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1893 - Born on August 17th in Brooklyn, New York. Mae West was an American screen legend and erotic icon famous for her voluptuous figure, sexy innuendos, and irrepressible wit.
1898-1911 - She started Mae off in show business as early as age 5, according to some reports, and by age 7 Mae had won the gold medal in a talent show, with Tillie billing her as "Baby Mae". By age 12 she was appearing on the vaudeville circuit and was soon performing as the sexy "Baby Vamp". At 18 she introduced vaudeville to the "shimmy", a sexy full body undulation that she’d first observed in the blues bars of Chicago.
1926 - Her first major run in with censorship laws came when she was jailed for the play Sex, which she both wrote and starred in.
1927 - West was back in trouble again. Her new play Drag, about a homosexual party, was a big hit in New Jersey. But it was banned from Broadway and was soon bogged down in extensive legal battles.
1934 - Hollywood was being squeezed toward more exact compliance with the strict Motion Picture Production Code. Since West was not one to give in easily and she managed for a while to pull a clever bait and switch with the censors.
1978 - In the filming of Sextette, her last film, she often needed to rest during scenes. And she forgot her lines so often that it was necessary to fit her with an ear piece so she could be prompted with her lines.
1980 - Died from a stroke on November 22nd in Hollywood, California.
1898-1911 - She started Mae off in show business as early as age 5, according to some reports, and by age 7 Mae had won the gold medal in a talent show, with Tillie billing her as "Baby Mae". By age 12 she was appearing on the vaudeville circuit and was soon performing as the sexy "Baby Vamp". At 18 she introduced vaudeville to the "shimmy", a sexy full body undulation that she’d first observed in the blues bars of Chicago.
1926 - Her first major run in with censorship laws came when she was jailed for the play Sex, which she both wrote and starred in.
1927 - West was back in trouble again. Her new play Drag, about a homosexual party, was a big hit in New Jersey. But it was banned from Broadway and was soon bogged down in extensive legal battles.
1934 - Hollywood was being squeezed toward more exact compliance with the strict Motion Picture Production Code. Since West was not one to give in easily and she managed for a while to pull a clever bait and switch with the censors.
1978 - In the filming of Sextette, her last film, she often needed to rest during scenes. And she forgot her lines so often that it was necessary to fit her with an ear piece so she could be prompted with her lines.
1980 - Died from a stroke on November 22nd in Hollywood, California.
  | Page last updated: 12:02am, 28th Mar '07 |
- "She's the kind of girl who climbed the ladder of success wrong by wrong."
- "A man can be short and dumpy and getting bald but if he has fire, women will like him."
- "Curve: The loveliest distance between two points."
- "You're never too old to become younger."
- "Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before."
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Mae West: An Icon in Black and White by Jill Watts (Hardcover - Aug 23, 2001) "Why don't you come up and see me sometime?" Mae West invited and promptly captured the imagination of generations. Even today, years after her death, the actress and author is still regarded as the...  |
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Mae West: It Ain't No Sin by Simon Louvish (Hardcover - Nov 14, 2006) Sex goddess, Hollywood star, transgressive playwright, author, blues singer, and vaudeville brat---Mae West remains the twentieth century’s greatest comedienne. She made an everlasting mark in...  In stock soon. Order now to get in line. First come, first served. |
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Mae West: Empress of Sex by Maurice Leonard (Hardcover - Aug 28, 1992)  |
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Mae West by George Eells (Hardcover - Feb 28, 1982) |
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Becoming Mae West by Emily Wortis Leider (Paperback - Apr 28, 2000) She was the Madonna of her time, parlaying a modest talent into international celebrity with a carefully cultivated, outsized personality and an unerring instinct for just how outrageous to be...  Usually ships in 24 hours |
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When I'm Bad, I'm Better: Mae West, Sex, and American Entertainment by Marybeth Hamilton (Paperback - Dec 8, 1997) Mae West is one of the best-known celebrities of the 20th century; she is a cultural symbol that, 65 years after her heyday, continues to be remembered, imitated, and mocked. Yet how is it possible... Usually ships in 24 hours |
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