She Always Knew How: Mae West, A Personal Biography - Hardcover

Chandler, Charlotte

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1416579095 ISBN 13: 9781416579090

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2009

Synopsis

Biographer Charlotte Chandler draws on a series of interviews she conducted with the star just months before her death in 1980, as well as interviews with people who worked or lived with her. Actress, playwright, screenwriter, and iconic sex symbol Mae West created a scandal--and a sensation--on Broadway with her play Sex in 1926. Sentenced to ten days in prison for obscenity, she went in a convict and emerged a star. Her next play, Diamond Lil, was a smash, and she would play variations on Diamond Lil for virtually her entire career. In 1930s Hollywood she saved Paramount Studios from bankruptcy. Her screenplays included some notorious one-liners that have become part of Hollywood lore, but behind the clever quips was Mae's deep desire to see women treated equally with men. She fought the double standard of the time that permitted men things that women would be ruined for doing.--From publisher description.

About this title

About the Author

Charlotte Chandler is the author of several biographies of actors and directors, including Groucho Marx, Federico Fellini, Billy Wilder, Alfred Hitchcock, Bette Davis, Ingrid Bergman, Joan Crawford, and Mae West, all of whom she interviewed extensively. She is a member of the board of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and lives in New York City.

Reviews

Chandler (Not the Girl Next Door: Joan Crawford) draws on her interviews with the 86-year-old Mae West, known for her "risqué brand of humor," in this chatty memoir. West carefully constructed and guarded the image of her personality as a woman who enjoyed sex at a time when "skirts had to cover ankles." She contended she was "never vulgar. The word for me was suggestive." West (1893–1980) craved the spotlight from a young age and had been a success in vaudeville, where she began to write her own material. Her screen legend perfected her sexually playful alter ego in such films as She Done Him Wrong, which contained her most quoted line: "Come up and see me sometime." Chandler also includes West's first-person account of her 10 days in jail, when she was found guilty of producing an immoral Broadway show, her first full-length play, Sex. West remained a box-office draw into her 70s, appearing in the 1970 film Myra Breckinridge. Whether discussing her love life or advising on playwriting or beauty tips, Mae West was always entertaining. Photos. (Feb.)
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Chandler’s biographies of film notables include leading ladies Ingrid Bergman, Joan Crawford, and Bette Davis, and she continues with star/diva/legend Mae West, whose candid statements provide a solidly three-dimensional look at an iconic actress. More than a movie star, witty writer, comedienne, and astute businesswoman, West changed public consciousness with humor: What I’m proudest of is that I offered entertainment, not a message. But there was a message, too, only it was subliminal, hidden behind the wisecrack. Women told me that I inspired them to stand up and walk on their own two feet. At 86, West was reluctant to give interviews, but could not refuse longtime friend and favorite director George Cukor, who arranged the meeting. The result is conversation laced with revelation from the woman who’d been performing since her star-struck debut at Brooklyn’s Royal Theatre amateur show, when the clothes-conscious little girl stamped her foot, demanded her spotlight, and won first prize: $10 and a gold medal. The story of Diamond Lil should see demand from film buffs and mainstream fans alike. --Whitney Scott

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1416579095
• ISBN 13: 9781416579090
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336