Mae West: Gus Sun

When MAE WEST was an aspiring vaudevillian, one of the bottom-rung bookers who gave her a start was Gus Sun, born in Ohio on the seventh of October.
• • Gus Sun [7 October 1868 - 1 October 1959] • •
• • Born in Toledo, Ohio on Wednesday, 7 October 1868, Gus had three brothers (John, George, and Pete) and they combined their efforts to train animal acts for circuses.
• • By 1889, Gustave Ferdinand Klotz had assumed the stage name “Gus Sun” and was working as a juggler for the Summerville and Lee Circus of Chicago, IL.
• • While the Gus Sun Booking Agency was largely considered the bottom rung on the Vaudeville circuit, its popularity was undeniable.
• • At one time during the mid-1920s, his circuit included approximately 275 — 300 theaters.
• • Gus Sun was responsible for giving Hollywood legends such as Mae West, Bob Hope, the Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields, Eddie Cantor, Fanny “Funny Girl” Brice, and Will Rogers their start in his shows. Gus Sun also booked Sophie Tucker, Chic Sale, Ted Lewis, Moran and Mack, and numerous other acts. A typical tour would include stops in his native Ohio as well as Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

• • Gus Sun created the “split week,” which saw an act spend the first half of the week in one city, the second half in another; allowing his patrons more variety.
• • It was said that Gus was so cheap, he sent all his telegrams collect, making his clients pay to hear from him about bookings and schedule changes.
• • Sun made such an impact on the entertainment world that in 1947 Warner Brothers was in talks to make a movie based upon his to life.
• • Billboard reported his death in their issue dated for Monday, 5 October 1959.
• • According to Billboard, on Thursday, 1 October 1959, Sun died at Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Ohio, from complications after a fall that had broken his hip. Gus Sun was about to celebrate his 91st birthday. Internment was in Ferncliff Cemetery.
• • On Saturday, 7 October 1933 • •
• • Motion Picture Herald published a review of "I'm No Angel" in their issue dated for Saturday, 7 October 1933.  The piece was signed by their staffwriter McCarthy.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • A couple of months ago, Mae West sauntered into Arthur Knight's film class at USC, put her hand on her hip, took her time looking around the room, and finally said: "Hello, boys."
• • It was a co-ed class.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said:  "I don't believe that you need any kind of chemical to get high."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article about a Bushwick maid mentioned Mae West.
• • "Mae West Still Comes on Strong But She Forgot to Pucker" • •
• • Lee Mueller wrote: One of these women, named Elsie, said she worked in that hotel as a cleaning maid and lived over in Brooklyn's Bushwick section where Miss Mae West was born.
• • Lee Mueller wrote: "When I was a girl growing up, Mae West was somethin'," Elsie said. "I heard about her when she was in vaudeville, you know. I remember I told my mother I wanted to grow up to be like Mae West and she slapped me. . ."
• • Source: Syndicated feature written by Lee Mueller, NBA, rpt in The Daily Times (Burlington, N.C.); published on Wednesday, 15 July 1971 
• • 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 4,577th 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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