Saturday, December 10, 2011

Mae West: Missed Rehearsal

It was Friday evening on 10 December 1937 and MAE WEST failed to report for the first rehearsal of "The Chase & Sanborn Hour." The suits at NBC were nervous and the sponsor's reps were baffled.
• • Matthew Murray wrote: A copy of the show's script was delivered to her apartment; she found it boring and made revisions. At NBC's Los Angeles studio on Saturday afternoon a conference was held between the performers, J. Walter Thompson representatives, and NBC executives, culminating in a final script that was acceptable to Mae West, Chase & Sanborn, and Andrew Love. During the final rehearsal, West recited her lines "straight" and in "snappy fashion" — — without the insinuations that were to characterize the broadcast rendition. ...
• • Source: Matthew Murray, page 144 in Radio Reader: Essays in the Cultural History of Radio [Psychology Press, 2002]
• • In December, Remember Victor McLaglen [1886 — 1959] • •
• • Mae West worked with one burly British actor — — born on December 10th — — who relocated to Hollywod and was cast, invariably, whenever the script called out for a large, gruff, brutish, but soft-hearted man of action.
• • Born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, Victor McLaglen [10 December 1886 — 7 November 1959] was an English boxer and World War I veteran who became a leading American film actor.
• • Tsk-tsking over "Klondike Annie" in his film review for The New York Times on 12 March 1936, Frank S. Nugent wrote: As a Westian improvisation, the story is no worse than most of her English compositions, but that, alas, does not apply to its dialogue and treatment. It is downright discouraging to hear Miss West perplex Mr. McLaglen by saying she was "heading for the arms of Morpheus" and it is worse when McLaglen remarks, "I can always tell a lady when I see one" and she comes back with a "Yeah? What do you tell 'em?" If that is what the Legion of Decency meant when it rated "Annie" as objectionable in part, then we agree with the legion. ...
• • Victor McLaglen eventually became a U.S. citizen. He died on 7 November 1959 of a heart attack. He was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
• • A Mae West Slot Canyon • •
• • How many knew this one? A "Mae West slot canyon" is a passage that is too narrow at the bottom for a hiker to traverse on foot. Instead, the hiker must use chimneying techniques to negotiate above the floor.
• • On 10 December 1930 • •
• • Referring to a meeting in Hollywood on 10 December 1930, and what had been decided by a Board of Directors, Will Hays wrote to remind Adolph Zukor that he must not register the titles "Diamonds" or "Diamond Lady" for any film project with Mae West [Will Hays memo dated 18 October 1932].
• • On 10 December 2011 enjoy some "Sex" • •
• • "Sex" written by Mae West in 1926 is being revived in Tulsa. Artistic Director John Cruncleton is the producer and, in this staging, the character Margy LaMont will do an exotic and unbearably sultry fan dance. Taking the leading female role is Sara Wilemon, who plays the tough-minded prostitute.
• • WHERE: Nightingale Theatre, 1416 E. Fourth Street [just East of Peoria on 4th St.]. Tulsa, OK.; T. (918) 633-8666. No credit cards, so please bring cash.
• • WHEN: 8pm premiere on Friday, 9 December 2011 [show runs until December 17th]
• • EMAIL: info (at) nightingaletheater (dot) com
• • Tell them you heard about it on the Mae West Blog.
• • On 10 December 2011 see "I'm No Angel" • •
• • "I'm No Angel," starring Mae West and featuring Cary Grant, will be screened on Long Island today.
• • WHERE: Massapequa Public Library, 40 Harbor Lane, Massapequa Park, NY 11762
• • WHEN: 2:00pm on Saturday, December 10, 2011
• • Tell them you heard about it on the Mae West Blog.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "My advice to those who think they have to take off their clothes to be a star is, once you're boned, what's left to create the illusion? Let em wonder. I never believed in giving them too much of me." [Excerpt from "Mae West On Sex, Health and E.S.P."]
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article on a new accessories line mentioned Mae West.
• • As uncertain times push consumers to seek comfort in nostalgia, screen legend Mae West is returning in a modern form. Jo Roberts reports.
• • Jo Roberts wrote: Old-style glamour is making a comeback. Legendary Hollywood actress and playwright Mae West is to become the face of a fashion brand — — 29 years after her death. It is hoped the late icon will bring some star quality to a range of bags and wallets, which will be sold in boutique stores from spring 2009.
• • Jo Roberts wrote: Using the well-known faces of a bygone era in advertising is not unusual. Gene Kelly has danced to Singing in the Rain for Volkswagen, while Elvis adorned the television screen for defunct mobile brand One- to-One. But featuring a dead celebrity on new products is less common. Could this manner of generating comforting nostalgia in difficult economic times become a wider trend? ...
• • Source: Article: "Vintage Glamour: Mae West gets a makeover" written by Jo Roberts for Brand Strategy Magazine; published on 10 December 2008
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started seven years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2141st 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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