Mae West: Peculiar Magnetism

Malcolm H. Oettinger profiled MAE WEST for Screenland. Since this interview has rarely been seen, let us enjoy it together. This is part 4 of 13.
• • “Going West” • •   
• • Mae West: Looks less spectacular in person • •
• • Malcolm H. Oettinger wrote: You would hardly recognize the lady off-screen.  
• • Malcolm H. Oettinger wrote: She looks smaller, less spectacular of course, and lacking in that peculiar magnetism with which her stage personality is so richly endowed.  

• • Malcolm H. Oettinger wrote: She is blonde, forty-ish, and informal.
• • Malcolm H. Oettinger wrote: For her stage appearance Mae bolsters those hips and pads that corset until she resembles a calendar girl of the 1890s.  
• • Malcolm H. Oettinger wrote: Then she adjusts her "Merry Widow" hat to a rakish angle, and sweeps onto the stage, where she is nothing less than dynamic.
• • Mae West: Her next film is "Rings on Her Fingers" • • ….   
• • This will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Screenland; published in the issue dated for June 1933.
• • On Wednesday, 28 April 1926 in Variety • •
• • On Wednesday, 28 April 1926, Variety (usually hostile to Mae West and nasty) took an early stand against the play "Sex," which had just opened on Broadway.
• • Variety wrote: “Mae West … has broken the fetters and does as she pleases here."
• • Variety wrote: "After three hours of this play’s nasty, infantile, amateurish, and vicious dialog, after watching its various actors do their stuff badly, one really has a feeling of gratefulness for any repression that may have toned down her vaudeville songs in the past."
• • Variety wrote: "If this show "Sex" could do even one week of good business, it would depart with a handsome profit, it’s that cheaply put on.”
• • Note: “Sex” starring Mae West ran for 10 and a half months on Broadway at Daly's 63rd Street Theatre.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Hollywood gossips are predicting Mae West's new picture, scheduled to start soon, will be her last. ... She will collect £60,000 though, for her work in the new motion picture.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "The best way to hold a man is in your arms."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article in The Orlando Sentinel mentioned Mae West.
• • "In Days Before Dolly, There Was Mae West" • •

• • "I met her, Mae West, not Catherine the Great, very briefly" • •
• • Allen Rose of The Sentinel Staff wrote: "I met her Mae West, not Catherine, very briefly," Dick Gordon said.
• • Allen Rose wrote: "It was on the 17th floor of the hotel," Dick Gordon continued. "I was stationed at a B-29 training base in Nebraska [Offutt Air Force Base]. A friend and I were in Chicago, Illinois for the weekend and saw Mae West in the show." …
• • Source: Orlando Sentinel; published on Wednesday, 20 April 1988
• • 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 4,982nd 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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• • Be sure to bookmark or follow The Mae West Blog
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • magazine cover in 1934 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Ten Deep

Malcolm H. Oettinger profiled MAE WEST for Screenland. Since this interview has rarely been seen, let us enjoy it together. This is part 3 of 13.
• • “Going West” • •   
• • Mae West: Smashed attendance records • •

• • Malcolm H. Oettinger wrote: New Orleans reports smashed attendance records on "She Done Him Wrong" (the first West starring picture) and in Scranton, Pa., they stood up ten deep  to see it.
• • Malcolm H. Oettinger wrote: Meeting Mae West is like attending a convention.    
• • Malcolm H. Oettinger wrote: You meet people going, coming, waiting, and there is an air of confusion strewn thickly about.  
• • Malcolm H. Oettinger wrote: She was in her Paramount theatre dressing-room, resting between two of her five performances daily.
• • Mae West: Looks less spectacular in person • • …   
• • This will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Screenland; published in the issue dated for June 1933.
• • On Wednesday, 27 April 1927 • •
• • On Wednesday, 27 April 1927, shortly after daybreak, Mae West was released from her jail cell at the Women's Workhouse and then wrote about her experiences for Liberty Magazine.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • How much should Miss 1935 weigh? Considerable controversy had been aroused over an edict of the American Society of Beauticians that said the ideal American girl of 1935 should weigh only 100 pounds.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I never found anyone I liked well enough to marry. [sic] I might have, I suppose, if things had been different in my set-up. But I didn't."
• • Note: By the time she got to Hollywood, Mae West had wed twice and kept both relationships a secret — from her parents and from the world.
• • Note: In April 1911, Mae wed her skinny vaudeville partner Frank Wallace. There's a suggestion that perhaps Mae thought she might have been pregnant at the time they were on tour, in the same show ("A Florida Enchantment"), and she agreed to a wedding. But they quickly separated when they returned home to New York.
• • Note: In 1913 or 1914, Mae wed a darkly handsome, muscular, successful Italian accordionist, Guido Deiro. After Mae secretly aborted their child, Guido Deiro wanted a divorce and (soon after) he married his fourth wife, who gave him a son.
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article in The Orlando Sentinel mentioned Mae West.

