Mae West: Cape Cod Drag

Shocking and controversial in its time, a play by MAE WEST continues to be revived for open-minded audiences. This recent production was on the boards in Cape Cod. This is Part 9 of 9 segments.
• • Theatre Review:  Doing the Time Warp in Mae West’s Play “The Drag” • •
• • Howard Karren wrote: David Drake directs with aplomb, and though the humor is a tad creaky, the philosophical arguments a bit musty, and the ending and dénouement somewhat abrupt, he preserves the satire and the common-sense humanity in Mae West’s approach that keeps it relevant.
• • Howard Karren wrote: Ellen Rousseau’s set arrives straight out of a Fred-and-Ginger musical, and the two acts in two hours whiz by quickly and energetically — no small feat with a large cast of local talent.
• • Howard Karren wrote: “The Drag” has a comic breeziness that makes it an ideal spring re-introduction to a season of great theater.
• • Howard Karren wrote: It’s important as LGBTQ history and reminds us of just how courageous and insightful an artist Mae West was.
• • Drama Queens
• • The event: The Drag, a play by Mae West
• • The time: Onstage through Sunday, 5 June 2022
• • The place: Provincetown Theater, 238 Bradford St.
• • Source: The Provincetown Independent; published on Wednesday, 25 May 2022.
• • On Wednesday, 14 July 1920 • •
• • Sadly, on 14 July 1920, Mae West filed for a divorce from Guido Deiro [1886 — 1950], charging him with abandonment. She had moved back with her parents, who were living in the borough of Queens in New York.
• • On Wednesday, 14 July 1999 — Paul Novak died • •

• • "Paul Novak: Beach hunk who became Mae West's faithful friend" • •
• • Paul Novak [24 February 1923 — 14 July 1999] • •
• • With Paul Novak's constant protection and his concern for her diet and exercise, Mae West survived until her 87th year, when she had a series of strokes.
• • On 22 November 1980, when she died in her sleep, there was her faithful companion Paul Novak at her bedside.
• • Mae West admitted that Novak was "a good guy," adding, "Of course there's 40 guys dyin' for his job!" In her last years, it’s been said that Mae West continually asked him to contact an attorney so that she could change her Will in his favor, but he later stated, "I always said to her, 'Now now, dear, there's plenty of time to do that.' I guess I thought she would live forever. How did she ever pick me — — just a wrestler and roustabout?' "
• • Chester Ribonsky (Paul Novak), sailor, bodybuilder and bodyguard: born Baltimore, Maryland 1923; died in Santa Monica, California on Wednesday, 14 July 1999.
• • July 2004: Mae West Blog launches • •
• • What are we up to, writing about the Brooklyn-born bombshell for eighteen years now?
• • We’re here to keep Mae mavens up to date, correct errors, celebrate each revival of a play she wrote, post the latest Westian stage and book reviews. And answer our fan mail!
• • The light’s still on. Come up and see Mae every day.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West's least favorite film may have been “Myra Breckinridge" (1970).
• • You might as well have cautioned Michael Sarne not to film this screenplay, which was such an abortion that the novelist Gore Vidal disowned it.
• • According to Stanley Musgrove, costume designer Edith Head hinted at her monumental Myra B. misery when she told him, "God, I'm glad I drink!"
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I didn't start out to collect diamonds — — but somehow they just kept piling up."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A Midwest newspaper mentioned Mae West.
• • The Urbana Daily Courier mentioned Mae West and Alfonso, the nobleman who was once King of Spain.  
• • Yes, this July 14, 1934 news item sounds completely ridiculous, which is why it's being posted today.
• • European cablegrams announced recently the impending divorce of Alfonso, the ex-King of Spain.  ...  Recent press dispatches from London say that Mae West had offered Alfonso the leading male role [sic] in her next picture, to be called "Me and the King." The play was written by Prince Alexis of Thurn and Taxis, through whom Alfonso was approached [sic]  ...
• • Source: The Urbana Daily Courier (Illinois); published on Saturday, 14 July 1934
• • 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 5,037th 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/
________
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• • Be sure to bookmark or follow The Mae West Blog
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • David Lee illustration c. 1978 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Dials Up Melodrama

