Mae West

This article is about the actress. For other uses, see Mae West (disambiguation).

Mae West
West in 1932
Born	Mary Jane West (1893-08-17)August 17, 1893 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	November 22, 1980(1980-11-22) (aged 87) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Cypress Hills Cemetery
Occupations	Actress singer comedian screenwriter playwright
Years active	1907–1979
Spouse	Frank Wallace ​ ​ (m. 1911; div. 1943)​
Partner	Paul Novak (1954–1980)
Signature

Mary Jane "Mae" West (August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American actress, singer, comedian, screenwriter, and playwright whose career spanned more than seven decades. Recognized as a prominent sex symbol of her time, she was known for portraying sexually confident characters and for her use of double entendres, often delivering her lines in a distinctive contralto voice. West began performing in vaudeville and on stage in New York City before transitioning to film in Los Angeles.

She was frequently associated with controversies over censorship and once stated, "I believe in censorship. I made a fortune out of it." As her film career declined, she remained active by writing books and plays, performing in Las Vegas and London, and appearing on radio and television. In later years, she also released rock and roll recordings. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked her 15th among the greatest female screen legends of classic American cinema.

Early life

Mary Jane West was born on August 17, 1893, in either the Greenpoint or Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, before the consolidation of New York City. She was delivered at home by her aunt, a midwife.

She was the eldest surviving child of Mathilde Delker (originally "Doelger" and later Americanized to "Delker" or "Dilker") West, a corset and fashion model, and John Patrick "Battlin' Jack" West, a former prizefighter who later worked as a "special policeman" and founded a private investigation agency.

Her mother, known as "Tillie" or "Matilda", was a German immigrant from Bavaria, who arrived in 1886 with her siblings and parents, Christiana (née Brüning) and Jakob Doelger. West's paternal grandmother, Mary Jane (née Copley), was of Irish descent, and her paternal grandfather, John Edwin West, was of English and Scottish ancestry.

Her parents married in Brooklyn on January 18, 1889. According to reports, the groom's parents approved of the union, while the bride's family opposed it. They raised their children in the Protestant faith.

West's eldest sister, Katie, died in infancy. Her surviving siblings were Mildred Katherine "Beverly" West and John Edwin West II (often incorrectly referred to as "Jr."). During her childhood, the family lived in various areas of Woodhaven, Queens and the Williamsburg and Greenpoint neighborhoods of Brooklyn.

West may have first performed publicly at Neir's Social Hall in Woodhaven.

Career

Beginning of stage career

Newspaper ad for burlesque show with West, "The Girl With a Personality", Detroit, Michigan, 1915

West was five when she first entertained a crowd at a church social, and she began appearing in amateur shows at the age of seven. She frequently won prizes at local talent contests. She began performing professionally in vaudeville in the Hal Clarendon Stock Company in 1907, at the age of 14. As a child performer, West used the stage name "Baby Mae" (the baby may behave like this), and later tried various personas, including a male impersonator.

Early in her career, she sometimes used the alias "Jane Mast". Her distinctive walk was said to have been inspired or influenced by female impersonators Bert Savoy and Julian Eltinge, who were prominent during the Pansy Craze.

West made her first appearance in a Broadway show in 1911, at age 18, in a revue titled A La Broadway staged by her former dancing teacher, Ned Wayburn. The show closed after only eight performances, but West was praised in a New York Times review, which noted that "a girl named Mae West, hitherto unknown, pleased by her grotesquerie and snappy way of singing and dancing." She next appeared in Vera Violetta, which also featured Al Jolson, and in 1912, she played La Petite Daffy, a "baby vamp", in A Winsome Widow.

Cover of "Ev'rybody Shimmies Now" sheet music with West's portrait, 1918

West continued to build her career in vaudeville, appearing in circuits such as that run by Gus Sun of Ohio. She credited her mother as a constant supporter who believed everything Mae did was "fantastic", though other family members—including an aunt and her paternal grandmother—disapproved of her performing career. In 1918, West gained significant attention in the Shubert Brothers revue Sometime, starring opposite Ed Wynn. Her character, Mayme, danced the shimmy, and her photograph was featured on the sheet music for the popular number "Ev'rybody Shimmies Now".

