Mae West: Bay Ridge Error

How do you feel when you read something about MAE WEST — — published by a newspaper in her hometown (Brooklyn, NY), no less — — that makes no sense whatsoever? First a little background information on a Bay Ridge intersection: Third Avenue and 72nd Street.
• • Bay Ridge Theatre [7120 Third Avenue, Brooklyn, NY] • •
• • Built with seating for 1,796 ticket-holders in 1915 — — when Mae West was 22 years old — — this playhouse was designed as a vaudeville venue, judging by its generous protruding stage and rather low proscenium. Eventually, this independent became part of the Loew's chain. Closed in the late 1950s, it was repurposed as an arena for professional wrestling, then a bingo hall. It's now a gym.
• • Clearly, John M. Heffernan does not know that Mae West, born in 1893, was a grown-up by 1915 — — and rather well past the days when she competed to win $5 prizes in an amateur contest. According to his Brooklyn Daily Eagle article: Two blocks was away was the Bay Ridge Theatre on 72nd Street, now the home of McDonalds (and once the location of Bentleys.) This grand theater opened in the early twenties and was owned by Samuel Fox and seated 1,796 people, doubling as a live vaudevillian theater where it is told that a young girl named Mae West won a talent contest in the mid-1920s [sic]. This Bay Ridge landmark closed in the 1960s. . . . .
• • Hmmmm. Should someone tell Mr. Heffernan that by "the mid-1920s", Mae was starring on Broadway in "Sex"?
• • Brooklyn Daily Eagle: 30 Henry Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201; Tel 718-422-7400
• • Brooklyn Daily Eagle — — Email edit@BrooklynEagle.net
— — Excerpt: — —
• • Article: "Heff’s Corner: Veteran Bay Ridgeite Recalls Days of Yore"
• • By: John M. Heffernan
• • Published by: Brooklyn Daily Eagle — — www.brooklyneagle.com
• • Published on: 13 May 2010
• • Tell them you read about it on the MAE WEST BLOG.
• • 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: Bye-Bye, Brooklynite

They were both born in Brooklyn, New York, and both frequented hot Harlem nightspots such as The Cotton Club — — but MAE WEST and Lena Horne faced different limitations in Hollywood.
• • Lena Mary Calhoun Horne [30 June 1917 — 9 May 2010] • •
• • According to an NPR article: In early Hollywood, there was Hattie McDaniel on one end and Lena Horne on the other, and not a lot of room for either of them in between. If you didn't want to play a maid or a butler, there were not a lot of options. Even though Horne was the first African American to sign a long-term contract with a major studio, she was pigeon-holed in a way Judy Garland, Mae West, and other female performers were not. Horne's white counterparts sang, danced, AND acted. Were they typecast? Perhaps... certainly, in Mae West's case. But even West took her turn at dramatic roles and writing; we got to see that she was more than a pretty face. Lena Horne was denied roles with any artistic range whatsoever. . . .
— — Excerpt: — —
• • Article: "With Clipped Wings, Lena Horne Still Soared"
• • By: Jimi Izrael
• • Published by: NPR — — www.npr.org
• • Published on: 10 May 2010
• • 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: Langley, Canada

On 15 May 2010, at the Cascades Casino Summit Theatre, MAE WEST, Cher, Liza Minnelli, Tina Turner, Marilyn Monroe, Barbra Streisand, and eight other famous females will share the stage — — and the voice and body of the British Columbia based entertainer Bonnie Kilroe.
• • Bonnie's revue "Vegas Meets Vaudeville" has, she said, "the glam and glitz of Vegas and the slapstick comedy/ audience participation of old school vaudeville."
• • The Canadian actress went through a similar situation as Mae West once did: tired of waiting to be cast in someone else's show, she developed her own. Though she began with impressions of the late Patsy Cline, she felt portraying only one individual was too limiting and boring. Increasing her number of characters also forced her to upgrade her wardrobe and wigs. Bookings at local saloons, war veterans gatherings, and social clubs led to fancier engagements at golf resorts, at corporate celebrations, and on cruises.
• • Bonnie, now a polished quick-change artist and seasoned impressionist, has expanded her act. "I do characters that cover every age group... Mae West and Carmen Miranda for the older generations and Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga for the youth," she explained. "And then there are characters for everyone — — Cher, Marilyn Monroe, and Tina Turner."
• • WHERE to see Bonnie Kilroe's "Vegas Meets Vaudeville" — — Cascades Casino Summit Theatre: 20393 Fraser Hwy, Langley, BC Canada V3A 7N2; T. 604-530-2211.
• • Tell them you heard about it on the MAE WEST BLOG.
• • 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: Museum MoJo

