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.

Mae West: Lesbian Influence

MAE WEST, best known for her friendships with homosexuals and drag queens, also had gay women in her circle.
• • New Jersey native Marion Morgan [born on 4 January 1881] — — in the spotlight as a young dancer and then as a 34-year-old choreographer — — relocated to the West Coast. In 1930, she moved into the Hollywood Hills house owned by her lover, film director Dorothy Arzner. They lived openly together for over 40 years until Marion's death in 1971.
• • Morphing into a screenwriter, the very versatile and attractive Marion Morgan worked on the script for "Goin' to Town" [1935] and "Klondike Annie" [1936].
• • This career move was quite a change. Audiences and critics had known her because of the Marion Morgan Dancers, formed in 1915, which was originally comprised of six young women who had studied with Marion Morgan in California. The troupe specialized in ballets adapted from classical legends, such as 'Helen of Troy,' and usually danced in togas and bare feet.
• • In this photo, Arnold Genthe captures Marion Morgan as she glides across the stage, wearing a flowing costume and carrying a drum head.
• • Marion Morgan lived to be 90 years old. She died in the month of November — — on 10 November 1971 — — in Los Angeles, California.
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Source:http://courtingmaewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Courting Mae West
Mae West
• • Photo: Mae West • • screenwriter Marion Morgan • •
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Her 115th Birthday

Go WEST, young men has been their clarion call for sixteen years now. In Los Angeles, California a group of Mae West celebrants are among the faithful who congregate, annually, on August 17th to remember her unique presence.
• • Usually the festivities are organized by Hollywood resident Ramfis Diaz — — a 40-ish musician adorned by impressive, a-Mae-zing tattoos inspired by the Brooklyn bombshell herself. A lifelong hoarder of Mae West memorabilia, Mr. Diaz has his walls peppered with spicy images of the movie queen at her most liquorous, frisky, and engaging.
• • The merrymakers — — usually 40 to 50 guests — — track back to the "come up and see me sometime" gal via various connections.
• • Los Angeles Times reporter Kevin Thomas, a close comrade of the late icon, always attends along with Chris Basinger (a good buddy of Mae's during the 1970s, who worked at the Ravenswood and lived across the street from her), and Damon Devine, a Mae-West-iana collector since age 11 and, like Mae, born under the zodiac sign of Leo.
• • According to the divine Mr. Devine, "The rest of the revellers are mostly there out of curiosity, or attracted by the food, cake, and booze. Also a red-headed nudist seems to show up each year!"
• • A toast to Mae West [1893—1980] — — and the a-Mae-zing memories she stage-managed for each of her fans.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • On Sunday afternoon 17 August 2008, during the "Mae West's Walk on the Wild Side" walking tour, Mae-mavens and walk-abouts will visit several locations in Greenwich Village linked to the stage career of the Empress of Sex. Music associated with Mae will be sung live.
• • Walking Tour: "Mae West's Walk on the Wild Side"
• • When: 1:00 PM on Sunday — — 17 August 2008 — — rain or shine
• • Meet: Village Restaurant, 62 West Ninth Street, New York, NY 10011
• • Price: $20
• • Subway: E or F [IND] train to West Fourth Street; PATH to 9th Street station
• • Attire: why not wear a Mae West-inspired hat?
• • Info: Seesaw864@juno.com
• • This event — — which is part of the Annual Mae West Birthday Gala — — is open to the public.
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Source:http://courtingmaewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Courting Mae West
Mae West
• • Photo: Mae West • • August 17th invitation courtesy of Ramfis Diaz and Damon Devine • •
NYC
Mae West.