View source for Mae West

{{Short description|American actress (1893–1980)}}
{{About|the actress|other uses|Mae West (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Mae West
| image              = Mae West LAT.jpg
| caption            = West in 1932
| birth_name         = Mary Jane West
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1893|8|17|mf=yes}}
| birth_place        = [[Brooklyn]], [[New York (state)|New York]], U.S.<!-- NOT NYC; born pre-NYC consolidation -->
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1980|11|22|1893|8|17|mf=yes}}
| death_place        = [[Los Angeles]], California, U.S.
| resting_place      = [[Cypress Hills Cemetery]]
| occupation         = {{hlist|Actress|singer|comedian|screenwriter|playwright}}
| years_active       = 1907–1979
| spouse             = {{marriage|Frank Wallace|1911|1943|end=divorced}}
| partner            = Paul Novak (1954–1980)
| signature          = Mae West signature.svg
}}

'''Mary Jane "Mae" West''' (August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American actress, singer, comedian, screenwriter, and playwright whose career spanned more than seven decades.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mae West Biography, Plays, Movies, & Facts |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mae-West |access-date=May 1, 2021 |website=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref> Recognized as a prominent [[sex symbol]] of her time, she was known for portraying sexually confident characters and for her use of [[double entendre]]s, often delivering her lines in a distinctive [[contralto]] voice.<ref>{{cite book |last=Doherty |first=Thomas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mBAiYzRx5LQC&q=mae+west+contraltoWest&pg=PA55 |title=Hollywood's Censor: Joseph I. Breen and the Production Code Administration |publisher=Columbia University Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-231-14359-2}}</ref> West began performing in [[vaudeville]] and on stage in New York City before moving on to film in Los Angeles.

She was frequently associated with controversies over [[Film censorship|censorship]] and once stated, "I believe in censorship. I made a fortune out of it."<ref>{{cite news |title=Actress Mae West Sentenced for 'Sex' |url=http://www.historychannel.com.au/this-day-in-history/actress-mae-west-sentenced-for-sex |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020041040/http://www.historychannel.com.au/this-day-in-history/actress-mae-west-sentenced-for-sex/ |archive-date=October 20, 2016 |access-date=October 19, 2016 |publisher=History Channel}}</ref><ref name="Weekes2011">{{cite book |last=Weekes |first=Karen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=46nduIAfxFgC&pg=PT86 |title=Women Know Everything! |publisher=Quirk Books |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-59474-545-4 |page=86}}</ref> As her film career declined, she remained active by writing books and plays, performing in [[Las Vegas]] and London, and appearing on radio and television. In later years, she also released [[rock and roll]] recordings. In 1999, the [[American Film Institute]] ranked her 15th among the [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars|greatest female screen legends]] of [[Classical Hollywood cinema|classic American cinema]].

==Early life==
Mary Jane West was born on August 17, 1893, in either the [[Greenpoint, Brooklyn|Greenpoint]] or [[Bushwick, Brooklyn|Bushwick]] neighborhood of [[Brooklyn]], New York, before the consolidation of [[New York City]].<ref name="Biographical Timeline">{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/mae-west-biographical-timeline/14486/ |title=Mae West Biographical Timeline |publisher=[[PBS]] |date=May 28, 2020 |access-date=July 8, 2020}}</ref>{{sfn|Eells|Musgrove|1982|p=20}} She was delivered at home by her aunt, a [[midwife]].{{sfn|Louvish|2006|p=5}}

She was the eldest surviving child of Mathilde Delker (originally "Doelger" and later Americanized to "Delker" or "Dilker") West, a [[corset]] and fashion model,{{sfn|Leider|2000|p=21}} and John Patrick "Battlin' Jack" West, a former prizefighter who later worked as a "special policeman" and founded a private investigation agency.{{sfn|Watts|2003|pp=10, 12}}{{sfn|West|1970|p=1}}

Her mother, known as "Tillie" or "Matilda", was a German immigrant from [[Bavaria]], who arrived in 1886 with her siblings and parents, Christiana (née Brüning) and Jakob Doelger.{{sfn|Leider|2000|p=23}} West's paternal grandmother, Mary Jane (née Copley), was of Irish descent,{{sfn|Eells|Musgrove|1982|p=20}} and her paternal grandfather, John Edwin West, was of English and Scottish ancestry.{{sfn|Louvish|2006|p=6}}<ref>1870, 1880, and 1900 U.S. censuses.</ref>

Her parents married in Brooklyn on January 18, 1889. According to reports, the groom's parents approved of the union, while the bride's family opposed it.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.adherents.com/people/pw/Mae_West.html |title=The Religious Affiliation of Actress Mae West |website=adherents.com |access-date=April 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617092453/http://www.adherents.com/people/pw/Mae_West.html |archive-date=June 17, 2019 |url-status=usurped}}</ref><ref name="Playwright">{{cite web|title=Playwright Examines Mae West's Legal Dramas |url=http://www.forward.com/articles/6244 |last=Gross|first=Max |date=February 6, 2004 |website=forward.com |access-date=November 22, 2008}}</ref> They raised their children in the [[Protestantism|Protestant]] faith.{{sfn|Leider|2000|pp=23–24}}

