we completed 3,300 blog posts. Wow!
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started ten years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 3371st 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/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • in 1949 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC Mae West
