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MAE WEST received top billing in "Myra Breckinridge" [1970] and Skip Ward was part of the credited cast and seen as Chance.
• • Skip Ward [12 September 1932 — 27 June 2003] • •
• • Born in Cleveland, Ohio on Monday, 12 September 1932 was a sweet tyke called Rufus King Ward IV. He served his country in the US Air Force as a pilot. Then by the age of 26 he had skipped on his birth name and had begun to whip out his headshot.
• • From 1958 — 1994, Skip Ward was seen on TV in guest-starring roles as well as in Hollywood motion pictures, where he often was the fellow in a uniform (sailor, crew member, military policeman, cop, football player, officer, captain, lieutenant, milkman). Altogether he took part in 43 productions on the silver screen and on various TV series such as "The Gertrude Berg Show," where he played an ongoing character.
• • Skip Ward was 38 years old when he worked with Mae West and the "Myra Breckinridge" cast.
• • From 1978 — 2000, Skip Ward got involved with being a producer and worked on a dozen projects such as the popular TV series "The Dukes of Hazzard" and several erotic fantasy videos for Playboy. Mae West was interviewed for the January 1971 issue of Playboy.
• • Skip Ward retired in 2000. He died of natural causes in Calabasas, California on Friday, 27 June 2003. He was 70. The actor-producer was buried in California at Riverside National Cemetery.
• • On Friday, 25 June 1926 • •
• • It was on Friday, 25 June 1926 that Mae West appeared with Al Jolson — — as well as Houdini and other entertainers (such as George M. Cohan, Fanny Brice, the Marx Brothers, Ann Pennington, Hazel Dawn, Eddie Foy, etc.) — — at the Polo Grounds on West 155th Street in Manhattan's Washington Heights area. The fundraiser was for the benefit of the United Jewish Campaign.
• • On Monday, 25 June 1934 • •
• • An amusing cartoon appeared on page 3 in the newspaper Recorder (Port Pirie, Australia) on Monday, 25 June 1934. Two matrons are discussing Mae West.
• • Matron # 1: "Me 'usband sez you remind 'im of Mae West."
• • Matron # 2: "Does 'e, now? Y'll 'ave ter tell 'im to come up and see me some time."
• • Several of Mae's motion pictures had done well in movie houses Down Under by that time. In 1934, the American sex symbol was certainly a hot topic.
• • It's odd, however, that an Australian cartoonist would sketch a lady so obviously overweight and unattractive as the woman who reminds a neighbor's husband of Mae West. What do you think of this one?
• • On Monday, 25 June 1956 at Idlewild Airport • •
• • When Mae West took a TWA flight from Los Angeles to New York City, her plane landed at Idlewild Airport on Monday, 25 June 1956. She waved to fans, who were thrilled to greet her as she disembarked with Charles Krauser. The fight in her dressing room in Washington, DC had suddenly brought "Mr. California" into focus.
• • On Thursday, 25 June 1970 in The N.Y. Times • •
• • "Myra Breckinridge" opened in wide release on June 24th.
• • An article written by Howard Thompson was printed in The N.Y. Times on page 54 on Thursday, 25 June 1970: "Mae West, 76, Still Finding New Generations of Fans." A wonderful piece by Mr. Thompson.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Tongues have wagged, and the story has been told that my manager, James Timoney, is my husband."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The Morning Bulletin mentioned Mae West.
• • "'It Ain't No Sin' — Mae West Film Banned in New York" • •
• • Hollywood, June 25th — On the eve of its release, Mae West's new film, 'It Ain't No Sin,' has been banned in New York State. Officials of the Paramount Company state that this film will be recalled and considerably altered before it is released. ...
• • Source: Morning Bulletin; published on Thursday, 28 June 1934
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started eight years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2678th 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 • • talked about in a cartoon • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
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MAE WEST played Cleo Borden in "Goin' to Town" [1935] — — and Stanley Andrews was seen as an engineer.
• • Stanley Andrews [28 August 1891 — 23 June 1969] • •
• • Born in Chicago, Illinois on 28 August 1891 was a sweet faced tyke named Stanley Andrzejewski. The tall, deep-voiced voice actor became familiar to followers of the "Little Orphan Annie" radio serial where he was heard as the self-assured Daddy Warbucks [1931 — 1936].
• • In 1933, he made himself available to Tinseltown where he was used in authority roles such as emperors, G-men, judges, a jury foreman, military officers, lawmen, police commissioners, physicians, a sheriff, and the like. In 1935, when he had a brief scene in "Goin' to Town," he was delighted to work with the Brooklyn bombshell Mae West.
• • He stayed busy for three decades. From 1933 — 1963, Stanley Andrews participated in 375 projects for the movies and TV.
• • His final assignment was on the small screen. The enduringly popular TV series "Death Valley Days" was set in Death Valley, California. Stanley Andrews was The Old Ranger, that is, the host, for 27 episodes [1952 — 1963]. During his tenure on the show, he got to rub shoulders with actors who had the privilege of working with Mae West such as Dick Foran who had been seen in "My Little Chickadee" [1940] as Wayne Carter and Francis McDonald who played a henchman in "Every Day's a Holiday" [1937].