MOMA featured a MAE WEST screen classic on Monday, 10 May 2010 — — and the news media dutifully announced the screening. However, we are partial to the sweethearts manning the Entertainment Desk over at NBC in New York. Giving the hometown gal a nice hand and, yes, we are kiss-kiss-kissing NBC right back.
• • According to NBC New York: WEST WAS WON: 1933’s “She Done Him Wrong” is best known for the bit where sassy saloon owner Mae West (who wrote the play the movie is based on) suggests to Cary Grant (whom she frankly looks like she could benchpress) that he might want to come up and see her sometime. The rest of the movie goes down just as easily, and is a nice reminder that not all early leading ladies were wispy, glowy butterflies or dark femmes fatales — West’s appeal is far more complicated than all that. MoMA, 8PM.
• • Source: "5/10: Ane Brun, Mae West, and the Electravox — — Three ways to pretend it’s not Monday" — — By ELIZABETH BOUGEROL for NBCNewYork.com
• • Wish you were there, doncha?
• • 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: Hollywood Cavalcade

An actress costumed as MAE WEST will take to the stage in Indiana — — performing at a fundraiser that will benefit the local youth theatre.
• • According to The Evening Forum: Born in the vaudeville era and the son of a theater manager, Harvey Cocks spent his youth moving from town to town with his family as his father opened theaters. He never stayed in one place long enough to make friends with kids his own age, so the vaudevillian performers became his friends. ... When he grew up, he moved to New York, where he spent 30 years performing on Broadway, TV, and radio. Now the 85-year-old director of Fort Wayne Youtheatre has channeled that love of show business into a stage production to benefit Youtheatre titled “Hollywood Cavalcade.”
• • Harvey's talented line-up will include Mae West, Charlie Chaplin, Bette Davis, Mickey Rooney, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Carmen Miranda, Hedda Hopper, Bob Hope, and Elvis.
• • "Hollywood Cavalcade" • •
• • WHAT: A musical review celebrating show business legends from the past — — written and directed by Fort Wayne Youtheatre’s Harvey Cocks. All proceeds benefit Fort Wayne Youtheatre.
• • WHERE: The Arts United Center | 303 E. Main St., Fort Wayne, IN | 260-422-6900
• • WHEN: 8:00 PM on 22 May 2010. [Ordering tickets in advance is advisable.]
• • Tell them you heard about it on the MAE WEST BLOG.
• • 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: Three Oaks, Michigan

MAE WEST as a guest — — performing on Judy Garland's TV show — — is the frame around Michael Holmes's mischievous portrait of classic Hollywod.
• • At the heart of his celebrity impressions is curly-locks Holmes's impersonation of the old "Judy Garland Show," her 1964 television variety show during which she played host to some of the greatest stars of Hollywood — — also portrayed by Mr. Holmes.
• • Judy's glamourous line-up includes Mae, Carol Channing, Bette Davis, and others, singing popular standards such as "Hello Dolly," "Stormy Weather," "I left my Heart in San Francisco," and many more as well as Judy's trademark number "Over the Rainbow."
• • WHERE: The Acorn Theater | 107 Generations Dr., Three Oaks, MI | 269-756-3879
• • Tell them you heard about it on the MAE WEST BLOG.
• • 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: Max Factor Shedding

