Mae West: The PCA Police

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 29.
• • Mae West in Hollywood 1932 – 1943 • •
• • Mae West: “I’m No Angel” surely worked its magic • •
• • “BELLE OF THE NINETIES” (75 mins., 1934) • •

• • Mae West’s role was Ruby Carter • •
• • Andy Goulding wrote: Not long after the triumphant “I’m No Angel,” the Hays Production Code was fully enforced.
• • Andy Goulding wrote: The code had been around for years already, it’s influence dogging Mae West’s progress in making her early films.
• • Andy Goulding wrote: But by mid-1934, approval by the newly-created Production Code Administration [PCA] was required if a film was to be released at all.
• • Andy Goulding wrote: “Belle of the Nineties,” West’s fourth film, found itself under the watchful eye of the PCA and reportedly the film practically had to be made twice in order to accommodate the PCA’s demands.
• • Mae West: Targeted by the purity police • • …
• • This will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Blueprint Reviews U.K.; posted on Friday, 3 December 2021.
• • On Tuesday, 25 October 1932 • •
• • Variety reviewed "Night After Night," the motion picture debut of Mae West.  A display advertisement for the film was printed in Variety's issue dated for Tuesday, 25 October 1932.
• • On Wednesday, 25 October 1933 • •

• • Under the headline "Chicago Likes Her" was a smiling portrait of Mae West by George Hurrell. The caption explained that "I'm No Angel" was in movie-houses in The Windy City during that week. The Chicago Herald and Examiner ran the coverage on Wednesday, 25 October 1933. 
• • This is one of the pictures George Hurrell took during a photo session with Mae West in 1933.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • "Hallelujah, I'm a Saint," a story by Marion Morgan and George B. Dowell, has been purchased by Paramount to provide additional material for the next Mae West starring picture. Mae will incorporate certain sequences of the newly purchased story and "Lulu Was a Lady," purchased two weeks ago from Frank Mitchell Dazey.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Sometimes I grow weary of fighting to keep faith with the public."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article about a funeral home mentioned Mae West.
• • "For Once, the Living Get the Roses at Campbell's" • •
• • NYC lawyer and journalist Bernard Stamler writes: With a client list that reads like a who's who of American celebrities — — Mae West, George Gershwin, Arthur Ashe, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis among them — — it is no ordinary funeral home. So when Frank E. Campbell, a genteel, nondenominational mortuary, decided to celebrate its 100th anniversary last week, it organized an extraordinary event: an open house with white roses for the ladies and refreshments served by tuxedo-clad attendants. New Yorkers turned out in droves. ...
• • Source: The N.Y. Times; published on Sunday, 25 October 1998
• • 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 5,107th 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: Marquee Appeal

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 24.
• • Mae West in Hollywood 1932 – 1943 • •
• • Mae West: Tira fears she will be implicated • •

• • Andy Goulding wrote: When Slick gets in trouble with the law, Tira’s fear that he will implicate her leads her to inadvertently offer to headline a lion-taming act in which she will stick her head in the lion’s mouth.
• • Mae West as a lion tamer • •
• • Andy Goulding wrote: This daredevil act makes her into a star and brings the attention of even more suitors, including two very wealthy cousins.
• • Andy Goulding wrote: This love triangle is further complicated by Slick’s release from prison.
• • Andy Goulding wrote: As usual in a Mae West film, West is the main attraction and she makes the most of her marquee appeal, once again giving herself a titillating build up, this time by way of a carnival barker.
• • Andy Goulding wrote: If anything, the one-liners in “I’m No Angel” are even more quotable than those in “She Done Him Wrong.”
• • Note: The central figure promoting "I'm No Angel" (set in 1933) is none other than Lady Lou (costumed for 1893).
• • Mae West: Cary Grant turns up after 48 minutes • •
• • This will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Blueprint Reviews U.K.; posted on Friday, 3 December 2021.
• • On Thursday, 17 October 1968 • •
• • Mae West had plans for a cinema version of the stage play "Sextet" back in 1968.
• • Writing for The New York Times, Motion Picture Editor A.H. Weiler announced on Thursday, 17 October 1968: Mae West, who has not appeared in movies for a quarter of a century, will return to the screen early next year in a film version of her play — — "Sextet" — — in which she starred in Florida in 1961.
• • On Friday, 17 October 2008 in NYC • •

• • A Staged Reading of "Courting Mae West" was held on Friday, 17 October 2008 starting at 5:45 PM on West 43rd Street and Broadway. Yvonne Sayers was charming in the title role. Were you there?
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • The way the Mae West — Allison Skipworth moments stand out suggests that “Night After Night” [1932] could have stood more of them. But the obvious intent is to nurse Miss West along.
• • She's tossed into this motion picture rather abruptly and without any bearing on the plot.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I started it — — years ago."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article datelined Hollywood mentioned Mae West.
• • Associated Press reported this frightening headline: "Mae West Escapes Apartment Hold-Up; Other Residents, Victims in Hollywood, Are Glad She and Her Bodyguard Were Away."
• • Hollywood, Oct. 17,  1936 (AP) — — Mae West missed being robbed by minutes, and eight residents of her apartment house who were victimized were thankful. ...
• • Source: AP; published on Saturday, 17 October 1936
• • 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 5,102nd 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: Giddy Energy?