• • Stanley Andrews retired from the screen in 1963. He died in Los Angeles, California on Tuesday, 23 June 1969. He was 77.
• • On Sunday, 24 June 1928 • •
• • The Brooklyn Eagle, Mae's hometown paper, sent reporter George Halasz to interview the star about her new Broadway play "Diamond Lil." In the newspaper's weekend edition dated for Sunday, 24 June 1928, George Halasz wrote: "When the play is put in rehearsal she has but a bare outline of the plot and dialogue. As the rehearsals progress, she throws in a line here, a speech there. ..."
• • This is, of course, nonsense and not how theatre insiders behave. Mae's plays had a large cast and she was present at the auditions. She knew how many actors she would need and what roles they would play well before hiring an adequate rehearsal space. A lot of dramatists refine and revise during rehearsal, sometimes to suit an actor, but a theatre professional like Mae West did not walk into a rehearsal with scraps of dialogue written on napkins. No way.
• • On Wednesday, 24 June 1970 • •
• • "Myra Breckinridge" was booked at the Criterion Theatre (1514 Broadway) on Tuesday, 23 June 1970. The general release was on June 24th.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Every woman has good beauty points, and others not so good. The secret is to take advantage of what is good and get along with the bad."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Motion Picture Daily mentioned Mae West.
• • Mark Dowling wrote: The type of humor you think of as typical of Mae West comes from her most spontaneously when she is in the mood of her screen roles. "I have to get in the mood," she told me once when I asked her to "gag" an interview. She saves for her "public" life all the fire and passion that other stars burn up in their personal romances. When she's acting, jokes, and wisecracks of her own peculiar brand come spontaneously to her lips. ...
• • Source: "Don't Get Me Wrong!" — Mae West written by Mark Dowling (page 1) for Motion Picture; published in December 1934 issue
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started eight years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2677th 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 • • in Hollywood • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC Mae West
In 1933, when Paramount Pictures was seeking new numbers for MAE WEST's upcoming picture "It Ain't No Sin" (a.k.a. "Belle of the Nineties"), they signed up two musicians for the job: Harry Revel and Mack Gordon. Although this was announced in Motion Picture Daily and many other publications, it turns out that they never actually worked with Mae.
• • Mack Gordon [21 June 1904 — 28 February 1959] • •
• • Born in Warsaw, Poland in the month of June — — on Tuesday, 21 June 1904 — — was a sweet little Jewish boy named Morris Gittler. In 1908, his parents emigrated to The Big Apple and his name was Americanized to Mack Gordon.
• • He was still a boy when Mack Gordon took his first steps into show business as a boy soprano in a minstrel show. Before long, he developed comedy skits, preparing himself to be a singing comic on the vaudeville circuit.
• • He teamed with up with a British ex-pat pianist Harry Revel to create songs for the 1931 Ziegfeld Follies. They were impressive enough to be offered a contract by Paramount Pictures. Gordon's lyrics were first heard in motion pictures in the film "Pointed Heels" [1929]. The director was Eddie Sutherland who would worked with Mae West a few years later in "Every Day's a Holiday" [1937].
• • Mack Gordon went on to collaborate with notable composers such as Harry Warren, Josef Myrow, Jimmy Van Heusen, Vincent Youmans, James Monaco, and Edmund Goulding. He wrote and/ or collaborated on nearly 50 film scores
• • Eleven years after his death he would be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame [in 1970].
• • Mack Gordon died in New York City on 28 February 1959. He was 54.
• • On Wednesday, 21 June 1933 • •
• • It was on Wednesday, 21 June 1933 when Russell Holmon of Paramount Pictures tried to explain to the Hays Office that the title of a song "No One Does It Like that Dallas Man" was essentially innocent and the lyrics were harmless. Hays wanted changes though and got them.
• • On Sunday, 21 June 1936 • •
• • The headline read "Mae West Has Laugh at Studio — Producers Are at a Loss When Star Outsmarts Their Plans." This coverage was published on page 20 of the Charleston Gazette on Sunday, 21 June 1936.
• • Obviously the studio was behind this smack-the-naughty-girl's-hand story because the article explained that "It is no secret that she is very difficult to handle and that censor problems of the Mae West pictures caused the folks a notable series of delays ...." This one-sided piece also stated "There's another Mae West story going on here. Mae stipulates that she must be credited with writing the script but it's whispered out loud that often times she hits an impasse and is unable to work out a scene to either her own or her director's satisfaction. ..." Hmmmm.....
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Keep cool and collect."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Motion Picture Daily said: Mack Gordon and Harry Revel signed to write the songs for Mae West's next "It Ain't No Sin" (Paramount) ...
• • Gossip Column: "Hollywood Personals" for Motion Picture Daily; published on Tuesday, 24 October 1933
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started eight years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2676th 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 • • in Hollywood • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
NYC Mae West
