Mae West: Not Scrawny

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 22 of a lengthy piece.
• • Laughing off the “Fatness” ― Mae West’s Body Image and Female Spectators in the Early 1930s • •
• • Mae West fan Ethel Hitchcock praised her “healthy looking” figure • •

• • Mio Hatokai wrote: Ethel Hitchcock’s letter said: May I say a few words in praise of Mae West in “She Done Him Wrong”? [...] Three cheers for Mae West! She’s about the only healthy-looking female on the screen. I don’t care for stout people especially, but I do like to see healthy-looking actresses. When Mae West slims down to screen slimness ― ― well, I’m off her.  
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: Both letters express admiration for Mae West’s body, comparing her ­figure with those of other “scrawny” or “slim” actresses.
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: Then, we find a letter befittingly entitled “Which? The Garbo Influence vs. The West Habit” in January 1934­'s New Movie Magazine. The letter describes Greta Garbo as “a glamorous, glittering, slender and appealing lady, illusive and with the mysteries of the universe in her fathomless eyes,” and declares, “we all want Greta Garbos to be on the silver screen henceforth.”
• • Mae West: Mae's appeal was “attainable” — — unlike Garbo’s • • ...
• • Mio Hatokai’s lengthy article will continue on the next post.
• • Source: Academic anthology on film stars released by Waseda University, 2015.
• • On Friday, 17 November 1916 • •
• • On Friday, 17 November 1916, Mae West announced in the trade papers (such as Variety) that she had exciting new plans.
• • "Mae West's New Name and Act" • •
• • An act written by Blanche Merrill will return Mae West to vaudeville under another name and as a male impersonator.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • According to Emily Wortis Leider's biography "Becoming Mae West," the actress would not even admit to having once been a brunette.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Honey, I've always got a new trick. Come up and see me sometime, and bring an old dog with you."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on the favorite dishes of movie stars in the 1930s mentioned Mae West.
• • "Spaghetti Astaire and Mae West Salad" • •
• • The Sydney Morning Herald commented: Mae West always has a salad, which has been named after her. Sydney Morning Herald added: The chefs of the Brown Derbies have supplied the following recipes for the dishes favoured by well-known film people ...
• • Source: The Sydney Morning Herald [Australia]; published on Tuesday, 17 November 1936
• • 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 seventeen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,867th 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 • • showing off her curves in 1933 • •
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