Mae West: Was Indestructible

“I first went to interview MAE WEST after the collapse of ‘Myra Breckinridge’ [1970]. Like almost everyone else, I was in awe of the woman,” wrote Jacoba Atlas. Let’s read her fascinating first-hand account from 1974. This is Part 2 of 19 segments.
• • Image from a Cracked Mirror • •
• • I had been in awe of Mae West • •
• • Jacoba Atlas wrote: I first went to interview West after the collapse of “Myra Breckinridge.” Like almost everyone else, I was in awe of the woman — her movies, her witticisms, her whole presence seemed to indicate one of the last of the great champions.
• • a rude awakening • •

• • Jacoba Atlas wrote: The interview that ensued was not what could be called a rude awakening, but it was an awakening of sorts, only the better descriptive word would be “sad.”
• • Jacoba Atlas wrote: Like almost everyone else, I had been lulled by publicity handouts and writers like Jim Bacon: Mae West was not only indestructible, they said, but totally sure of herself, with a sense of humor to boot. 
• • Note: Columnist James Bacon, called "a Stargate into the hidden worlds of Hollywood," once told his readership how Mae West once bought four blocks on Van Nuys Boulevard and that, although she had paid only $6,000, it was probably worth over a million per block now. Bacon also extolled her active sex life into her eighties.
• • Mae West was astonishingly youthful • • . . .
• • This long profile by Jacoba Atlas will be continued on the next post.  
• • Source: Los Angeles Free Press, Volume 11, issue 517; published on Friday, 14 June 1974.
• • On Tuesday, 23 April 1935 in The Hollywood Reporter • •
• • A review of "Goin' to Town" appeared in The Hollywood Reporter in their issue dated for 23 April 1935.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • In time Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, Mae West, Louis B. Mayer, Samuel and Francis Goldwyn, Norma Shearer and Irving Thalberg, Anita Loos, Bebe Daniels, Jack Warner, Cary Grant, Clark Gable, and Paulette Goddard would all have homes in Santa Monica on what was dubbed by some "The Gold Coast."
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Here's a guy says he's going to name a gold mine after me. Tell him it would be a big mistake. I'm a digger, not a producer."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The Eagle Rock Advertiser mentioned Mae West was back in Eagle Rock, California for an onscreen engagement.
• • On April 16th, 17th, and 18th, "She Done Him Wrong" was booked at the York Theatre, on York Boulevard at Avenue 50. Movie-goers could call for information: ALbany 5015. What a treat from Sunday through Tuesday.
• • The second feature was "Face in the Sky" with Spencer Tracy and Marian Nixon. …
• • Source: Eagle Rock Advertiser; published on Monday, 17 April 1933
• • 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 4,400 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,459th 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/
________
Source: https://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml  
• • Be sure to bookmark or follow The Mae West Blog
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • record cover released in 1974 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest