Mae West: Mel Bellicose

Another person who worked with MAE WEST was a colorful attorney who was born and died during the month of July.
• • Born in Sonora, California, Melvin Belli [29 July 1907 — 9 July 1996] represented Mae before the bench along with clients such as Jack Ruby, mobster Mickey Cohen, Errol Flynn, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Muhammad Ali, and a long list of the notable, the naughty, the nefarious, and the notorious.
• • Dramatically attired in scarlet-lined Saville Row suits and $750 cowboy boots, Mel the Bellicose whizzed around the hilly Bay Area in his customized marigold-yellow Rolls-Royce.
• • If the screen queen came up to see him in person, then she would have put in an appearance at Frisco's historic structures situated at 722 and 728 Montgomery Street. Known as the Belli buildings, these charming earthquake survivors had been the San Francisco offices of the renowned lawyer who had been known as "The King of Torts." Constructed in 1851 and 1853, these had originally housed the Langerman's tobacco warehouse and the original meeting house of the Masonic Lodge
• • The much-married expert on personal-injury law was in the news today because his former estate in San Francisco has gone on the market for $39.5 million. That’s about six times its sale price in 1992.
• • Melvin Belli's courtroom successes afforded him an opulent lifestyle. From 1978 — 1992, he resided in a 1922 brick Tudor Revival of about 11,000 square feet with six bedrooms, five baths, and two powder rooms. Set on an unusually wide 80-foot lot in the Pacific Heights neighborhood, the four-story home includes a heated outdoor pool, spa and four-car garage and bay views, on 0.3 acres.
• • Not shy with a comeback, Belli once told a reporter: There is never a deed so foul that something couldn't be said for the guy; that's why there are lawyers.
• • In 1996, fourteen weeks after his sixth wedding, Belli died at age 88.
• • 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/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Imitated

She's 77, still unsinkable, and she's doing an imitation of MAE WEST in a cabaret show in Manhattan not far from where the Empress of Sex once lived with sister Beverly.
• • Born in El Paso, Texas on 1 April 1932, Debbie Reynolds is an actress — — and currently describing herself as a vaudevillian.
• • Included in her little bit of this, little bit of that act are celebrity impersonations of Mae West, Katharine Hepburn, Zsa Zsa Gabor (advising Paris Hilton), Barbra Streisand, and others she knew.
• • Before launching into a Judy Garland [10 June 1922 — 22 June 1969] medley, Debbie confided that she and the troubled vocalist were neighbors who used to bend an elbow together. It's left unsaid which woman could outperform the other at the bar but — — at a microphone — — let's just say that Garland's reputation is still safe.
• • Debbie Reynolds will entertain her fans through 27 June 2009 at Café Carlyle [Carlyle Hotel, 35 East 76th Street, New York, NY; (212) 744-1600]. If you go, tell us what you think of her impersonations.
• • 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/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Debbie Does

Debbie Reynolds, who once collected costumes and apparel worn by MAE WEST, will now be stepping into her shoes.
• • The youthful 74-year-old performer will star in a string of concerts this winter, including a show in Las Vegas for New Year's Eve. "They call it a concert show. I still call it a vaudeville show," the perky actress told a reporter recently. Reynolds adds, "I do my impressions" — — and these include MAE WEST, Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, along with Zsa Zsa Gabor advising Paris Hilton.
• • Born Mary Frances Reynolds on 1 April 1932 in El Paso, Texas, the performer is now "more uninhibited than ever," opines The Advocate.
• • A career-making role was her portrayal of Titanic survivor Molly Brown in the buoyant blockbuster "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" [1964], which was nominated for six Oscars, and scooped up several accolades.
• • Asked, "Why do you think gay men in particular adore you?" Debbie Reynolds was on message. Listen to her canny [canned?] response: Well, because I adore them, I understand their lifestyle and the situations that life has presented to them. I admire how well they handle it. I am for them. I am their "mother at large," let's say. I appreciate all the hardship they have had to go through just to convince somebody that they were wonderful ... and not to be put down because of a lifestyle. It's not like you picked it out of a hat, but it's all yours. It would be much better if people in the world understand and accept and love you for you. ...
— — information was extracted and modified from this source: — —
• • The Advocate — — Advocate.com
• • Posted on Advocate.com || Q & A || 5 December 2007
• • Article: The Unsinkable Debbie Reynolds
• • The legend gabs with Greg Archer about her upcoming return to the stage, her loyal gay fans, and how Hollywood has changed since her heyday.
• • Byline: Greg Archer
• • 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.