MAE-West

Mae West (August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American actress, playwright, and sex symbol.

Motion Pictures

In 1932, she was offered a motion picture contract by Paramount. She signed and went to Hollywood to appear in Night After Night starring George Raft. Upon her arrival, she moved into an apartment in the Ravenswood at 570 North Rossmore Avenue, not far from the studio on Melrose Avenue. She maintained a residence there for the rest of her life.

Related Topics:
1932 - Motion picture - Contract - Paramount - Hollywood - George Raft - Studio

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At first, she did not like her small role in Night After Night, but was appeased when she was allowed to rewrite her lines. In her first scene, a hat check girl exclaimed, "Goodness, what lovely diamonds." West became an instant sensation when she replied, "Goodness had nothing to do with it, dearie."

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She brought Diamond Lil, now Lady Lou, to the screen in She Done Him Wrong (1933), personally selecting Cary Grant for the male lead, a role that made him a star. The movie was a huge success and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.

Related Topics:
She Done Him Wrong - 1933 - Cary Grant - Star - Academy Award - Best Picture

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In mid-1934, the Breen Office emerged to seriously and meticulously enforce censorship of movies and her scripts began to be heavily edited. Her answer was to increase the double entendre, saying phrases with risqué connotations that could also be taken to mean something else. West's next movie, originally entitled It Ain't No Sin, was changed to Belle Of The Nineties (1934) due to the censors objection to the former title and to several other working titles, including That St. Louis Woman, Belle of St. Louis and Belle of New Orleans. The same could be said for her following vehicle, Goin' To Town (1935), which was originally titled How Am I Doin'?

Related Topics:
1934 - Censorship - Double entendre - 1934 - 1935

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West starred in eight movies for Paramount before their association came to an end. Two years later, she starred opposite W.C. Fields in My Little Chickadee (1940) at Universal. She and Fields did not get along, to put it mildly.

Related Topics:
W.C. Fields - My Little Chickadee - 1940 - Universal

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