Mae West: Why a Hiatus?

The MAE WEST Blog, started in July 2004 when there was very little content online about the Brooklyn bombshell (except for vintage film reviews and her best known witticisms), has been an abiding presence for eighteen and a half years on Blogger, now owned by Google.
• • Censorship by Google • •

• • You might think that a long-standing Mae West Blog that attracts over 100 international visitors a day would get some respect from Big Tech. Sorry but you’d be wrong.
• • As two examples of disrespect from Google, our ads have been deactivated and “sensitive content” warnings have been slapped on some posts.
• • Why, Google? Why? • •
• • There is no “objectionable” content here, in my opinion.
• • If Mae West were here, she’d probably say, “Censors again!”
• • Mae West Blog Goes on Hiatus • •
• • Therefore, the blog will go on hiatus and the focus will shift to allowing more time to complete a fascinating, heavily illustrated book: “Mae West’s New York, 1895-1970.”
• • Pictorial Biography in Progress • •
• • Filled with rare pictures of a lost New York, the fascinating city Mae West grew up in, the sights that inspired her writing, the vaudeville houses and theatres that welcomed her performances, this will be the first bio-pictorial written by a native New Yorker. 

• • Most Westian biographers have (curiously) hailed from England or from California. Unfortunately, books written by out-of-towners have had noticeable gaps in Mae’s life story — — and have lacked the perspective of a native New Yorker, someone intimately acquainted with Big Apple history and the socio-political forces unique to Mae’s birthplace.
• • A new domain? • •
• • Due to Google’s censorship, the blog may also be moved to its own domain.
• • If you wish to know more about “Mae West’s New York, 1895-1970,” feel free to leave a comment with your contact info. Personal comments will not be published; only I will see them.
• • Thank you for visiting today.
• • Please follow this blog to keep up with announcements.
• • Occasional updates on the forthcoming Mae West book will be posted — — so come up and see us sometime.
• • On Wednesday, 9 January 1889 in Brooklyn, NY • •
• • On this date, John West took his best girlfriend Tillie Decker to Brooklyn's Borough Hall to apply for a marriage license. Mae's mother's name appears as "Tillie Decker" on the form, not as "Matilda."
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •

• • Q. Did Mae West really make all those wisecracks, spontaneously, over the telephone to the thirteen editors in the nation-wide interview, or did she have rehearsals?
• • A. She did not have rehearsals. Mae's wit, both off the screen and on, is, apparently, as endless and as spectacular as her wardrobe.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "That's why I want you to see her story — — because her-story is the real lowdown."
• • Mae West said: "Sure, they are completely right when they say I make a parody of sex. That's my stock in trade. Any gal can get really sexy but it takes a smart dame to make guys and women both laugh at it."
• • Mae West said: "Every script presented to me, no matter how imaginative a story, was built around a man and a woman. Mae West pictures, as written by me, were built around a woman and men — — and the more the merrier."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The Australian newspapers mentioned the high salary of Mae West.
• • "Big Incomes in the USA" • •
• • Among motion picture people, Mae West led the list with 339,000 dollars (£67,800).
• • Others were: Marlene Dietrich, 145,000 dollars (£29,000); W. C. Fields, 155,000 dollars (£31,000); Miriam Hopkins, 71,000 dollars (£14,200); Gary Cooper, 139,000 dollars (£27,000); Charles Chaplin, 143,000 dollars (£28,600); Claudette Colbert, 85,000 dollars (£17,000).  . . .
• • Source: The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld.); published on Thursday, 9 January 1936
• • 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 18th anniversary • • 
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past eighteen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 5,150 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started eighteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 5,151st 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 • • colorized in 1933 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: The PCA Police

MAE WEST came to the attention of Tinseltown ninety years ago in 1932. Step into the Time Machine with me for a long, leisurely ride. This is Part 29.
• • Mae West in Hollywood 1932 – 1943 • •
• • Mae West: “I’m No Angel” surely worked its magic • •
• • “BELLE OF THE NINETIES” (75 mins., 1934) • •

• • Mae West’s role was Ruby Carter • •
• • Andy Goulding wrote: Not long after the triumphant “I’m No Angel,” the Hays Production Code was fully enforced.
• • Andy Goulding wrote: The code had been around for years already, it’s influence dogging Mae West’s progress in making her early films.
• • Andy Goulding wrote: But by mid-1934, approval by the newly-created Production Code Administration [PCA] was required if a film was to be released at all.
• • Andy Goulding wrote: “Belle of the Nineties,” West’s fourth film, found itself under the watchful eye of the PCA and reportedly the film practically had to be made twice in order to accommodate the PCA’s demands.
• • Mae West: Targeted by the purity police • • …
• • This will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Blueprint Reviews U.K.; posted on Friday, 3 December 2021.
• • On Tuesday, 25 October 1932 • •
• • Variety reviewed "Night After Night," the motion picture debut of Mae West.  A display advertisement for the film was printed in Variety's issue dated for Tuesday, 25 October 1932.
• • On Wednesday, 25 October 1933 • •

