Mae West: Often Quoted

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 13 of 46 parts.
• • "Mirror, Mirror, on the Ceiling: How'm I Doin’?" • •
• • Not bad, Mae, for a woman of seventy-three • •
• • Mae West: Her mannerisms were mimicked • •
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote:  In Hollywood she not only wrote the scripts for her films but picked the cast, had the okay on music and costumes, and supervised production. The movies she made were international hits—one of them ran for two years in Paris—and are still being shown.  
• • Helen Lawrenson wrote: Her voice, her walk, her mannerisms were mimicked; her phrases were quoted so often they became part of our idiom (“Come up and see me sometime”); and randy Mae West jokes were the rage.

• • Helen Lawrenson wrote:  (Sample: Mae calls up the Chinese laundry and says, “Where the hell is my laundry? Get it over here right away.” A short time later her doorbell rings and there stands a breathless Chinaman. “Here I am, Miss West. I come lickety-split.” “Well, never mind that. Just gimme the laundry.”)
• • Mae West: An American phenomenon • • . . .    
• • Helen Lawrenson's interview will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Esquire; published on Saturday, 1 July 1967.
• • On Sunday, 28 October 1934 • •
• • "Mae West Philosophy" • •
• • On this date, a Singapore newspaper said: This is Mae West's philosophy:  "I'm a tonic to tired housewives. My style of vamping makes the women rest easy. I, myself, hate those slinky dames."  How Mae West swept to success in face of strong opposition from many quarters ...
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Which actresses would be most popular in 1936?  The L.A. Times weighed in on the merits of Mae West, Katharine Hepburn, and Jean Harlow in an article printed during late October in 1935.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I am not done. I will adapt 'Diamond Lil' [for a British audience] and improve the dialogue and introduce new jokes.”
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article recently discussed Mae West.
• • "Where to start with film icon Mae West" • •
• • Phil Dyess-Nugent wrote:  There’s a key difference between Mae West and most of the actresses who are remembered as sexy comediennes, like Marilyn Monroe: Monroe was a limited actress who, in her quest to be famous, learned to use what nature had given her.   
• • Phil Dyess-Nugent wrote: Mae West, who wrote all her best material, chose sex as her subject matter, and if the audience accepted her as sexy, it was because there was clearly no percentage in arguing with her. A female rock critic once wrote that it might never have occurred to her, or anyone else, that Mick Jagger was beautiful if he hadn’t told them, and there was a lot Mick might have learned from West. (“When I was born with this face,” she tells her maids in I’m No Angel, “it was the same as strikin’ oil.”)  ...
• • Source: Article for A.V. Club; published on Thursday, 6 September 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 4,591st 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 • • playing the Frisco Doll in 1936 • •
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