Broadway stardom and jail

Eventually, West began writing her own risqué plays using the pen name Jane Mast. Her first starring role on Broadway was in the 1926 play Sex, which she wrote, produced, and directed. Although conservative critics panned the show, ticket sales were strong. The production did not go over well with city officials, who had received complaints from religious groups, and the theater was raided and West arrested along with the cast. She was taken to the Jefferson Market Court House (now Jefferson Market Library), where she was prosecuted on morals charges, and on April 19, 1927, she was sentenced to 10 days for "corrupting the morals of youth". Though West could have paid a fine and been released, she chose the jail sentence for the publicity it would garner. While incarcerated on Welfare Island (now known as Roosevelt Island), she dined with the warden and his wife and told reporters she had worn her silk panties while serving time, instead of the "burlap" issued to other inmates. She served eight days, with two days off for good behavior, and afterward told reporters that her play was "a work of art". Media attention surrounding the incident enhanced her career, with reporters dubbing her a "bad girl" who "had climbed the ladder of success wrong by wrong."

Her next play, The Drag, dealt with homosexuality and was what West called one of her "comedy-dramas of life." After a series of try-outs in Connecticut and New Jersey, West announced she would open the play in New York. However, The Drag never opened on Broadway, owing to efforts by the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice to ban any attempt by West to stage it. West explained, "The city fathers begged me not to bring the show to New York because they were not equipped to handle the commotion it would cause." West was an early supporter of the women's liberation movement, though she said she was not a "burn your bra" type of feminist. Since the 1920s, she also supported gay rights and spoke publicly against police brutality toward gay men. She expressed the then-modern belief that gay men were women's souls in men's bodies, and said that hitting a gay man was akin to hitting a woman.

In her 1959 autobiography, Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It, ghostwritten by Stephen Longstreet, West condemned hypocrisy while also voicing concerns about homosexuality:

I have always hated the two-faced, the smoother-over folk — the people who preach loudly one way of life, and then do something in private that they're against in public. In many ways homosexuality is a danger to the entire social system of western civilization...

This perspective seems at odds with her later statements, such as in her 1975 book Mae West: Sex, Health, and ESP, in which she wrote:

{{blockquote|I believe that the world owes male and female homosexuals more understanding than we've given them. Live and let live is my philosophy on the subject, and I believe everybody has the right to do his or her own thing or somebody else's — as long as they do it all in private!

Between the late 1920s and early 1930s, West continued to write plays, including The Wicked Age, Pleasure Man, and The Constant Sinner. These productions stirred controversy, which helped keep West in the headlines and filled seats at performances. Her 1928 play Diamond Lil, a story about a racy but clever lady of the 1890s, became a Broadway hit. West revived it many times throughout her career.

Three years later, she played Babe Gordon in The Constant Sinner, which opened at the Royale Theatre on September 14, 1931. New York Times critic J. Brooks Atkinson gave the show a scathing review:

...The Constant Sinner commits one of the major sins in the theatre; it is dull... "The Constant Sinner" is also, as might be expected, vile as to speech... Her peculiar slouching about the stage... her vocal stunts, her exploitation of blond buxomness—all these grow pretty tiresome through repetition.

Other critics similarly dismissed the play as "clumsy", "deliberately outlandish", and referred to West as an "atrocious playwright". The play closed after 64 performances. Compared to Diamond Lil, which ran for 323 performances, The Constant Sinner was a disappointment. Still, its notoriety enhanced West's public image as a daring and provocative performer. Soon afterward, she accepted a contract from Paramount Pictures to begin her Hollywood film career.

Motion pictures and censorship

"Diamond Lil" returning to New York from California, 1933

In June 1932, after signing a two-month contract with Paramount that provided her a weekly salary of $5,000 ($110,000 in 2023), West left New York by train for California. The veteran stage performer was by then nearly 40 years old, yet managed to keep her age ambiguous for some time. She made her film debut in the role of Maudie Triplett in Night After Night (1932) starring George Raft, who had suggested West for the part. She did not like her small supporting role in the drama at first, but was appeased when she was allowed to rewrite portions of her character's dialogue. One of several revisions she made is in her first scene in Night After Night, when a hat-check girl exclaims, "Goodness, what beautiful diamonds", and West replies, "Goodness had nothing to do with it, dearie." Reflecting on the overall result of her rewritten scenes, Raft is reported to have said, "She stole everything but the cameras."

