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MAE WEST, who was often cast as an Irish or a French maid on Broadway, probably had a special feeling in her heart for those women who rarely broke loose from the cinema's apron strings — — such as character actress Aggie Herring who was in "She Done Him Wrong." 
• • Born in San Francisco on 4 February 1876, Aggie was in Hollywood by the age of 39 and in regular demand when a matronly presence was required. Working steadily in Tinseltown from 1915 — 1939, Aggie Herring was often seen in minor roles such as the cook, housekeeper, flower vendor, charwoman, seamstress, Irish washerwoman, landlady, mother-in-law, and once as a nun. Steadily employed for twenty four years in the screen trade, her name was attached to 122 projects. The year she died, she was seen as Mrs. Diggs in "Everybody's Baby" [1939]. Casting agents often saw her as an Irish character such as Maggie O'Shea in "Island in the Sky" [1938], Mrs. McGillicuddy in "The Curtain Falls" [1934], or as Mrs. Flaherty in "She Done Him Wrong" [1933].
• • Active until the end, Aggie Herring died in Santa Monica, California during the month of October — — on 28 October 1939. She was 63 years old.
• • In October, Let's Remember Alice Brady [1892 — 1939] • •
• • A daughter of an eminent Broadway producer, who waged a battle against censorship, was featured in one motion picture with Mae West.
• • Born in Manhattan on 2 November 1892 (just nine months before Mae), Alice Brady's life was cut short and she died during the month of October — — on 28 October 1939 — — at 46 years old.
• • Like the Brooklyn bombshell, Alice Brady was also a native New Yorker and of Irish descent. Her father's theatre career drew William A. Brady's daughter to the stage early on. And her appearances in the legit attracted the attention of motion picture moguls. Her first movie was in 1914 when she was 22. She made the transition from silents to talkies, perhaps because she was versatile enough to tackle a role in a serious drama such as O'Neill's "Mourning Becomes Electra" on Broadway as well as the silver screen's screwball comedies.
• • Kept busy in Hollywood dramas and comedies, in 1936 she was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Carole Lombard's upper-crust mother in "My Man Godfrey" [released on 17 September 1936].
• • Directly after this success for Universal Pictures, Alice Brady was off to Paramount Pictures for a minor role in Mae West's latest project.
• • In "Go West, Young Man" [released on 18 November 1936], Alice Brady played the role of Mrs. Struthers.
• • Though a year later, she would be winning her first Oscar, unfortunately, she never got to enjoy its powerful impact on her career. Cancer [the ultimate red-hued carpet] claimed her a few days before her 47th birthday.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West wrote these lines for her character Lady Lou: "I wasn't always rich, Pearl. No, there was a time I didn't know where my next husband was coming from." [From "She Done Him Wrong" by Mae West]
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A chapter about Cary Grant and Hollywood's high-profile romantic leads mentioned Mae West.
• • Movie critic Pauline Kael explained: There were no Cary Grants in the sticks. He and his counterparts were to be found only in the imaginary cities of the movies. When you look at him, you take for granted expensive tailors, international travel, and the best that life has to offer. Women see a man they could have fun with. Clark Gable is an intensely realistic sexual presence; you don’t fool around with Gable. But with Grant there are no pressures, no demands; he’s the sky that women aspire to. When he and a woman are together, they can laugh at each other and at themselves. He’s a slapstick Prince Charming.
• • Mae West’s raucous invitation to him — — “Why don’t you come up sometime and see me?” — — was echoed thirty years later by Audrey Hepburn in Charade: “Won’t you come in for a minute? I don’t bite, you know, unless it’s called for.” And then, purringly, “Do you know what’s wrong with you? Nothing.” That might be a summary of Cary Grant, the finest romantic comedian of his era: there’s nothing the matter with him. . . .
• • Source: Book Excerpt: "The Age of Movies: Selected Writings on Pauline Kael" quoting Ms. Kael for The N.Y. Times; posted on: 27 October 2011
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started seven years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2097th 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
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1933 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
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Mae West.
MAE WEST had a thing for swing, a groove for the blues, and a passion for Latin. No wonder the Rumba King appeared in two of her motion pictures (albeit briefly).
• • Talented and versatile, Xavier Cugat died in Barcelona of heart failure during the month of October — — on 27 October 1990 — — after 90 years of hard work, many successes, and five marriages.
• • Born in Spain in 1900 and raised in Cuba, the musically gifted hispanic relocated to Los Angeles, where he toiled as a cartoonist for The Los Angeles Times by day while he struggled to put together a band after hours. After paying his dues with gigs at smaller clubs, in 1928 he got a big break with a booking at the high-flying Coconut Grove nightspot. Even more fortunately, his style of music found fans and propelled him forward. The composer and bandleader appeared in several notable MGM musicals during the 1940s.
• • In "Go West Young Man" [1936] Cugat played the role of the Orchestra Leader in 'Drifting Lady' — — how many remembered that?
• • In "The Heat's On" [1943] he portrayed himself again, that is, an Orchestra Leader.
• • Like Mae West, Xavier Cugat has a presence on the Walk of Fame.
• • On 27 October 2009 in The New York Observer • •
• • "Mae West Wrote Plays; Pity We Can Only Read Them" was the title of an intriguing book review written by Rick Whitaker, which was published on 27 October 1997 in the peach-colored newspaper The New York Observer. The title under discussion was this: "Three Plays by Mae West: 'Sex,' 'The Drag' and 'The Pleasure Man'," edited by Lillian Schlissel [Routledge, 246 pages]. A good book to own.
• • On 27 October 2009 in Canyon News • •
• • Many moons ago, Michael St. John interviewed Mae West. On 27 October 2009 he decided to share an intimate peak with the Hollywood legend with readers of Canyon News. Here is an excerpt from his article: "My Time with Mae West."
• • Tune in on Michael St. John writing about his time in Hollywood and his visit to her apartment: In my book "Hollywood Through the Back Door," I included something of my experience with Ms. West. . . . When Mae West finally made her grand entrance, she was dressed completely in white, looking amazingly youthful and unbelievably stunning. “Well, Michael,” she purred, “you made it — — hope I didn’t keep ya’ waitin’ long.”
• • Michael St. John continues: Hearing that familiar speech pattern and rhythm gave me chills of excitement. All the characters I had seen her portray on the screen suddenly came to mind. Somehow, she picked up that I was one of those worshipping fans, and quickly tried to put me at ease.
• • “Relax, sweetie,” Mae West insisted, “there’s no rush. Anything good, I mean really good, takes time. If you know what I mean.”
• • Mae: "After I leave the bathroom, you can go in and fry an egg!" • • • • Michael St. John reveals: Mae had me totally under her spell, so much so, I had difficulty posing my first question. As I was about to ask about the time she spent in jail for lewd conduct in New York City, she asked me how old did I think she looked. Oh, no — — why in hell did she have to ask a question like that! After all, I knew she was in her 80s — — what was I suppose to say? I don’t know how I managed, but I indicated that she looked like a woman in her 40s. Well, she was horrified! She made it very clear that most people believe she still looks at least 25. My god, the woman is crazy, I thought. She looks fantastic, but 25! When I asked Mae how she managed to look so young, she said with great pride: “I take an enema every single day of my life — — after I leave the bathroom, you can go in and fry an egg.”
• • Michael St. John recalls: Quite early in the interview, I learned that Mae enjoyed talking about sex. She claimed that Cary Grant was a beautiful looking man, but was nothing to brag about in bed. “He was like a nice piece of jewelry.” She offered this comparison: “It’s nice to have around your neck for an occasion, but I wouldn’t want to make it a habit.” When she mentioned Anthony Quinn, for some reason, she wouldn’t reveal too many details, except that the actor gave her a night she would never forget. ...
