skip to main |
skip to sidebar
The Sunset Strip was once dotted with night clubs where all the big names performed live such as MAE WEST, Cab Calloway, Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Judy Garland, Peggy Lee, and more.
• • In 1940, Billy Wilkerson opened Ciro's at 8433 Sunset Boulevard, on the Sunset Strip.
• • When Jerry Fink interviewed Steve Rossi for the Las Vegas Sun, he mentioned Ciro’s.
• • Steve Rossi: Mae West came in to see me one night [in 1953] with her manager, Jerry Franks. I was 20 at the time. After the show, they knocked on my dressing room door and she walks in with all her jewels and false eyelashes an inch-and-a-half long and she says, "You're a terrific singer and you've got a great body and a great face. I'm doing a nightclub act with Mr. America, Mr. World and Mr. Universe and I want you be my leading man. You'll feed me lines and sing to me in the show." I told her I was a student at a Catholic university and she said, "I don't give a damn ... I want you in my show, and I'll sign you up with my agency, William Morris."
 |
| Steve Rossi and Mae West |
• • Las Vegas Sun: How long were you with her?
• • Steve Rossi: For 14 months. And for a long time "The Mae West Revue" was at Ciro's Supper Club on the Sunset Strip, where all the biggest stars worked. Our sold-out show went on right after (Frank) Sinatra and just before Sammy Davis Jr. …
• • Source: Las Vegas Sun; published on Friday, 24 May 2002.
• • On Wednesday, 12 June 1946 • •
• • The Schuberts wanted to land "Come On Up" starring Mae West on Broadway, after her regional tour. They promoted this show with a full page of warm-hearted local reviews in Variety, in the issue dated for Wednesday, 12 June 1946.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West was doing the best she could between legit hits and flops, and mostly flops, in 1929, but she's a $6,600 picture name on the New York Paramount stage this week.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: “I have always been too busy with my own affairs to be envious of anyone.”
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An academic paper mentioned Mae West.
• • Jenna Simpson wrote: For one thing, there is considerable evidence that "immoral" pictures were quite popular across the country. Mae West, for instance, was very successful in her transition from stage to screen in the early 1930s. Her 1928 play "Diamond Lil" was so inflammatory that the Hays Office [the film censorship office run by Will Hays and supported by the movie studios] demanded that the studio should change the title and the plot before the movie could be released. …
• • Source: “Reforming the Stage and Screen: How Expectations, Audiences, and Economics Shaped the Film and Theatre Censorship Movements in Early-1930s New York” by Jenna Simpson; posted in 2005
• • 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 4,495th
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 • • with Steve Rossi [this image is protected by ©; be nice and do not grab it without permission] • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
MAE WEST, wrote a New York City film critic, is her own plot. Having spent years grooming and custom-tailoring her public image, Mae West only wanted to play the roles that would magnify that persona, a screen presence that was resourceful, triumphant, alluring, and youthful.
• • Curiously, Billy Wilder wanted Mae West to play Norma Desmond in "Sunset Boulevard," a full-length feature released in August 1950. Billy had always found Mae West's image irresistible, ever since he had seen her early motion pictures for Paramount. In their commissary (and over at Lucey's), Mae and Billy had often chatted and swapped naughty narratives.
• • Billy Wilder was shocked to find Mae West more insulted than flattered at the chance to play a faded, eccentric, reclusive movie star. Shows you how much he knew about women, eh?
• • Born in Sucha, Galicia, Austria-Hungary during the month of June — — on 22 June 1906 — — Billy Wilder entered the film industry in 1929 as a screenwriter, penning numerous scripts for German films until Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933. Wilder immediately realized his Jewish ancestry would cause problems, so he emigrated to Paris, then the USA.
• • Billy Wilder [22 June 1906 — 27 March 2002] was a journalist, filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer, whose colorful career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films.• • 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 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWestNYC
Mae West.
Enjoy an exciting evening dedicated to MAE WEST on Monday 23 February 2009 at the James Bridges Theater [on the campus of UCLA].
• • There will be guest speakers, film clips, and actual dresses worn by Miss West and designed by Edith Head and Elsa Schiaparelli.
• • Moderated by Robert Rosen, Dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, the event will be filled with surprises and goodies to make it a night to remember.
• • The event begins at 7:30PM — — and it is FREE and open to the public.
• • Where: The James Bridges Theater: 302 East Melnitz, Melnitz Hall, Westwood, California 90024; tel 310-206-8013
• • Cross Street — — corner of Sunset Boulevard and Hilgard Avenue• • Tell 'em you heard about this event on the Mae West blog.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • In 1971 Mae West went to UCLA to accept their "Woman of the Century" award.• • 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 used to perform at the legendary Ciro's on Sunset Boulevard, Leonie Cooper reminds the British readers of The Guardian. London is seeing a resurgence of those glamourous nightspots. At the 2-year-old Pigalle Club [in London's Piccadilly], for instance, Eartha Kitt is still stepping out from behind the velvet drapes at the back of the stage. In her red dress slit to the thigh, 81-year-old Kitt is the epitome of supper-club chic.