West's eldest sister, Katie, died in infancy. Her surviving siblings were Mildred Katherine "Beverly" West and John Edwin West II (often incorrectly referred to as "Jr.").{{sfn|Watts|2003|pp=12, 289}} During her childhood, the family lived in various areas of [[Woodhaven, Queens]] and the [[Williamsburg, Brooklyn|Williamsburg]] and Greenpoint neighborhoods of Brooklyn.

West may have first performed publicly at [[Neir's Tavern|Neir's Social Hall]] in Woodhaven.<ref>amNew York, September 5, 2013, p. 23.</ref><ref name="DailyNews">{{cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/woodhaven-bar-neir-tavern-time-machine-fix-article-1.184603 |title=Woodhaven bar Neir's Tavern gets a time-machine fix up |first=Lisa L. |last=Colangelo |date=June 22, 2010 |work=Daily News |location=New York |access-date=November 2, 2014 |archive-date=November 10, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110081833/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/woodhaven-bar-neir-tavern-time-machine-fix-article-1.184603 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Career==
===Beginning of stage career===
[[File:Advertisement_for_one_of_the_burlesque_shows_of_Mae_West,_1915.jpg|thumb|215px|right|alt=1915 burlesque advertisement for "Miss Mae West" at the Cadillac Burlesque|Newspaper ad for [[American burlesque|burlesque]] show with West, "The Girl With a Personality", Detroit, Michigan, 1915]]
West was five when she first entertained a crowd at a church social, and she began appearing in amateur shows at the age of seven. She frequently won prizes at local talent contests.{{sfn|Watts|2003|pp=16, 18}} She began performing professionally in vaudeville in the Hal Clarendon Stock Company in 1907, at the age of 14.{{sfn|Louvish|2006|pp=9–10}} As a child performer, West used the stage name "Baby Mae" (''the baby may behave like this''),{{sfn|Eells|Musgrove|1982|p=23}} and later tried various personas, including a [[Cross-dressing|male impersonator]].{{sfn|Eells|Musgrove|1982|p=38}}

Early in her career, she sometimes used the alias "Jane Mast". Her distinctive walk was said to have been inspired or influenced by female impersonators [[Bert Savoy]] and [[Julian Eltinge]], who were prominent during the [[Pansy Craze]].{{sfn|Leider|2000|pp=122–123}}{{sfn|Louvish|2006|p=18}}

West made her first appearance in a [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] show in 1911, at age 18, in a revue titled ''A La Broadway'' staged by her former dancing teacher, [[Ned Wayburn]]. The show closed after only eight performances,{{sfn|Watts|2003|pp=32–33}} but West was praised in a ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' review, which noted that "a girl named Mae West, hitherto unknown, pleased by her grotesquerie and snappy way of singing and dancing."{{sfn|Leonard|1991|pp=33–34}} She next appeared in ''[[Vera Violetta]]'', which also featured [[Al Jolson]], and in 1912, she played La Petite Daffy, a "baby vamp", in ''[[A Winsome Widow]]''.{{sfn|Louvish|2006|p=50}}

[[File:EvrybodyShimmiesNowMaeWestCover.jpg|thumb|right|upright|alt=Sheet music cover of "Ev'rybody Shimmies Now" with a photo of Mae West in 1918|Cover of "Ev'rybody Shimmies Now" sheet music with West's portrait, 1918]]

West continued to build her career in [[vaudeville]], appearing in circuits such as that run by [[Gus Sun]] of Ohio.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hanford |first=Edgar C. |title=The Sun Still Shines: Herewith a Note or Two on the Eminent Gus Sun, Plus a Jubilee |work=The New York Times |date=April 23, 1939 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/04/23/archives/the-sun-still-shines-herewith-a-note-or-two-on-the-eminent-gus-sun.html |access-date=4 July 2023 |archive-date=July 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704160108/https://www.nytimes.com/1939/04/23/archives/the-sun-still-shines-herewith-a-note-or-two-on-the-eminent-gus-sun.html |url-status=live }}</ref> She credited her mother as a constant supporter who believed everything Mae did was "fantastic", though other family members—including an aunt and her paternal grandmother—disapproved of her performing career.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Biery|first=Ruth|title=The Private Life of Mae West: Part One|magazine=Movie Classic|date=January 1934|pages=106–8}}</ref>{{sfn|Eells|Musgrove|1982|p=20}} In 1918, West gained significant attention in the [[Shubert Brothers]] revue ''Sometime'', starring opposite [[Ed Wynn]].<ref name="complete films">{{cite book|last=Tuska|first=Jon|title=The Complete Films of Mae West|publisher=Citadel Press|year=1992|page=153|isbn=978-0-8065-1359-1}}</ref> Her character, Mayme, danced the [[shimmy]],{{sfn|Louvish|2006|p=78}} and her photograph was featured on the sheet music for the popular number "Ev'rybody Shimmies Now".

