Mae West: Can Take It!

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 3 of 16 segments.
• • “Mae West: Don't Call Her Lady” • •  
• • Mae West: Rumors and gossip • •
• • Ben Maddox wrote: Greta Garbo, as you know, flees from gossip. Joan Crawford suffers agonies from whispers. And Lupe Velez protests violently against rumors. They can't take it.  

• • Ben Maddox wrote: Mae West can take it, and how!
• • Ben Maddox wrote: As Diamond Lil, she starred as a bold Bowery vamp in her own play of the same name.  
• • Ben Maddox wrote: Mae West has established herself as the most sensational star of the American stage.  
• • Ben Maddox wrote: High-brow drama lovers fairly quaked with rage at her forwardness, while her out-and-out voluptuousness made her a box-office bonanza.
• • Note: The infamous "box office poison" ad that ran in The Hollywood Reporter on Sunday, 1 May 1938 included these stars: Mae West, Edward Arnold, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Katherine Hepburn, and Kay Francis.
• • Mae West: A brand-new kind of red-hot mama personality • • …  
• • This will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Picture Play; published in the issue dated for April 1933.
• • On Sunday, 16 March 1930 • •
• • It has been reported by multiple sources that Mae West's "Pleasure Man" trial began on 16 March 1930. But since March 16th was actually a Sunday, that date is imprecise. Postponed from its scheduled start on 4 February 1930, the battling finally did get under way on Monday, 17 March in New York, NY.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • During his time in Los Angeles, one of Derek Taylor's clients in his public relations company was Mae West.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "My pianist — — I never could remember his name. I always introduced him as Harry Rikeman, or Reekman, or Rachman, so we decided to give him a name I couldn't forget: Richman. He's known everywhere now — — Harry Richman, King of the Vagabond Songsters."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A Connecticut newspaper mentioned Mae West.
• • “Sex” by Mae West • •
• •  … In contrast to this attitude is that of Mae West, buxom blonde author and leading woman of another of the raided plays, “Sex.”
• • Mae West has flung down the gauntlet for an open stage — any kind of play that will bring in the cash customers. She accuses other playwrights and producers of bringing about the police raid, through a jealousy of her success. ...
• • Source: Manchester Evening News (Manchester, Conn.); published on Tuesday, 1 March 1927
• • 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 4,951st 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 • • trade magazine ad in 1938 • •
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Mae West: Rare Mapback

Dell published "Diamond Lil" written by MAE WEST in a "map-back" version. This map of lower Manhattan pinpoints all the locations where Lil's adventures occur as well as the other sites mentioned such as Charley Fong's or Jacobsen Hall where Captain Cummings has a meeting. The lovenest where Juarez and Lil meet in secret (Frances's room) is on Elizabeth Street and Broome Street, for example.  There's also a complete lay-out of Suicide Hall, Diamond Lil's boudoir, and the shed Chick Clark uses to gain access to her windows. Delightful item for your collection.
• • Diamond Lil by Mae West Dell Mapback #525 (published 1949)
• • For pricing, call Sir K's Books: T. 303-802-6843
• • Shipping: $2.85 (US)

