Saturday, March 03, 2012

Mae West: Life Stories

In the March 1934 issue of Movie Mirror, fans could read the final installment of MAE WEST's life story penned by Harry Lang. On the cover, Mae sported a chic black wide-brimmed hat and gazed upwards with her pretty blue eyes, a romantic portrait painted by artist M.P. McNary. Mae is in peach-colored daywear, clutching a gray fur to her bosom.
• • Movie Mirror described itself as "Filmland's Most Beautiful Magazine" and "The ONLY Film Magazine Edited from Hollywood." Ruth Waterbury was the Editor-in-Chief. From the July 1935 issue forward, Movie Mirror merged with the publication Shadoplay. It's clear that, even in the height of the Depression, fans always spare a dime for a favorite fan magazine.
• • During 1934, a number of journalists had scored a detailed one-on-one interview with the movie queen. Ruth Biery's 3-part-article is the one most often quoted by Mae's biographers, therefore, best known.
• • But by far, the sexiest and most revealing is the lengthy interview she gave to John Moffitt. Journalist and columnist John Moffitt went on to serve as Ed Sullivan's assistant director, when Sullivan (once a news man, too) transitioned to TV.
• • John Moffitt must have been very handsome, you think as you read all the juicy bits he scooped up, like Mae's affair with a NYC schoolteacher who would keep his willing blue-eyed pupil after class, call her a "naughty girl," pull her onto his lap, and administer a "punishment" that got them both overheated. Was this the teacher who initiated Mae's first intimate encounter? Hmmm.
• • Alyce Ardell [14 November 1902 — 3 March 1966] • •
• • When she worked with Mae West in "Go West, Young Man" [1936], Alyce Ardell portrayed Jeanette, a French maid. She retired early from the cinema — — perhaps out of boredom or frustration.
• • Born as Marie Alice Pradel in Paris on 14 November 1902, the French voice actress Alyce Ardell lent her sexy accents to several intriguing cartoons as well as shorts and many motion pictures in which she was often cast, mais oui, as a French maid from 1925 — 1939.
• • Alyce Ardell died at age 95 in Laguna Hills, California in March — — on 3 March 1996.
• • No, Mae did not take the stand on 3 March 1927 • •
• • A familiar image of a smiling Mae West at her "Sex" trial in New York City on Thursday, 3 March 1927, has the incorrect caption that she was "on the witness stand." However, Mae did not take the stand in March nor in April 1927. Why? Mae's motivations are dramatized in the play "Courting Mae West" during the chaotic courtroom scene [Act I, Scene 5].
• • On 3 March 1936 • •
• • On 3 March 1936, The Hollywood Reporter announced that the opening week of "Klondike Annie" was record-breaking. "The Gold Rush Is On," the editors wrote.
• • In Jet Magazine on 3 March 1955 • •
• • Jet Magazine printed a sad piece of news
— — "Mae West's Chauffeur, Ray Wallace, Commits Suicide in Indiana" — — in their issue dated for 3 March 1955. Sitting inside the actress's plush Cadillac, the 44-year-old former G.I. hooked up the exhaust pipe to flood the vehicle with toxic fumes. He lay under a quilt and breathed his last. Mae's Caddy was parked on a farm near Patoka, Indiana at the time.
• • "Love Goddesses" — 3 March 1965 • •
• • Mae West film footage is used in the documentary "Love Goddesses," originally released in the month of March — — on Wednesday, 3 March 1965.
• • On Friday, 3 March 1978 • •
• • A gala premiere of "Sextette" starring Mae West took place at the Pacific Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, California at 8:30 pm on Thursday, 2 March 1978. And after the screening, at 10:00 pm, a special invitation paved your way into a late-night supper honoring the movie queen at the tony Beverly Hills Hilton on Wilshire at Santa Monica Boulevard. How memorable this event must have been.
• • On Friday, 3 March 1978 "Sextette" had its general release in the USA.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "No slapping, grabbing, or pinching for me — — when I see a man slapping or pinching a woman I'm disgusted. So unnecessary."
• • Mae West said: "Ten men waiting for me at the door? Send one of them home. I'm tired."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article about Madonna mentioned Mae West.
• • Reno Berkeley wrote: The difference between today's raucous entertainers is that Mae West had a bit more finesse. She never came right out and said what she meant. She was an expert at the double entendre, the innuendo, and giving people something to think about. Sure, Madonna and Lady Gaga have styles all their own, but if you're looking for a truly inspirational woman who knew how shock and awe with class, then take a look at The Vamp's work.
• • Reno Berkeley wrote: Madonna's Super Bowl appearance wasn't just a self-aggrandizing event. It was the culmination of female empowerment in the entertainment industry that Mae West helped forge. Whatever she and Lady Gaga have ever done, it's all thanks to the indefatigable Mae West . . . .
• • This is an excerpt from a longer article. Look it up. It's worth reading.
• • Source: Article: "Madonna and Mae West: Did the Legendary Vamp Inspire the Material Girl?" written by Reno Berkeley for Gather.com; posted on 6 February 2012
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started seven years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2227th 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.xml
Add to Google
• • Photo: • • Mae West • 1934 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
Mae West.

No comments:

Post a Comment