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 22.
• • Mae West in Hollywood 1932 – 1943 • •
• • Mae West: Second most famous film • •
• • “I’M NO ANGEL” (87 mins., 1933) • •
• • Mae West’s role was Tira • •

• • Andy Goulding wrote: “I’m No Angel” is probably Mae West’s second most famous film after “She Done Him Wrong” but it improves on that film considerably.
• • Andy Goulding wrote: It has all the same plus-points (the one-liners, the musical numbers, Cary Grant) only this time it uses them in the service of an easy to follow, though still unusual, plot.
• • Andy Goulding wrote: The 20 minutes of extra runtime here allows West to stretch out and enjoy herself, letting things unfold at a leisurely pace instead of in a confusing frenzy.
• • Andy Goulding wrote: The film might not build up the same giddy energy as “She Done Him Wrong.”
• • Andy Goulding wrote: But the result is a considered, infectiously entertaining picture.
• • Mae West: From circus story to crime thriller to romance • • …
• • This will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Blueprint Reviews U.K.; posted on Friday, 3 December 2021.
• • John Edwin West [11 February 1900 — 12 October 1964] • •
• • Though Mae had taken good care of her health, shortly after her 71st birthday she was hospitalized and her ailments were scrutinized. The diagnosis was diabetes.
• • As Mae was quietly convalescing at home, with Paul Novak at her side, she received the worst news. Her beloved brother John Edwin West, 64, had suffered a massive heart attack.

• • As he matured, her kid brother's career had stalled. More than once, he had turned to his movie-queen sister for assistance. But Mae also remembered how much she had counted on John's unfailing loyalty during her court trials. In 1930, for instance, when the "Pleasure Man" court trial had bankrupted her, and she was too upset to seek work, John supported his two unemployed sisters and set up a nice household for the three of them in an apartment building on West 57th Street (across the street from Carnegie Hall).
• • Born on 11 February 1900, John Edwin West died during October — — on Monday, 12 October 1964. He was 64.  Mae made arrangements for her beloved brother's body to be sent back to Brooklyn to the family crypt.
• • On this day, we mourn and remember a good brother who loved his sister.
• • On Thursday, 12 October 1933 • •
• • The premiere of "I'm No Angel," starring Mae West was held on Thursday, 12 October 1933 in Hollywood. A triumphant date in Hollywood for the Brooklyn bombshell.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • 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."
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "No, I can't talk about salary. It's getting me down. Now, you take interviews, for example. I gotta be careful."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on an author mentioned Mae West.
• • Leslie Doolittle wrote: You probably know that William Diehl is a successful suspense author, known for such best-selling novels as Primal Fear. But did you know that he saw the Hindenburg explode, he had Mae West for a baby sitter (he claims), and he served as Martin Luther King's personal photographer ...
• • Source: The Orlando Sentinel; published on Sunday, 12 October 1997
• • 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 5,100th 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 and 1934 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: A Hot Time

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 14.
• • Mae West in Hollywood 1932 – 1943 • •
• • Mae West: “Diamond” was banned from the suggested titles • •
• • Andy Goulding wrote: Titles that included the word ‘Diamond’ were also banned in order to play down the film’s links with the 1928 play written by Mae West.
• • “Mae West gives a ‘Hot Time’ to the Nation” • •

• • Andy Goulding wrote: Still, the film’s poster promised “Mae West gives a ‘Hot Time’ to the Nation” and West’s reputation in the entertainment industry was already sufficient that audiences knew exactly what to expect.
• • Andy Goulding wrote: Ultimately, the enormous success of “She Done Him Wrong” saved Paramount Pictures from bankruptcy [sic] and the 66-minute film found itself nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, securing its place as Mae West’s most famous film to this day.
• • Mae West: Which is her best film? • • …
• • This will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Blueprint Reviews U.K.; posted on Friday, 3 December 2021.
• • On Tuesday, 29 September 1914 • •
• • The newspaper the Philadelphia North American reviewed the more prominent variety artists who were performing onstage in the City of Brotherly Love on Tuesday, 29 September 1914. The arts critic thought well of Mae, who was then calling herself "The Original Brinkley Girl." When he referred to her stage act, he called her a "nut comedienne."
• • On Friday, 29 September 1933 • •
• • It was on Friday, 29 September 1933 that Mae West signed the Release Dialogue Script form for her very successful motion picture project "I'm No Angel" for Paramount Pictures. Mae West was paid for the film's treatment, story, and screenplay.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West is negotiating for a comedy cartoon series, "Pretty Mae," which would feature her voice behind a cartoon caricature of herself. Her only previous TV appearances have been the 1958 Oscar telecast in Hollywood and a "Red Skelton Hour" three years ago.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I have to go to the safe deposit box and get the stuff out, and that's a lot of trouble."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The Daily Mail in London mentioned Mae West.
• • Roger Lewis wrote: Mae West did her best to get around the bans with innuendo: ‘Ten men waiting for me at the door? Send one of them home, I’m tired.’  ...
• • Source: The Daily Mail [U.K.]; published on Wednesday, 26 September 2013
• • 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 5,092nd 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 • • poster in 1933 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest