Synopsis
Mae West, wise-cracking vaudeville performer, was one of the most controversial figures of her era. Rarely, however, do people think of Mae West as a writer. In Three Plays By Mae West, Lillian Schlissel brings this underexplored part of West's career to the fore by offering for the first time in book form, three of the plays West wrote in the 1920s--Sex (1926), The Drag (1927) and Pleasure Man (1928). With an insightful introduction by Schlissel, this book offers a unique look into to the life and early career of this legendary stage and screen actress.
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About the Author
Lillian Schlissel is Director of the American Studies Program, Brooklyn College.
Reviews
How many movie buffs know that Mae West was as much a writer as she was a performer--and that she was a soulful woman of originality, courage, and integrity, boldly going against the moral grain of her times by portraying independent, sexually confident women and presenting homosexuals as people worthy of respect? This volume gives a glimpse of the real Mae West by publishing her three radical, melodramatic, but quite hilarious plays for the first time. They were staged between 1926 and 1928, but each production was closed down, leading to West's arrest and several high-profile court appearances, during which she fought obscenity charges with pride and conviction. It is easy to see why these startling plays outraged the authorities but delighted audiences. West uses the peppery argot of her native ground, the streets of Brooklyn and New York, to great effect, while tackling truly hard-hitting themes. In "Sex" a whore falls in love and goes straight; "The Drag" depicts a love triangle involving a homosexual, his naive and miserable heterosexual wife, and a man they both find attractive; and "The Pleasure Man" explores the dire implications of outrageous promiscuity. It's true that West was no angel: she was an artist and a woman of conviction and honor. Donna Seaman
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Three Plays by Mae West
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Three Plays by Mae West: Sex, The Drag, and Pleasure Man
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Three Plays by Mae West: Sex, The Drag, and Pleasure Man
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Three Plays by Mae West: Sex, The Drag and Pleasure Man
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Condition: New. Rarely, however, do people think of Mae West as a writer even though she wrote eight scripts for the stage and her own dialogue for many of her films. This text comprises three of those plays. Editor(s): Schlissel, Lillian. Num Pages: 252 pages, illustrations. BIC Classification: DD. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 229 x 152 x 20. Weight in Grams: 952. . 1997. 1st Edition. hardcover. . . . . Seller Inventory # V9780415909327
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Gebunden. Condition: New. Dieser Artikel ist ein Print on Demand Artikel und wird nach Ihrer Bestellung fuer Sie gedruckt. Lillian Schlissel is Director of the American Studies Program, Brooklyn College.Mae West, wise-cracking vaudeville performer, was one of the most controversial figures of her era. Rarely, however, do people think of Mae We. Seller Inventory # 594676050
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Three Plays by Mae West: Sex, the Drag, the Pleasure Man
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Three Plays by Mae West | Sex, The Drag and Pleasure Man
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Buch. Condition: Neu. Three Plays by Mae West | Sex, The Drag and Pleasure Man | Lillian Schlissel | Buch | Einband - fest (Hardcover) | Englisch | 1997 | Routledge | EAN 9780415909327 | Verantwortliche Person für die EU: Libri GmbH, Europaallee 1, 36244 Bad Hersfeld, gpsr[at]libri[dot]de | Anbieter: preigu Print on Demand. Seller Inventory # 128580808
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