• • Tell Sir K you heard about it on the Mae West Blog.
• • On Friday, 1 April 1921 • •
• • "The Ruby Ring" by Mae West was registered with the Library of Congress's Copyright Office early in the month of April — — on Friday, 1 April 1921.
• • It was during March 1921 when Mae West had mailed an envelope to the Library of Congress containing her first playscript, "The Ruby Ring." At 20 pages, this manuscript was more of an extended "sketch" than a play. Gloria, the female lead, is a mantrap who is able to pick the gents off with ease.
• • Her parents were living in Woodhaven in 1921 [705 Boyd Avenue] and Mae used this address when she registered the copyright.
• • Script Approval on Monday, 1 April 1935 • •
• • An enormous international cast was assembled to do justice to Mae West's ambitious screenplay "Now I'm a Lady" centered around the horsey set. Script approval was granted by the Hays Commission on Monday, 1 April 1935 and the motion picture was released by Paramount Pictures the following month as "Goin' to Town."
• • Starting on Wednesday, 1 April 1936 • •
• • On Sunday, 1 March 1936, The New York Times mentioned that Mae West confirmed she planned to go to Columbia Pictures with Emanuel Cohen, even though Paramount Pictures declared it had exercised its option and wanted their screen star to make two more pictures with the studio, the first one to start on Wednesday, 1 April 1936 — — and the second to start on 1 July 1936.
• • On Wednesday, 1 April 1942 • •
• • On 1 April 1942, Lou Walters opened The Latin Quarter in Manhattan. During the 1950s, Mae brought the "Mae West Revue" there twice.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Among the stars that trod the boards at the Newark Vaudeville house were Mae West, according to Variety Magazine.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said:   “Honey, you don’t dare sit down in this gown. It’s standing room only.”
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Joomag mentioned Mae West.
• • In 1936 Dali made 4 lobster telephones for his home.  In 1937 they teamed up again to make a sofa replicating Mae West’s lips.  He also painted a portrait of Mae West (Dali, The secret life 219-220).  . . .
• • Source: Article "A Queen's Journey," in volume 1;  issue dated for April 2013 
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 11th anniversary • •
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past eleven years. The other day we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 3,400 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • • 
• • The Mae West Blog was started ten years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 3411th 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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Mae West: Ironic Maidens

MAE WEST was saluted in England on Tuesday, 14 September 1993  at 10 pm.
• • Did you tune in to the program called "Ironic Maidens" [BBC Radio 2,  Issue 3636]?
• • BBC Radio 2 wrote this:   In the fifth of six programmes, Susan Jeffreys presents her personal selection of comic and ironic songs by women singers and singer/ songwriters. This week, Shirley Bassey, Carol Channing, Julie Andrews, Mae West tell musical tales of razzle-dazzle, show business — — and show-business mums!   A Ladbroke Radio production.
• • On Friday, 14 September 1945 • •
• • Will Hays formally resigned as president of the MPPDA on Friday, 14 September 1945.
• • Mae West, in particular, found her pictures red-pencilled to bits and her witty lines either eliminated or denatured, thanks to the Hitler of Hollywood, motion picture censor Will Hays.
• • Mickey Hargitay [6 January 1926 — 14 September 2006] • •
• • Born in Budapest, Hungary on 6 January 1926, handsome Mickey Hargitay became a bodybuilder and earned the title "Mr. Universe."  He wed Mary Birge in 1948 and they had a daughter.
• • Hargitay parlayed his perfect physique and handsomeness into a performing career when Mae West tapped him to be a musclemen in her "Mae West Revue."
• • While appearing with Mae West in Las Vegas, Mickey Hargitay met Jayne Mansfield (then Mrs. Paul Mansfield), whom he married in 1958. He and Jayne had three children but divorced in 1964. In 1967, Jayne's clock stopped when she was 34.
• • Mickey's clock stopped on Thursday, 14 September 2006.  He was 80.
• • On Monday, 14 September 1931 • •
• • On Monday, 14 September 1931, Mae West's Harlem drama "The Constant Sinner" opened on Broadway.  Mae took the role of Babe Gordon.
• • On Friday, 14 September 1951 • •

• • "Diamond Lil," after a regional tour, returned to the Broadway Theatre for a victory lap. Gus Jordan's Gay Nineties saloon on the Bowery was seen again on The Great White Way beginning on Friday, 14 September 1951.
• • Two months later, Mae West and her gaudy retinue took their final bows on 10 November 1951 after this "last stand" on Broadway — — yes, sixty-seven performances. 
• • In 2013, "Diamond Lil" was revamped for a small cast and shortened to 90 minutes by LindaAnn Loschiavo; it enjoyed a run on West 46th Street in New York City. 
• • Watch some "Diamond Lil" clips on YouTube starring Darlene Violette as the queen of the Bowery.
• • On Wednesday, 14 September 2011 • •
• • “Mae West's Secret of Success,” a fascinating article written by Peter Carlson for American History Magazine, was published on Wednesday, 14 September 2011.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Take off your hats, boys, Mae West is back on Broadway.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said:  "Even with a real story (a bio-pic), the star is what the public pays to see."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A Walter Winchell column led off with Mae West.
• • "Mae West's Home Has Mirrors On Every Wall" • •
• • Walter Winchell wrote: Mae West's sumptuous home has a mirror wherever you look. Every time Mae turns her head, she gets a new view of her frame.  . . .
• • Source: Item in Winchell's syndicated column rpt by Sarasota Journal; published on Wednesday,  25 October 1961
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 11th anniversary • •    
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past eleven years. The other day we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 3,200 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • • 
• • The Mae West Blog was started ten years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 3266th 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 1951 • •
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Mae West: Melbourne Mae

MAE WEST makes an appearance in an amusing stage play called "The Reel James Joyce" and you can enjoy an evening performance on Tuesday, 16 June 2015.
• • June 16 heralds a number of celebrations of James Joyce’s complex novel "Ulysses."  Down Under, the Melbourne festival has been celebrating James Joyce since 1994.
• • According to the stage director Wayne Pearn:  It's 1924 in Paris around 1924. Charlie Chaplin seeks to make a serious film after the failure of "A Woman of Paris," and wants to direct and play Leopold Bloom in "Ulysses." A cast of ex-pats and Parisians (Nora, Erik Satie, Mae West, Theda Bara, and a bevy of Sorbonne-educated young assistants) all want a bit of the action. In the cast: Steve Gome (plays James Joyce), Dan Walls (plays Charlie Chaplin), Bridgette Burton, Kelly Nash, Sarah Plummer, and Silas James.
• • Presented by Bloomsday in Melbourne, Inc. — — Tel.: 03 9898 2900 
• • Tell them you heard about it on the Mae West Blog.
• • On Thursday, 16 June 1932 • •
• • It was Thursday, 16 June 1932 when Mae West pulled into Pasadena, California on The Chief. She was unimpressed by the motion picture landscape she surveyed from the train station. "I'm a big girl from a big town," Mae told Los Angeles reporters, "coming to a little town."
• • On Saturday, 16 June 1934 • •
• • A featured article "Come Up and Meet Mae West" by Frank Condon appeared in Collier's Magazine, in their issue dated for Saturday, 16 June 1934.  Mae's recent robbery was described. And the actress explained why she did not like "Belle of the Nineties." She said,  "Too much of me in it. The story just didn't turn out right."
• • On Saturday, 16 June 1951 • •
• • Referring to a former cast member Sarah Allen, who was suing her, Mae West said: "It takes more than platinum blonde hair and shapely hips to be like Mae West."
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Yesterday Mae West appeared at a hearing in court of a damage suit brought against her by another actress, Sarah Allen.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I never found anyone I liked well enough [to marry]. I might have, I suppose, if things had been a little different in my set-up. But I didn't."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An Australian newspaper discussed Mae West.

• • Cairns Post announced: On 16 June 1934, Beattie's Theatre, Babinda. "She Done Him Wrong," "Midnight Club," and "Flowers and Trees" in all Technicolor.
• • Cairns Post continued: The popular Mae West Paramount Pictures  production, "She Done Him Wrong" features Miss West as the Bowery Darling who was faithful just as long as her diamonds held out. 
• • Cairns Post added: Mae West proves herself quite an unusual type of performer. She sings in a most unusual manner "Frankie and Johnnie" and "Haven't Got No Peace of Mind." Included in the cast are Cary Grant, Owen Moore, Noah Beery, and Gilbert Roland.
• • Source: Cairns Post (Queensland, Australia); published on Saturday, 16 June 1934
• • Note: The song "Haven't Got No Peace of Mind" did not appear in the American release of this motion picture. Who was the composer or lyricist? The local trade papers in 1932 and 1933 only noted that this number "was written especially for her." If you have seen this slightly different overseas version, let us know.
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 10th anniversary • •    
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during this past decade. The other day we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 3,200 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • • 
• • The Mae West Blog was started ten years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 3201st 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 1932 • •
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