Mae West: Joseph Wood Krutch

The Nation published the article "In Defense of MAE WEST" written by Joseph Wood Krutch [1893 — 1970] in their issue dated for Wednesday, 30 September 1931.  
• • The erudite columnist appreciated Mae's "personality" and, though he felt her current play was "simple-minded, lurid, and crude," he emphasized that it was better than many other plays "because it is at least not dull with that discouraging, anemic dullness characteristic of half the respectable plays produced on Broadway.  It is dramatically as sound and intellectually as respectable as a play like Belasco's 'Lulu Belle' which ran for a year in one of our temples of art."  Krutch concluded "if someone will arise to proclaim in appropriate style that 'they ain't done right by our Mae,' I, for one, will whistle and stamp my feet."
• • Many writers agreed with Mr. Krutch, who applauded Mae West as an antidote to Mrs. Grundy and Anthony Comstock.
• • Here's an excerpt from one reaction printed in the Harvard Crimson: Joseph Wood Krutch defending Mae West in a recent issue of "The Nation" was the author of some extremely pertinent remarks concerning that simple-hearted lady, remarks which bear on certain aspects of American culture which cannot be emphasized too much. Mentioning the play, written and acted by Miss West, as sound though crude dramaturgy, he went on from the play ["The Constant Sinner"] to criticise the audience.
• • American audiences in general and Mae West's audiences in particular have a unique and proverbial capacity for smut. As Mr. Krutch pointed out, this capacity is also shared by adolescents. Mr. Smoot of Utah probably knows more about pornographic literature than any living American, or European. However, in spite of this hearty endorsement, it cannot be repeated too often that this capacity and this knowledge is not a prime requisite for holiness. Hunger, not holiness, must be the explanation of this strange preoccupation with sex in its cruder forms.  ...
• • Fitzroy Davis [27 February 1912 — 30 September 1980] • •
• • One of Mae West's least favorite motion pictures was "The Heat's On" [1943].
• • It was Fitzroy Davis who got screenwriting credit for this mish-mash, a film so disjointed and disappointing that The New York Times review led off with this sally: "The heat is definitely off!"
• • Fitzroy Davis, an odd hyphenation of actor-singer-novelist, was born in Evanston, Illinois in the month of February — — on 27 February 1912. He made his stage debut in November 1935 in Chicago. A minor walk-on role was available for a "Romeo and Juliet" production starring Katharine Cornell as young Juliet. By 1942 his first novel Quicksilver had appeared in print. This roman a clef deals with a road company touring the USA in "Romeo and Juliet." There are four gay characters in the story including the lead actress. Hmmm. During the 1960s, Fitzroy Davis penned articles for gay publications in Switzerland using the pen name Hadrian.
• • Fitzroy Davis died in Putnam, Connecticut on Tuesday, 30 September 1980.  He was 68.
• • On Saturday, 30 September 1911 • •
• • On Friday, 22 September 1911, 18-year-old Mae West was in the spotlight. On that date, "A La Broadway" had opened at the Folies-Bergere Theatre, New York, NY. This short-lived revue (produced in an expensive venue) closed on Saturday night, 30 September 1911.
• • Variety noted on September 30th: "Folies Bergere Experiment Reaching an End."
• • On Sunday, 30 September 1934 • •
• • Andre Sennwald wrote an article "Lines for a Mae West Scrapbook." It was published in The New York Times on Sunday, 30 September 1934.
• • On Saturday, 30 September 1944 • •
• • On Saturday, 30 September 1944 Mae West, who was playing the Empress of Russia, moved her show "Catherine Was Great" from the Shubert Theatre to the Royale, the playhouse that had originally welcomed Diamond Lil and her boisterous Bowery hijinx in 1928.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I did not change my way of life. I harmed no one. I had a philosophy, an idea of how to live fully and in my way.  I believed in it as fully and as strongly as I believed in being an American."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article about the Oscars mentioned Mae West.
• • The N.Y. Times wrote: Mae West and Rock Hudson stole the interlude, if not the entire show, with their suggestive singing." ...
• • Source: The N.Y. Times; published on 27 March 1958

• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started eight years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2443rd 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 • • with Arthur Vinton onstage, 1931 • •
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Mae West: Trixie Smith

