Friday, October 21, 2011

Mae West: Bust

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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• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1943 • •
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