• • There's more to this candid interview and it seems that Michael St. John has a good memory.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West wrote these lines for her character Lady Lou: "You know, it was a toss up whether I go in for diamonds or sing in the choir. The choir lost." [From "She Done Him Wrong" by Mae West]
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article about a politician Down Under was cheeky enough to mention Mae West.
• • Writing from Perth, Australia, Tony Wright begins his Op-Ed like this: Kevin Rudd, having talked himself to a rasp but certainly not a standstill, batted his eyes and requested his audience forgive him his husky ''Mae West voice.'' Mae West! The juxtaposition of the luminous and pneumatic Hollywood siren West with Kevin Rudd initially seemed about as fitting as inserting human rights and the Commonwealth in the same discourse, though Rudd, naturally, managed it. He opened yesterday's pre-Commonwealth Heads of Government talkfest by attending a press conference . . . .
• • Source: Op-Ed: "Husky-voiced Rudd does a Mae West" written by Tony Wright for The Sydney Morning Herald; posted on: 27 October 2011
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started seven years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2096th 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
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1936 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
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Mae West.
When Will Hays suggested toning down references to Lady Lou's past affairs, MAE WEST cleverly added a maid character (played by Louise Beavers) who knew of her past so the two could discuss it in a series of veiled references in the Pre-Code hit "She Done Him Wrong" [1933]. 
• • Born on 8 March 1902 in Cincinnati, Ohio, when Louise Beavers was 11, her family relocated to Pasadena. Her mother, a voice teacher, trained her daughter for the concert stage. But the girl chose the low road over high culture, joining an all-female minstrel group called "Lady Minstrels" and even touring for awhile in vaudeville. She inched closer to a Tinseltown career when she was hired as a personal maid and assistant to Paramount star Leatrice Joy (and later the actress Lilyan Tashman). By 1924 she supplemented her maid's salary with a few walk-on parts. Subsequently, a talent scout selected her for a more noticeable role in "Uncle Tom's Cabin" [1927]. In 1932, because Mae West knew her personally, she invited Louise to play Pearl, personal maid to the sultry Bowery singer Lady Lou. 
• • After about 100 roles for the silver screen, her film offers dried up in 1952. Fortunately, the short and stout character actress managed to transfer her talents to a new medium: television. She was one of a number of black performers hired to play the sensible, warm-hearted, wise-cracking, problem-solving maid "Beulah" [for 5 episodes in 1952) during its run. "Beulah" was one of the first sit-coms to star a black actress; though she was still in a maid's uniform, she was the heroine of the show.
• • During the mid-1950s, the five-foot-four actress put on a frilly apron and reprised this role as maid and right-hand gal in "The Mae West Revue," traveling the circuit with Mae and the musclemen.
• • Louise Beavers had a heart attack in Hollywood and died in the month of October — — on 26 October 1962. She was 60 years old.
• • In October, Let's Remember Hattie McDaniel [1892 — 1952] • •
• • Born in Wichita, Kansas on 10 June 1892, Hattie McDaniel was billed in the credits of "I'm No Angel" as Tira's Maid-Manicurist. After a remarkable career, Ms. McDaniel died at age 60 in the month of October — — on 26 October 1952 in Woodland Hills, California.
• • On 26 October 1995 • •
• • "Mae West and the Men Who Knew Her" [57 minutes] — — the VHS format was released on 26 October 1995. • • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West wrote these lines for her character Lady Lou: "I always did like a man in a uniform. That one fits you grand." [From "She Done Him Wrong" by Mae West]
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article about a TV show mentioned Mae West.
• • Paul Merton explains: On his last night he gets some advice from 6-foot Colombian transsexual Catalina who helps him go out in style. “It’s a touch Mae West, a touch Diana Dors,” Paul Merton says of his new persona Elastica, who makes quite a splash. ...
• • Source: Article: "Paul Merton’s Adventures" written by Paul Merton for The Daily Express [U.K.]; published on 26 October 2011
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started seven years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2095th 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
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1932 costumed by Edith Head • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
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Mae West.
MAE WEST wore her costumes in two motion pictures and the women stayed friends. Movie buffs will remember the gorgeous emerald green, jewel-encrusted come-up-and-see-me-sometime gown Lady Lou donned in "She Done Him Wrong" [1933].
• • The real Edith Head was born in California in the month of October [28 October 1897 — 24 October 1981] and often said, "Mae West taught me all I know about sex, clothes-wise." For a few years, audiences have been seeing Edith Head onstage, thanks to actress Susan Claassen who stars in "A Conversation with Edith Head" (written by Paddy Calistro and Susan Claassen). Susan Claassen strongly resembles the bespectacled Hollywood designer, who never changed her look over the decades. "She took her philosophy from Mae West," Claassen said. "Mae West said when you have a magic that does something for you, honey, stick with it. Never change It. And she never did."
• • When: "A Conversation with Edith Head" onstage from Thursday, 27 October 2011 —13 November 2011
• • Where: Odyssey Theatre Ensemble [2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles]
• • On 25 October 1934 • •
• • Historic Lamar Square is where they built the Plaza Theatre [107 West 11th Street, Lamar, MO], which opened its doors on 25 October 1934 with all sorts of hoopla. Every major studio at that time sent representitives for opening night. Telegrams were sent from Mae West, Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, Al Jolson, and many others. The Plaza Theatre, designed by architect Larry P. Larsen of Webb City, has been restored and is still in business.
• • In October, Let's Remember Jennie Dolly [1892 — 1941] • •
• • In the cast of "A Winsome Widow" (and onstage with Mae West, who played La Petite Daffy) was pretty Jennie Dolly.
• • Twin sisters were born in Hungary in the month of October — — on 25 October 1892. They emigrated to the USA in 1905.
• • The private life of Rozsika Dolly and her twin Yansci Deutsch turned out to be a tabloid tsunami. They shared lovers, won a fortune gambling, and bought extraordinary diamonds and pearl adornments, all of which made for curious headlines.
• • This frisky lifestyle turned sad in 1933. Jennie was involved in a serious car crash near Bordeaux, France with her former lover Max Constant. Surgeries were paid for by selling her jewels.
• • Unfortunately, lovely Jennie Dolly took her own life on 1 June 1941. She committed suicide by hanging herself in the shower of her apartment in the Shelton Hotel in Hollywood, California. Yikes.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West wrote these lines for her character Margy Lamont: "I'm paying the freight on this joint, and what I say goes. Come on and have a drink with us, Agnes. Agnes lives across the hall. Her idea of a good time is listening to the church bells ring and having a good cry. She's all right when you know her. Sit down." [From "Sex" by Mae West]
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article about a funeral home mentioned Mae West.
• • 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: Article: "For Once, the Living Get the Roses at Campbell's" written by Bernard Stamler for The N.Y. Times; published on 25 October 1998
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started seven years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2094th 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
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1932 costumed by Edith Head • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
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Mae West.
The artist who helped create the cover for the Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band — — the icon album front-side that featured MAE WEST — — is having an exhibition of additional works inspired by The Empress of Sex.
• • Once based in London (while married to the painter Peter Blake), and now a resident of Sundance, Utah, Jann Haworth returned to England two years ago for a gallery show at Wolverhampton Art Gallery in December 2009. This week Ms. Haworth will give a talk that's billed as "Mae West Dressing Table." This is supposed to include work from the museum's collection.
• • When: 11:30 AM on Wednesday, 26 October 2011
• • Where: Pallant House Gallery, 9 North Pallant, Chichester, West Sussex, U.K.
• • On 24 October 1935 • •
• • Mae West's pal Texas Guinan got on the wrong side of Arthur Flegenheimer, better known as "Dutch Schultz" [6 August 1902 — 24 October 1935], the NYC-born mobster slaughtered at age 33 by a rival's gunmen in The Garden State. Briefly, during the late 1920s, all three were regularly in the same premises on West 54th and Seventh Avenue. Bad feelings began to brew and dangerous Dutch was actively pursuing Texas Guinan for awhile (until she died after a performance in Vancouver, Canada in November 1933).
• • Gunned down: The Calabrian immigrant Albert Anastasia was ordered to arrange Schultz's assassination and assigned Jewish mobster Louis Buchalter to take care of it. At 10:15 PM on 23 October 1935, Schultz was shot at the Palace Chophouse at 12 East Park Street in Newark, New Jersey, an eatery that he was using as his new headquarters. Two bodyguards and Schultz's accountant were also killed. Schultz was in the men's room when he was shot.
• • Extreme Unction: Before Schultz was taken into surgery, he received Last Rites from a Roman Catholic priest at his request. Schultz lingered for 22 hours, speaking in various states of lucidity with his wife, mother, a priest, policemen, and hospital staff, before dying of peritonitis. The career criminal was only 33.
• • On 24 October 1942 • •
• • Short-tempered policemen, court officers, and judges were not some of the Brooklyn bombshell's favorite folks. But James C. Morton had been cast as all of them during his long silver screen career. In his modest role as an 1890s bartender, James C. Morton had appeared with Mae in "Every Day's a Holiday" [released in the USA on 18 December 1937]
• • Born in Helena, Montana on 25 August 1884, the balding character actor often worked for Hal Roach and, typically, he was the the butt of shenanigans by such comics as The Little Rascals, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, The Three Stooges. As Mae did, he had worked with W.C. Fields.
• • James C. Morton died in Reseda, California in the month of October — — on 24 October 1942. He was 58 years old.
• • In October, Let's Remember John Kenley [1906 — 2009] • •
• • Fifty Years Ago: In 1961, the Kenley Players featured Mae West in a play billed as "Sex-Tette" and staged in Warren, Ohio. That happened half-a-century ago.
• • John's group, the Kenley Players, was a summer stock circuit that had its beginnings in 1957 in Dayton, Ohio. Over time, this theatre company would feature a galaxy of stars: Mae West, Arthur Godfrey, Ethel Merman, Burt Reynolds, Billy Crystal, Gypsy Rose Lee, Tommy Tune, William Shatner, and Robert Goulet.
• • According to The New York Times, John Kenley was born John Kremchek in Denver on 20 February 1906. His parents were saloon keepers who later moved the family to Cleveland. In the 1920s he made his way to New York, hoping to break into show business.
• • The vibrant Midwestern impresario was celebrated for his producing clout, casting coups, and a passion for live entertainment that brought pleasure and glamor to hundreds of thousands of hard-working coal miners and Ohio residents.
• • John Kenley died at the Cleveland Clinic from complications of pneumonia in the month of October — — on 23 October 2009. He was 103.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I don't like myself — — I'm crazy about myself."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A book chapter on another actress mentioned Mae West.
• • Brian Kellow writes: Tired of having her achievements overlooked, Ethel got a little testy with the Hollywood press when it was suggested that her performing style owed something to Mae West's. Although they occupied different floors of the Ravenswood, West had not been particularly friendly, and Ethel got even by telling reporters that it was she who had started the Mae West vogue, not the other way around. "I was singing 'Eadie Was a Lady' all dressed up with the wiggly hips an' everything before Mae West's first picture, Night After Night, came out," Ethel said, ". . . so I shall always claim Mae sailed to glory on my vogue." In fact, West's style was fully evolved by the time of her big stage successes of the 1920s, long before she hit Hollywood. But Ethel's rewriting of history was a good indication of her defensiveness over her treatment in Hollywood. ...
• • Source: Biography: "Ethel Merman: A Life" written by Brian Kellow (Chapter 5)
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started seven years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2093rd 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
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1967 album • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
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Mae West.
In 1933, Ralph Rainger, age 32, wrote the cheeky “A Guy What Takes His Time” — — a song for Lady Lou, portrayed by MAE WEST.
• • Like Mae, Ralph Rainger [7 October 1901 — 23 October 1942] was a native New Yorker. A composer of popular music principally for films, he started out in life with the name Ralph Reichenthal when he was pursuing a legal career before deciding he'd rather be on Broadway (where he became Clifton Webb's accompanist).
• • His first hit — — "Moanin' Low," with lyrics by Howard Dietz — — was written for Webb's co-star Libby Holman in the 1929 revue "The Little Show."
• • Moving to Hollywood, Rainger teamed up with lyricist Leo Robin to produce a string of successful film songs including one number that became Bob Hope's theme song.
• • In 1942, Ralph Rainger's rising star sputtered due to a fatal plane crash near Palm Springs, California. He was a passenger aboard an American Airlines DC-3 airliner that was involved in a mid-air collision with a U.S. Army Air Corps bomber. He was only 41 years old when he died in the month of October — — on 23 October 1942.
• • On 23 October 1931 • • 
• • It was on 23 October 1931 that the New York City tabloid Evening Graphic reported on the very strange fan letters Mae West was receiving. If you are familiar with the scurrilous approach to "news gathering" adopted by the porno-Graphic, then you can read into these trumped up headlines an implicit disapproval of her bi-racial drama "Constant Sinner," then onstage on Broadway at the Royale Theatre.
• • Perhaps the drama desk at the Evening Graphic was in possession of Mae West's novel Babe Gordon in hardcover. Here is a brief excerpt:
• • • • "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 [Babe Gordon] 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?" .... [from "Babe Gordon" by Mae West]
• • Broadway's Brief Black-Out on 23 October 1950 • •
• • Mae West worked with a versatile performer whose death in October caused The Gay White Way to go black as a final tribute.
• • In 1911 both Mae West and Al Jolson accepted an offer to perform in the play "Vera Violetta." The show opened on 20 November 1911 and it was a phenomenal success.
• • Al Jolson died in the month of October — — on 23 October 1950 — — in San Francisco, California at the age of 64, evidently of a heart attack. The high-profile entertainer was interred in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California. On the day he died, the bright lights of Broadway were turned off for 10 minutes in his honor.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "If you put your foot in it, be sure it's your best foot."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on a surreal museum exhibit mentioned Mae West.
• • Bangkok-based journalist Ezra Kyrill Erker writes: Melting clocks. An elephant carrying an obelisk, walking on long spindly legs. A flying snail carrying an angel. A woman aflame, with drawers coming out of her body. A unicorn with blood on its horn. A sofa in the shape of Mae West's lips . . . .
• • Source: Article: "The distorted realities of Multi-sensory exhibitions at Singapore's ArtScience Museum explore two minds behind artistic genius" written by Ezra Kyrill Erker for The Bangkok Post; posted on 23 October 2011
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started seven years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2092nd 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
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1931 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
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Mae West.
With ongoing legal troubles dogging her, MAE WEST worked with several lawyers.
• • Born in San Jacinto, California on 24 December 1892, Loyd Wright was an American attorney (and lifetime Californian) who represented a number of movie stars; served as president of the State Bar of California, the American Bar Association, and the International Bar Association; and was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for the United States Senate from California.
• • Wright became known for his representation of movie actors. He represented Mary Pickford in her divorce suit against Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. and Jane Wyman in her divorce from Ronald Reagan. He also represented Mae West, Charlie Chaplin, Jack Benny, and D.W. Griffith.
• • Loyd Wright died in Hemet, California in the month of October — — on 22 October 1974.
• • On 22 October 1944 • • 
• • Gene Barry [1919 — 2009] met his wife-to-be Betty Barry (her stage name was Julie Carson) during rehearsals of the Broadway show "Catherine Was Great," which opened in August 1944. Betty [1923 — 2003] was fired before opening night because she was a blonde and Mae West, the star, would not have competing blondes in her show. Betty, age 21, had disguised her hair color with a black wig.
• • Little did Mae realize that she had played Cupid. A few months later, on 22 October 1944, Gene and Betty wed and remained happily married until her death in 2003. It is not known if Mae attended the reception, however, Gene was in her "Catherine Was Great" cast from August 1944 — January 1945. The handsome actor played Lt. Bunin.
• • On 22 October 2006 • •
• • Angus McBean photographed Mae West, Audrey Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, Katharine Hepburn, and numerous movie stars. His exhibition "Portraits" was held at the Porter Gallery, opening on 5 July 2006 and closing on 22 October 2006.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I’m a women of very few words — — but lots of action."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on Westlake and Henry Doelger mentioned Mae West.
• • California reporter Kayla Figard writes: Now crowded with people, Westlake began as barren sand dunes and transformed into a postwar suburban community just south of San Francisco. ... This idea was conceived by one man — — Henry Doelger, formerly known for his homes in the Sunset District in San Francisco. . . . The homes were built out of redwood, which was known to be long lasting and termite resistant. Henry Doelger used different designs including one-story, two-story and split-story housing. Doelger is said to have named the area after his claimed cousin, Mae West, according to Bunny Gillespie in her book "Images of America: Westlake" . ...
• • Source: Article: "History of Westlake Part 1: Doelger's model of a postwar suburb" written by Kayla Figard, Special to the Pacifica Tribune; posted on 11 October 2011
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started seven years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2091st 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
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1944 • •
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Mae West.
It was 21 October in 1943 when MAE WEST's film "The Heat's On" was in previews. Sharp-eyed Harry Cohn [1891 — 1958] of Columbia Pictures was in the audience. Though Gregory Ratoff had been most persuasive when pitching this project to him, Harry decided on the spot to buy him out.
• • "This picture is going to be a bust," predicted Cohn. Even Mae was disappointed in Ratoff by the end.
• • The Mae West # 4 • •
• • The Mae West Vegetarian is the #4 special and served hot at Stuft Pizza Homestead [2898 Homestead Road, Santa Clara, CA 95051]. Stuft was established in 1976 in California. Tell them you heard about this very popular menu selection on the Mae West Blog.
• • On 21 October 1947 • •
• • It was on 21 October 1947 that Mae West first set foot in a playhouse in Manchester, England to present her Bowery melodrama "Diamond Lil" onstage.
• • The plan was to route the production though Manchester, Blackpool, Birmingham and Glasgow before opening in London by January 1948.
• • Playing very minor roles were twenty actresses and eighteen actors over six feet tall. Bruno Barnabe [1905 — 1998] was cast as Juarez, the Latin Lothario. The actor recalled getting the part after being asked by Mae West to clasp her breasts. He also emphasized that he drew 40 pounds a week whereas the leading lady was pulling in 2,000 pounds weekly.
• • The UK run was produced by Val Parnell [1892 — 1972] and Tom Arnold — — very shrewd fellows.
• • 21 October 1993 • •
• • On 21 October 1993, the readers of The New York Sun read an article about Mae West by writer John Cohen: "And West Is West." Unfortunately, the weekly newspaper The New York Sun folded a few years ago.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "Personality is the glitter that sends your little gleam across the footlights and the orchestra pit into that big black space where the audience is."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on a male performer mentioned Mae West.
• • New England reporter Michelle Magnum interviewed performer Anthony Rizzo, who shared this story: Once I was performing in Paris with two companies at the same time, in two theaters that have been in competition for years. I was in the poster on both theaters, but no one noticed. I was a giant Bumble Bee in one show, and I was Mae West in the other. My mom and brother were in town and got to see both. My mom watched the show of Mae West from backstage. I start the show as Neil Armstrong and then had a quick change in 15 minutes to become Mae West. Just as I was about to make my entrance, my mom tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and she said, “Oh, you would be so beautiful if you just did not have my nose!” . . .
• • Source: Article: "Anthony Rizzi talks about Dedham roots" written by Michelle Magnum for The Dedham Transcript; posted on 20 October 2011
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started seven years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2090th 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
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1943 • •
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Mae West.
In 1948, MAE WEST wore a black dress with a full skirt, draped bodice, and padded shoulders when she sailed back to the USA from her happy trip abroad. She had toured throughout Great Britain with her play "Diamond Lil" from October 1947 into 1948. Upon her return, she joked with the news media at a press conference on the sunny boat dock under the West Side Highway: "Well, they were wonderful there, in London . . . England. But the men were a little reserved . . . and I'm not." 
• • The EBAY vendor who sold this well-preserved garment (with a carefully established provenance) reminded buyers that he had "never seen a personal Mae West item sold that had accompanying photos. Most are 'claims' at best. But this dress is the real deal." Mae's traveling dress sold this week [on 16 October 2011] for $920.00. It is en route to its new home. The lucky winner scored quite a treasure.
• • It's true that there are many Mae Items on EBAY that are not authentic. How extraordinary to see that this lovely dress came up for auction seven decades later, and many fans got to see Mae wearing it (even if they could not afford to bid).
• • On 20 October 1933 • •
• • The Wyoming readers of the Natrona County daily newspaper saw a startling image — — on the movies page — — in the 20 October 1933 issue of the Tribune-Herald. Mae West was inviting the public to "come up and see me."
• • Printed on page 4 was the movie star Mae West, cupping her hands under her breasts in a motion picture advertisement for Paramount Pictures. Wyoming! Hubba-hubba!
• • I'm No Angel was released in the USA on 6 October 1993.
• • England on 20 October 1947 • •
• • A British reporter spotted Mae West in 1947 at Euston Station in England.
• • The Guardian's London correspondent wrote: All too briefly yesterday the grey gloom of Euston station was lifted by the presence of a radiant personage with strikingly blonde hair and a dazzling smile. Miss Mae West was on her way to Manchester for the opening to-morrow of her play "Diamond Lil." A quarter of an hour before her train was due to leave, Miss West swayed, the tophatted station-master at her side, along the platform to her compartment. Her arrival was the signal for crowds to desert the train and clamour for autographs. It seemed that the actress must have signed almost a hundred small photographs displaying to advantage her well-known features before she took a rest.
• • Then, in the voice Hollywood has made famous, she invited her audience to "Come around and see me in Manchester." The crowd was enchanted and some porters signified their approval of this invitation with loud whistles. Then came a more official whistle. The train started and Miss West, with the 18 men over 6 ft. tall and the 20 girls appearing with her, was carried northwards. ...
• • Source: Review: "Miss West Comes Up" written by The Guardian's London correspondent; published on 20 October 1947
• • On 20 October 1987 • •
• • To publicize the new motion picture "Too Outrageous," an ad appeared in The Village Voice on this date showing the drag performer Craig Russell totally made up and costumed as Mae West.
• • Gay male impersonations of Mae began to be popular during the 1930s, according to historian George Chauncey.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "He who hesitates is a damn fool."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on a one-man show about Groucho mentioned Mae West.
• • Diane Andrews writes: Music director and on-stage pianist Jim Furmston set the rhythm for Frank Ferrante through every classic wisecrack, anecdote, and song of the 90-minute show. Some of the jokes were suitable for the youngsters in the audience only because they probably didn't get the sly — — and sometimes not so sly — — innuendos.
• • According to Diane Andrews: "It's an aerial view of Mae West," Ferrante says as he has two bald men put their heads together. ...
• • Source: Article: "Actor Frank Ferrante Transports Packed Santa Clara University Theater to Irreverent World of Groucho Marx" written by Diane Andrews for The Santa Clara Weekly; posted on 19 October 2011
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started seven years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2089th 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:http://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xmlMae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1948 dress • •
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