skip to main |
skip to sidebar
The summer air was feverish with a hot surge of adoration and applause during July 1928 when MAE WEST was riding a big box office wave at the Royale Theatre. 
• • Though this Broadway showplace [located at 242 West 45th Street] had first hung out its shingle during January 1927, and has become known for long-running musicals, a non-musical was the theatre's first box office bonanza: Mae West’s "Diamond Lil," which wriggled five costume changes into the star's dressing room on 9 April 1928 and maintained its sunny side up for over 170 performances.
• • Time Magazine took its temperature [issue dated Monday, 23 April 1928].
• • Time's theatre critic, sparing no flair, admitted Lil had his heart at hello: "Diamond Lil" — — Propped up under the armpits by a dress that might have been designed by the stage carpenter, Mae West played the role that she had written about a bygone queen of Manhattan's underworld. Diamond Lil was a harlot whose heart was as big and golden as the enormous swan shaped bed that stood in her elaborate cubicle above Gus Jordan's saloon and brothel. None the less, she was hardboiled; when a Salvation Army captain came to save her soul, she planned to seduce him and when a lady threatened a double cross, Diamond Lil stabbed her in the tenderloin district. Despite her efforts, Gus Jordan, the Bowery boss, is caught eventually, for white slave trafficking. The Salvation Army captain, really a member of the police force, is his captor; Diamond Lil cuddles into his arms at the end saying, "Boy, I knew you could be had.''
• • Actress West plays her heroine with an eloquent and minatory calm, which contrasts well with the chryselephantine magnificence of her appearance. There are old-time tough songs, outmoded slang words ("moll," "dick," "corset"), and singing waiters, one of whom yodels, in the musty barroom, the same song with which he recently amused Manhattan cabaret patrons. "Diamond Lil" is an entertaining melodrama, concluded Time's man on the aisle.
• • You just don't hear critics uttering "minatory" these days, do you? Minatory — — means of a menacing or threatening nature.
• • And how about that $25 phrase "the chryselephantine magnificence"? Chryselephantine — — (adjective) means made of, or overlaid with, gold and ivory, as certain objects made in ancient Greece. In 1928, those drama critics knew how to show off a good vocabulary when the mood hit.
• • Mae West on the Newsstand Now • •
• • Films of the Golden Age Magazine, issue for Summer 2011. The big cover story is focused on the life and career of Steve ["Hercules"] Reeves, whose muscular physique was seen in ‘Sword and Sand’ flicks. Readers will enjoy a very nice profile of Mae West. There is a feature on one of Mae's costars Louis Calhern, too, as well as on director William Castle. Special section on the wonderful movie year of 1941.
• • Mae West in Verse • •
• • Edward Field's poem “Mae West” was published in The New Yorker, issue for 15 July 1974.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Save a boyfriend for a rainy day — — and another, in case it doesn't rain."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Speaking about education needs, George Bush quoted both Mae West and Gandhi.
• • James Gerstenzang writes: President George Bush told an education forum in a blue-collar north New Jersey suburb Thursday that — — in facing its education needs — — the United States must "rely less on the collective wallet, and more on our collective will." Quoting Mohandas K. Gandhi and Mae West and stopping his motorcade by arrangement to greet a sixth-grade, learning-disabled student who had written to him, Bush sought support for his newly unveiled education program in a community that has achieved a 1% school drop-out rate. ..."
• • Source: Article: "Bush Cites Gandhi, Mae West in Education Talk" written by James Gerstenzang, Staff Writer for The L.A. Times; published on 14 April 1989
• • 17 July 2004 — 17 July 2011 • •
• • In mid-July the Mae West Blog celebrates its seventh anniversary. Thank you to all those Mae-mavens who come up and see Mae every day.
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started seven years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 1998th 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 • • 1928 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.
Avid theatre-goer MAE WEST could spot charisma in a performer. As a 10-year-old child she fell under the spell of Bert Williams, mesmerized by his musical "In Dahomey" at the New York Theatre in 1903. The production of "In Dahomey" also included a talented actress-dancer, a black performer Mae would cast in her Harlem comedy "The Constant Sinner."
