Mae West: Imperfect Film

MAE WEST came to the attention of Tinseltown ninety years ago in 1932. Step into the Time Machine with me for a long, leisurely ride. This is Part 44 of 68.
• • Mae West in Hollywood 1932 – 1943 • •
• • Mae West: By no means a perfect film • •
• • Andy Goulding wrote: “Klondike Annie” is by no means a perfect film.

• • Andy Goulding wrote: There’s an immediate “uh-oh” moment when the opening caption reads “San Francisco Chinatown” and, sure enough, there are some immediate awful stereotypes (American actor Harold Huber was hardly born to play the role of Chan Lo).
• • Andy Goulding wrote: But fortunately this sequence largely serves only to set the plot in motion, albeit after a lavish Mae West-led musical number called ‘I’m an Occidental Woman in an Oriental Mood for Love.’
• • Andy Goulding wrote: There’s also the slight sense that, like “She Done Him Wrong” before it, “Klondike Annie” could’ve benefited from a longer runtime to allow its more complex plot to unfold properly.
• • Mae West: The funniest scene • • …
• • This piece will be continued on Wednesday, 23 November 2022.
• • Tomorrow (on November 22nd) there will be our annual memorial post for Mae West, who left us on Sunday, 22 November 1980 but who has never left our hearts.
• • Source: Blueprint Reviews U.K.; posted on Friday, 3 December 2021.
• • On Sunday, 21 November 1948 • •
• • It was on 30 October 1948 that Mae West signed an Actor's Equity Association Stock Jobbing Contract on Equity's letterhead in New York. The Broadway star of "Diamond Lil" was agreeing to a weekly salary of $2,500, and the play would be opening in Montclair, New Jersey in the month of November — — on Sunday, 21 November 1948.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •

• • There is a scene in "Diamond Lil" and also in "She Done Him Wrong" that shows Mae West's character lounging in bed with an issue of the National Police Gazette. Shortly after the release of the 1933 motion picture, Mae was, in fact, featured on the publication's front page.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "A man in the house is worth two in the street."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article in Australia discussed Mae West.
• • "Mae West May Visit Australia" • •
• • Sydney, Tuesday — Negotiations to bring Mae West to Australia for the production of "Catherine Was Great" and "Diamond Lil" may fail because she demands £3,000 a week.
• • Other obstacles include transport.
• • The Director of the Tivoli Circuit (Mr. David Martin) who visited Hollywood recently said Mae West was a lovely person who neither smoked nor drank. If negotiations were satisfactorily completed, she would arrive in Australia about this time next year. …
• • Source: The Canberra Times (page 2); published on Wednesday, 21 November 1945
• • 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 18th anniversary • • 
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past eighteen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 5,100 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started eighteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 5,122nd 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 • • in 1936 and in 1928 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: More Laughs

MAE WEST came to the attention of Tinseltown ninety years ago in 1932. Step into the Time Machine with me for a long, leisurely ride. This is Part 39 of 68.
• • Mae West in Hollywood 1932 – 1943 • •
• • Mae West: Her one-liners are always good • •
• • Andy Goulding wrote: The one-liners are as good as always but there’s also an increased amount of character comedy, with more laughs coming from West’s perfunctory attempts to fit in amongst high society which give way almost immediately every time.

• • Andy Goulding wrote: There are also a few more unusual elements here, such as a Western prologue which explains neatly how Mae West finds her way into the world of the moneyed upper classes, and a set-piece which sees her dabble in opera.
• • Andy Goulding wrote: Whether “Goin’ to Town” works for you will depend on how susceptible you are to Mae West’s charms in the first place.
• • Andy Goulding wrote: Clearly, at this stage, I’m extremely taken with her and so “Goin’ to Town” felt quite underrated to me. A cheerful little pleasure of a film.
• • Mae West: Was “Goin’ to Town” underrated? • • …
• • This will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Blueprint Reviews U.K.; posted on Friday, 3 December 2021.
• • On Saturday, 10 November 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 established again on The Great White Way beginning on 14 September 1951.

• • Two months later, Mae West and her gaudy retinue took their final bows on Saturday, 10 November 1951 after this "last stand" on Broadway — — yes, sixty-seven performances.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Los Angeles District Attorney Buron Fitts indirectly inspired one of Mae West's most quoted lines. Too busy to meet her at the railroad station, Fitts sent over the handsomest deputy he could find, ordering him to give her a big kiss, saying "This is from Buron" — — to which West replied: "Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?"
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Half-starved women can’t have no life in them any more than a half-starved dog."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on "Diamond Lil" quoted Mae West.
• • "Diamond Mae" • •
• • Thyra Samter Winslow wrote: Mae West says that people want dirt in plays, so I give 'em dirt. Miss West is secretive, especially about her past and family. When "Diamond Lil" closes, Mae will star in another of her plays, "Men."  ...
• • Source: The New Yorker; published on Saturday, 10 November 1928
• • 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 18th anniversary • • 
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past eighteen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 5,100 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started eighteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 5,117th 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 • • in 1935 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: White Slavery

