Mae West: Lukewarm Auction

A sale of property and clothing owned by MAE WEST took place in Beverly Hills on Friday, 1 November 2019. Tuning in to the proceedings conducted by Julien's Auction was a Mae maven from the Pacific northwest. Here are his observations and insights.
• • Mark Desjardins observed: Although many items seemed "special," the memorabilia offered for sale, in fact, is only the tip of the iceberg of what is available from this collector’s acquisitions.
• • Mark Desjardins continued: The morning of the auction, I was online from 10 a.m. to just after two p.m. — — the entire time it took to go through Tim's 241 lots.
• • Mark Desjardins noted: The total amount realized was $178,800. 

• • Mark Desjardins wrote: The red gown from the 1951 “Diamond Lil” revival brought a winning bid of $9,000 against an estimate of $10,000 to $20,000.
• • Mark Desjardins wrote: The gown Mae West wore to the "I'm No Angel" premier (estimated from $8,000 to $10,000) brought in $7,000.
• • Mae West’s lukewarm sales figures have been compared to Marilyn Monroe’s feverish totals • •
• • Mark Desjardins observed: To put things into perspective, the Marilyn Monroe costume from "There's No Business Like Show Business" (estimated at $60,000 to $80,000) brought in $380,000! The beat up high heels from "Let's Make Love" (estimated at $3,000 to $5,000) brought in $25,000.
• • Mark Desjardins continued: A wobbly three sided wood table from the "final session" (estimated at between $8,000 to $10,000) brought in $81,250. And the gown and headdress from "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (estimated at $60,000 to $80,000) brought in $250,000!
• • On Monday, 29 November 1948 • •
• • An American revival of "Diamond Lil" opened out of town on Monday, 29 November 1948 at Montclair, New Jersey.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Casting Director Marvin Paige had many film credits including Mae West’s “Sextette” along with Woody Allen's hits “Take the Money and Run” and “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask).”
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I felt Bill Fields had no class."
• • Mae West said: "I'm a liberated woman — — I did everything I wanted. And I never wanted children. They'd have taken my mind off myself."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Variety mentioned Mae West.
• • Short Career • •
• • Miami, Feb. 1. Comedy twosome of Henny Youngman and Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom lasted two weeks. Says Youngman: “We got offers — each separately.”
• • Henny Youngman stepped in at Copa City when Mae West took ill and will stay into run of Sammy Davis Jr. until Jimmy Durante shows up.  …
• • Source: Variety; published on Wednesday, 2 February 1955
• • 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 15th anniversary • •  

• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past fifteen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 4,300 blog posts. Wow!  

• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,356th 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 1951 • •
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