Mae West: A Heteronormativity

Many great minds have contemplated MAE WEST — — but great minds don’t think alike. Academic and author Chase Dimock has written an interesting article on Mae as a playwright. This is Part 2.
• • Why Don’t You Come Up Sometime and Queer Me? • •
• • Reclaiming Mae West as Author and Sexual Philosopher • •
• • Mae West as author • •  
• • Chase Dimock wrote: If we think of Mae West as an author, then her pithy one-liners and double entendres transcend the ephemera of comic relief and reveal her as one of the most astute observers of sexual and gender politics of the modernist era. If we think of Mae West as an author, a quote like “I’m no model lady. A model’s just an imitation of the real thing”, becomes an insight into gender performativity.
• • power to enforce a heteronormativity • •

• • Chase Dimock wrote: Her quote “Marriage is a fine institution, but I’m not ready for an institution” becomes a critique of the state’s power to enforce heteronormativity through marriage. And finally her quote “If I asked for a cup of coffee, someone would search for the double meaning” becomes a post-modernist play on the endless veils of irony and metaphor that obscure and inflate every day speech. It is this Mae West as author and sexual philosopher who put her text into her curves, that I want to recover and illuminate.
• • Mae West’s appeal to a gay audience • •  . . .
• • His article will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: As It Ought to Be
• • Chase Dimock, who teaches Literature and Composition at College of the Canyons, is Managing Editor of As It Ought to Be.
• • On Wednesday, 4 September 1935 in Hollywood • •
• • Joseph Breen wrote to John Hammel on Wednesday, 4 September 1935, complaining (again) about the script for "Klondike Annie" and Mae's dialogue.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • There are several legendary actresses who never got a nomination: Mae West, Jean Harlow, Myrna Loy (she received an honorary Oscar), Hedy Lamarr, Kim Novak, Marilyn Monroe.  We can only wring our hands and wonder why.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: “You only live once. But if you do it right, once is enough.”
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Various biographical articles about Hollywood’s Golden Age stars have mentioned Mae West.
• • Making her amateur debut — — performing as “Baby Mae” at Downtown Brooklyn’s since-demolished Royal Theatre (15 Willoughby Street) — — Mae West aspired to be on the vaudeville circuit. By 1908, she joined Hal Clarendon’s newly formed Stock Company of dramatic actors.
• • Source: Item about Mae from combined sources;  published on (unknown date)
• • 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 14th anniversary • •  

• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past fourteen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 4,000 blog posts. Wow!  

• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fourteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4037th 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 • • wearing male drag in 1916 • •
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