For her next role for Paramount, West brought her Diamond Lil character, now renamed "Lady Lou", to the screen in She Done Him Wrong (1933). The film was one of Cary Grant's early major roles, which boosted his career. West claimed she spotted Grant at the studio and insisted that he be cast as the male lead. She claimed to have told a Paramount director, "If he can talk, I'll take him!" The film was a box office hit and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. The success of the film saved Paramount from bankruptcy, grossing over $2 million, the equivalent of $46 million in 2023. Paramount recognizes that debt of gratitude today, with a building on the lot named after West.

West's second film with Cary Grant, I'm No Angel (1933)

Her next release, I'm No Angel (1933), teamed her again with Grant. The film was also a box-office hit and was the most successful of her entire screen career. In the months after its release, references to West could be found almost everywhere, from the song lyrics of Cole Porter, to a Works Progress Administration (WPA) mural of San Francisco's newly built Coit Tower, to She Done Him Right, a Pooch the Pup cartoon, to My Dress Hangs There, a painting by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Kahlo's husband, Diego Rivera, paid his own tribute: "West is the most wonderful machine for living I have ever known—unfortunately on the screen only." To F. Scott Fitzgerald, West was especially unique: "The only Hollywood actress with both an ironic edge and a comic spark." As Variety put it, "Mae West's films have made her the biggest conversation-provoker, free-space grabber, and all-around box office bet in the country. She's as hot an issue as Hitler."

Publicity photo, 1936

By 1933, West was one of the largest box-office draws in the United States and, by 1935, she was also the highest paid woman and the second-highest paid person in the United States (after William Randolph Hearst). Hearst invited West to Hearst Castle, his massive estate in San Simeon, California, where Hollywood celebrities and prominent political and business figures frequently gathered to socialize. "I could'a married him," West later commented, "but I got no time for parties. I don't like those big crowds." On July 1, 1934, the censorship guidelines of the film industry's Production Code began to be meticulously enforced. As a result, West's scripts were subjected to more editing. She, in turn, would often intentionally place extremely risqué lines in her scripts, knowing they would be cut by the censors. She hoped they would then not object as much to her other less suggestive lines. Her next film was Belle of the Nineties (1934). The original title, It Ain't No Sin, was changed because of censors' objections. Despite Paramount's early objections regarding costs, West insisted the studio hire Duke Ellington and his orchestra to accompany her in the film's musical numbers. Their collaboration was a success; the classic "My Old Flame" was introduced in this film. Her next film, Goin' to Town (1935), received mixed reviews, as censorship continued to take its toll by preventing West from including her best lines.

Her following effort, Klondike Annie (1936), dealt, as best it could given the heavy censorship, with religion and hypocrisy. Some critics called the film her magnum opus, but not everyone agreed. Press baron William Randolph Hearst, offended by a remark West made about his mistress Marion Davies, sent a private memo to his editors stating: "That Mae West picture Klondike Annie is a filthy picture... DO NOT ACCEPT ANY ADVERTISING OF THIS PICTURE." Paramount executives felt they had to tone down West's characterization. "I was the first liberated woman, you know. No guy was going to get the best of me. That's what I wrote all my scripts about."

Around the same time, West played opposite Randolph Scott in Go West, Young Man (1936), adapting Lawrence Riley's Broadway hit Personal Appearance. Directed by Henry Hathaway, it is considered one of West's weaker films of the era due to censor cuts.

West next starred in Every Day's a Holiday (1937) for Paramount before their association ended. Censorship had increasingly made West's sexually suggestive humor difficult to sustain on screen. She was included in the "Box Office Poison" list published by the Independent Theatre Owners Association. This did not stop producer David O. Selznick from offering her the role of Belle Watling in Gone with the Wind, but West declined, saying it was too small and would need rewriting.

A pair of "trick" platform shoes worn by West in films to make her look taller, which also contributed to her unique gait

In 1939, Universal Studios approached West to star opposite W. C. Fields in My Little Chickadee (1940). Although West and Fields had a combative relationship, the film was a box office success. Religious leaders condemned West's on-screen persona, taking offense at lines such as: "When I'm caught between two evils, I generally like to take the one I never tried."

West's final film of the period was The Heat's On (1943), produced by Columbia Pictures. She only agreed to star as a personal favor to director Gregory Ratoff. It was the only film where she was not allowed to write her own dialogue. The result was poorly received, and West later cited her frustration with censorship as a key reason for her departure from filmmaking. Instead, she found continued success in nightclubs, stage shows, and Broadway revivals where she retained creative control over her performances.

Radio and censorship

On December 12, 1937, West appeared in two separate sketches on ventriloquist Edgar Bergen's radio show The Chase and Sanborn Hour. Appearing as herself, West flirted with Charlie McCarthy, Bergen's dummy, using her usual brand of wit and risqué sexual references. West referred to Charlie as "all wood and a yard long" and commented, "Charles, I remember our last date, and have the splinters to prove it!" West was on the verge of being banned from radio.

Another controversial sketch aired the same night on NBC, written by Arch Oboler, and featured Don Ameche and West as Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. She tells Ameche to "get me a big one... I feel like doin' a big apple!" This ostensible reference to the then-current dance craze was one of the many double entendres in the dialogue. Days after the broadcast, the studio received letters calling the show "immoral" and "obscene". Several conservative women's clubs and religious groups admonished the show's sponsor, Chase & Sanborn Coffee Company, for "prostituting" their services for allowing "impurity [to] invade the air".

Under pressure, the Federal Communications Commission later deemed the broadcast "vulgar and indecent" and "far below even the minimum standard which should control in the selection and production of broadcast programs". Some debate existed regarding the reaction to the skit. Conservative religious groups took umbrage far more swiftly than the mainstream. These groups found it easy to make West their target. They took exception to her outspoken use of sexuality and sexual imagery, which she had employed in her career since at least the pre-Code films of the early 1930s and for decades before on Broadway, but which was now being broadcast into American living rooms on a popular family-friendly radio program. The groups reportedly warned the sponsor of the program they would protest her appearance.

NBC Radio banned West (and the mention of her name) from their stations following the backlash. She did not return to radio until January 1950, when she appeared on an episode of The Chesterfield Supper Club, hosted by Perry Como. Ameche's career did not suffer any serious repercussions, however, as he was playing the "straight" character. West subsequently continued to perform in venues such as Lou Walters's The Latin Quarter, Broadway, and London.

Middle years

Featured in the Los Angeles Times, 1953

After appearing in The Heat's On in 1943, West returned to a highly active stage and nightclub career. Among her notable performances was the title role in Catherine Was Great (1944) on Broadway, a play she wrote as a satirical take on the life of Catherine the Great. In the production, she surrounded herself with a group of tall, muscular actors described as an "imperial guard". Produced by theater and film impresario Mike Todd, the play ran for 191 performances before going on tour.

West revived her 1928 play Diamond Lil in 1949, returning it to Broadway. A reviewer for The New York Times referred to her as an "American institution—as beloved and indestructible as Donald Duck. Like Chinatown, and Grant's Tomb, Mae West should be seen at least once." In the 1950s, she performed in her own Las Vegas stage show at the newly opened Sahara Hotel, where she sang while flanked by bodybuilders. The show proved popular with both male and female audiences, with West commenting, "Men come to see me, but I also give the women something to see: wall to wall men."

During the casting of Billy Wilder's 1950 film Sunset Boulevard, West was offered the role of Norma Desmond. Still frustrated by the censorship imposed on The Heat's On, she declined the role, stating that its pathos did not suit her comedic sensibility, which she characterized as focused on uplifting audiences. The role ultimately went to Gloria Swanson, after Mary Pickford also declined.

West was later offered additional film roles, including Vera Simpson opposite Frank Sinatra in the 1957 musical Pal Joey, which she declined, with the part going to Rita Hayworth. She also turned down a role in Roustabout (1964) alongside Elvis Presley, which was subsequently played by Barbara Stanwyck. West rejected offers from Federico Fellini to appear in both Juliet of the Spirits and Satyricon.

Television, and the next generations

On March 26, 1958, West appeared at the live televised Academy Awards and performed the song "Baby, It's Cold Outside" with Rock Hudson, which received a standing ovation. In 1959, she released an autobiography, Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It, which became a best-seller. West made several television appearances to promote the book, including on The Dean Martin Variety Show in 1959 and The Red Skelton Show in 1960. She also recorded a lengthy interview for Person to Person with Charles Collingwood in 1959, which was ultimately not broadcast; CBS executives reportedly felt viewers were not prepared to see a nude marble statue of West that appeared in the segment. In 1964, she guest-starred on the sitcom Mister Ed. In 1976, she appeared on a CBS special, Back Lot U.S.A., hosted by Dick Cavett, where she was interviewed and performed two songs.

Recording career

West's recording career began in the early 1930s with releases of songs from her films on 78 rpm records. These were issued alongside sheet music for home use. In 1955, she recorded her first LP album, The Fabulous Mae West. In 1965, she recorded two songs, "Am I Too Young" and "He's Good for Me", for a 45 rpm single released by Plaza Records. She also recorded novelty songs such as "Santa, Come Up to See Me", featured on the album Wild Christmas, which was later reissued in 1980 as Mae in December. In 1966, she released the rock-and-roll album Way Out West, followed in 1972 by Great Balls of Fire, which included covers of songs by The Doors and tracks written by English songwriter-producer Ian Whitcomb.

Later years

West's likeness was used on the front cover of the Beatles' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. When approached for permission, West initially declined, reportedly asking, "What would I be doing in a Lonely Hearts Club?" She changed her mind after receiving a letter from the band expressing admiration for her work.

After a 27-year absence from motion pictures, West returned to the screen as Leticia Van Allen in Myra Breckinridge (1970), based on the novel by Gore Vidal. The film starred Raquel Welch, Rex Reed, Farrah Fawcett, and Tom Selleck, but was hampered by production difficulties and poor critical reception. Though West received top billing, her role was reduced during editing. In 1971, she was voted "Woman of the Century" by students at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) for her legacy as an outspoken figure on issues of sexuality and censorship.

West in her Los Angeles apartment, 1973; photo by Allan Warren

In 1975, West released the books Sex, Health, and ESP and Pleasure Man, the latter based on her 1928 stage play. Her 1959 autobiography, Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It, was also updated and reissued during this period. She managed her own stage acts and invested in real estate, including property in Van Nuys, Los Angeles.

She appeared on the CBS television special Back Lot U.S.A. in 1976, where she was interviewed by Dick Cavett and performed "Frankie and Johnny" and "After You've Gone".

That year, she began production on her final film, Sextette (1978), based on a script she had written in 1959. Frequent revisions and production delays led to a decision to feed her lines via a speaker concealed in her wig due to her deteriorating eyesight. Despite these challenges, director Ken Hughes later described her as committed to completing the film. Sextette was not a commercial success. Its cast included George Raft, Tony Curtis, Timothy Dalton, Walter Pidgeon, Ringo Starr, Alice Cooper, Dom DeLuise, and Rona Barrett, along with several of West's former Las Vegas performers, such as Reg Lewis. The film reunited her with costume designer Edith Head, who had worked on She Done Him Wrong in 1933.

West was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street for her work in film and was later inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame for her contributions to stage performance.

Public image

Mae West was known for her distinctive appearance, often characterized by figure-hugging, floor-length gowns with low necklines. Her style typically featured details such as fishtail trains and feather trim, which became associated with her on-screen persona.

Personal life

West and husband Frank Wallace in 1911

West (right) in an ad with Deiro, c. 1916–17

West in 1978 with Paul Novak, her partner of 25 years

West was married on April 11, 1911, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Frank Szatkus (1892–1966), whose stage name was Frank Wallace, a fellow vaudevillian whom she met in 1909. She was 17. She kept the marriage a secret, but a filing clerk discovered the certificate in 1935 and alerted the press. The clerk also uncovered an affidavit from her 1927 Sex trial, in which she had declared herself married. At first, West denied the marriage but admitted it in July 1937 in response to a legal interrogatory. The couple never lived together as husband and wife; she stated they had separate bedrooms and soon sent him away to headline his own show. She obtained a divorce on July 21, 1942, during which Wallace withdrew his request for separate maintenance, and West testified that they had lived together for only "several weeks". The final divorce decree was granted on May 7, 1943.

In 1913, West met Guido Deiro (1886–1950), an Italian-born vaudeville star and accordionist. According to his son, Guido Roberto Deiro, West married Deiro in 1914, though this has not been conclusively proven. Their relationship reportedly ended after West had an abortion at her mother's urging, which left her infertile and nearly killed her. West later quipped, "Marriage is a great institution. I'm not ready for an institution."

In 1916, West began a relationship with James Timony (1884–1954), an attorney and her manager. By the mid-1930s, they were no longer a couple but remained close until his death.

She was also romantically linked to Owney Madden, owner of the Cotton Club.

West remained close to her family throughout her life and was especially affected by her mother's death in 1930. She moved into the penthouse at The Ravenswood in Hollywood that year, remaining there until her death. She later brought her father, sister, and brother to Hollywood and supported them. She also had a relationship with boxer Gorilla Jones (1906–1982). When her apartment building barred Jones from entry because he was African American, she bought the building and lifted the ban.

In her sixties, West became romantically involved with Chester Rybinski (1923–1999), a former Mr. California and member of her Las Vegas stage show. He later changed his name to Paul Novak. He was 30 years her junior and remained with her until her death. Novak once commented, "I believe I was put on this Earth to take care of Mae West."

West would sometimes refer to herself in the third person and speak of "Mae West" as the entertainment character she had created.

West was a Presbyterian.

Death

West family crypt at Cypress Hills Cemetery, with Mae at top

In August 1980, West tripped while getting out of bed. After the fall, she was unable to speak and was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, where tests revealed that she had suffered a stroke. She died three months later on November 22 at the age of 87.

A private service was held three days later at the church in Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Her friend, Bishop Andre Penachio, officiated at the entombment in the family mausoleum at Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn, which had been purchased in 1930 when her mother died. Her father and brother had also been entombed there, and her younger sister Beverly was laid to rest in the last of the five crypts less than 18 months later.

In popular culture

• In the 1935 Laurel and Hardy film Bonnie Scotland, in response to the character Mrs. Burns saying to Mr. Miggs, "The next time you drop down to Glasgow, you must come up and see me some time," Stan comments, "It's Mae West."
• In the 1937 film Stand-In, the stage mother (Anne O'Neal) who has her young daughter (Marianne Edwards) auditioning for Dodd (Leslie Howard) tells her, "Now, do the Mae West number."
• During World War II, Allied aircrews called their yellow inflatable, vest-like personal flotation devices "Mae Wests", partly from rhyming slang for "breasts" and partly because of the resemblance to her torso. A "Mae West" is also a type of round parachute malfunction that contorts the shape of the canopy into the appearance of a large brassiere.
• West is referenced in songs, including the title number of Cole Porter's Broadway musical Anything Goes and in "You're the Top".
• Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí created works inspired by West, including Face of Mae West Which May Be Used as an Apartment and the Mae West Lips Sofa, completed in 1938 for Edward James.
• Several of West's comedy lines are used in the parody musical Wild Side Story (1973–2004).
• In 1982, actress Ann Jillian portrayed West in the television biopic Mae West.
• In 2000, Dirty Blonde, written by Claudia Shear, opened on Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theater.
• MAE-West ("Metropolitan Area Exchange, West") was a major Internet exchange point in the United States, with a corresponding MAE-East on the East Coast.
• In 2016, West was portrayed by drag performer Alaska on season 2 of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.
• In 2017, West was the subject of an episode of the TV series Over My Dead Body on Amazon Prime.
• West was the subject of the 2020 PBS documentary Mae West: Dirty Blonde, part of the American Masters series and produced by Bette Midler.
• The Canadian dessert cake May West (formerly spelled "Mae West") was named in her honor. It remains popular in Quebec and parts of Ontario.
• A 52-meter-high (171 ft) sculpture in Munich, completed in 2011, is titled Mae West.

Broadway stage

Broadway stage

Date	Production	Role	Notes	Ref.
September 22, 1911 – September 30, 1911	A La Broadway	Maggie O'Hara
November 20, 1911 – February 24, 1912	Vera Violetta		West left the show during previews.
April 11, 1912 – September 7, 1912	A Winsome Widow	Le Petite Daffy	West left show after opening night.
October 4, 1918 – June 1919	Sometime	Mayme Dean
August 17, 1921 – September 10, 1921	The Mimic World of 1921
April 26, 1926 – March 1927	Sex	Margie LaMont	Written by Jane Mast (West), West was jailed for 8 days because of the play's content.
January 1927	The Drag		Closed during out-of-town tryouts (Bridgeport, Connecticut) credited only as writer
November 1927	The Wicked Age	Evelyn ("Babe") Carson
April 9, 1928 – September 1928	Diamond Lil	Diamond Lil
October 1, 1928 – October 2, 1928	The Pleasure Man		Credited only as writer
September 14, 1931 – November 1931	The Constant Sinner	Babe Gordon
August 2, 1944 – January 13, 1945	Catherine Was Great	Catherine II
1945–46	Come on Up		Tour
September 1947 – May 1948	Diamond Lil	Diamond Lil	(Revival) United Kingdom
February 5, 1949 – February 26, 1949	Diamond Lil	Diamond Lil	(Second revival) until West broke her ankle on the latter date The play resumed as a "return engagement".
September 7, 1949 – January 21, 1950	Diamond Lil	Diamond Lil	(Second revival) as "return engagement"
September 14, 1951 – November 10, 1951	Diamond Lil	Diamond Lil	(Third Revival)
July 7, 1961 – closing date unknown	Sextette		Edgewater Beach Playhouse

Other plays as writer

Year	Title	Notes	Ref.
1921	The Ruby Ring	Vaudeville playlet
1922	The Hussy	Unproduced
1930	Frisco Kate	Unproduced, later produced as the 1936 film Klondike Annie
1933	Loose Women	Performed in 1935 under title Ladies By Request
1936	Clean Beds	Sold treatment to George S. George, who produced an unsuccessful Broadway play of West's treatment

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Writer(s)	Co-stars	Director	Studio
1932	Night After Night	Maudie Triplett	Story: Louis Bromfield Screenplay: Vincent Lawrence Continuity: Kathryn Scola Additional dialogue (uncredited): Mae West	George Raft Constance Cummings Wynne Gibson	Archie Mayo	Paramount Pictures
1933	She Done Him Wrong	Lady Lou	Screenplay: Harvey F. Thew and John Bright Based on the play Diamond Lil by Mae West	Cary Grant Owen Moore Gilbert Roland	Lowell Sherman
	I'm No Angel	Tira	Story, Screenplay and All Dialogue: Mae West Suggestions: Lowell Brentano Continuity: Harlan Thompson	Cary Grant Gregory Ratoff Edward Arnold	Wesley Ruggles
1934	Belle of the Nineties	Ruby Carter	Mae West	Roger Pryor Johnny Mack Brown Katherine DeMille	Leo McCarey
1935	Goin' to Town	Cleo Borden	Screenplay: Mae West Story: Marion Morgan and George B. Dowell	Paul Cavanagh Gilbert Emery Marjorie Gateson	Alexander Hall
1936	Klondike Annie	The Frisco Doll Rose Carlton Sister Annie Alden	Screenplay: Mae West Story: Marion Morgan and George B. Dowell And material suggested by Frank Mitchell Dazey	Victor McLaglen Phillip Reed Helen Jerome Eddy	Raoul Walsh
	Go West, Young Man	Mavis Arden	Screenplay: Mae West Based on the play Personal Appearance by Lawrence Riley	Warren William Randolph Scott Alice Brady	Henry Hathaway
1937	Every Day's a Holiday	Peaches O'Day	Mae West	Edmund Lowe Charles Butterworth Charles Winninger	A. Edward Sutherland
1940	My Little Chickadee	Flower Belle Lee	Mae West and W. C. Fields	W. C. Fields Joseph Calleia Dick Foran	Edward F. Cline	Universal Pictures
1943	The Heat's On	Fay Lawrence	Fitzroy Davis & George S. George and Fred Schiller	Victor Moore William Gaxton Lester Allen	Gregory Ratoff	Columbia Pictures
1970	Myra Breckinridge	Leticia Van Allen	Screenplay: Michael Sarne and David Giler Based on the novel by Gore Vidal	Raquel Welch John Huston Farrah Fawcett	Michael Sarne	20th Century Fox
1978	Sextette	Marlo Manners Lady Barrington	Screenplay: Herbert Baker Based on the play by Mae West	Timothy Dalton Dom DeLuise Tony Curtis	Ken Hughes	Crown International Pictures