A talented blues singer was featured in MAE WEST's Broadway play "The Constant Sinner" at the Royale Theatre, which opened in mid-September 1931.
• • Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Trixie Smith [1895 — 21 September 1943] was an African American blues singer, recording artist, vaudeville entertainer, and actress. She made four dozen recordings for these labels: Black Swan, Paramount, Decca. As her career as a blues singer waned, however, Trixie Smith sustained herself by performing in cabaret revues, and starring in musical revues — — such as "New York Revue" [1928] and "Next Door Neighbors" [1928] at the Lincoln Theatre in Harlem.
• • Trixie Smith was cast as Liza in Mae West's Harlem drama on Broadway, a show that included many black performers such as handsome Lorenzo Tucker. Two years later, she was elevated to the stage of the Theatre Guild for its production of "Louisiana." All told, Trixie Smith was seen in four Broadway plays from 1931 — 1940.
• • She appeared in four movies: "God's Step Children" [1938], "Swing!" [1938], "Drums o' Voodoo" [1934], and "The Black King" [1932], which also featured Lorenzo Tucker as Carmichael the attorney. The two 1938 films were directed by Oscar Micheaux. She appeared at John H. Hammond's "From Spirituals to Swing" concert in 1938, and recorded seven titles during 1938 — 1939. Most of her later recordings were with Sidney Bechet for Decca in 1938. In 1939 she cut "No Good Man" with a band including Red Allen and Barney Bigard.
• • Trixie Smith died in New York in the month of September — — on 21 September 1943, after a brief illness. She was 48.
• • On 21 September 1934 • •
• • "Belle of the Nineties" starring Mae West opened on 21 September 1934.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said this: "If I asked for a cup of coffee, someone would search for the double meaning."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Here is an interesting evaluation by Paul Friswold, who saw a play that is supposed to be about Mae West.
• • Missouri drama critic Paul Friswold wrote: Claudia Shear's paean to showbiz legend Mae West suffers from trying to be too many things at once. That's more than appropriate, considering West's own predilection for excess, but it's the character of West herself who gets short shrift in "Dirty Blonde," and that's unfortunate. Ms. West was always the star of her own life — — and of the lives of everyone who entered her orbit, regardless of whether they wanted to cede the spotlight — and having her bumped to the wings in her own play seems self-defeating. ... Charlie and Jo lie dormant for most of the first act but displace Mae West in the second, and her disappearance saps much of the production's sparkle. How can it not? ...
• • Source: Review: "The Mae Ingredient: Something's missing in 'Dirty Blonde'" written by Paul Friswold for Riverfront Times [St. Louis, MO]; published on 22 September 2011
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started seven years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2060th 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 • • co-star Trixie Smith in 1931 • •
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Mae West: Mickey's Clock

On 14 September 1931, MAE WEST's Harlem drama "The Constant Sinner" opened on Broadway.
• • Mickey's Clock Stopped on 14 September 2006 • •
• • Born in Budapest, Hungary on 6 January 1926, handsome Mickey Hargitay became a bodybuilder. The muscular six-footer was a notable member of the ensemble cast of Mae West's stage show during the 1950s.
• • Time Magazine reported, "Mae's troupe proved invigorating even for jaded Las Vegas," and the act subsequently toured the US for a few years. One of the gorgeous chorus-boys who was hired early on was the former "Mr Universe" Mickey Hargitay who, in 1956, would become romantically involved with the blonde sexpot Jayne Mansfield.
• • When Jayne Mansfield and Mae West began to fight over Hargitay, and Mansfield made some publicly disparaging remarks about West's age, the ensuing uproar resulted in Novak's punching Hargitay — — the only occasion on which Novak made the headlines. An intensely private person, he managed for the rest of West's life to stay out of the limelight.
• • Mickey Hargitay died in Los Angeles of multiple myeloma in the month of September — — on 14 September 2006.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said this: "I only have 'yes' men around me. Who needs 'no' men?"
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Actress Elizabeth Banks mentioned Mae West during her most recent interview.
• • Parade staff wrote about the comedic inspirations Elizabeth Banks had noted: "Women have always been successful in comedy — — going back to Mae West and even Katharine Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine and Lucy Ball. There's a very strong tradition of women in comedy. I feel like there might be a surge happening now, but there's a very long heritage of comedians who came before the ladies who are doing so well now." ...
• • Source: Article: "Elizabeth Banks: Women Take Care of Everyone But Themselves" written by Parade.com and reprinted by the Kitsap Sun; posted on 13 September 2011
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started seven years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2053rd 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 • • 1955 • •
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Mae West: Danced Naked in Front

Babe “would not have known what a moral was if it could be made to dance naked in front of her,” wrote MAE WEST of her 18-year-old heroine in her novel Babe Gordon. As a publicity stunt, the publisher ran a contest asking readers to give this controversial bestseller a fresh title. Effie Mattison of New York won and the book was renamed with her suggestion: The Constant Sinner. Set in Harlem and first published on 5 November 1930, this work of fiction was reprinted as a paperback by Virago Press in 1995 [212 pages].
• • "A prizefighter's tart" who enjoys black men as well as Caucasians, Babe, the luscious blonde teenage protagonist, would now be 81 years old. The digits for 18 have been reversed.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • From Babe Gordon by Mae West [NY: The Macaulay Company, 5 November 1930] • •
• • • • "Well, it was a woman. A beautiful woman. She was seated at a table in a corner of the room with a big negro — — actually enjoying him, fascinated by him."
• • • • "Do you mean that stunning blonde woman in an ermine wrap?" asked Jack Rathburne. "I did notice her, but I didn't see the negro."
• • • • "Well, he came in later," explained Wayne Baldwin. "Come to think of it, you were at the opposite side of the table. Your back was to them. How in the name of all that's decent, Jack, could a woman like that, obviously a person of refinement, allow a black to make love to her?"
• • • • Jack crushed out his cigarette in a green-glass tray.
• • • • "A matter of taste, Wayne. In this case, a very depraved taste."
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • Mae West on the Menu • •
• • Order the Mae West at Sticky Lips barbecue place and you will be served a tender 6-ounce chicken breast and your choice of pulled pork or beef brisket. This selection is $11.95 currently.
• • WHERE: Sticky Lips Pit BBQ: 625 Culver Road, Rochester, NY.
• • Tell them you heard about their menu on the Mae West Blog.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1930 • •
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Mae West: Hot_l Harlem