• • Performed on Broadway during the autumn of 1931 [from September 14th until November], this controversial bi-racial show was on stage 78 years ago at the Royale Theatre, 242 West 45th Street, with Mae West starring as Babe Gordon and Ollie Burgoyne featured in the role of Clara.
• • By mistake, the Internet Broadway Database lists Ollie Burgoyne as a MALE performer who was cast in SIX shows — — always in a female role. Time to meet the real Miss Burgoyne, who played in ten shows on The Great White Way and in other countries.
• • Olga "Ollie" Burgoyne • •
• • Ever notice how some theatrical reputations mimic a red poppy — — a vehement presence, brief, glorious, and dismembered in seconds?
• • Almost unknown today, versatile, graceful, ambitious, supremely talented Olga "Ollie" Burgoyne was part Russian and part Creole. Born on 13 June 1878 in Illinois, she had been an entertainer in Russia before joining the British-based cast of "In Dahomey," an operetta written by Bert Williams and George Walker. An outstanding success in the West End, "In Dahomey" came to London from New York City in 1903 and played at the Shaftesbury Theatre for nearly a year. When the acclaimed U.K. production finished, many of the performers created individual acts or assembled their own teams and toured. Heading one of these twosomes was the 27-year-old firecracker Olga Burgoyne who, with her partner, Usher Watts, formed the Duo Eclatant, according to Afro-American theater researcher Helen A Johnson. "Burgoyne was not only an entertainer in Russia, but a business woman as well," notes Johnson. "She was the owner of the Maison Creole, an elegant shop for women in St. Petersburg. She operated it until the war began — — while she was taking the baths in Austria."
• • Pursuing the course of an entrepreneur and entertainer could not have been easy for a Caucasian vaudevillian much less a dark-skinned female. Neverthless, Ollie Burgoyne earned respect for her work and was lauded as one of the eight major African American dancers/ choreographers of the Harlem Renaissance; she ranked in an elite group that comprised Helmsley Winfield, Edna Guy, Randolph Sawyer, Asadata Dafora, Katherine Dunham, Charles Williams, and Pearl Primus.
• • In March 1931, Ollie was performing in Yonkers, NY with a dance company called the Bronze Ballet Plastique. Since their performances went unnoticed, the group reinvented themselves as the New Negro Art Theater Dance Group. Billed as "The First Negro Dance Recital in America," Hemsley Winfield and Edna Guy, along with Ollie Burgoyne and 17 other dancers, opened at Chanin's Theater in the Clouds [NYC].
• • Ollie's dramatic training and the pleasing curves of her hipbones' kettle raised the heat at auditions. Appearing in ten Broadway productions from 1926—1937, her credits included: "Lulu Belle" [1926]; "Tired Business Man" [1929]; "Make Me Know It" [1929]; "The Constant Sinner" [1931]; "Blessed Event" [1932]; "Run, Little Chillun" [1933]; etc.
• • In the sophisticated romantic screen comedy "Laughter" [1930], starring Fredric March, Nancy Carroll, and Frank Morgan, Ollie had a bit part as a maid named Pearl.
• • Age did not slow her down. In April 1936, when she was 58, she was featured in "Mississippi Rainbow" [a show also known as "Brain Sweat"], which was seen at the John C. Brownell Lafayette Theatre, Harlem Unit, NYC.
• • As a sought-after choreographer and an instructor, Ollie Burgoyne worked behind the scenes in the motion picture industry as well, teaching Russian dances to American dancers.
• • In 1973, the vibrant 95-year-old died in the United States.• • 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.
Calendar girl MAE WEST was noted in Playbill's long-running feature: "Today In Theatre History: September 7."
• • Theatre chronicler David Gewirtzman writes: 7 September 1949 Mae West stars in a hit revival of her own play, Diamond Lil, for a 182-performance run at the Plymouth Theatre.
