Mae West was an American actress, playwright and burlesque artist.
Biography[]
Born Mary West in Kings County, New York, she initially appeared in amateur productions from the age of five and later became a vaudeville performer. Later she became a playwright, notably writing the 1926 play Sex, which caused her and several cast members to be arrested for indency, and later Diamond Lil, which brought her to Hollywood, making her debut in 1932's Night After Night.
West became famous in Hollywood for her sultry, liberated roles ridden with double entendres, which caused numerous problems with the censorship boards. She gained major critical success with her appearance in My Little Chickadee, but soon moved on to performing an act on stage when censorship damaged her film career. In later years she became labelled a film legend and returned to films, ending with Sextette in 1978.
West passed away in 1980.
Singing[]
West made her stage musical debut in A la Broadway, following which she appeared in a number of revues. Later she made her first onscreen singing appearance in She Done Him Wrong, from here on making a number of screen singing appearances (often whilst playing nightclub singers or performers in the films), including I'm No Angel, Goin' to Town and My Little Chickadee.
West continued to sing even in her later years, notably in Myra Breckinridge, as well as her final film, Sextette. She was also a prolific recording artist, frequently playing up her seductive image in such albums as The Fabulous Mae West, Way Out West and the seasonal Wild Christmas.
Film[]
She Done Him Wrong (1933)[]
- I Wonder Where My Easy Rider's Gone (solo)
- A Guy What Takes His Time (solo)
- Frankie and Johnny (solo)
I'm No Angel (1933)[]
- They Call Me Sister Honky-Tonk (solo)
- That Dallas Man (solo)
- I Found a New Way to Go to Town (solo)
- I Want You, I Need You (solo)
- I'm No Angel (solo)
Belle of the Nineties (1934)[]
- Memphis Blues (solo)
- My Old Flame (solo)
- Troubled Waters (solo)
- When a St. Louis Woman Goes Down to New Orleans (solo)
Goin' to Town (1935)[]
- He's a Bad Man (solo)
- Now I'm a Lady (solo)
- Mon Couer S'Ouevre a Ta Voix (duet)
- Love is Love (solo)
Klondike Annie (1936)[]
- My Medicine Man (solo)
- Cheer Up, Little Sister (solo)
- It's Better to Give Than to Receive (solo)
- I'm an Occidental Woman in an Oriental Mood for Love (solo)
- Mister Deep Blue Sea (solo)
- Little Bar Butterfly (solo)
Go West, Young Man (1936)[]
- On a Typical Tropical Night (solo)
- As I Was Saying to the Moon (solo)
Every Day's a Holiday (1937)[]
- Jubilee (solo)
- Fifi (solo)
- Little Butterfly (solo)
- Every Day's a Holiday (solo)
- Along the Broadway Trail (solo)
My Little Chickadee (1940)[]
- Willie of the Valley (solo)
The Heat's On (1943)[]
- I'm Just a Stranger in Town (solo)
- Hello, Mi Amigo (contains solo lines)
Myra Breckinridge (1970)[]
- Hard to Handle (solo)
- You Gotta Taste All the Fruit (solo)
Sextette (1978)[]
- Love Will Keep Us Together (duet)
- After You've Gone (solo)
- Happy Birthday, Twenty-One (solo)
Stage[]
A la Broadway (1911)(originated the role)[]
Sometime (1918)(originated the role)[]
- What Do You Have to Do? (solo)
- Any Kind of Man (solo)
The Mimic World (1921)[]
Albums[]
Album of Mae West Songs (1950)[]
- Come Up And See Me Sometime (solo)
- That's All Brother, That's All (solo)
- My Man Friday (solo)
- Frankie And Johnnie (solo)
- Imaginary Love (solo)
- Page 54 (solo)
The Fabulous Mae West (1956)[]
- Love Is The Greatest Thing (solo)
- I'm In The Mood For Love (solo)
- Pecado (Sin)(solo)
- My Daddy Rocks Me (With One Steady Roll)(solo)
- All Of Me (solo)
- They Call Me Sister Honky Tonk (solo)
- I Want You - I Need You (solo)
- Havana For A Night (Vereda Tropical)(solo)
- A Guy What Takes His Time (solo)
- If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight)(solo)
- Criswell Predicts (solo)
Way Out West (1966)[]
- Treat Him Right (solo)
- When A Man Loves A Woman (solo)
- You Turn Me On (solo)
- Shakin' All Over (solo)
- If You Gotta Go (solo)
- Lover, Please Don't Fight (solo)
- Day Tripper (solo)
- Nervous (solo)
- Twist And Shout (solo)
- Boom Boom (solo)
- Mae Day (solo)
Wild Christmas (1966)[]
- Merry Christmas Baby (solo)
- Santa Baby (solo)
- Santa Come Up To See Me (solo)
- Put The Loot In The Boot Santa (solo)
- Santa Claus Is Back In Town (solo)
- My New Year's Resolutions (solo)
- Santa Bring My Baby Back To Me (solo)
- With Love From Me To You (solo)
Great Balls of Fire (1973)[]
- Great Balls Of Fire (solo)
- Men (solo)
- The Naked Ape (solo)
- The Grizzly Bear (solo)
- Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On (solo)
- Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen (solo)
- After The Lights Go Down Low (solo)
- Light My Fire (solo)
- How Miss West Won World Peace (solo)
- Rock Around The Clock (solo)
Gallery[]
