Friday, August 23, 2013

Mae West: Mae, She Wrote

It was on an early August day in 1982 that Joan Rivers registered her manuscript "Grow up — — or the MAE WEST Story" with the Library of Congress.
• • If you've ever read the jokes on her web site, none of which are funny, you may be asking yourself, how could this individual write a script? Well, she merely wrote 17 pages as her pitch (or treatment) for a screenplay for motion picture or TV.  As far as we know, it did not reach the production stage.
• • Joan Rivers noted on her registration form that she had written "The Mae West Story" in 1977. Mae, of course, was still alive in the late 1970s. Maybe Joan was ashamed of her little project and decided to keep it in a drawer until after Mae's death.
• • Registration Number: PAu000424769/ Date: 1982-08-02  
• • On Sunday, 23 August 1891 • •
• • Had she lived, darling little bundle of bliss Katie West would have grown up to be the older sister of Mae West. Instead Katie died in infancy. We commemorate her birth in Brooklyn to a young married couple Matilda and John West 122 years ago.
• • On Wednesday, 23 August 1922 • •
• • On Wednesday, 23 August 1922, the New York Clipper noted: "Mae West, who was with 'The Ginger Box,' which opened and closed rather suddenly, has returned to vaudeville, and opened at Proctor's Fifth Avenue on Monday."
• • On Friday, 23 August 1957 in California • •
• • Mae West sued Hollywood Confidential Magazine for defamation and the trial began in early August 1957 in Los Angeles. On Tuesday, 30 July 1957, The N.Y. Times ran an item explaining the issues at stake. Mae submitted sworn depositions to avoid testifying in person.
• • This front page article was printed in the Pasadena Independent on 23 August 1957.
• • "Mae West, Gable Ex Deny Scandal Yarns" was the headline.
• • "Boxer Just Chauffeur, Says Mae" was the sub-head.
• • Two more subjects of Confidential Magazine's stories slapped back with emphatic denials in Los Angeles yesterday.  ... Miss West said it was untrue that the late boxer Chalky Wright lived in her apartment for a year.
• • "My, my, those stories are ridiculous," Miss West said. "How could Chalky have lived with me for a year?  At that time — — 1935 —1936 — — I lived in the Ravenswood Apartments in Los Angeles.  Everybody would have known. It would have made headlines. The entire story is silly." . . .
• • On Wednesday, 23 August 1978 • •
• • On Wednesday, 23 August 1978 Mae West signed a check to pay Charles H. Krauser $125.00.  Drawn on her personal account at the United California Bank, and made payable to her live-in lover known as Paul Novak, Mae noted in the memo section that this was for (ahem) "services."
• • On Thursday, 23 August 2001 • •
• • "Mae West: An Icon in Black and White" written by Jill Watts was published in hardcover on 23 August  2001.  An excellent bio. Makes you shake your head at all the "loser" biographies that came after.
• • "Diamond Lil" in August 2013 in Manhattan • • 
• • From a staging of "Diamond Lil" in August in NYC.
• • PHOTO: Darlene Violette as Diamond Lil and Juan Sebastian Cortes as Pablo Juarez. 
• • The 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
• • New Adaptation: "Diamond Lil" by Mae West in a new adaptation for the stage by LindaAnn Loschiavo — and costumed in 1890s Bowery style. 

• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I am my severest critic, don't forget that!"
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • LAist in Los Angeles mentioned Mae West.
• • Mariela Patron wrote: On any given day, the Robinson estate had the power to turn into an Academy Awards after-party with stars like Mae West, Ginger Rogers, and Fred Astaire stopping by for extravagant parties. During these gatherings a commoner's wildest dreams would come true as Charlie Chaplin practiced his athletic ability as he challenged other stars to tennis matches. . . .
• • Source: Article:  "5 Historic Gardens In Los Angeles" written by Mariela Patron for LAist; published on Thursday, 22 August 2013 
• • By the Numbers • • 
• • The Mae West Blog was started nine years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2725th 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 Diamond Lil returned for Mae's birthday

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

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