• • Last month, the annual Mae West walking tour paused at this popular playhouse on August 16th, and vintage Mae-memorabilia was shown to the group.
• • The Diamond Lil revival enjoyed great success at the venerable Plymouth Theatre [236 West 45th Street]. It opened there on 7 September 1949 — — and had four months of performances on Broadway.• • In his admiring review of her 1949 reinvigorated Bowery queen romp through her popular "naughty nineties" hit, The New York Times drama critic Brooks Atkinson admitted he was moved to acknowledge what he called — — in an atypically poetic effusion — — ''the sublime fatalism of the entire business,'' and he went on to ask: ''Is she kidding or is she serious?''
• • Knowing Mae, the likely answer is both.• • Are you a theatre buff? Then you ought to visit Playbill online — — www.playbill.com — — 'cause playgoers are much more fascinating than playboys.• • 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.
The summer air was feverish with applause during July 1928 when MAE WEST was riding a big box office wave at the Royale Theatre. 
• • Though this Broadway showplace [located at 242 West 45th Street] had first hung out its shingle during January 1927, and has become known for long-running musicals, a non-musical was the theatre's first bonanza: Mae West’s "Diamond Lil," which wriggled in on 9 April 1928 and maintained its sunny side up for over 170 performances.
• • Time Magazine took its temperature [issue dated Monday, 23 April 1928].
• • Time's theatre critic, sparing no flair, admitted Lil had his heart at hello: "Diamond Lil" — — Propped up under the armpits by a dress that might have been designed by the stage carpenter, Mae West played the role that she had written about a bygone queen of Manhattan's underworld. Diamond Lil was a harlot whose heart was as big and golden as the enormous swan shaped bed that stood in her elaborate cubicle above Gus Jordan's saloon and brothel. None the less, she was hardboiled; when a Salvation Army captain came to save her soul, she planned to seduce him and when a lady threatened a double cross, Diamond Lil stabbed her in the tenderloin district. Despite her efforts, Gus Jordan, the Bowery boss, is caught eventually, for white slave trafficking. The Salvation Army captain, really a member of the police force, is his captor; Diamond Lil cuddles into his arms at the end saying, "Boy, I knew you could be had.''
• • Actress West plays her heroine with an eloquent and minatory calm, which contrasts well with the chryselephantine magnificence of her appearance. There are old-time tough songs, outmoded slang words ("moll," "dick," "corset"), and singing waiters, one of whom yodels, in the musty barroom, the same song with which he recently amused Manhattan cabaret patrons. "Diamond Lil" is an entertaining melodrama, concluded Time's man on the aisle.
• • You just don't hear critics uttering "minatory" these days, do you? Minatory — — means of a menacing or threatening nature
• • And how about that $25 phrase "the chryselephantine magnificence"? Chryselephantine — — (adjective) means made of, or overlaid with, gold and ivory, as certain objects made in ancient Greece.• • The Royale Theatre on West 45th will be one of the tour stops on 16 August 2009.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Walking Tour: "Gaudy Girls on The Gay White Way: Mae West & Texas Guinan in the Theatre District"
• • When: 4:00 PM on Sunday — — 16 August 2008 — — rain or shine
• • Meet: Shubert Alley, 44th Street, West of Broadway, New York, NY 10036
• • Price: $10 [this walking tour lasts about 90 minutes]
• • Subway: N or R [BMT] train to West 42nd Street; 1 [IRT] train to Times Square• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • as Diamond Lil in 1928 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWestNYC
Mae West.
It is always nice to notice new television personalities who credit MAE WEST with being an inspiration.
• • The Brooklyn bombshell did not do too much work on the small screen — — which was still a new and untried medium to the vaudeville veterans born during the 1890s.
• • To Mae West's way of thinking, TV appearances were merely an episode and not the mainstay of her career.
• • Similarly, to the reality fixtures of the Bravo series "The Real Housewives of New York City," it seems matrimony has been a saucy episode but not the whole enchilada.
