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What race is Mae West?
Mae West was black. As West’s larger-than-life unfolds, a forlornly familiar trajectory from stage to screen to temperamental diva to sad decline, the word ‘signifying’ appears almost as often as ’empowerment’ and ‘patriarchy’.
Who was Mae West lover?
Paul Novak
Paul Novak, Mae West’s companion of 26 years and the acknowledged love of her life, died Wednesday morning at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, where he was undergoing treatment for advanced prostate cancer. He was 76.
Why is Mae West iconic?
Shock and scandal had made Mae West famous. When she swaggered out of the workhouse, she had the spotlight she had craved since childhood. A year later she starred in another play she wrote as a vehicle for herself—Diamond Lil. West continued to shock the prudes.
Who got Mae West’s money?
A devoted companion Krauser once said, “I believe I was put on this earth to take care of Mae West.” The couple remained together until she died at age 87 in 1980. West bequeathed her jewelry to Charles Krauser who never sold it for the money. Clearly, he held on to it as a memory of his true love.
What was Mae West real name?
Mary Jane West
Mae West/Full name
August 17, 1893: Mary Jane West is born to John Patrick and Mathilda West on Bushwick Avenue in Brooklyn, NY.
Was Mae West a loose woman?
Despite her “loose” professional image, West did not drink or smoke, and made her home in the same modest Los Angeles apartment for half a century. West began to decline in her later years, and was rumored to have slept in makeup in case she had to leave her home in an emergency.
What was Mae West secret?
The famous West kept her age a closely guarded secret. If she had been married in Milwaukee, it would have made her almost 42 years old – another charge that West denied. “I was just a school girl in 1911,” she insisted.
Did Mae West ever marry?
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 marriage certificate in 1935 and alerted the press.
Who did Mae West marry?
Frank Szatkusm. 1911–1943
Mae West/Spouse
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 marriage certificate in 1935 and alerted the press.
What did Mae West do in New York?
Mae West started in Vaudeville and on the stage in New York, and later moved to Hollywood to star in films known for their blunt sexuality and steamy settings. Who Was Mae West?
When did Mae West get out of jail?
West later starred in her own plays, which she wrote under the pseudonym Jane Mast. In 1927, Sex landed her 10 days in jail and a $500 fine for obscenity. She got off two days early for good behavior. 3. Paramount Pictures offered West a motion picture contact in 1932.
How many movies did Mae West star in?
Mae West wasn’t just reading lines. She wrote nine of the 13 films in which she starred. It all started when she re-wrote her first role in Night After Night and stole the show. West once described herself as “the lady who works at Paramount all day… and Fox all night.”
How old was Mae West when she started dancing?
Mae West’s first performance was at a church social when she was five years old. By 14, she was a vaudeville stage actress known as Baby Mae. Her early roles involved cross-dressing and blackface. She was “discovered” at 18 and cast in bigger shows. Her big break was dancing the Shimmy in the revue Sometime.