The Hollywood Entertainment Museum will shed bits and pieces of the Max Factor Collection at an upcoming online auction — — which presents collectors with an opportunity to acquire one more MAE WEST keepsake — — on 15 May 2010.
• • Intriguing collectibles from the Max Factor Collection (slated for the sale next week) include: autographed negatives and photographs from well known stars of Hollywood's Golden Age such as Mae West, Theda Bara, Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Cary Grant, Corinne Griffith, and others; still production photos, set negatives and test photos, wig making schedules and more from such films as 1939 Gone with the Wind; the Kissing Machine, Head Measuring Device and a variety of Original Make-Up created by Max Factor dating as far back as 1917.
• • "The history of Max Factor and how he changed the faces of Hollywood forever will never be forgotten," stated Melissa Storment, VP of Super Auctions. "The online bidding has now begun and we will continue to post new items online daily up to the auction date."
• • Check out the space-agey iconic Beauty Calibrator, the only one known to be in existence.
• • 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: Alabaster

Just when you thought you had heard all the well-known sayings of MAE WEST — — and you figured could correctly identify which motion picture a line came from — — a wrinkle winks.
• • Rick Owens recently traveled to the USA to spit and polish his furniture exhibition, gaily named "Pavane for a Dead Princess," which will open in New York City on 25 June 2010. Meanwhile, when he's not channeling Ravel, Owens has been hitting up more reporters than the former mistresses of ink-stained Jesse James have. Owens gave a long, exhausting interview to Women's Wear Daily about Mae West, Kelly Cutrone, and the seductive side of alabaster. Hooray, it's not just for tombs and funeral urns anymore. Edgar Allen Poe, are you listening?
• • Well-known for his unusual creations (such as Cubist chairs with antlers, a must for every horn-loving household) and massive beds constructed entirely of alabaster — — eminently suitable for the cast of "Twilight" or for those who live in an industrial loft where the floors were used to supporting the heft of a printing press — — Rick Owens credits as his inspiration Mae West, who once said: "A real lady ... never sits when she can recline." Quote unquote.
• • 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: Joy

Joy had its own special place in the life of MAE WEST — — on her dresser, in fact. The legendary actress enjoyed wearing this expensive fragrance. If you are fortunate enough to own one of Mae's garments, you might even be able to detect the scent.
• • According to Kathryn Canavan, Longwood Gardens is the place to be this season (and that's where you'll find a hint of Mae, too). She writes: "A stunning collection of historic perfume bottles is on display — — ones shaped like a bow tie, bat wings, a skyscraper, a bejeweled egg, a crying sun, a jewel-eyed leopard astride a crystal rock, and the body of actress Mae West. And, of course, there's the iconic Chanel No. 5 bottle issued in 1921."
• • Kathryn Canavan notes: "Visitors will learn the story of Joy, the tony perfume created in 1930 to lift the spirits of those who could afford it after the 1929 stock market crash. It was the most floral and most jasmined fragrance ever created. One ounce of Joy requires 28 dozen roses and 10,600 jasmine flowers. ..."
• • Exhibition: "Making Scents: The Art and Passion of Fragrance"
• • Where & When: Now through 21 November 2010 at Longwood Gardens, 1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square.
• • For a nose-worthy experience that might bring a whiff of joy and a bit of Mae into your day, check out the link below and/ or tour the exhibit.
— — Excerpt: — —
• • Article: "Longwood goes for the nose — — A new exhibit encourages visitors to stop and smell the flowers."
• • By: Kathryn Canavan
• • Published in: The Philadelphia Inquirer — — www.philly.com
• • Published on: 30 April 2010
• • 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: World Tour

