Mae West: American Phenomenon

When Helen Lawrenson came up to see MAE WEST, Esquire's first female journalist was closing in on her sixtieth birthday and the Brooklyn bombshell was 73. A color photo by Diane Arbus flashed across the double-page-spread, hunched under half the title as if warding off a punch in the nose.
• • In honor of  Helen Lawrenson's October birthday, enjoy her seldom seen interview. This is Part 14 of 46 parts.
• • "Mirror, Mirror, on the Ceiling: How'm I Doin’?" • •
• • Not bad, Mae, for a woman of seventy-three • •
• • Mae West: An American phenomenon • •
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: She was, as Richard Watts once wrote, “an historic American phenomenon.”

• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: Summing up, she put it to me forthrightly: “I was in a class by myself. I had no competition.”
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: It all began in Brooklyn, where she was born [in Bushwick]. Her father, known as Battling Jack West (the sobriquet derived, I gathered, more from street and barroom affrays than from prowess in the ring), was of Anglo-Irish descent and ran a livery stable.  
• • Mae West: Mother worked as a corset model • • . . .
• • Helen Lawrenson's interview will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Esquire; published on Saturday, 1 July 1967.
• • On Saturday, 29 October 1932 • •
• • Paramount Pictures held a star-dusted premiere of their speakeasy movie starring George Raft — — and which introduced Mae West to the silver screen — — on 29 October 1932. This was the red carpet debut for "Night After Night" in Hollywood.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • The Palace had a strong, ten-year run hosting shows by Houdini, Mae West, and many other performers. But it too was placed on the back burner when RKO opened the 2,500-seat Riverside Theater on Plankinton and Wisconsin Avenues in April of 1928.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Certain minds always misconstrue everything. I have a very big public that understands what I say."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article about Marilyn Monroe mentioned Mae West.
• • Lidija Haas wrote: "There are tantalizing flashes of insight about how Marilyn Monroe developed her screen persona: Natasha Lytess encouraged her to imitate Mae West’s walk; Johnny Hyde told her to study Chaplin movies. ...
• • Source: "Rewriting the Marilyn Monroe story" for TLS; posted on Friday, 26 October 2012
• • 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 16th 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 4,500 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,592nd 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 • • with George C. Scott at a film premiere in 1974 • •
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