HMR Project: History of Music & Modern Recording

Mae West

Born in Brooklyn on 17 August 1893, actress, Mae West, is another bridge figure from early to modern popular music, beginning with censorship in the thirties concerning public sexuality. She began her career at age fourteen doing vaudeville, a style of variety show popular for about forty years consisting of a sequence of largely unrelated acts. Mae's work in theatre would help hasten the disappearance of vaudeville. Her work in early film help to seal its extinction as the movie palace became even more the place to go with the introduction of sound. By the time Paramount was ordered to sell its monopoly of theaters in 1948 television was already on its way toward keeping people at home.

West's first Broadway performance was in 1911 at age eighteen ('A La Broadway'). She early got into trouble with the law when she was charged with corrupting the morals of youth upon the 1926-27 staging of her first play, 'Sex', which she wrote, produced and directed. The play ran through 375 performances on Broadway before New York City police shut it down. West was sentenced to ten days in the workhouse on Roosevelt Island and fined $500. That was no small sum in those days, which West turned into an investment in notoriety, attracting the attention of Paramount Pictures. Her film debut, 'Night After Night', released in 1932. She starred in the release of 'She Done Him Wrong' in 1933, that based on her play, 'Diamond Lil'. She both helped write and starred in 'I'm No Angel' in 1933.

Excerpt from 'Night After Night' Mae West

Mae West's first film released 14 Oct 1932

Directed by Archie Mayo Screenplay by Vincent Lawrence

IMDb Wikipedia

'A Guy What Takes His Time' Mae West Recording

Matrix B 13.037 Brunswick 6495 1933

From the film 'She Done Him Wrong'' Released 27 Jan 1933

Directed by Archie Mayo

Written by Harvey F. Thew and John Bright after West's 'Diamond Lil'

Composition: Ralph Rainger

IMDb Wikipedia

'They Call Me Sister Honky Tonk' Mae West Recording

Matrix LA.61 Brunswick 6766 1933

From the film 'I'm No Angel' released 6 Oct 1933

Directed by Wesley Ruggles

Written by Mae West and Lowell Brentano

Composition: Harvey Brooks / Ben Ellison

IMDb Wikipedia

'I'm No Angel' Mae West Film

Matrix LA33-A Brunswick 9529 1933

From the film 'I'm No Angel' released 6 Oct 1933

Directed by Wesley Ruggles

Written by Mae West and Lowell Brentano

Composition: Harvey Brooks / Ben Ellison

IMDb Wikipedia

'My Old Flame' Mae West backed by the Duke Ellington Orchestra Recording

23 April 1934 Matrix PBS-79181 Biltmore 1014 / Cosmopolitan 7501

Composition: Arthur Johnston / Sam Coslow

Theatre and film were largely self-policed until 1934 when Hollywood became subject to the Hays Production Code, the release of motion pictures requiring approval from the PCA (Production Code Administration). Free speech was subject to the Code until that was declared unconstitutional in 1952. In the meantime, with sexuality finding expression in rebuttal to official moral authority, it seemed appropriate that her next film be censored from the start, the title of 'It Ain't No Sin' changed to 'Belle of the Nineties' in 1934.

Trailer to 'Belle of the Nineties' Mae West Film

Released 21 Sep 1934

Directed by Leo McCarey

Written by Mae West and Jack Wagner

IMDb Wikipedia

Though 'Goin' to Town' in 1935 drew no fire, later films were not so polite and saw some censorship: 'Klondike Annie' (1936), 'My Little Chickadee' (1940) and 'The Heat's On' (1943). The last would be West's last film for another 27 years. In 1937 she managed to get banned from NBC radio for what the FCC considered "vulgar and indecent" speech [Murray]. She wouldn't be heard on radio again until the early fifties. In the meantime she worked in theatre in New York City. In 1966 Mae issued her rock album titled 'Way Out West'. In 1970 she played the role of Leticia Van Allen in the film, 'Myra Breckenridge', that from the book by Gore Vidal concerning a transsexual which part was played by Raquell Welch. In 1972 May issued another rock LP, 'Great Balls of Fire'. She appeared in her last film, 'Sextette', in 1978, that based on her play of the same title.