Mae West: Occasional Peep

“In real life, I’m very boring, so I made up the walk and the talk,” said MAE WEST.
• • British freelancer Dr. Sabina Stent, whose area of study included “Women artists, Surrealism, and unconventional females,” penned a fascinating essay on Mae’s customized double-decker footwear. This is Part 5 of 27 parts.
• • “Get the Idea, Boys? Mae West’s Shoes” • •
• • The totemic power of clothing, shoes, and accessories • •
• • Sabina Stent wrote: Sometimes the power comes from concealed items, like the shoulder-padded jackets worn by Joan Crawford, accredited to costume designer Gilbert Adrian, to accentuate her slight frame and enhance the commanding presence of her characters.
• • Sabina Stent wrote: Mae West, however, had a slightly different way of flaunting her sartorial potency. These platform heels would become another tool for her to wield, and a part of cinematic and personal magic.

• • Sabina Stent wrote: Wearing them ensured she never broke her “Mae West” persona. The exhibition curator, Emily Stoehrer, reiterated that “under a long dress, you wouldn’t notice that these shoes were being worn.” West’s long gowns would shield the public glare from all but the occasional peep: “silver toes would just peep out through the hem of the dress.”
• • Mae West was barely five feet tall • • . . . 
• • This long essay by Sabina Stent will be continued on December 26th.
• • Source: Majuscule, Issue 2; posted in December 2019.
• • On Tuesday, 24 December 1935 • •
• • "Hitler and Mae West — A Broadcast Cancelled" • •
• • Melbourne, Australia, December 23 — — At the request of the Vice Consul for Germany, Dr. Koeltzoch, an imaginary conversation between Herr Hitler and Miss Mae West was not broadcast over the national network on Saturday night as had been arranged.
• • "The proposed item was a brief sketch of the type often given on the vaudeville stage," the Victorian manager of the Australian Broadcasting Commission, Mr. T. W. Bearup, said to-day. "We did not believe anyone could take exception to it. But we cancelled it in deference to the wish of the consul."
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Built in 1946, Ingo’s Tasty Diner (in Santa Monica, Calif.) has hosted its fair share of the glitterati, from Mae West to The Rolling Stones. 
• • In Her Own Words • •

• • Mae West said: "My left leg is Christmas and my right leg is New Year's. Why don't you visit me between the holidays?"  
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The New York Times discussed Mae West’s bawdy play.
• • A theatre review of a New York City revival of the play "Sex" by Mae West was printed on 24 December 1999 under this title: "Mae West's First Play (for the Stage, That Is)" and the drama critic seemed satisfied. An excerpt follows.
• • Man-on-the-aisle from the Times D. J. R. Bruckner wrote: If it helps a writer to know a lot about her subject, Mae West brought great authority to her first play, ''Sex,'' written and first produced in New York in 1926. The writing is not as accomplished as it is in some of her later film scripts, but there are enough characteristic West lines to let you know who the author was . . .
• • Source: The New York Times; published on Friday, 24 December 1999
• • 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 4,373rd 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 • • Mae's black suede platform heels circa 1950s • •
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