• • "Mae West in the Movies" • •
• • Some Thoughts by Dan Stumpf • •
• • Steve Lewis wrote: Mae West’s film debut was in an odd little gangster flick called "Night After Night" [1932], based on a Louis Bromfield story, “A Single Night.” (There’s a quip there somewhere.)
• • Steve Lewis continued: Directed with surprising competence by Archie Mayo, this offers Mae West in a picture-stealing supporting role as a former girlfriend of George Raft. Raft runs a classy speakeasy in the mansion formerly owned by nouveau-poor Constance Cummings, who is planning to marry Louis Calhern for his money, and obviously the accent here is more on romance than anything acriminous, but there are some surprisingly edgy moments between Raft and a competitor who wants to “buy” him out, carried off neatly by the actor’s casual flair for that sort of part.
• • Steve Lewis added: And there’s an odd, moving moment when George Raft's character Joe Anton realizes just how little he means to Cummings that carries a dramatic punch almost amazing, coming from a shallow actor like this and a flat-footed director like Mayo. Add the effect of a brand-new Mae West sashaying around tossing off her own one-liners, and you get quite a nice little movie indeed. . . .
• • On Monday, 15 August 1921 • •
• • It was Monday, 15 August 1921 and Mae West was enjoying her debut in "The Mimic World" playing controversial characters such as Shifty Liz.
• • With "The Mimic World of 1921," the Shuberts had hoped for a big hit. Additionally, this revue was inaugurating their new roof theatre, Century Promenade, that featured a restaurant and a promenade overlooking Central Park. However, the show opened to mixed reviews from a number of top critics.
• • Mae West wore a daring black velvet dress onstage, "cut at either side to display her bare hips," wrote Women's Wear [24 August 1921], quaking under such a sartorial shock. Clearly, this was Whoopee Wear.
• • On Sunday, 15 August 1993 • •
• • Molly Haskell wrote an article "Mae West's Bawdy Spirit Spans the Gay 90s" and it ran in The New York Times, Section 2, on Sunday, 15 August 1993.
• • Molly Haskell wrote: Mae West, the blond, diamond-studded, wisecracking, sashaying vamp from Brooklyn who lit up the stage in the 1920's and the screen in the 30's with a special brand of gender-bending sexuality, still defies categories and refuses to be conscripted into any one ideological army. ...
• • Bob Thomas, with AP in Los Angeles, wrote an article "Mae West Remains a Hot Number." This charming piece was syndicated, It was printed in the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette on Sunday, 15 August 1993, and also in other papers.
• • Save the Date: Wednesday, 17 August 2016 • •
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • During the 1960s, Gore Vidal wrote a satirical transsexual comedy "Myra Breckinridge" [Little, Brown and Co., 1968]. A cinema version starring Mae West was released two years later.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "You only live once. But if you do it right, once is enough."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Kirtley Baskette discussed Mae West.
• • "Mae West Talks about Her Marriage" • •
• • This interview carried the byline of Kirtley Baskette. The article starts on page 39 and continues with Mae's fervent denials of any relationship whatsoever with Frank Wallace.
• • Source: Article in Photoplay; published in the issue dated for August 1935
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 12th anniversary • •
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past twelve years. The other day we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 3,500 blog posts. Wow!
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started twelve years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 3508th 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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• • Photo: • • Mae West • • in 1932 • •
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