Mae West: Inviting

MAE WEST was born in the Bushwick area (of Kings County) on Thursday, 17 August 1893. Many folks come from near and far to commemorate the Brooklyn bombshell in her hometown this month. The public is invited to 155 Mulberry Street, NYC on Thursday, 16 August 2012.

• • "Meet Mae West's Secret Italian Husband" • •

• • When they met in August 1913, the 26-year-old was a vaudeville headliner, an accordionist and a composer who recorded for the Columbia label, a star who earned $600 a week.  Mae was a hopeful 19-year-old, a singing comedienne, who opened for larger acts.  They fell in love, married, and developed a vaudeville routine together. 

• • On Thursday evening, 16 August 2012 you will learn the untold story of Guido Deiro, born in Italy's Piedmont region (Salto Canavese), and Mae West, born in Brooklyn, NY, who became his second wife and, eventually, a star on Broadway and in Hollywood motion pictures.  Come and hear the music Guido Deiro composed for the Broadway show "Kismet" and some of the other pieces that delighted Mae and his audience.  Come watch clips of Guido Deiro performing in 1928 on the piano-accordion.

• • The speaker on August 16th is LindaAnn Loschiavo, a dramatist, journalist, and long-time columnist for L'IDEA Magazine.  LindaAnn Loschiavo's stage play "Courting Mae West" was recently seen in Melbourne, Australia in January 2012.  Her writing appears in "Anti-Italianism: Essays on a Prejudice" (NY: Macmillan, 2011), in her column for L'IDEA Magazine, and elsewhere.  Her new book "Flirting with the Fire Gods: Writing with an Italian Accent" will be out soon. 

• • This musical event concludes with an exciting raffle, Italian wine, and light refreshments to celebrate the birthday of Mae West (17 August 1893). 

• • • • WHEN: 6:30 pm on Thursday, 16 August 2012

• • • • WHERE: Italian American Museum: 155 Mulberry Street (at Grand St.), New York, NY 10013

• • • • Suggested donation of $10 per person helps support the museum

• • • • Phone number for publication: (212) 965-9000

• • • • Subway: B or D to Grand Street station; N, Q, J, Z to Canal Street station

• • Long Lasting Love Fest in L.A. • •

• • Musician Ramfis Diaz [1963 — 2011], who held the first Mae West Birthday Tribute back in 1984, as a small scale spaghetti supper, continued this festive tradition until 17 August 2010.

• • R. Mark Desjardins wrote:  Throughout her long life,  Mae West sought out the company of  fun, unique and interesting  individuals.  Her Los Angeles apartment lair at the Ravenswood, suite 611, was often  the gathering place of her entourage.  She  firmly believed in the magic of the number 8. 

• • R. Mark Desjardins continued: A lifelong Mae West fan, Ramfis Diaz lived in suite 701 at the Gramercy Towers.  August 17th, the date of Mae West's birthday, was an event Ramfis felt was worthy of commemorating.   

• • R. Mark Desjardins explained: At these fabled annual events, guests mingled in his apartment, a virtual shrine to Mae, and alternated between the visual delights provided there, up the stairway leading to the rooftop where tables laden with food, beverages of all kinds and live entertainment beckoned.  In the background, stately palm trees swayed, as if in beat to the music.  The iconic Hollywood sign in the distance added just the right surreal touch. 

• • Written by: R. Mark Desjardins of Vancouver, B.C. Canada

• • Brooklyn Tribute to Mae on September 29th • •

• • The West Cafe will host an artistic Mae West-themed event on September 29th.

• • Owner Esther Bell (currently on vacation) will provide details shortly. Meanwhile, save the date.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

• • The legal battles fought by Mae West and Jim Timony are dramatized in the play "Courting Mae West: Sex, Censorship, and Secrets," set during the Prohibition Era. Watch a scene on YouTube.
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Source:http://courtingmaewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Courting Mae West
Mae West
• • Photo: Mae West • • 1913 • •
NYC
Mae West.