• • Naturally, nouns like "housewife," "motherhood," and "matrimony" do not figure in her life. However, Mae did work for a few years in burlesque, a form of live entertainment that is making a comeback in her hometown.
• • The New York Observer dispatched a scribe for The Daily Transom to West 45th's colorful Night Hotel and here's the headline Chris Shott accorded the interview with Luann, a former waitress and fulltime diamond polisher: "Countess Luann de Lesseps Conjures Lascivious Mae West at the Night Hotel."
• • Let's enjoy an excerpt together, shall we?
• • Chris Shott writes: The classy Countess Luann de Lesseps [born on 17 May 1965] is a big fan of the old bump and grind.
• • "I love burlesque!" Ms. de Lesseps confessed to the Daily Transom on Wednesday night, May 27, during intermission at former Roxy and Palladium promoter Lee Chappell's risque weekly Foreign Affairs show in the dimly lit lounge at Vikram Chatwal's Night Hotel on West 45th Street.
• • Sporting a slinky black Michael Kors dress, the 43-year-old co-star of the popular Bravo series "The Real Housewives of New York City" sat legs crossed, slowly sipping a glass of red wine, while onstage the contortionist and onetime Cirque du Soleil aerialist Ekaterina Sknarina performed a steamy striptease and bawdy hostess Lady Rizo belted out an appropriately schizophrenic cover of the 2006 Gnarls Barkley song "Crazy." . . .
• • Vowing to be true to the jewelry box . . . • •
• • In fact, her marriage to the Count Alexandre de Lesseps has been the subject of much speculation in recent weeks, with her rep ultimately confirming rumors of a split.
• • She vowed to cling to her noble title, nevertheless, she told the Daily Transom. "And the jewelry!" she added, laughing.
• • "But I love cabaret and I love this kind of music," Ms. de Lesseps said. "I'm a big fan of Mae West. So this takes me back. I actually just wrote a book called Class with the Countess. And I write about Mae West and I write about how I think that she was such a great woman because she knew how to be a woman. You know, how to flirt. I talk about the art of seduction in my book and I talk about Mae West and I pull out a lot of her quotes, which I love. You know, 'It's better to be looked over than overlooked.' I think it's a lost art. I really do." . . .
— — Excerpt: — —
• • Article: "Countess Luann de Lesseps Conjures Lascivious Mae West at the Night Hotel"
• • Byline: By Chris Shott | The Daily Transom
• • Published in: The New York Observer — — www.observer.com
• • Published on: 28 May 2009
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• • 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.
On 22 April 1928, The New York Times was talking about MAE WEST. On the theatre page was an announcement that "Diamond Lil" was the most prosperous of all the recent stage productions.
• • "Diamond Lil" debuted at the Royale Theatre [242 West 45th Street, NYC] on 9 April 1928. It was a huge box office success — — as well as a favorite with drama critics.
• • Interestingly, though Mae had worn contemporary styles as Margy LaMont in "Sex," she situated her 1928 script in New York City during the Gay Nineties. Even after the show's run, the character Diamond Lil became the actress's enduring persona.
• • Engaging gowns designed by the British costumer Dolly Tree balanced Mae West's scarlet sisterhood style with a glamorous touch that made her more appealing to a middle-class audience.
• • 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.
Wendy Goodman knows who MAE WEST is but Jeremy Irons doesn't — — though the actor is now ensconced in her former dressing room.
• • Who is this guy who doesn't know much about Mae? Born in Great Britain on 19 September 1948, actor Jeremy Irons is in his second play on Broadway currently.• • Thanks to her entertaining column "Vulture Visits . . .," the spunky photo-journalist went to West 45th to see what else has changed since the Brooklyn bombshell was hanging out backstage at the Royale [rechristened the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre], and even hosting seances there mid-afternoon. You can see pictures of Mae West's dressing room in the latest issue of New York Magazine. Now on with the interview.
