Mae West: Aroused Enthusiasm

Depending on the person who wielded the pen, the fan magazine Picture Play could worship MAE WEST in fragrant ink or scold her. A year before publishing Dorothy Herzog’s skeptical sourness [May 1934], the zine printed a much more enthusiastic feature by Ben Maddox [April 1933] emphasizing Mae’s work ethic and down-to-earth side. This is Part 14 of 16 segments.
• • “Mae West: Don't Call Her Lady” • •  
• • Mae West: Get the public talking • •
• • Ben Maddox wrote: "The way to be a theatrical success is to get the public talking about you," said Mae West.

• • Ben Maddox wrote: "If they're whispering and gossiping about you before the curtain rises, your entrance has a big build-up. I always used to put things in the first night that I knew would have to be cut later. It sure aroused enthusiasm about me," explained Mae West.
• • Ben Maddox wrote: Her desire to give you your money's worth was demonstrated by a brief conversation she had with a song writer who came in for a minute.
• • Ben Maddox wrote: "I'm going to do those songs for the picture again. The front office liked them, but I had to sing without rehearsal.”
• • Mae West: Time to rehearse • • …   
• • This will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Picture Play; published in the issue dated for April 1933.
• • On Thursday, 31 March 1927 • •
• • On Thursday, 31 March 1927 it was reported in The New York Times that Sergeant Patrick Keneally of the Midtown Vice Squad, whose testimony was heavily flavored with a thick Irish brogue, quoted long passages from Mae's play "Sex" from memory.

• • Moreover, "frequently, under the instructions of the Prosecutor," explained The Times, "assuming poses to demonstrate the manner in which members of the cast delivered their lines," Sgt Keneally gave the jury box quite a show.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Lew Garvey told us Mae West alternates her ranch visits with occasional calls on her sister Beverly who lives in a cozy hillside home in the fashionable Los Feliz district.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Stay young, ladies — — even if you have to change your birth dates in the family Bible. Have your face lifted if necessary."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A newspaper mentioned Mae West and an extortion plot in 1943.
• • "Blonde Poses as Actress" • •
• • "Teenage Extortioner Trapped" • •
• • On Wednesday, 31 March 1943, Australians were reading about an extortion plot that targeted Mae West and Betty Grable.
• • The criminal (who turned out to be star-struck teen) demanded $100,000 from Miss West. There was an investigation and he got caught instead.
• • New York, March 30 (A.A.P.) — — How a blonde impersonating the film actress Betty Grable was hired to trap a would-be extortioner was described in the Hollywood Federal Court when Russell Alexanderson, l8, pleaded guilty to a charge of having demanded 130,000 dollars (£40,625) from Miss Grable and the actress Mae West.
• • Alexanderson demanded $100,000 dollars from Miss West.
• • The Judge postponed sentence until April 5th. ...
• • Source: Associated Press, rpt in The Sydney Morning Herald; published on Wednesday, 31 March 1943
• • 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 4,900 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started seventeen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,962nd 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 and in 1928 • •
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