Join us for a breezy trip around the world with MAE WEST — — on a magic carpet made of newspaper.
• • DONEGAL: This will be an odd week for the lads working away in Fitzgerald Stadium. They will know that in recent years Tipperary haven’t been the Mae West but that they have good players. There would be a sense of shock if Tipp gave Kerry a tough 70-minute game but nobody in Kerry would be that offended either. It could happen. ... SOURCE: An article about the under-21 soccer game of the All-Ireland final as reported in The Irish Times — — on Wednesday, 5 May 2010.
• • LONDON: There was — — a gorgeous red number that looked like something Mae West might have worn if rubber clothes had existed in her day — — low cut with black rubber lacing and far curvier than me. Red — — yes, the dress was red. The rubber industry, Simon told me, has been branching into all sorts of colours over the last two or so years. ... SOURCE: An article about the return of latex and rubber apparel and the British boutiques that carry these garments as reported in Handbag.com on Tuesday, 4 May 2010.
• • BEIRUT: "Too much of a good thing can be wonderful," said Mae West, queen of 1930s Hollywood and a talented playwright to boot. West's view was thoroughly confirmed by "To the Ones I Love," performed at Masrah al-Madina Sunday. ... SOURCE: An article about the closing act of the Beirut International Platform of Dance as reported in The Daily Star Lebanon — — on Monday, 3 May 2010.
• • USA: A “Mae West” is a type of round parachute malfunction which contorts the shape of the canopy into the appearance of a brassiere, presumably one suitable for a woman of Mae West’s proportions. ... SOURCE: An article called "My Mae West Malfunction" as reported in The Veterans Today Network on Sunday, 2 May 2010.
• • ABILENE, TEXAS: On April 1, 2008, the two opened Ya Ya Gurlz, which they describe as a place “where Janice Joplin meets Mae West.” ... SOURCE: An article about a colorful year-old Texas store called Ya Ya Gurlz (run by a mother-daughter team) as reported in Abilene Reporter-News — — on Monday, 26 April 2010.
• • 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: Grand Opera House

MAE WEST performed in The Lone Star State — — to an appreciative crowd of 1,040 fans — — at the Grand Opera House located at 2020 Postoffice Street, near Galveston's central business district and the historic Strand. Built in 1894, the Grand Opera House is accessible by the island's trolley system.
• • Canadian reporter Ian Robertson writes: Like many such entertainment palaces, it became a vaudeville house after being rebuilt following the 1900 hurricane, then a cinema. Famous performers have included actresses Mae West, Sarah Bernhardt, Helen Hayes, and the Marx brothers.
• • Ian Robertson adds: A derelict, until $8 million and 13 years was spent on its restoration, today it hosts performances by stars such as Willie Nelson. Famous patrons include former U.S. President George W. Bush and his father, ex-President George H. W. Bush, the latter a Houston resident.
• • For an informative, up-beat armchair tour of Galveston, Texas, check out the link below.
— — Excerpt: — —
• • Article: "Can't resist Galveston"
• • By: By IAN ROBERTSON, QMI Agency
• • Published in: Toronto Sun — — www.torontosun.com
• • Published on: 2 May 2010
• • 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: Chickadee Defined

Did MAE WEST ever ponder the eternal question: "What is a chickadee?"
• • "My little chickadee" is the catchy phrase (in lyrical iambic meter) most associated with W.C. Fields. The actor first used it during a scene in "If I Had a Million" [1932] to address his co-star Alison Skipworth (who also appeared that year opposite Mae West and George Raft in "Night after Night").
• • The motion picture classic "My Little Chickadee" [1940] ends with this exchange:
• • • Cuthbert J. Twillie (Fields): "Come up and see me sometime."
• • • Flower Belle Lee (West): "Mmm, I will, my little chickadee."
• • According to naturalist and bird watcher Jim McCormac, who writes a column for The Columbus Dispatch: Real chickadees are a long jump cuter than Fields ever was, and they rival Mae West in flashy good looks. Not only are chickadees cute, they're bold, inquisitive and charismatic. . . .
• • Speaking of bold, "My Little Chickadee" was a box-office hit, grossing upwards of $20 million in the United States alone. And that ain't bird feed, honey.
• • 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: Nixon Theater

