Thursday, July 09, 2015

Mae West: Henry Mowbray

An enormous international cast was assembled to do justice to MAE WEST's ambitious screenplay "Now I'm a Lady" centered around the horsey set. Script approval was granted by the Hays Commission on 1 April 1935 and the motion picture was released by Paramount Pictures in the USA on Friday, 25 April 1935 under a new title — —  "Goin' to Town." Actor Henry Mowbray, who played Colton's second butler, died in the month of July — —  on Saturday, 9 July 1960.
• • Henry Mowbray [5 September 1882 — 9 July 1960] • •
• • Born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia as Harry E. Sweeney, this little boy came into the world on Tuesday, 5 September 1882.
• • By the year 1919, he was in America, shooting a silent film at Plimpton Studios, Sherwood Park, Yonkers, New York.  Since he was 37 years old by then, perhaps he was no longer suitable for those romantic leading man roles. But his late-starting career did not gain much momentum until 1931 when he was based in Hollywood. He seemed to hit his stride in 1934, however, cast steadily but usually in uncredited "authority" roles such as detective, King Henry III, and Lord Coldchester.
• • In 1935, Henry Mowbray, age 47, had the honor of working with Mae West in "Goin' to Town," briefly seen as a manservant to Fletcher Colton, Monroe Owsley's character.
• • From 1919 — 1949, he was cast in thirty films. In some cases his scenes were deleted. He bid adieu to his screen fans, portraying a colonel in "The Red Danube" [1949] where some of his cast members were Walter Pidgeon (who would go on to play Mr. Chambers 30 years later in "Sextette" [1978] starring Mae West) and Louis Calhern (who played Dick Bolton in "Night After Night" [1932], introducing Mae West to the big screen in the bit part of George Raft's ex-girlfriend Maudie Triplett).
• • Henry Mowbray died of arteriosclerosis in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California on Saturday, 9 July 1960. He was 77.
• • On Friday, 9 July 1937 • •
• • "Mae's Recent Husband: Sue Manager for Alienation of Affections" • •
• • Los Angeles, July 9. United Press — Mae West's recently acknowledged husband threatened tonight, through attorneys, to sue her manager, James Timony, for alienation of affections.  . . .
• • On Friday, 9 July 1937 • •
• • "Mae West, Her New Husband Are in Seclusion" • •
• • Hollywood, July 8 [U.P.] — Mae West had a load off her mind today after the long delayed statement that she was once Mrs. Frank Wallace, but how she or her newly-acknowledged hubby felt about the situation remained strictly their own personal business.
• • Mae, as they say in Hollywood, is in seclusion. Frank Wallace, visiting in Henderson, Kentucky, had no comment although his dancing partner Trixie La Mae had plenty to say about the state of affairs. Mae went into her seclusion sometime yesterday, just before her unexpected answer to Wallace's suit was filed.  . . .  
• • Source: United Press first reported this breaking news and then many media outlets reprinted it.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Nimble-footed Fred Astaire is a star member of the large and famous brood who "lived in a shoe." When they put on a show to help out their poor dear mother, kiddies Edna May
Oliver, Mae West, and ZaSu Pitts are trumpeteers who, with Cab Calloway and Fats Waller, offer a mad and merry finale. Rub-a-dub-dub. Three men and a maid in a tub.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said:  "Men: I like some men for class and distinction, some for brains, some for looks, and some for an understanding nature.  I like men to come up and see me."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A columnist mentioned Mae West.
• • "Film Festival Diaries" • •
• • Henri Béhar wrote: Also in town for a tribute-cum-retrospective, Paul Morrissey, attending a garden-party at the Golf Club, regaled friends and eavesdroppers with delightfully bitchy stories sparing no one, from the queens of Hollywood to state leaders — — none of which is repeatable here. A majorly underrated director and a scholar of popular culture, Paul Morrissey is also one of the savviest film buffs — — he can improvise the entire conversation at a (fictional) dinner given chez George Cukor with Garbo, Hepburn, and Mae West, using lines from their respective movies   . . .
• • Source: Item from "Day 7" column written by Henri Béhar for Film Scouts; published on  Thursday, 9 July 1998
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 11th anniversary • •    
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past eleven years. The other day we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 3,200 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • • 
• • The Mae West Blog was started ten years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 3218th 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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• • Mae West • in 1937

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