• • Leonie Cooper writes: Hollywood movie stars of yore knew how to dine out in style. At Ciro's supper club on Sunset Boulevard — — a favourite of Marilyn Monroe and Lana Turner — — the entertainment was provided by luminaries such as Mae West, Edith Piaf, and Billie Holiday, while Bogie and Bacall used to eat at the Mocambo, a Brazilian-themed venue that was inhabited by a flock of showbiz parrots. This was the golden, maribou-trimmed era of supper clubs, yet now, despite lean times looming, ritzy restaurant-cum-nightclubs are experiencing a revival. ...
• • Cooper has researched an enjoyable feature and you can read the rest online in The Guardian.
— — Excerpt: — —
• • Article: A new generation of sophisticated, luxurious supper clubs is bringing back the glamorous tradition of 'dinner and a show'.
• • Written by: Leonie Cooper
• • Published in: The Guardian — — http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/
• • Published on: 21 May 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.
Gossip columnist Liz Smith grabbed her jaded readers' attention by quoting MAE WEST when she opened a recent installment with this headline: "Lost reputations? Some stars are trying to recover theirs."
• • Before turning the topic to pooped pop-tart Britney Spears, former porn queen Traci Lords, Bronx native Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts, Paris Hilton, and others, la Liz led off on her left foot with a sour note.
• • Liz Smith wrote: I LOST my reputation young, but never missed it," said Mae West, the only star who never mourned lost youth, faded career, or lack of public interest.
• • Why? Because Mae didn't believe those things happened to her! (Mae was Billy Wilder's first choice for Sunset Boulevard.) She was by far the most self-assured, ego-driven actress ever to set foot on a soundstage, usually referring to herself in the third person.
• • Speaking of reputations, there is still talk going around Hollywood . . .
— — excerpt — —
• • Syndicated to newspapers by: Tribune Media Services
• • Columnist: Liz Smith
• • Published on: 10 October 2007
• • 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.
A funky little web site called "Not Starring" has a very brief entry for MAE WEST. They list three roles turned down by the actress.
• • Roles turned down by Mae West: Belle of New York.• • Mae West was the first casting choice for the part of Mrs Phineas Hill, but her asking price was too high. Actress who got the part: Marjorie Main. This musical [1hr 22min] starred Fred Astaire and opened on 1 January 1952.
• • Another role turned down by Mae West was Roustabout.
• • Elvis Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, had hoped to land West for the role of Maggie Morgan. Though interested at first, Mae West did not like the script or the terms of her contract. Actress who got the part: Barbara Stanwyck. This picture was released on 20 October 1964.
• • Hard to believe but Sunset Boulevard was originally written as a comedy for Mae West, however, she objected to being casr as a faded film star and turned it down. Actress who got the part: Gloria Swanson. Released on 4 August 1950, the one hour and 50 minute classic was a cinematic triumph for Swanson.
• • This text was expanded from bare-bones bits on - www.notstarring.com/ - NotStarring.com.• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xmlMae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • to come • •
NYC
Mae West.
Mae West knew some shady characters — — and Champ Segal had a special place in his heart for Mae. 
• • Sunset Boulevard during the 1940s was where all the guys and dolls nightclubbed, gambled, brawled, and minted gossip. Harry "Champ" Segal, a former boxer and bookie, ran a little joint on the Strip that was disguised as a barbershop (not unlike the bookmaking and loan-sharking operation he ran in a midtown Manhattan barbershop). Nearby in Los Angeles, Champ's bosom buddy Benjamin Siegel had an office at the corner of Sunset and Vine, although Bugsy did not take walk-ins.
• • Although Champ Segal never won a title in the ring, the dapper hoodlum managed many prizefighters — — Charley "Phil" Rosenberg, Ace Hudson, Phil Kaplan, Freddy Beshore, Sal Belloise — — and had 118 fights himself, 78 of which he won by knock-outs.
• • Mae West enjoyed going to boxing matches and she got a kick out of the nattily dressed wheel-dealer. Champ Segal admired Mae and included anecdotes about their friendship in his book.
• • Born in Harlem in 1899, by 1917 Harry had an arrest record for possessing narcotics.
• • In 1927 he was locked up in connection with a homicide at his restaurant on St. Nicholas Avenue and West 112th Street. Throughout his hair-raising past he must have been taking notes for this biography that his brother published in November 1959, which was called "a daring and exciting book about the world of sports, gambling, gangsters, and politicians from the 1920s to the present day." Though Champ was as solitary a figure as Charlie Chaplin, astonishingly he did have a brother; Hyman's name appeared on the dustjacket: They Called Him Champ: the Story of Champ Segal and His Fabulous Era by Hyman R. Segal [NY: Citadel Press, 1959; 480 pages with b/w photographs].
• • Mae West, Texas Guinan, Al Capone, Legs Diamond, Bugsy Siegel, Primo Carnera, Mayor Jimmy Walker — — they're all inside.
• • November 1959 there was a book launch at Lindy's Restaurant with his buddies from Stillman's Gym.
• • That was a better November than nine years earlier for Champ Segal. On 1 November 1950 the 51-year-old bookie was arrested outside of the Park-Sheraton Hotel, where he'd been living. This was part of a Times Square round-up of gangsters by the police. Champ Segal slipped through the grasp of the city's legal eagles, however. The colorful con man was still being indicted in 1974 when he was age 77.
• • 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 pal • • 1967 • •
NYC
Mae West.