Pittsburgh Mayor David Lawrence and MAE WEST shared the stage of the Nixon Theater on 29 April 1950 — — after the final performance of her play "Diamond Lil." The 47-year-old theater was scheduled for demolition, making way for the new headquarters of the Aluminum Company of America. The actress was almost 57 years old and still playing to packed houses.
• • According to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Len Barcousky, Mayor Lawrence also offered hope to the 2,256 people who came to the closing-night performance. "The Nixon is not dying," he told the crowd, according to the May 1 edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "We didn't come here to bury the Nixon [Theater], but to praise it and move it." ...
• • One of the longest curtain calls on record . . . • •
• • "Diamond Lil" was a short three-act play linked to "one of the longest curtain-calls on record," reporter Gene Jannuzi wrote in 1950, sixty years ago. Mae West offered the crowd "about 10 minutes of rehearsed coyness" as she took her bows. ...
• • This intriguing article focuses on the history of the Nixon Theater, where Mae performed when the playhouse had been located on Sixth Avenue (now renamed Mellon Square). You can read more at the Post-Gazette's web site — — www.post-gazette.com/ — — and follow the tale of the venerable Nixon Theatre, which was relocated but eventually, alas, demolished.
• • 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: Hula Hips

Though it's unclear who wrote the "MAE WEST HULA," this amusing song was certainly in circulation by 1940 — — seventy years ago. For instance, a New Jersey newspaper, Red Bank Register [on Thursday, 14 November 1940] mentioned it along with a number of Hawaiian themed numbers as currently enjoying great popularity.
• • Following up on the "Hula Lou" post is this one that will definitely get your hips moving and your heart leaping. May we have this dance?
• • • • MAE WEST HULA • • • •
• • Although I'm not Mae West
• • I'll try to do my best
• • So here is my address
• • Come up and see me sometime
• • And sometimes I will say
• • Say, brother, can you be had
• • Now listen here, big boy
• • 'Oui" just as bad
• • So save up all for dinner
• • And whenever you have time
• • Come up and see me sometime
• • Oni oni Mae West
• • Here's to what nature gave me
• • What nature gave me is mine
• • If you want to see what nature gave me
• • Come up and see me sometime
• • Ha'ina 'ia mai
• • Ana ka puana, ea
• • He aha hou makemake
• • Shake shake Mae West
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • If you know who wrote this, do tell.
• • 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: Hula High

It was April 1924 and MAE WEST was back in vaudeville shakin' it and taking her twitches and bewitchment on the road. Hawaiian themed music was once again trendy and the sassy Brooklynite knocked on many doors along Tin Pan Alley looking for just the right material that would suit her. She found a funky new composition at Ager, Yellen & Bornstein, music publishers who had established their firm at 1595 Broadway in Manhattan in 1922. Since these hit-makers were riding high during the jazz age, it was quite a big deal to be featured on their song sheets — — and Mae grabbed the chance whenever she could.
• • During her marriage to handsome Guido Deiro — — a popular accordionist also in demand as a recording artist — — Mae became aware of the financial rainbows that brightened the lives of the top singers and musicians. But as her own career prospects continued to sink during 1923 and 1924, and since no record companies pursued her, Mae gamely trouped on and continued to entertain the southwestern wheel of the vaudeville circuit — — trying to sell sheet music with her picture on the front cover. Which swings the conversation around to "Hula Lou."
• • The song sheet was designed by Frank E. Phares with a clever inset that made each individual personalization quite simple.
• • Holy Honolulu! Not for Mae the gooey romantic yearning numbers such as "My Hawaiian Melody" nor "Honolulu Eyes." Nor would she have ever chosen a lightweight love ballad such as "Honolulu Honey" nor a harmless hula tempo such as "Hawaiian Sandman." The girl had gumption and looked for lyrics suitable for a flirt — — a self-confident seductress who could put across a sultry kootch onstage. Could any chart-topper be as suitable for the singing comedienne as this come-hither bragging and posing? Here's an excerpt.
• • • • • "HULA LOU" • • • • •
• • Lyrics: Jack Yellen; Music: Milton Charles & Wayne King
• • Copyright 1924 by Ager, Yellen, & Bornstein, Inc., 1595 Broadway, New York City
• • • You can talk all you want about women
• • • Said a sailor known as Dan McCann
• • • And if you really want to know about women
• • • You've got to talk to a sailor man.
• • • Now I don't know how many women the sailor met
• • • And I hope there isn't that any he'll regret
• • • For if he'd only met me I'd a given him some trimmin'
• • • I'm one gal he'd never forget.
• • • (Band): Well, who are you?
• • • Who am I? I'm Hula Lou.
• • • I'm the gal that can't be true.
• • • I do my nestin' in the evenin' breeze
• • • 'Neath the trees
• • • You oughta see me shake my BVDs.
• • • I never knew
• • • A man who wouldn't hula dance or woo
• • • And sail across the briny blue to who
• • • The lady known as Hula Lou. That's me.
• • • (Rap):