Shocking and controversial in its time, a play by MAE WEST continues to be revived for open-minded audiences. This recent production was on the boards in Cape Cod. This is Part 8 of 9 segments.
• • Theatre Review: Doing the Time Warp in Mae West’s Play “The Drag” • •
• • Howard Karren wrote: Several performances are standouts:
• • Howard Karren wrote: Racine Oxtoby, as Clair, hits just the right tone as the depressed damsel at the center of everyone’s attention;
• • Howard Karren wrote: Eric Oxtoby, as an inspector investigating a shooting at Rolly’s second-act party, is an assuredly sober presence;
• • Howard Karren wrote: Scott Cunningham, a last-minute fill-in as Rolly’s friend Clem Hathaway, is smooth and engaging in and out of drag;
• • Howard Karren wrote: Alex Juchniewich, as Rolly’s friend Hal Swenson, is hilarious in a dress and hat,
• • Howard Karren wrote: as is Stephen Carey, who appears as a party guest named Hell’s Kitchen Kate;
• • Howard Karren wrote: and Jameson Redding, as the gay fling who won’t be discarded, dials up the melodrama of his situation without going too far.
• • “The Drag” by Mae West ― concluded on the next post • • …   
• • Source: The Provincetown Independent; published on Wednesday, 25 May 2022.
• • On Friday, 13 July 1934 • •

• • The Advocate (in Tasmania) printed an article on 13 July 1934 about Mae West's newest motion picture. "She Done Him Wrong" is a story of a section of New York during the "gay nineties," with its collection of cabarets, "tough" men and frivolous women.
• • July 2004: Mae West Blog launches • •
• • What are we up to, writing about the Brooklyn-born bombshell for eighteen years now?
• • We’re here to keep Mae mavens up to date, correct errors, celebrate each revival of a play she wrote, post the latest Westian stage and book reviews. And answer our fan mail!
• • The light’s still on. Come up and see Mae every day.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Though Mae West held Bob Thompson in high esteem, they never even shook hands. "Mae West believed when you shook hands with someone, their spiritual forces could take over your being," said Paula, who trouped across the globe performing with Bob Thompson. "Mae did everything else with everyone. But she didn't shake hands."
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "A book author had more freedom of expression than the stage permitted at that time."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Time Magazine mentioned Mae West and a notorious 1970 film.
• • Cinema: Some Sort of Nadir • •
• • Pendulous Philosophy. • •

• • There is a little something here to set everyone's gorge a'gurgling. There is Mae West, grinding her ancient hips in a grotesque parody of bygone eroticism; her entire accomplishment consists of dreary one-liners about bed and phalli.
• • There is John Huston, demeaning himself as the slob-gutted, sagebrush sybarite.
• • There is Rex Reed, whose debut as an actor is on a par with the best line the scriptwriter could give him to scream: "Where are my tits?"
• • There is Raquel herself, who wanders about in virtual unemployment, spouting pendulous philosophy á la Vidal and a lot of pointlessly dirty words. She struggles desperately to parody herself but only sinks deeper and deeper into the bog around her.
• • Then there is Michael Same, Myra B.'s director and coauthor, who deserves special discredit …
• • Source: Time Magazine; published on Monday, 6 July 1970
• • 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 5,036th 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: Spurned Lover

