MAE WEST’s plump, curvaceous body was a vital element in her comedy. Academics have emphasized that “excessive body is one of the qualities of female unruliness, suggesting that she is unwilling or unable to control her physical appetites.” Japanese film historian Mio Hatokai discusses how Hollywood publicists and fan zines responded to this “fatness” in 1933. This is Part 2 of a lengthy piece.
• • Laughing off the “Fatness” ― Mae West’s Body Image and Female Spectators in the Early 1930s • •
• • Mae West: Declaration of victory • •
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: To me, this moment seems like a declaration of victory that Tira / West can fool men by swaying her curvy hips and making provocative comments.
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: She made her screen debut with a small yet remarkable role in “Night After Night” (directed by Archie Mayo, 1932), and soon proved to be a star.
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: Paramount rushed to release West’s first starring vehicle “She Done Him Wrong” (directed by Lowell Sherman) at the beginning of 1933.
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: With Mae West’s overt sex appeal and the film’s subject matter, Paramount Pictures made the male audience a prime target.
• • Mae West: Sensing a meal ticket, Paramount spiced up ads • • …
• • Mio Hatokai’s lengthy article will continue on the next post.
• • Source: Academic anthology on film stars released by Waseda University, 2015.
• • On Saturday, 20 October 1934 in Popular Song Hits • •
• • Popular Song Hits Magazine featured Mae West on the cover of issue number 6 dated for Saturday, 20 October 1934. What a spectacular gown on Mae adorning the black and white front page. Weekend whoopee.
• • On Monday, 20 October 1947 • •
• • It was on Monday, 20 October 1947 that Mae West was photographed at Euston Station en route to Manchester to present "Diamond Lil" onstage. Some of her elaborate stage gowns were trimmed with Battenberg lace.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West's latest motion picture is a hit. Leo McCarey’s direction of “Belle of the Nineties” has a nice pace. What few slow spots there are seem to have developed in the cutting [or, more likely, due to the censors' objections of Mae West’s dialogue].
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I'm a pretty good observer myself. I like to study character, especially where men are concerned. I've got a reputation for that."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Motion Picture Daily applauded Mae West.
• • “Mae West Gets Top Indianapolis Take” • •
• • Indianapolis. Sept. 27 — Mae West's popularity is undimmed here. "Belle of the Nineties" was the outstanding draw of the week, the $5,000 take at the Circle being $1,000 up, and away ahead of any other first run on a comparative basis. ...
• • Source: Motion Picture Daily; published on Friday, 28 September 1934
• • 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 4,847th 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 • • Paramount's risque print ad in 1932 • •
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