• • • Now you ask any sailor and he'll tell you
• • • That this lady is the greatest dancer he ever knew.
• • • There isn't a ship in the Navy
• • • That I haven't got a friend in the crew.
• • • There's not a cruiser on the waves
• • • Without someone who is my devoted slave
• • • And I don't care how nasty I may be
• • • I'm the one gal the sailors all crave. ...
• • Sophie's choice . . .
• • In January 1924 Sophie Tucker discovered this gem and recorded it with Miff Mole on Okeh Records. All by herself, however, Sophie was featured on the sheet music version.
• • On 13 February 1924 The Varsity Eight recorded their version of "Hula Lou."
• • While many vocalists posed on this song sheet, the lyrics are so well-suited to Mae West that it's a shame she didn't sing it in a motion picture so we'd have a record of it in her voice.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1924 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Broadway's Broad

April was surely the month theatre-goers associate most with MAE WEST on Broadway. Here's a sassy snippet from the entertainment editors of Playbill Magazine, David Gewirtzman, Anne Bradley, and Ernio Hernandez .
• • From Playbill's popular feature "Today In Theatre History: APRIL 26" • •
• • Playbill writes: 1926 "Sex." It's a comedy. Mae West plays a Canadian woman with no time for those mountees; it's the British navy for her. It runs through one season, but the following it is raided as immoral. The cast is arrested and Mae West, who also co-produced, is sentenced to 10 days in jail and is fined $500. A well-received off-off-Broadway revival in 2000 proved that the show still had laughs and a unique social point of view.
• • 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: Kenneth Hughes

Ken Hughes once worked with MAE WEST.
• • Then 56 years old when he was at the helm of "Sextette" in 1978, based on Mae West's play ["Sextet"], the British director died in the month of April and is being remembered. Not unlike reading the work of a very clever Marxist, the script's logic is impeccable, even when the premise — — that an actress in her 80s can portray a 26-year-old sexpot — — is wrong.
• • "Sextette" was the middle-aged director's first American film — — as well as Mae West's final screen appearance.
• • Vincent Canby, then the film critic of The New York Times, pursed his lips and gave the project a sound spanking. Canby wrote: The story, based on a play written some years ago by Miss West, is about a world-famous movie star and her attempts to consummate her sixth marriage to Sir Michael Barrington (Timothy Dalton) despite repeated interruptions by former husbands, lovers, dress designers, secret agents, publicity people and delegates attending an international peace conference just upstairs. It's a plot that Miss West has often favored, and it freely reprises a lot of lines from earlier pictures. The movie was directed by Ken Hughes ("The Small World of Sammy Lee," "Cromwell," and so on), a fellow you might think had better things to do than to prop up the Tower of Pisa. In addition to Mr. Dalton, "Sextette" features a number of other people who, in happier circumstances, are decent actors. These include Tony Curtis, George Hamilton, Ringo Starr, and the incomparable Dom DeLuise. There are some original songs and some old ones, a couple of which sound as if they'd been lip-synched by Miss West to old recordings . . . [N.Y. Times 8 June 1979].
• • On 19 January 1922, Kenneth Graham Hughes was born in Liverpool, England.
• • The Hollywood director developed Alzheimer's disease and died on 28 April 2001 in Los Angeles. Several of his obituaries reminded the public that "Sextette" was a camp disaster and, furthermore, that the writer/ director had had a prolific but "remarkably inconsistent career" with only one hands-down triumph: "The Trials of Oscar Wilde." Hard to believe the same person directed the family musical and moneymaker "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," the James Bond loser "Casino Royale," and "Sextette."
• • 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: Vote in Bombshell Poll

