Thursday, January 12, 2017

Mae West: "Hey! Gorilla!"

A very long article about MAE WEST and her career in Tinseltown appeared five years ago.  It was written by Paul Phaneuf. Let's enjoy it together. This is Part 8.
• • Mae West: "I'm here to make talkies" or Censor Will vs. Diamond Lil • •
• • "The fairy princess, ya mug!" • • 
• • Paul Phaneuf wrote:   Then a voice from the other side of the door asks, "Who is it?" Mae quips back, "The fairy princess, ya mug." Pushing her way in, she hails one of Raft's lieutenants "Hey, gorilla!" The stooge tries to tell her Raft's not there, but Mae cuts him short, "No sale! No sale!" and goes looking for him.
• • She stops at the check-in desk and hands over her mink, asking the girl at the counter "Hello honey, how's business? Been insulted lately?" The girl notices Mae's jewelry, exclaiming, "Goodness, what beautiful diamonds." To which Mae tosses back the now legendary, "Goodness had nothin' to do with it dearie."
• • Spotting Raft she crashes his table.  "Joey, Joey, Joey, come here and kiss me ya dawg. Let me take a look at ya. You're lookin' great! Who's the dames?" In rapid fire she then introduces herself as "Maudie Triplett, one of the bluebloods of Kentucky, and if you don't like the color, we'll change it!" Making herself at home Mae joins their table, "Oh, waiter!  Waiter, a chair ya mug!"
• • "Crawl to me, baby!" • •  . . .
• • This was Part 8. Part 9 will appear tomorrow.
• • Source:  Article by Paul Phaneuf in Films of the Golden Age Magazine;  issue dated 5 November 2011. Used with permission.
• • Texas Guinan [12 January 1884 — 5 November 1933] • •
• • Born in Waco, Texas during the month of January, Mary Louise Cecilia "Texas" Guinan played a gun-slinger and rode bareback in silent films, took New York by storm in 1906, and earned a salary of $700,000 as a speakeasy hostess. The versatile stage star led a noisy and joyful life at full speed until 5 November 1933. She was 49 when she died. One month later, Prohibition was repealed.
• • In "Courting Mae West," Texas Guinan's counterpart TEXAS GUINAN is witty, confident, stylish, wealthy, and diamond draped; as MAE WEST observes, being together means "basking in the glow of your investment grade jewelry."
• • A good friend to Mae West who invested in "Diamond Lil" and Mae's other Broadway shows, Texas also held seances with her. We fondly remember the one and only Queen of the Night Clubs on her birthday.
• • Learn more about her: http://TexasGuinan.blogspot.com
• • On Saturday, 12 January 1929 • •
• • "Diamond Lil" was staged at the Royale Theatre in New York City on 9 April 1928 and closed on Saturday night, 12 January 1929 after 323 performances.
• • On Thursday, 12 January 1933 • •
• • "Skipworth Replaces Mae West in Paramount Cast" • •
• • On Thursday, 12 January 1933, The Hollywood Reporter wrote:  Alison Skipworth will be featured with Mary Boland in "Don't Call Me Madame" by Paramount, instead of Mae West as previously intended.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Arthur Lubin was seen at Mae West's Paramount party.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said:  "I had been starred but I was glad to go to Hollywood as a nobody."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A New Zealand paper mentioned Mae West.
• • Florence Desmond in "Gay Love"  — — Apart from her brilliant impersonations, where she sings "Don't Blame Me" as it would be sung by Greta Garbo . . . and "I'm No Angel" as Mae West would sing it  . . .
• • Source: Item in The Press (New Zealand); published on Friday,  11 January 1935
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 12th anniversary • •  
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past eleven years. The other day we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 3,500 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started ten years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 3616th
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 • onscreen
in 1933
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