• • Wendy Goodman: Last week, the legendary Jeremy Irons invited us into his dressing room at Broadway's Schoenfeld Theatre, where he's currently starring in Impressionism with Joan Allen. His current backstage alcove is the exact same one he had in 1984 when he starred with Glenn Close in The Real Thing, for which he won a Tony. He spoke with us about the room's paint job (tomato red) and its other previous occupants.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • Wendy: What's the most important thing about a dressing room for you?
• • Jeremy: What I love is that I can open that door and everybody going up to their dressing rooms, or coming down, I can talk to, I see on the stairs, so I am not cut off. I am really in the middle of things, I love that. I have a window, I can see the street. I like that. It is not too big. It is just big enough, because I like boat-sized things, and it is a good size in that way. And I have a shower and a loo, which is all you need. I have a window that opens so that I can keep it cool. It just has a nice feel and it also has a memory. Amazing people have been here. One of the original occupants of this dressing room, someone was telling me the other day, a producer who had worked with her ... not Bette Davis ... Who was it who said, "Is that a gun in your pocket or are you excited to see me?"
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • Wendy: Mae West!
• • Jeremy: Mae West! Mae West had this dressing room! Which was fantastic, and a lot of great people had this dressing room. There is a great spirit in here, and I love that sort of feeling of continuity.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • Wendy: Can you tell us about your history with this dressing room?
• • Jeremy: Well, this is the room I had 25 years ago with The Real Thing, and that is the door that I met, I mean everybody. The door would open and there would be Paul Newman, or Bette Davis. My autograph book [takes it out and shows it to us] has all their signatures. There we are — Rosemary Harris, Louis Malle, Candice Bergen, January 5, 1984. There we are.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • Wendy: How was the room when you had it in 1984?
• • Jeremy: It wasn’t this color. This is the color [tomato red] I asked them to paint it this time, because when I came back it had been turned into an office. And I said, "Do you need that office?" And they said they didn’t need it, and I said, "Well, could I have it back as my dressing room?" So they took all the cupboards and the shelves out, put it back as it was, and painted it this color, which I think is a nice warm color, and gave me a couch that I can sleep on, and a table. ...
— — Excerpt: — —
• • Article: “Vulture Visits Jeremy Irons’s Impressionism Dressing Room"
• • Byline: By Wendy Goodman
• • Published in: New York Magazine — — nymag.com/
• • Published on: 8 April 2009
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • The Royale/ Schoenfeld Theatre is here: 242 West 45th Street, NYC 10036.• • 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.
"Diamond Lil" left the Plymouth Theatre on 21 January 1950 and MAE WEST then immediately took the show on the road.
• • The revival enjoyed great success at the venerable Plymouth Theatre [236 West 45th Street]. It opened there on 7 September 1949 — — and had 182 performances on Broadway.• • In his admiring review of her 1949 reinvigorated Bowery queen romp through her popular "naughty nineties" hit, The New York Times drama critic Brooks Atkinson admitted he was moved to acknowledge what he called — — in an atypically poetic effusion — — ''the sublime fatalism of the entire business,'' and he went on to ask: ''Is she kidding or is she serious?''
• • Knowing Mae, the likely answer is both.• • 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.
In July of 1928, MAE WEST impersonator Dorothy Sands was igniting a grand firestorm of media muchness. Newspapers and magazines ran pictures of the "Grand Street Follies" — — featuring the talented Dorothy Sands giving her impressions of Mae West [then starring in "Diamond Lil" at the Royale Theatre].
• • The amusing "Grand Street Follies" did not take place in Little Italy on Grand Street.
• • Despite its downtown title, the revue was right on the Rialto at the Booth Theatre [222 West 45th Street, NYC], where this clever little crowd-pleaser opened on 28 May 1928; it ran 144 performances at the 700-seat playhouse before closing in October 1928.
• • Coincidentally, impressionist Dorothy Sands [1893-1980] shared Mae's birth year and death year.
• • Refresh your Mae West memories on Friday evening 17 August 2007, when a guided tour will explore Manhattan's WEST-side during the "Mae West Side Story" walking tour. The event — — open to the public — — is timed to salute Brooklyn's own sexpot on her birthdate. [See the Annual Mae West Gala posting below.]• • Only 21 more days until Mae's birthday!