Number 17 is MAE WEST on a list of "The Top 25 Bombshells" of the big and small screen that Fox News has assembled. Here's a snippet from their entertainment desk.
• • Fox411 explains: "With sexy stars like Christina Hendricks, Scarlett Johansson, and Halle Berry taking over television and movies, it seems that Hollywood has finally renewed its celebration of the voluptuous woman. In keeping with that celebration, Fox411 has decided to review decades of stars and find the greatest bombshells ever to grace the screen. Check out our list of the top 25 bombshells of the big and small screen, and then cast your vote. ..."
• • Fox411 will reveal the winner next week. When the poll was checked on 27 April 2010, however, Marilyn Monroe was leading, closely followed by Sophia Loren.
• • Check out the poll — — http://entertainment.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/04/26/fox411-battle-of-the-bombshells-poll-who-is-the-sexiest-screen-star-of-all-time/ — — and cast your vote for the one and only Brooklyn bombshell Mae West.
• • 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: Vegas Memories

Anita Harris, age 67, met MAE WEST during the 1950s when she was invited to perform in Las Vegas. Here's a snippet from a recent interview that News of the World did with the perky Scottish songstress.
• • NOTW: Once you got to Sin City, you found yourself rubbing shoulders with Mae West and Frank Sinatra. What are your favourite memories from that time?
• • ANITA HARRIS: Mae was a very large lady. Very statuesque. But she loved her men. The male dancers from our production often used to go out on the town with their counterparts on her show. And Frank? Well, Sinatra was beautiful. When he performed you could tell he wanted to give his best and that was a great lesson for me. The way he engaged you as if he was just singing to you. ...
• • Currently, Anita Harris is back onstage delighting audiences in Scotland with a special 25th anniversary production of "Stepping Out" at Dundee Rep and elsewhere. Good luck, Anita!
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
Source:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1950s • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: April News Showers

"Act in haste, repent in leisure" was never a saying of MAE WEST's. But perhaps it crossed her mind during the unrelenting "news showers" raining on her p.r. parade in April of 1935.
• • On 25 April 1935 the motion picture "Goin' to Town" was released starring Mae — — who was, as usual, busy promoting her latest picture. One bit of screen dialogue ran this way:
• • • • • Young Fellow: What excuse has a gal like you for runnin' around single?
• • • • • Cleo Borden: Mmm, I was born that way.
• • Frank Wallace was runnin' around single, too — — since he had not lived with Mae since shortly after their quickie wedding in April 1911.
• • But he had suddenly decided his 1911 romance ought not to be consigned to the realm of forgetfulness (especially when his former mate had become famous and a millionaire).
• • Words, words, words. Grinding them together, Frank summoned up the void for any news man who would interview him over a nice hot lunch.
• • On 25 April 1935, the Los Angeles Examiner ran with this exclusive: "Dancer's Story of Marriage Irks Film Star." The script that had gone off course was now front page news. Arrrggh. How that jerk can irk.
• • 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.