Mae West: Penrhyn Stanlaws

It was 75 years ago — — on 17 November 1933 — — when Penrhyn Stanlaws was interviewed about painting the face of MAE WEST, noted the Jackson Hole Star Tribune.
• • This portrait artist, who became famous for his paintings of beautiful women commissioned for the covers of magazines like The Saturday Evening Post, complained that Hollywood starlets were far from perfect beauties. The reporter for the Casper Tribune-Herald listed Penrhyn Stanlaws's critiques of stars such as Mae West, Katherine Hepburn, Constance Bennett, and Greta Garbo. His only criticism of Kay Francis, however, was that she had overdeveloped triceps but otherwise had "nicely balanced features."
• • Born on 19 March 1877 in Dundee, Scotland (birth name: Stanley Adamson), portraitist Penrhyn Stanlaws attended Princeton. This turn-of-the century illustrator sought out beautiful women for his studio models; he painted Mabel Normand, Olive Thomas, and Florence La Badie prior to their movie careers.
• • It was reported that Penrhyn Stanlaws died in his Los Angeles studio at the age of 80 after falling asleep while smoking in a chair on 20 May 1957.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1933 • •
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Delilah by the Bay

In her 1935 release "Goin' to Town," MAE WEST's character — — newly rich Cleo Borden — — has an evening soiree and decides to impress the guests by "throwing an opera." Always envisioning herself as a seductress, Mae (hilariously costumed) performs an erotic French aria by Camille Saint-Saëns: "Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix."
• • In her attempt to ensnare Samson, this is Delilah's most famous aria. In her 7-minute song, the Philistine temptress tells the long-haired Hebrew warrior, "My heart opens to your voice as the flowers open to dawn's kisses."
• • San Jose Mercury News opera critic Richard Scheinin, fondly remembering Mae's performance, was disappointed in the season-opening revival of "Samson and Delilah" at the War Memorial Opera House [in San Francisco, California]. Richard Scheinin described the production as "bland kitsch that gets ignited by the sumptuous voice of Russian mezzo-soprano Olga Borodina, as Delilah, and goes over the top with sets stimulating our movie memories." He added: It's a wonder than an opera can so successfully merge sensuality and boredom and still get produced — — yet "S&D" manages. [Source: San Jose Mercury News on 11 September 2007.]
• • First staged 130 years ago in 1877, "Samson and Delilah" is on tap in the Bay area through 28 September 2007.
• • For a lot less, you can rent "Goin' to Town" [1935] and get a kick out of Mae goin' to town on her campy impression of Delilah.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1935 • •
NYC
Mae West.