Shocking and controversial in its time, a play by MAE WEST continues to be revived for open-minded audiences. This recent production was on the boards in Cape Cod. This is Part 7 of 9 segments.
• • Theatre Review:  Doing the Time Warp in Mae West’s Play “The Drag" • •
• • Howard Karren wrote: Ironically, Rolly, the moralistic judge’s son, is gay and unrepentant, living out his passions on the down-low.
• • Howard Karren wrote: He’s smitten with a handsome architect he has hired, Allen Grayson (Nathan Butera), who is actually in love with Rolly’s wife, Clair (as she is with him).
• • Howard Karren wrote: Further complicating issues is David Caldwell (Jameson Redding), a spurned lover of Rolly’s, who seeks treatment with Dr. Richmond.
• • Howard Karren wrote: There are no real leads in the play’s populous ensemble, but several performances are standouts.
• • Note: Mae West often said: "All discarded lovers should be given a second chance, but with somebody else."
• • “The Drag” by Mae West ― continued • • …     
• • Source: The Provincetown Independent; published on Wednesday, 25 May 2022.
• • On Monday, 12 July 1937 • •
• • On Monday, 12 July 1937, syndicated gossip columnist Louella Parsons mentioned Mae West.
• • Louella Parsons wrote: How Hollywood did buzz today when it was whispered that Mae West was booked for a concert tour and would sing and do an act similar to the Harry Lauder sketches.
• • Born on Wednesday, 12 July 1944 • •

• • Remembering bodybuilder and actor Richard Alan Drasin [12 July 1944 – 30 August 2020].
• • In 1978, Ric Drasin was cast as an Olympic weightlifter in "Sextette," where he traded quips with Mae West in her final screen performance.
• • July 2004: Mae West Blog launches • •
• • What are we up to, writing about the Brooklyn-born bombshell for eighteen years now?
• • We’re here to keep Mae mavens up to date, correct errors, celebrate each revival of a play she wrote, post the latest Westian stage and book reviews. And answer our fan mail!
• • The light’s still on. Come up and see Mae every day.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • In July 1937, Emanuel Cohen announced in Film Daily that Mae was making a new motion picture for Major Pictures Corp. The title, said Cohen, was "Sapphire Sal — Night of Mystery." Starring Mae West and Grant Richards, and directed by Eddie Sutherland, the story was being written by Jo Swerhing.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "There is what amounts to a fable in Hollywood that my leading man fell in love with me. After all, they are human — — but that story is exaggerated."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The Hollywood Reporter mentioned Mae West.
• • The Hollywood Reporter printed a negative article about Mae West's upcoming project.
• • "New Orleans Kicks on Mae West's 'Belle'" was printed on their front page. …
• • Source: The Hollywood Reporter; published on Thursday, 12 July 1934
• • 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 5,035th 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 1978 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Depraved “Inverts”

Shocking and controversial in its time, a play by MAE WEST continues to be revived for open-minded audiences. This recent production was on the boards in Cape Cod. This is Part 6 of 9 segments.
• • Theatre Review: Doing the Time Warp in Mae West’s Play “The Drag” • •
• • Howard Karren wrote: The Jazz Age was the 20th century’s first major era of sexual revolution, and West, in The Drag, details contrasting approaches to homosexuality at the time, particularly in discussions between a doctor and judge.
• • Howard Karren wrote: The judge, played by Nicholas Dorr, is the father of the play’s central character, Rolly Kingsbury (Thom Markee), who is newly married to Clair (Racine Oxtoby), whose father is the doctor (Bill Salem).
• • Howard Karren wrote: The judge advocates merciless punishment for depraved “inverts,” and the doctor, in contrast, proposes compassion and treatment.
• • “The Drag” by Mae West ― continued • • …    
• • Source: The Provincetown Independent; published on Wednesday, 25 May 2022.
• • On Tuesday, 11 July 2006 • •