Discover the Harlem hotspots loved by MAE WEST — — along with a new angle on the night clubs where she performed along with Ella Fitzgerald, George Gershwin, Al Jolson, Billie Holiday, Irving Berlin, etc. — — when you enjoy a walking tour of Harlem.
• • A six-hour adventure exploring West 125th Street (and beyond) is enthusiatically led by The Big Apple Jazz Tour's founder: Gordon Polatnick.
• • Owned by Mae's generous lover Owney Madden, The Cotton Club would broadcast their Sunday night night shows over the radio. Featured acts on "Celebrity Night" might put Mae West at the mike or other prominent Caucasians such as George Gershwin, Al Jolson, and Irving Berlin.
• • In her novel The Constant Sinner, Mae situated Babe Gordon selling cocaine hidden in rouge containers at the department store near the Apollo.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West: Harlem's Bars 1931

On September 28th MAE WEST's latest play was reviewed by Time Magazine's critics. Here's the view from an aisle seat.
• • The Theatre: New Plays in Manhattan: 28 Sep. 1931, Time Magazine • •
• • "The Constant Sinner" • •
• • 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, 1931, and Mae West does not sing. But The Constant Sinner is no tame play, nor is it a dull play.
• • Though handicapped by a more effete period, Mae West in some of her lines attains the lush bawdiness of her earlier production:
• • "That dame [Cleopatra] went in for everything . . . she even went to bed with snakes."
• • "I never turn anything down but the bed-covers."
• • She plays the part of Prostitute Babe Gordon with a forthright enthusiasm, sometimes tempered by irony, as in the curtain line, after she has convinced her husband that she is not living with another man (which she is) and the husband has mouthed a few platitudes about Faith. Says Babe Gordon: "I used to know a fine poem about Faith. It begins — Oh, Hell! I've forgotten it."
• • [Review printed on Monday 28 September 1931, Time Magazine]
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • Excerpt from Babe Gordon by Mae West [NY: The Macaulay Company, 1930] • •
• • • • "Well, it was a woman. A beautiful woman. She was seated at a table in a corner of the room with a big negro — — actually enjoying him, fascinated by him."
• • • • "Do you mean that stunning blonde woman in an ermine wrap?" asked Jack Rathburne. "I did notice her, but I didn't see the negro."
• • • • "Well, he came in later," explained Wayne Baldwin. "Come to think of it, you were at the opposite side of the table. Your back was to them. How in the name of all that's decent, Jack, could a woman like that, obviously a person of refinement, allow a black to make love to her?"
• • • • Jack crushed out his cigarette in a green-glass tray.
• • • • "A matter of taste, Wayne. In this case, a very depraved taste."
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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• • Photo: • • Mae West • • as Babe Gordon • •
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Mae West: First Edition

In addition to the captivating hand-colored MAE WEST lobby cards being auctioned today, there's been an update.
• • Noteworthy items from the collection of Bill Morrison include a signed first-edition copy of the book The Constant Sinner, by screen siren Mae West (1930); and a signed first-edition copy of Ayn Rand's For The New Intellectual: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand (1961). These additional details come from Auction House PR on behalf of Leland Little Auctions & Estate Sales.
• • Mae West memorabilia, stage and Hollywood keepsakes, and entertainment collectibles are up for grabs on Saturday, 19 September 2009. The auction is being held in the firm's new gallery: 620 Cornerstone Court in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Online bidding will be helmed by LiveAuctioneers.com — — T. 919-644-1243.
• • Tell them the Mae West Blog sent you a-bidding, a bouquet of fresh greenbacks waving over your head.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West: Lorenzo

MAE WEST looked at Lorenzo Tucker and saw a leading man.
• • Born in Philadelphia on 27 June 1907, the light-skinned black actor was known in the 1920s as "the colored Valentino." Tucker claimed that the olive-skinned Italian hearthrob was, in reality, darker complected than he was.
• • Tall, broad-shouldered, and dashing, Lorenzo was tapped by Mae to play the role of the pimp Money Johnson in her controversial Broadway play "The Constant Sinner." The Shuberts refused to permit this, therefore, the Greek-American thespian George Givot played the role in blackface.
• • But Mae West wasn't through. She then cast Lorenzo Tucker in a few minor parts in the production. For example, he played a non-speaking Spaniard and walked across the stage in one scene. When a woman asks the Babe Gordon [Mae West] character who is that hunk, Babe responds, "Oh, he's Spanish — — he's my Spanish fly!"
• • This photo was taken when Lorenzo Tucker was 20 years old.
• • The actor died in August — — on 19 August 1986.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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• • Photo: • • Mae West • • Lorenzo Tucker • •
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