• • "In Days Before Dolly, There Was Mae West" • •
• • "I met her, Mae West, not Catherine the Great, very briefly" • •
• • Allen Rose of The Sentinel Staff wrote: It was 1944, at the height of World War II. Stevens Hotel in Chicago.
• • Allen Rose wrote: Mae West was starring in a Windy City mainstage production of "Catherine Was Great," a comedy about Catherine the Great of Russia, who also found men to be the perfect pastime during a humdrum 18th century marriage to Grand Duke Peter. …
• • Source: Orlando Sentinel; published on Wednesday, 20 April 1988
• • 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 4,981st 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/
________
Source: https://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml  
• • Be sure to bookmark or follow The Mae West Blog
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • color image: onscreen in 1933 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Twice as Many

Malcolm H. Oettinger profiled MAE WEST for Screenland. Since this interview has rarely been seen, let us enjoy it together. This is part 2 of 13.
• • “Going West” • •   
• • Mae West: Pumping up the attendance • •
• • Malcolm H. Oettinger wrote: She knows her public, which threatens to be universal, and she knows precisely how to feed it what it wants.
• • Malcolm H. Oettinger wrote: In New York she drew twice as many people to see her as Ed Wynn drew to see him, both appearing the same week at different theatres, in conjunction with a picture.  
• • Malcolm H. Oettinger wrote: In Brooklyn she drew exactly twice as many people as the radio star.  
• • Mae West: Smashed attendance records • • …   
• • This will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Screenland; published in the issue dated for June 1933.
• • On Monday, 26 April 1926 on Broadway • •

• • Written by "Jane Mast" and starring Mae West as Margy LaMont, "Sex" opened in April — — on Monday, 26 April 1926. The Broadway debut occurred a few blocks north of Columbus Circle at Daly’s 63rd Street Theatre, the only playhouse available at the time.
• • "Mae West played a Canadian woman," noted Playbill, "with no time for those Mounties."
• • The N.Y. Daily News sent a reviewer who wrote: "Most of the 'Sex' appeal falls to the talents of Mae West, a vaudeville actress who somewhat resembles Texas Guinan."
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • In one of the funniest scenes of all her films, Mae West as Peaches O’Day is being romanced by crooked police chief Lloyd Nolan. But to stave him off she throws a temper tantrum saying the wine he serves her is from "1895! This horrible, horrible vinegar! Don't you know I'm delicate!"
• • Mae West has able support from veterans Lloyd Nolan, Edmund Lowe, and Charles Winninger, among others. She also insisted on getting Louie Armstrong and his band to play a number.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I do things right because I follow what my astrologer says."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article in The Orlando Sentinel mentioned Mae West.
• • "In Days Before Dolly, There Was Mae West" • •

• • ''I met her, Mae West, not Catherine the Great, very briefly'' • •
• • Allen Rose of The Sentinel Staff wrote: Mae West was a bit like Cher, too. Outspoken. Only more so. Sultry voice. Her image was that of a lady who liked men. A lot. As in by the dozen.
• • Allen Rose wrote: Her trademark line: "Come up and see me sometime, big boy." …
• • Source: Orlando Sentinel; published on Wednesday, 20 April 1988
• • 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 4,980th 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/
________
Source: https://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml  
• • Be sure to bookmark or follow The Mae West Blog
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • onscreen in 1933 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: With One Hand

In 1942, when MAE WEST was feeling her Hollywood halo slipping, she decided to reinvent herself. The place to tell the entertainment world her intentions was the famous "Harrison in Hollywood" column, started by Paul Harrison, and now penned by Erskine Johnson.This is Part 5 of 5.
• • Mae West: Sees her next role as a Russian Ruler • •
• • Erskine Johnson wrote: And there's a movie based on the life of Catherine the Great. That's the film on which she's sinking her hopes.

