Mae West: Lil in Real Life

There is one woman MAE WEST kept close to her for most of her career — — and that was Diamond Lil.  
• • What was it about this character that captured Mae's fancy?
• • In Mae's telling, the Queen of the Bowery was a diamond-draped prostitute, a singer in a gin joint, and the live-in lover of the Boss of the Bowery. The man in Lil's life, who showered her with jewels and furs, was Gus Jordan, a candidate for sheriff and a sex trafficker who operated from his saloon on Chatham Square. When "Diamond Lil" came to life onstage in 1928, the setting was New York City's Bowery during the 1890s. (Mark Linder claimed credit for selecting the locale.)
• • Mae West was always very coy about how she came to write this.
• • The History of “Diamond Lil” • •

• • Mae West was living in a West 54th Street hotel when she first heard the folk song “Frankie and Johnny,” inspired by St. Louis prostitute and “sporting queen” Frankie Baker [1876—1952]. This black beauty, known for diamonds “as big as hen’s eggs,” shot her lover with a .32-caliber pistol on October 15, 1899. Though the ballad by Bill Dooley (a black “bar-room bard”) concludes with Frankie Baker at the gallows, in reality her murder trial in Missouri ended in an acquittal.  
• • PHOTO: Frankie Baker and friends contemplate the popularity of "Frankie and Johnny" in 1942.
• • In 1928, Mae West and her collaborator Adeline Leitzbach began working on a play (for a cast of 33 actors) set in the Bowery during the Naughty Nineties.  Mae correctly figured that the American theatre-goer, tired of living under the dry restrictions of Prohibition, would welcome a “melodrama of the underworld” that took place during a friskier era when a nickel bought a generous glass of beer.
• • For authenticity, “Diamond Lil” has characters based on real individuals such as Bowery Boss “Big Tim” Sullivan [1862—1913] and Chuck Connors [1852—1913], “Mayor of Chinatown.” Mae West cast Chuck Connors, Jr. to play his father for the Broadway debut of “Diamond Lil” on April 1928.
• • “Frankie and Johnny” became Mae West’s trademark song, featured in her 66-minute film “She Done Him Wrong” [1933], many recordings, and her stage shows. Her 3-act (3 hour) play “Diamond Lil” had several tours between 1928—1951. Mae West, who never used an understudy, missed only two performances, once due to influenza and once because she broke her ankle. 
• • Save the Dates: August 12th and August 17th and 18th • • 
• • What: three events timed to celebrate the 120th birthday of Mae West, born in Brooklyn, NY on August 17, 1893

• • On Monday, 12 August 2013 at the Hudson Sq Library • • 
• • One afternoon only! • •
• • When: Monday, August 12, 2013 from 4:00pm — 5:45pm [Seating from 3:45pm]
• • Where: Hudson Branch Library, 66 Leroy St., New York, NY 10014; NOT accessible to wheelchairs 
• • Who + What: "Diamond Lil" by Mae West as a Reader's Theatre Experience with words and period songs and live music — a unique, unforgettable presentation
• • Cast: Costumed in 1890s Bowery style, actress Darlene Violette and actor Sidney Myer present the 1932 novel "Diamond Lil" written by Mae West in Mae's words — enhanced with period songs and live music by Brian McInnis.  At intervals, historian and playwright LindaAnn Loschiavo leads an "Armchair Tour" through the boisterous Bowery and Chinatown of the 1890s with rare vintage images you have never seen before. 
• • What else: The ever-popular Mae West Raffle. 
• • August 12th Admission and Raffle Tickets: FREE. 
• • RSVP:  Email  MaeWestDiamondLil (at) gmail  (dot) com
• • Closest MTA subway stations: Christopher St. or West Fourth St.; or the M7 bus. 
• • Closest PATH station: Christopher St. 
• • The public is invited (suitable for age 18 and over)
• • The library has a spacious auditorium so tell your fun-loving friends about this!

• • All of the sex and none of the censorship . . . • • 
• • The novel "Diamond Lil" closely follows the 3-hour production Mae performed onstage from 1928 — 1951, and it is much more exciting than the family-friendly screen version. Playwright LindaAnn Loschiavo massaged Mae's classic opus into an 85-minute adaptation featuring all of the sex and none of the censorship. No intermission. 
• • There will be two stagings of "Diamond Lil" on August 17th and August 18th in NYC.
• • On Saturday, 17 August 2013 at 7:30pm on West 38th St. • •
• • One night only! • •
• • Where: John Strasberg Studios, 555 8th Avenue, Suite 2310, New York, NY 10018;  accessible to wheelchairs 
• • What: "Diamond Lil" by Mae West in a new adaptation for the stage by LindaAnn Loschiavo — and costumed in 1890s Bowery style
• • Cast: Starring Darlene Violette as Diamond Lil, Queen of the Bowery and also featuring Sidney Myer, Anthony DiCarlo, Joanna Bonaro, Gary Napoli, Juan Sebastian Cortes, Kimmy Foskett, Jim Gallagher and live music by Brian McInnis
• • August 17th Mae West Raffle Tickets are free
• • August 17th  Admission: $10 — must be pre-paid!
• • RSVP: Advance sale tickets: you must email MaeWestDiamondLil (at) gmail (dot) com
• • Closest MTA subway stations: 42nd St./ Times Sq. via A, C, E, 1, 2, 3 
• • The public is invited (suitable for age 18 and over)
• • Updates: facebook.com/MaeWestDiamondLil
• • On Sunday, 18 August 2013 at 7:00pm on West 46th St. • • 
• • One night only! • •

• • Where: Don't Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street, NYC 10036; T. (212) 757-0788
• • What: "Diamond Lil" by Mae West in a new adaptation for the stage by LindaAnn Loschiavo — and costumed in 1890s Bowery style
• • Cast: Starring Darlene Violette as Diamond Lil, Queen of the Bowery and also featuring Sidney Myer, Anthony DiCarlo, Joanna Bonaro, Gary Napoli, Juan Sebastian Cortes, Kimmy Foskett, Jim Gallagher and live music by Brian McInnis
• • August 18th Mae West Raffle Tickets are free
• • RSVP: August 18th  Admission:  $15.00 cover charge plus a two drink minimum
• • Reservations: www.donttellmamanyc.com
• • Closest MTA subway stations: 42nd St./ Times Sq. via A, C, E, 1, 2, 3 
• • The public is invited (suitable for age 18 and over). Join us as we turn the iconic NYC nightspot Don't Tell Mama into Gus Jordan's "Suicide Hall"!
• • Updates: facebook.com/MaeWestDiamondLil 
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I haven't had time to change!" 
• • Mae West said: "I ain't ice."
• • Mae West said: "I have been too busy for love but I love all men.
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The Lowell Sun mentioned Mae West.
• • "Katie Lannan wrote: In Maine,  Hollywood Casino Bangor, right off the highway along the Penobscot River, looks unobtrusive despite a seven-story hotel and four-story parking garage. Outside, it most closely resembles a large shopping mall. Inside, muted gold tones and black-and-white posters of movie industry icons like Mae West and Cary Grant dominate the halls. The windowless gaming area glows from the flashing lights of hundreds of slot machines, the games' whirs and chirps spilling over into the more subdued buffet and bar areas. ....
• • Source: Article:  "Slots drive growth as critics list social cost" written by Katie Lannan for Lowell Sun; published on Sunday, 11 August 2013
• • By the Numbers • • 
• • The Mae West Blog was started nine years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2714th 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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