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West impressionist Dorothy Sands • • 1928 • •
NYC
Mae West.
MAE WEST on a postage stamp? While many Americans are in the Post Office today, buying two-cent stamps because the rates have increased, the Mae West Blog is fondly recalling the musical "Let 'Em Eat Cake" [book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind; music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin] – – why? – – because one character yearns to put Mae West in the mail.
• • During ACT II, SCENE 1, here's what happens:
• • The White House has become the Blue House. Even the portraits on the walls now wear blue shirts. The company sings about the new regime ("Opening: Act II"). Wintergreen ordains that there should be a new Mickey Mouse every day, not once a month. He also orders Mae West to replace George Washington on the postage stamp.
• • This musical previewed on Broadway 21 October 1933 – – not far away from Election Day – – and played 90 performances at the Imperial Theatre [249 West 45th Street, NYC 10036]. "Let 'Em Eat Cake" closed on 6 January 1934.
• • Do you agree that the lady should be a stamp? Write a letter!• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xmlMae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • none • •NYC
Mae West.
In April 1928, MAE WEST was busy - - and not just onstage.
• • Gangster Owney Madden, not especially famous for his spiritual side, often found his way to West 45th Street during 1928 to communicate with the unquiet dead. Before performances of "Diamond Lil" at the Royale Theatre [242 West 45th], the actress Mae West was fond of holding séances in their smoking room to channel Rudolph "The Sheik" Valentino and tenor Enrico Caruso.
• • Participants included speakeasy owners Texas and Tommy Guinan.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xmlMae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • none • •NYC
Mae West.
The role of Captain Cummings — — in Mae West's play "Diamond Lil" — — required a handsome, charismatic man with stage training. For the Broadway role, Mae chose Curtis Cooksey, who was born 9 December 1891 in Indiana. 
• • "Diamond Lil" debuted at the Royale Theatre [242 West 45th Street, NYC] on 9 April 1928. It was a box office success as well as a favorite with drama critics.• • Since 1916, the 25-year-old actor began winning leading roles on The Great White Way. Curtis Cooksey had starred in over a dozen productions before stepping into his Salvation Army uniform to make an impact on a beautiful saloon singer, a vivacious blonde bombshell who told him, "Diamonds is my career."• • Since 1911, Curtis Cooksey had also been cast in silent films [debut: "Taming a Tyrant"] and he made a smooth transition into talkies.
• • In the film version of Mae's play, Cary Grant played Captain Cummings [a.k.a. "The Hawk"].• • After a long career in Tinseltown, Cooksey contracted cancer. He committed suicide in Hollywood on 19 April 1962.• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xmlMae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West's co-star Curtis Cooksey • • circa 1950s • •NYC
Mae West.
During April 1930, when MAE WEST was enmeshed by the infamous "Pleasure Man" trial, she had no choice but to remain in Manhattan for the duration of these court proceedings. 
• • At the time, Mae was living with her brother and sister in furnished rooms on West 57th Street. The Depression had forced many people out of work. In April 1930, the census takers enumerated both Mae and Beverly as unemployed actresses. Their brother John West, a real estate broker at the time, was supporting the household. It was a sad time for all of them, following the death of their mother Matilda West. Mae profoundly mourned her closest ally.
• • One day Texas Guinan, who was covering the trial, invited Mae to perform at a fundraiser she was co-hosting at the Imperial Theatre [249 West 45th Street]. This playhouse had 1443 seats. 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 Vallee and his orchestra backed Mae as she sang "Frankie and Johnny" and a few other favorites on the wide proscenium stage of the Imperial. Other co-hosts were Walter Winchell, Mark Hellinger, Jack Donahue, and the event's organizer Heywood Broun.
• • By the end of the "Pleasure Man" trial, Mae West was bankrupt.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West venue • • circa 1924 • •
NYC
Mae West.
