Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Mae West: Saga of Sin

The headline read "MAE WEST Wows 'em in State of Colorado."
• • "Culture Crazy Colorado Is Going Strong for 'Diamond Lil' Saga" • •
• • Central City, Colo. Aug. 12 (AP) — — Brooklyn born Mae West, who says she brought sex out of the back room, is wowing 'em in this state — — called "Culture Crazy Colorado" by a New York critic. The musty old Central City Opera house, dark 10 months out of the year, is crowded nightly for Mae's saga of sin titled "Diamond Lil."
• • She introduced the play 20 years ago in New York when she was in her middle 30s. Her scheduled three-week run, which opened July 30, has just been extended another week to meet the demand. 
• • "I've got the feel for this one," she told an interviewer. "This mining town would have been home grounds for that gal (Diamond Lil). She would have slept while the miners dug the gold out of the hill. Then at night she would have dug the gold out of the miners."  ...
• • Source:  Article in The North Adams Transcript (North Adams, Massachusetts);  published on Friday, 12 August 1949.
• • On Saturday, 12 August 1944 • •
• • According to an article in Billboard Magazine [The Billboard, Saturday, 12 August 1944], Mike Todd and Mae West shared the financial burden of mounting this costume drama ("Catherine Was Great") — — $150,000, not an inconsiderable sum during the World War II era. And though she often hired inexperienced actors and actresses for the minor roles, Mae West sought out the best costume people and set designers. Despite the savage reviews that would greet the star's own efforts, the critics heaped praise on the production itself, calling the scenery "as beautiful as Howard Bay's best" and rhapsodizing over lavish details such as the fireplace set in Count Mirovich's apartment and the decor of the ghoulish "secret room" of Ivan VI where a murder occurs.
• • On Saturday, 12 August 1961 • •
• • "Come On Up" was having a revival in 1961. The copyrighted version bears the credit line "based on a story idea by Charlotte Francis" but Mae had tinkered with the text and brought in a handsome old friend Jack LaRue to play the heroine's former gangster husband.
• • Save the Date: Wednesday, August 13th • •
• • Wednesday, 13 August 2014 will be the next Mae West Tribute in Manhattan and the event will start at 6:30 pm at 425 Sixth Avenue. The theme will be: "Mae West in Bohemia — — Gin, Sin, Censorship, and Eugene O'Neill."   
• • Details:  August 13th event
• • The New Yorker announced it to their readers in the "Above and Beyond" section:
http://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/above-and-beyond/mae-west-bohemia
• • The New York Times announced it in the "Spare Times" section last Friday — — 
 http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/08/arts/spare-times-for-aug-8-14.html
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West is planning to back a stock company on the coast.  Her sister, Beverly, and her manager, James Timony, will head the enterprise.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said:  "If you don't think you're wonderful, why should anyone else?" 
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article in a  newspaper mentioned Mae West.
• • Lyn Gardner wrote: Denise van Outen's one-woman show is clearly intended as a tribute to iconic blondes from Mae West and Marilyn through to Kylie and Britney via Dusty and Dolly. But that's not how it comes across.  ...
• • Source: Review for The Guardian (U.K.): published on Wednesday, 12 August 2009 
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 10th anniversary • •    
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during this past decade. 
• • By the Numbers • • 
• • The Mae West Blog was started ten years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 2978th 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 in 1949

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