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 3 of 10 segments.
• • Mae West: The Sex-Positive Old Hollywood Icon Who Was Far Ahead of Her Time • •
• • Mae West: Her most remembered lines • •
• • Tim Gray wrote: Two of her most remembered lines were: “When I’m good, I’m very good. But when I’m bad, I’m better” and “When caught between two evils, I generally pick the one I’ve never tried before.”
• • Tim Gray wrote: In 1926, Variety was upbeat about her play “Sex,” adding, “Miss West gives a remarkable performance.”
• • Tim Gray wrote: The New York Times, though, called it “crude and inept” and she ended up being arrested for “corrupting the morals of youth.”
• • Mae West: Recognized an opportunity for publicity • • …
• • Tim Gray’s article will continue on the next post.
• • Source: Variety; published on Tuesday, 17 August 2021.
• • On Tuesday, 15 September 1931 • •
• • The article “Mae West Returns” was printed in The New York Sun on Tuesday, 15 September 1931.
• • The stage review "Play 'Constant Sinner' Opens" was seen in the New York American on Tuesday, 15 September 1931.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • With Mae West starting the proceedings by remote control from Hollywood on Saturday night, Hollywood-at-the-Fair opened at the Chicago Fair with its new setup under the head of 0. W. Rosenthal and Raymond D. Berry.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Lions surely do have halitosis."
• • Mae West said: "The score never interested me, only the game."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An American newsman interviewed Mae West.
• • Product of the Theater • •
• • Willis Thornton wrote: Once more a woman of the theater dictates what her unprofessional sisters shall wear. And Mae West is essentially a woman of the theater.
• • Willis Thornton wrote: She is a trouper, and like almost every Broadway success, hides years of unwept, unhonored and unsung trouping behind the dazzling light of present-day success. …
• • Source: "Go West Young Woman, Go West," a syndicated feature, appeared in various newspapers starting around Sunday, 10 September 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 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 4,822nd 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 • • in 1926 • •
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To paraphrase that chestnut American classic recording, "What a Difference A Century Makes" between what Sime Silverman and Tim Gray's viewpoint about Mae West's contribution to the American stage. Thank you for sharing this important turnabout!
ReplyDelete• • Thanks, Mark.
ReplyDelete• • I am still wondering where Tim Gray found "positive comments" on Mae West in the Variety archive.
• • The publisher followed her live appearances in variety with a Javert-like vengefulness and spitefulness -- as if Mae West had purposely wronged him or stolen his loaf of bread.