• • The CD "Fabulous Mae West and Other Wonderful Girls" features a photo of Mae on its cover. Sepia Records released this collection on Tuesday, 11 July 2006.
• • July 2004: Mae West Blog launches • •
• • What are we up to, writing about the Brooklyn-born bombshell for eighteen years now?
• • We’re here to keep Mae mavens up to date, correct errors, celebrate each revival of a play she wrote, post the latest Westian stage and book reviews. And answer our fan mail!
• • The light’s still on. Come up and see Mae every day.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Buxom country singing star Dolly Parton is to star in a made for television film about man-hungry actress Mae West. "They came to me and said I'd be perfect for the role,'' she told TV Guide.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "To err is human — — but it feels divine."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article in The Spectrum mentioned Mae West.
• • "Memory lane filled with lost favorites, the Great One" • •
• • Duke Hunt writes about Saratoga, NY: During the 1920s and throughout the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, Hollywood starlets and celebrities came in droves for the magic of the minerals. Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and many others played gigs at the old Saratoga Hotel by night and attended the races by day.
• • Duke Hunt continues that Mae West was said to travel there every summer for mineral baths said to keep her skin young and smooth. ...
• • Source: The Spectrum; posted on Monday, 11 July 2011
• • 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 5,034th 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 • • a test shot during the 1960s • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: “The Drag” as Payback

Shocking and controversial in its time, a play by MAE WEST continues to be revived for open-minded audiences. This recent production was on the boards in Cape Cod. This is Part 5 of 9 segments.
• • Theatre Review: Doing the Time Warp in Mae West’s Play “The Drag” • •
• • Howard Karren wrote: Her humor and her own show-business persona were deeply influenced by drag queens of the era.
• • Howard Karren wrote: The Drag can be seen as a form of payback.
• • Howard Karren wrote: She wrote it but didn’t cast herself in it. It was a gift to her queer friends.
• • Howard Karren wrote: In this Provincetown production, the play, at the ripe old age of 95, feels remarkably modern.
• • Howard Karren wrote: David Drake, as dramaturge, has streamlined West’s dialogue and eliminated distracting and dated elements of the plot.
• • “The Drag” by Mae West ― continued • • …  
• • Source: The Provincetown Independent; published on Wednesday, 25 May 2022.
• • On Sunday, 8 July 1928 in the Journal American • •

• • A reporter from the Journal American visited Mae West backstage after a performance of "Diamond Lil."
• • He wrote a lengthy account of Mae West's formula for writing a play: "hire a room in a hotel, lock yourself in and go to work for as many hours as you can stand the pace. Then you grab a little sleep, get up and resuscitate yourself with a few tons of cold water and start all over again. And so on until ...."
• • Source: The Journal American; published on Sunday, 8 July 1928.
• • July 2004: Mae West Blog launches • •
• • What are we up to, writing about the Brooklyn-born bombshell for eighteen years now?
• • We’re here to keep Mae mavens up to date, correct errors, celebrate each revival of a play she wrote, post the latest Westian stage and book reviews. And answer our fan mail!
• • The light’s still on. Come up and see Mae every day.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Robert B. McKenzie, who had a fatal heart attack in Manunuck, Rhode Island on Friday, 8 July 1949, worked with Mae West twice in two motion pictures.  
• • The portly Irishman was seen in a bit part in "I'm No Angel" as "man at rooming house" and in "My Little Chickadee" where he was a townsman.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "The only thing I know about Milwaukee is that they make beer there. It's pretty good beer — but it never was good enough to make me get married and then forget about it."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An Illinois newspaper mentioned Mae West.
• • "Off to the Theatre" • •
• • Beverly Bryant wrote: Mae West is back again in "Goin' to Town," which comes to the Princess Theatre Sunday for three days. Mae is at her voluptuous best. The plot concerns the story of a cow-town dance hall girl who wins a bunch of oil wells when her fiance dies. . . .
• • Beverly Bryant wrote: No longer swathed in the clothes or the social amenities of the "Gay Nineties," Mae West becomes an up-to-date girl with ultra-modern ideas in modern surroundings. The opening scenes of "Goin' to Town" are laid in the middle west where Mae West acquires a lot of money by the process of getting rid of her wealthy husband. Then she really starts going places.  . . .
• • Source: The Urbana Evening Courier; published on Saturday, 6 July 1935
• • 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 5,033rd 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 • • onstage in "Sex" in 1927 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest