Mae West: Bold Ingenue

While you’re sleeping, college professors in Hungary are thinking about MAE WEST. Here’s a long, striking research paper you might have missed. This is Part 51.
• • "Mae West. The Dirty Snow White" • •
• • Written by:  Zsófia Anna Tóth
• • Never Committed to Any Man • • 
Zsófia Anna Tóth wrote:   Mae West was committed to hard work, yet, she was never committed to any man. In She Done Him Wrong (1933) Captain Cummings asks from Lady Lou: “Haven’t you ever met a man that could make you happy? / Sure, lots of times” – replies Mae West/Lady Lou with a cunning and knowing smile (Sherman 1933).
• • Zsófia Anna Tóth wrote:   Mae West, as well as her protagonists, would “neither acknowledge nor accede to the superior wisdom of any man” (Mellen 233). She was an independent woman, who had power over males; she was no trembling Hollywood ingénue but had boldness and self-possession; she rejected passivity and refused to wait for events to turn her direction (Mellen 235). Saul Austerlitz is also of the opinion that “West was a lone woman struggling to make her way in hostile territory, but was decidedly not a victim herself” (80).
• • Uncomfortable Arousal • •  . . .

• • This was Part 51 of a lengthy article. Part 52 will follow tomorrow.   
• • Source: Americana — — E-Journal of American Studies in Hungary; Vol. XI, No. 1, Spring 2015.
• • On Monday, 16 April 1934 • •
• • Here's what Mae was doing on Monday, 16 April 1934, during the height of the Depression: the Paramount Pictures star had ordered and signed for a 1934 V-12 Cadillac Town Cabriolet. The specifications indicated: a black chassis; wire wheels; the top (or roof) in Landau black leather; upholstery in black leather.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West was the piece de resistance of the Emanuel Cohen "welcome to Hollywood" tea for Paramount's kingpin, Mr. Hertz, of Chicago and New York. 
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I'm not really a hotsy-totsy dame — I'm a serious business woman. A lot of women make dough by exposing their torso. But I make more by doing nothing of the sort. I just keep 'em guessing.''
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on Hollywood mentioned Mae West.
• • “The Gender Pay Gap in Hollywood” • •
• • Tatiana Tenreyro wrote: And in 1937, Fred Astaire also made $211, 666 in comparison to Ginger Rogers’ $124,770, who was as big of a star as he was. Interestingly, though, KQED reports that that year's top earners were Gary Cooper, who made $370, 214, and Mae West, at $323, 333. That makes women's earnings much closer to men's than they are now. In fact, according to KQED, in 1932, the top three earners in Hollywood were women.  As you can imagine, however, this didn't last very long.  . . .
• • Source: Article in Bustle; published in April 2018
• • 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 13th anniversary • •  

• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past thirteen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 3,800 blog posts. Wow!  

• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started thirteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 3940th 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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