• • Erskine Johnson wrote: She wrote it herself after a year and a half of research about the lady who once ruled Russia with one hand and a regiment of lovers with the other.
• • Erskine Johnson wrote: Catherine, you may recall, was quite a gal, and Mae has taken her apart and put her together again.  
• • Erskine Johnson wrote: Mae says that she even had some old Russian tales translated to discover things not generally known about the Empress. “And what things!" she says.
• • This was Part 5 of five segments. We hope you enjoyed it.
• • Source: Harrison in Hollywood column written by Erskine Johnson, Syndicated Columnist;  published on Thursday, 5 November 1942.
• • On Monday, 6 May 1935 in Time Magazine • •
• • Milwaukee clerk Myrtle Lorraine Sands, while helping to re-index official records in Wisconsin, chanced upon a marriage certificate showing that Mae West had married a fellow on 11 April 1911. The groom was Frank Wallace. Was that 1911 bride the Paramount Pictures movie star herself?
• • Already famous for her wiggling and shimmying, Mae tried every move to wriggle out of this tight spot by emphatically denying it all. However, "the great fact-finding machinery of the U.S. Press began to hum," according to the May 6th, 1935 issue of Time Magazine.
• • When New York reporters located the scrawny, unprepossessing vaudevillian, who was staying "in a theatrical hotel with his dancing partner, Trixie LeMae," Frank Wallace was quite happy to talk. He affirmed the marriage was real.
• • "The nerve of a brass monkey," was Mae West's response.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West is dickering with playwright Charlotte Frances for American stage rights of her play, “Sextette.”
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "It takes two to get one in trouble."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on Atlantic City, NJ  mentioned Mae West.
• • "Atlantic City Notes" • •
• • At the Savoy, the bill includes: Mae West, George Roland and company, Willie Weston, Rose and Ellis, John Geiger, the Flying Russells, Porter and Sullivan, and Herbert and Dennis.
• • The talking pictures will be heard at the Savoy next week. . . .
• • Source: The New York Clipper; published on Saturday, 5 April 1913
• • 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 16th anniversary • • 
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past fifteen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 4,700 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,728th 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/
________
Source: https://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml  
• • Be sure to bookmark or follow The Mae West Blog
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • artwork in 1944 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: 6769 Sunset Boulevard

To acquire the autograph of MAE WEST was a collector’s quest. In September 1934, a news report stated that Mae had her car doors wired for electricity to ward off autograph hunters and thieves. Let's hear how one fan succeeded in 1936. This is Part 2 of two parts, the finale.

• • "Your Autograph, Please?" • • 
• • Waiting for Mae West, who was inside Jim's Beauty Shop • •
• • Recognizing her car as it stood at the curb outside of "Jim's," Hollywood beauty salon, I parked myself alongside the machine, determined to stay there until Mae came out — — even if it took all night.
• • Note: Jim's Beauty Shop, at 6769 Sunset Boulevard, was a fashionable Beverly Hills beauty salon frequented by the top movie stars.
• • But, apparently, that ruse had been tried before. I had hardly placed myself alongside the car, when out came one of the beauty operators with the suggestion that if I sent my book in to Miss West she would gladly sign it.
• • The operator explained that Miss West generally did this to save herself from being mobbed by autograph seekers who also might attract an unmanageable crowd.
• • Curious, I asked this operator how Miss West knew that I was waiting for her autograph.
• • “Her chauffeur told her," she answered. He has been trained to sniff out autograph hounds." Wow!!

• • These tricks to get away from autograph collectors like myself, have only one result— they have forced the autograph seekers to develop ingenious methods of their own to get at the stars. …
• • Note: This charming article describes how the autograph hound pursued other screen stars of the 1930s. If you’re interested in reading more, the full citation is below.
• • Source: Modern Screen, Vol. 14, No. 1; published in the issue dated for December 1936.
• • On Monday, 21 August 1944 in Life • •

• • An article "'Catherine Was Great' but Mae West Makes Her Dull" was printed along with photos in Life Magazine (pages 71— 72) in the issue dated for Monday, 21 August 1944.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West is often mentioned on Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Instagram as well. People share her photos, quotes, snippets from YouTube, etc.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Good sex is like good bridge. If you don't have a good partner, you'd better have a good hand."
• • Mae West said: "My second day on the island I received a request from a prison matron to visit the sick-wards. She told me that the patients were anxious to see me, many of them having cut my picture out of the newspapers. They were becoming excited and noisy, the matron said.” 
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The Daily Variety mentioned Mae West.
• • Mae West, Dick Powell, Carole Lombard May Be in Pittsburgh Stock • •

• • Plan for a 12-week season of summer stock is under way here, with organization headed by Morry Fierst, who operated the Civic Playhouse last summer.

• • Would be housed at the Davis, the old two-a-day vaude house, more recently, a WB film site, but closed now for several months. 

• • If his idea materializes, then Morry Fierst wants 'Personal Appearance,' Brock Pemberton's current Broadway hit, for Miss West and possibly 'Petticoat Fever' for Dick Powell. It will mark the former Pittsburgh m.c.'s first legit fling.  …

• • Source: Variety; published on Wednesday, 24 April 1935
• • 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 15th anniversary • •  

• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past fifteen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 4,200 blog posts. Wow!  

• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4284th 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/
________
Source: https://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml   
Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • onstage in 1944 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
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