MAE WEST came to the attention of Tinseltown ninety years ago in 1932. Step into the Time Machine with me for a long, leisurely ride. This is Part 17.
• • Mae West in Hollywood 1932 – 1943 • •
• • Mae West: Her impeccably delivered quips • •

• • Andy Goulding wrote: But where the film trips over itself is in its plot.
• • Andy Goulding wrote: Between those impeccably delivered quips and enjoyably bawdy musical numbers, “She Done Him Wrong” attempts to squeeze about two hours worth of plot into 66 minutes.
• • Note: “Diamond Lil,” Mae West’s 1928 stage melodrama, three hours long, is centered on sex trafficking and white slavery in the Bowery. Two South American procurers, Rita and Juarez, are in cahoots with Gus Jordan and a nefarious curio dealer Charlie Fong, who cages kidnapped victims in his basement until they are ready to be shipped.
• • Note: Paramount made no room for the main plot (white slavery on The Bowery) in the film version. Among Mae’s subplots is a steamy sexual affair between Juarez and Diamond Lil, which takes place in Frances's apartment on Elizabeth Street ― ― and also a chaste romance between Diamond Lil and a man disguised as a Salvation Army preacher. In reality, he is a G-man called “The Hawk,” on the premises to shut down the saloon and curio shop ― and arrest her.

• • Mae West: The 66-minute film goes to dark places • • …
• • This will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Blueprint Reviews U.K.; posted on Friday, 3 December 2021.
• • On Friday, 4 October 1918 • •
• • It was 104 years ago this October — — when 25-year-old Mae West was cast in a show produced by Arthur Hammerstein: "Sometime." Her character was Mayme Dean. Mae received top billing in the musical's review by The New York Times (published on Saturday, 5 October 1918).
• • This musical, which opened at the Shubert Theatre [225 West 44th Street, NYC] on 4 October 1918, closed in June 1919, after running for 283 performances.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Beverly West, her sister and her husband Vladimir Baikoff, will live with Miss West in the new place, which, by the way, afforded Mae opportunity to absorb rustic atmosphere for her next picture, "Go West Young Man."
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "It was not that I was jaded. It was only that I had no answers to serious things."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Literary Digest discussed Mae West.
• • The New York Board of Censors insisted upon a new ending for the upcoming Mae West picture. Ruby Carter and the Tiger Kid have to head to the altar to satisfy the purity police and Paramount Pictures pays the fare to have the conclusion done over.
• • An article in Literary Digest discussed this, calling the forced ending "a sort of shotgun wedding." …
• • Source: Literary Digest; published on Saturday, 6 October 1934
• • 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 18th anniversary • • 
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past eighteen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 5,000 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started eighteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 5,095th 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 • • in 1933 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Censors Objected

MAE WEST came to the attention of Tinseltown ninety years ago in 1932. Step into the Time Machine with me for a long, leisurely ride. This is Part 13.
• • Mae West in Hollywood 1932 – 1943 • •
• • Mae West: Censors objected • •
• • “SHE DONE HIM WRONG” (66 mins., 1933) • •
• • Mae West’s role was Lady Lou • •
• • Note: Mae West’s 3-hour melodrama “Diamond Lil” gets about 15 minutes of screen time here.

• • Andy Goulding wrote: Mae West’s triumphant debut in “Night After Night” practically guaranteed her a starring role in her next film and it was fitting that this role be one of her own creation.
• • Andy Goulding wrote: “She Done Him Wrong” is based on West’s successful, controversial Broadway hit "Diamond Lil" and while it is very much a pre-Code film, censors still demanded many changes to reduce elements of West’s liberated take on female sexuality.
• • Mae West: “Diamond” was banned from the suggested titles • • …
• • This will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Blueprint Reviews U.K.; posted on Friday, 3 December 2021.
• • On Saturday, 28 September 1974 • •
• • The colorful Mae West room in Dalí Theatre and Museum opened on Saturday, 28 September 1974.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •

• • It was in early September 1933 that Paramount’s film crew had called it a wrap for "I'm No Angel" starring Mae West and co-starring Cary Grant.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Charlie Chaplin, by the way, has sex appeal. That may seem far-fetched but think it over. He has it, which is one of the secrets of how he remains in favor.”
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A reviewer in Time covered a play by Mae West.
• • "The Theatre: New Plays in Manhattan" • •
• • "The Constant Sinner" • •
• • Time's critic wrote: Three seasons ago Mae West's lusty singing of "Frankie and Johnnie" and the nostalgic flavor of bar and brothel scenes made "Diamond Lil" a Broadway hit. In "The Constant Sinner," which Mae West wrote from her own novel, the bars and brothels are Harlem in 1931, and Mae West does not sing. But "The Constant Sinner" is no tame play, nor is it a dull play.  ...
• • Source: Time Magazine; published on Monday, 28 September 1931
• • 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 18th anniversary • • 
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past eighteen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 5,000 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started eighteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 5,091st 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