Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Mae West: Trademarked Vulgarity

MAE WEST had her share of coverage from Variety, whose publisher Sime Silverman was invariably scornful, condescending, and critical. In 2021, Variety’s editorial viewpoint turned tail, deciding they’d come this time “not to bury Caesar but to praise him.” The task fell to Tim Gray, who had this to say. This is Part 8 of 10 segments.
• • Mae West: The Sex-Positive Old Hollywood Icon Who Was Far Ahead of Her Time • •
• • Mae West: Trademarked vulgarity • •  
• • Tim Gray wrote: In a June 24, 1970 review, Variety’s A.D. Murphy found the film artless and uninteresting, but said Mae West was “excellent,” noting that she wrote her own lines with her trademark “easy and inoffensive vulgarity.”

• • Tim Gray wrote: In 1977, she starred in her 12th and final film, “Sextette,” when she was about 85, still surrounded by leading men including Timothy Dalton (aged 31), Tony Curtis, and Ringo Starr.
• • Tim Gray wrote: Tony Curtis said her distinctive walk was born due to wearing platform shoes early in her career, since Mae West was barely even five feet tall.
• • Tim Gray wrote: Rumors tended to swirl around her, including the myth that she was actually a man, a far-fetched idea that may sprung from her boldness both in business and onscreen.
• • Mae West: Federico Fellini tried • •  …  
• • Tim Gray’s article will continue on the next post.
• • Source: Variety; published on Tuesday, 17 August 2021.
• • On Saturday, 22 September 1934 • •
• • In September 1934, Mae was involved in promoting her fourth feature for Paramount Pictures: "Belle of the Nineties." This motion picture was released on September 21st. The title of the movie review published in The New York Times on Saturday, 22 September 1934 was "Mae West and Her Gaudy Retinue in 'Belle of the Nineties'." Here is the first sentence — — "Of course, Miss West is her own plot," wrote Times critic Andre Sennwald.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • In Paramount Pictures' "Night After Night" some swell comedy develops through Alison Skipworth and Mae West. There are some dramatic moments — — but for the most part this speakeasy yarn starring George Raft is a thin one.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Even with a real story (i.e., a bio-pic), the star is what the public pays to see."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The Ashland Daily Tidings announced a new show about Mae West.
• • "Spotlight on Mae West" • •
• • Teresa Thomas wrote: The brassy and flamboyant Mae West was once quoted saying, "If I asked for a cup of coffee, someone would search for the double meaning."
• • Teresa Thomas wrote: An actress, singer and sex symbol of the early 20th century, West was recognized for her clever humor and bawdy double entendres, as well as for her strong personality as a liberated female. "She never showed any skin, used swear words or mentioned any body parts," says Gwen Overland, who stars as West in Camelot Theatre's "Spotlight on Mae West." "She knew how to not say anything and get the full message across." …
• • Source: Ashland Daily Tidings; published on Thursday, 9 September 2010

• • 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 17th anniversary • • 
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past seventeen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 4,800 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,827th 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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n 1978 • •
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