I recently lucked into a vintage Mae West scrapbook and I've spent hours pouring over the pictures examining the elaborate hair, makeup and fabulous gowns. The book was made by a really big fan back in the 30's. It's pieced together from clippings from fan magazines collected during the early part of Mae's movie career.
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| According to actor Tony Curtis, Mae's famous walk was due to special 6 inch platforms that were attached to her shoes to give her extra height and stage presence. |
Mae West was a fascinating woman and far ahead of her time. To me she epitomizes the glamour of 1930s Hollywood but is now known mostly for her witty quotes and sexual innuendos. She worked in vaudveille theatre from the time she was 5 years old as a dancer, singer, actress and comedienne. She wrote her own plays which were notorious for their racy dialogue; her 1926 play "Sex" actually landed her in jail on obscenity charges. A couple of years later she was a Broadway star in her own play " Diamond Lil".
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| Weird beauty ritual: Mae had a daily enema every morning to keep her skin like silk and left her "smelling sweet at both ends". |
She didn't start her movie career until 1932 at the age of 38 when she got a small part in "Night after Night" which stared George Raft. He career really took off when her second film, which she wrote, "She Done Him Wrong" was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. She continued to work until Her last film "Sextette" in 1978).
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| Mae West & Cary Grant |
Mae died of multiple strokes in 1980.
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| An amazing gown from "I'm no Angel" |
This is just a small sample of the pages in this one of a kind book. It is now up for sale here:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/116763843 .