Discography

Albums:

• 1956: The Fabulous Mae West; Decca D/DL-79016 (several reissues up to 2006)
• 1960: W.C. Fields His Only Recording Plus 8 Songs by Mae West; Proscenium PR 22
• 1966: Way Out West; Tower T/ST-5028
• 1966: Wild Christmas; Dragonet LPDG-48
• 1970: The Original Voice Tracks from Her Greatest Movies; Decca D/DL-791/76
• 1970: Mae West & W.C. Fields Side by Side; Harmony HS 11374/HS 11405
• 1972: Great Balls of Fire; MGM SE 4869
• 1974: Original Radio Broadcasts; Mark 56 Records 643
• 1987/1995: Sixteen Sultry Songs Sung by Mae West Queen of Sex; Rosetta RR 1315
• 1996: I'm No Angel; Jasmine CD 04980 102
• 2006: The Fabulous: Rev-Ola CR Rev 181

At least 21 singles (78 rpm and 45 rpm) were released from 1933 to 1973.

Written works

• West, Mae (1930). Babe Gordon. The Macaulay Company. (the novel on which The Constant Sinner was based)
• West, Mae (1932). Diamond Lil Man. Caxton House. (novelization of play)
• West, Mae; Weintraub, Joseph (1967). The Wit and Wisdom of Mae West. G.P. Putnam. ISBN 978-0-399-50549-2.
• West, Mae (1970) [1959]. Goodness Had Nothing to Do with It. Prentice-Hall. ISBN 978-1-86049-034-7.
• West, Mae (1975a). Mae West on Sex, Health and ESP. W.H. Allen. ISBN 978-0-491-01613-1.
• West, Mae (1975b). Pleasure Man. Dell Pub. Co. ISBN 978-0-440-07074-0.
• West, Mae (1997). Schlissel, Lillian (ed.). Three Plays by Mae West: Sex, The Drag, Pleasure Man. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-90933-4.
• West, Mae (2023). Tutak, Romain (ed.). Mae West – The First Plays: Ruby Ring, The Hussy, The Wicked Age, Frisco Kate. ISBN 979-8856398860.

See also

• Biography portal

References

Citations

Works cited

• Cullen, Frank; Hackman, Florence; McNeilly, Donald (2007). Vaudeville, Old & New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-93853-2.
• Curry, Ramona (1996). Too Much of a Good Thing: Mae West as Cultural Icon. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-0-8166-2791-2.
• Eells, George; Musgrove, Stanley (1982). Mae West: A Biography. Morrow. ISBN 978-0-688-00816-1.
• Hamilton, Marybeth (1997). When I'm Bad, I'm Better: Mae West, Sex, and American Entertainment. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-21094-3.
• Hilmes, Michele; Loviglio, Jason (2002). Radio Reader: Essays in the Cultural History of Radio. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-92821-2.
• Kashner, Sam; MacNair, Jennifer (2003). The Bad & the Beautiful: Hollywood in the Fifties. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-32436-5.
• Leider, Emily Wortis (2000). Becoming Mae West. Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-80951-4.
• Leonard, Maurice (1991). Mae West: Empress of Sex. Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-215197-9.
• Louvish, Simon (2006). Mae West: It Ain't No Sin. London: Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-571-21948-3.
• Robertson, Pamela (1996). Guilty Pleasures: Feminist Camp from Mae West to Madonna. I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1-86064-088-9.
• Watts, Jill (2003). Mae West: An Icon in Black and White. Oxford University Press US. ISBN 978-0-19-516112-0.
• Winslow, Thyra Samter (November 2, 1928). "Mae West, the Queen of New York". The New Yorker.
• Yeatts, Tabatha (2000). The Legendary Mae West. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-0-9679158-1-4.

External links

• Mae West at IMDb
• Mae West at the TCM Movie Database
• Mae West at the Internet Broadway Database
• Mae West at Playbill Vault
• Mae West, on Goodreads
• Mae West discography at Discogs
• Mae West, on MusicBrainz
• Mae West, on TV.com (archived 1 January 2012)
• Mae West, on Rotten Tomatoes