• • Under the headline "Chicago Likes Her" was a smiling portrait of Mae West by George Hurrell. The caption explained that "I'm No Angel" was in movie-houses in The Windy City during that week. The Chicago Herald and Examiner ran the coverage on Wednesday, 25 October 1933. 
• • This is one of the pictures George Hurrell took during a photo session with Mae West in 1933.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • "Hallelujah, I'm a Saint," a story by Marion Morgan and George B. Dowell, has been purchased by Paramount to provide additional material for the next Mae West starring picture. Mae will incorporate certain sequences of the newly purchased story and "Lulu Was a Lady," purchased two weeks ago from Frank Mitchell Dazey.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Sometimes I grow weary of fighting to keep faith with the public."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article about a funeral home mentioned Mae West.
• • "For Once, the Living Get the Roses at Campbell's" • •
• • NYC lawyer and journalist Bernard Stamler writes: With a client list that reads like a who's who of American celebrities — — Mae West, George Gershwin, Arthur Ashe, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis among them — — it is no ordinary funeral home. So when Frank E. Campbell, a genteel, nondenominational mortuary, decided to celebrate its 100th anniversary last week, it organized an extraordinary event: an open house with white roses for the ladies and refreshments served by tuxedo-clad attendants. New Yorkers turned out in droves. ...
• • Source: The N.Y. Times; published on Sunday, 25 October 1998
• • 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 18th anniversary • • 
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past eighteen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 5,100 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started eighteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 5,107th 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 • • in 1933 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Censors Objected

MAE WEST came to the attention of Tinseltown ninety years ago in 1932. Step into the Time Machine with me for a long, leisurely ride. This is Part 13.
• • Mae West in Hollywood 1932 – 1943 • •
• • Mae West: Censors objected • •
• • “SHE DONE HIM WRONG” (66 mins., 1933) • •
• • Mae West’s role was Lady Lou • •
• • Note: Mae West’s 3-hour melodrama “Diamond Lil” gets about 15 minutes of screen time here.

• • Andy Goulding wrote: Mae West’s triumphant debut in “Night After Night” practically guaranteed her a starring role in her next film and it was fitting that this role be one of her own creation.
• • Andy Goulding wrote: “She Done Him Wrong” is based on West’s successful, controversial Broadway hit "Diamond Lil" and while it is very much a pre-Code film, censors still demanded many changes to reduce elements of West’s liberated take on female sexuality.
• • Mae West: “Diamond” was banned from the suggested titles • • …
• • This will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Blueprint Reviews U.K.; posted on Friday, 3 December 2021.
• • On Saturday, 28 September 1974 • •
• • The colorful Mae West room in Dalí Theatre and Museum opened on Saturday, 28 September 1974.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •

• • It was in early September 1933 that Paramount’s film crew had called it a wrap for "I'm No Angel" starring Mae West and co-starring Cary Grant.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Charlie Chaplin, by the way, has sex appeal. That may seem far-fetched but think it over. He has it, which is one of the secrets of how he remains in favor.”
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A reviewer in Time covered a play by Mae West.
• • "The Theatre: New Plays in Manhattan" • •
• • "The Constant Sinner" • •
• • Time's critic wrote: Three seasons ago Mae West's lusty singing of "Frankie and Johnnie" and the nostalgic flavor of bar and brothel scenes made "Diamond Lil" a Broadway hit. In "The Constant Sinner," which Mae West wrote from her own novel, the bars and brothels are Harlem in 1931, and Mae West does not sing. But "The Constant Sinner" is no tame play, nor is it a dull play.  ...
• • Source: Time Magazine; published on Monday, 28 September 1931
• • 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 18th anniversary • • 
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past eighteen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 5,000 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started eighteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 5,091st 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 • • onscreen in 1933 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Going Down? No!

MAE WEST came to the attention of Tinseltown ninety years ago in 1932. Step into the Time Machine with me for a long, leisurely ride. This is Part 2.
• • Mae West in Hollywood 1932 – 1943 • •
• • Mae West: A formula? No, not really. • •
• • Andy Goulding wrote: There’s received wisdom amongst many reviews that all Mae West films are pretty much the same and that they go downhill the moment the censorious Hays Code takes a firm grip.

• • Andy Goulding wrote: While there is certainly a hint of a formula to some of the early films, it is an effective one and to say it continues across the whole West catalogue is simply untrue.
• • Andy Goulding wrote: The style varies across her output to incorporate farce, melodrama, westerns, light character comedy, boisterous ensemble pieces and showbiz revues.
• • Andy Goulding wrote: And only those hungry for the most risqué of one-liners and nothing besides (something West is unfortunately reduced to all too frequently) would contend that the quality dips significantly.
• • Mae West: As censors square up to her • • …
• • This will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Blueprint Reviews U.K.; posted on Friday, 3 December 2021.
• • On Sunday, 13 September 1953 • •
• • Walter Ames wrote the amusing article "Who's Marilyn Monroe, Queen Mae West Asks" for The Los Angeles Times.  His piece ran on the front page — — of the weekend edition dated for Sunday, 13 September 1953.  
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Letters come to Mae West from all over the world.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I'd rather make pictures than whoopee."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article about a new TV show mentioned Mae West.
• • TV Guide wrote: Mae West, now 66, will soon star in a five-a-week, late night, quarter hour show locally, and then has plans for a film series, "Klondike Lou" ....
• • Source: TV Guide; published on Saturday, 13 September 1958
• • 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 18th anniversary • • 
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past eighteen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 5,000 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started eighteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 5,080th 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 • • wearing a diamond necklace in 1932 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest