Sunday, July 29, 2012

Mae West: Brooklyn Star

This fascinating article on MAE WEST was printed in the Brooklyn Downtown Star. This local weekly is a perfect place for readers to learn more about the actress, who began her career as a Brooklyn star.
• • "Mae West's Secret Italian Husband" • •
• • Tiziano Dossena wrote: There are not many times when you have the occasion to be exposed to such interesting and well researched presentations as "Mae West's Secret Italian Husband" (Thursday, 16 August 2012, 6:30 pm, at the Italian American Museum). LindaAnn Loschiavo, the speaker and the genius behind it all, is a well-known dramatist, journalist, and long-time columnist for L'IDEA Magazine, a Brooklyn based quarterly. With her stage play "Courting Mae West" just recently seen in Australia, a challenging and refreshing essay in "Anti-Italianism: Essays on a Prejudice" (NY: Macmillan, 2011), and her new book "Flirting with the Fire Gods: Writing with an Italian Accent" soon to be published, the author could have easily relaxed and enjoyed her successes, but she felt otherwise. Always willing to share the results of her research, she wanted to tell a new, wonderful story about a little known Italian immigrant.
• • Tiziano Dossena continued: From these simple premises comes the wonderful presentation above mentioned, which tells the yet untold story of Guido Deiro, born in Salto Canavese, Italy, who rose to fame for his musical skills and his entertainment genius. Guido Deiro was one of the real characters of Mae West’s life, of which Ms. Loschiavo is an undisputed expert.
• • Tiziano Dossena noted: When Guido and Mae met in Detroit in August 1913, the 26-year-old musician was a vaudeville headliner, an accordionist and a composer who recorded for the Columbia label, a star who often earned $600 a week. Mae was a hopeful 19-year-old, a singing comedienne, who opened for larger acts, and only later on became a star on Broadway and in Hollywood motion pictures. They fell in love, married, and developed a vaudeville routine together.
• • Tiziano Dossena explained: LindaAnn Loschiavo has found his original recordings and will play them at the event. In the wonderfully cozy atmosphere of the Italian American Museum (155 Mulberry Street, New York, NY, near Grand St.), you will be able to hear the music Guido Deiro composed for the Broadway show "Kismet" and some of the other pieces that delighted Mae and his vaudeville audience. Clips of Guido Deiro performing in 1928 on the piano-accordion will also be shown. This musical event will conclude with an exciting raffle, Italian sparkling wine, and light refreshments to celebrate the birthday of Mae West.
• • Source: Article: "Mae West's Secret Italian Husband" written by Tiziano Dossena for the Brooklyn Downtown Star; published on 26 July 2012 [reprinted by permission].
• • Save the Date: Thursday, August 16th • •
• • Thursday, 16 August 2012 will be the next Mae West Tribute in Manhattan and the evening affair will start at 6:30 pm at 155 Mulberry Street.  This year Mae-mavens will enjoy an indoor event (ahhh, air conditioning), music written by Mae West's Italian husband will be played, and attendees will be seated.
• • At the Reception, Italian wine and light refreshments will be served. The ever-popular Mae West Raffle will offer rare prizes once again to a number of lucky attendees. The public is invited.
• • Mae West was born in Brooklyn, NY on Thursday, 17 August 1893.
• • Closest MTA subway stations: Grand St. or Canal St.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I used to like to play Post Office. Mamma didn't object. But she got mad if I started giving special deliveries to one boy all the time. She wanted me to play with them all."   
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article about a vaudeville show mentioned Mae West.
• • When the newspaper printed the review, Mae would have been 21 years old. Eva Tanguay, the flamboyant vaudeville fixture, was already 36.  
• • The San Antonio Light wrote: Guido Deiro is not alone in the honor column, however; six other acts share it with him including Mae West, the "Eva Tanguay" of Vaudeville . . .
• • Source: Review: "In Variety" written by The San Antonio Light, Texas; published on 8 September 1914
By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started eight years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2378th 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.xmlAdd to Google

• • Photo:
• • Mae West • in vaudeville
• •
Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
  Mae West.



Saturday, July 28, 2012

Mae West: Seamen

In July 1952 Quick Magazine photographed MAE WEST, viewing the Navy's latest "Mae West" life-jackets, newly colored orange-red. An earlier model was yellow.
• • Mae West traveled to Connecticut to tour the Groton submarine base. A sailor in the United States Navy presented the movie star with her very own Mae West life jacket. Hundreds of sailors at the base whooped and shouted when Miss West hove into view.
• • The actress came as the Navy's honored guest for the unveiling of the latest model, visible at great distances at sea.
• • "I like the new color," Miss West said. "It's so desirable. I understand they can be seen from a great distance. That's another thing we have in common."  [Photo:  Quick Magazine on Monday, 28 July 1952.]
• • Robert Homans [8 November 1877 — 28 July 1947] • •
• • Mae West starred in "She Done Him Wrong" and Robert Homans was seen as Doheney.
• • Born on 8 November 1877 in Malden, Massachusetts, Robert Edward Homans was raised by down-to-earth native New Englanders but somehow the crazy acting bug bit. He and his wife and young daughter spent time in New York City before heading out West. Cast in a silent film in 1917, the five-foot-eleven performer decided to pursue a screen career. Between 1923 — 1946 he racked up 385 featured appearances. His height and very serious look made him a natural for bit parts of uniformed men such as a fire chief, doormen, sailors, policemen, detectives, and assorted judges and lawmen. A useful skill was his ability to affect an Irish brogue and he was busy working on one picture or another until he was 69 years old.
• • Robert Edward Homans died of a heart attack in the month of July — — on Monday, 28 July 1947 — — at the Motion Picture Country House in Los Angeles where he had been residing.  He was 69.
• • On Friday, 28 July 1922 • •
• • For the out-of-town try-outs of her new show "The Ginger Box Revue" in Connecticut on July 28 and July 29th, 1922, Mae West had polished her parody of O'Neill's tragic hero.
• • Backed by a dozen chorines (the Stoker Girls) and a black orchestra, Mae sang, “Eugene O’Neill, You’ve Put a Curse on Broadway” and bellowed “Yank-style” lines including, “She don me doit! Lemme up! I’ll show her who’s an ape.”
• • On Tuesday, 28 July 1931 in NYC • •
• • An agreement between Mae West and Howard Merling (signed by both of them) acknowledged his help with background research for her novel and stage play "Babe Gordon." Additionally, there was a receipt, written by Howard Merling, noting he received the sum of $500 dollars from Mae West on Tuesday, 28 July 1931.
• • On Tuesday, 27 July 1954 in Vegas • •
• • On Tuesday, 27 July 1954 Mae West opened at the Congo Room. This exotic night spot, inside the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas, offered patrons a full supper with a live performance of "The Mae West Revue" onstage.
• • On Wednesday, 28 July 1954 in Variety • •
• • Variety was awestruck by "this magnificent herd of males" and such a refreshing new concept. The article "Odds Are Sex-to-1 Mae West Makes Her Point in Las Vegas" was printed on page 3 in Variety on Wednesday, 28 July 1954.
• • Save the Date: Thursday, August 16th • •
• • Thursday, 16 August 2012 will be the next Mae West Tribute in Manhattan and the evening affair will start at 6:30 pm at 155 Mulberry Street.  This year Mae-mavens will enjoy an indoor event (ahhh, air conditioning), music written by Mae West's Italian husband will be played, and attendees will be seated.
• • At the Reception, Italian wine and light refreshments will be served. The ever-popular Mae West Raffle will offer rare prizes once again to a number of lucky attendees. The public is invited.
• • Mae West was born in Brooklyn, NY on Thursday, 17 August 1893.
• • Closest MTA subway stations: Grand St. or Canal St.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I never loved another person the way I loved myself."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article about a theatre mentioned Mae West.
• • Kelly Lincoln wrote: Before the NJPAC was the Paramount Theater. Opened in 1895 as a the Newark Vaudeville house, it was converted in 1917 by Newark's own architect, Thomas W. Lamb into a movie palace, with a neo-classical interior that became known as "adamesque." In 1932, it was renamed the Paramount. It operated as a movie house until 1 April 1986, when a 500% increase in insurance forced the 2003 seat Newark theater and the Adams theater to close.  Among the stars that trod the boards here was Mae West, according to Variety.   ...
• • Source: Article: "Mae West Sold Out Here" written by Kelly Lincoln for The Examiner; published on 28 July 2010 
By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started eight years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2377th 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.xmlAdd to Google

• • Photo:
• • Mae West • 1952
• •
Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
  Mae West.