===Broadway stardom and jail===
Eventually, West began writing her own risqué plays using the pen name Jane Mast.<ref>{{cite news |last=Stenham |first=Polly |title=Brutal! Vulgar! Dirty! Mae West and the gay comedy that shocked 1920s America |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2017/jul/05/polly-stenham-mae-west-gay-pride-the-drag-national-theatre |access-date=March 1, 2020 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=July 5, 2017}}</ref> Her first starring role on Broadway was in the 1926 play ''[[Sex (play)|Sex]]'', which she wrote, produced, and directed. Although conservative critics panned the show, ticket sales were strong. The production did not go over well with city officials, who had received complaints from religious groups, and the theater was raided and West arrested along with the cast.{{sfn|Watts|2003|pp=88–89}} She was taken to the [[Jefferson Market Library|Jefferson Market Court House]], where she was prosecuted on morals charges, and on April 19, 1927, she was sentenced to 10 days for "corrupting the morals of youth". Though West could have paid a fine and been released, she chose the jail sentence for the publicity it would garner.<ref name="allaround">{{cite book|last=Bunyan|first=Patrick|title=All Around the Town: Amazing Manhattan Facts and Curiosities|url=https://archive.org/details/allaroundtownama0000buny|url-access=registration|publisher=Fordham University Press|year=1999|page=[https://archive.org/details/allaroundtownama0000buny/page/317 317] |isbn=978-0-8232-1941-4}}</ref> While incarcerated on  [[Roosevelt Island|Welfare Island]], she dined with the warden and his wife and told reporters she had worn her silk panties while serving time, instead of the "burlap" issued to other inmates.{{sfn|West|1997|p=16}} She served eight days, with two days off for good behavior, and afterward told reporters that her play was "a work of art".{{sfn|West|1997|p=16}} Media attention surrounding the incident enhanced her career, with reporters dubbing her a "bad girl" who "had climbed the ladder of success wrong by wrong."<ref name="allaround" />

Her next play, ''[[The Drag (play)|The Drag]]'', dealt with homosexuality and was what West called one of her "comedy-dramas of life."{{sfn|Hamilton|1997|pp=57, 67}} After a series of try-outs in Connecticut and New Jersey, West announced she would open the play in New York.<ref>{{cite book|last=Chauncey|first=George|title=Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890–1940|publisher=Basic Books|year=1995|page=312|isbn=978-0-465-02621-0|url=https://archive.org/details/gaynewyork00geor/page/312}}</ref> However, ''The Drag'' never opened on Broadway, owing to efforts by the [[New York Society for the Suppression of Vice]] to ban any attempt by West to stage it. West explained, "The city fathers begged me not to bring the show to New York because they were not equipped to handle the commotion it would cause."{{sfn|Eells|Musgrove|1982|pp=66–68}} West was an early supporter of the [[women's liberation movement]], though she said she was not a "burn your bra" type of [[feminist]]. Since the 1920s, she also supported gay rights and spoke publicly against police brutality toward gay men. She expressed the then-modern belief that gay men were women's souls in men's bodies, and said that hitting a gay man was akin to hitting a woman.{{sfn|Watts|2003|p=299}}

In her 1959 autobiography, ''Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It'', ghostwritten by Stephen Longstreet, West condemned hypocrisy while also voicing concerns about homosexuality:

{{blockquote|I have always hated the two-faced, the smoother-over folk — the people who preach loudly one way of life, and then do something in private that they're against in public. In many ways homosexuality is a danger to the entire social system of western civilization...{{sfn|West|1970|p=94}}}}

This perspective seems at odds with her later statements, such as in her 1975 book ''Mae West: Sex, Health, and ESP'', in which she wrote:

{{blockquote|I believe that the world owes male and female homosexuals more understanding than we've given them. Live and let live is my philosophy on the subject, and I believe everybody has the right to do his or her own thing or somebody else's — as long as they do it all in private!{{sfn|West|1975a|p=43}}}}

Between the late 1920s and early 1930s, West continued to write plays, including ''[[The Wicked Age]]'', ''[[Pleasure Man]]'', and ''[[The Constant Sinner]]''. These productions stirred controversy, which helped keep West in the headlines and filled seats at performances.{{sfn|Cullen|Hackman|McNeilly|2007|p=1187}} Her 1928 play ''[[Diamond Lil (play)|Diamond Lil]]'', a story about a racy but clever lady of the 1890s, became a Broadway hit.{{sfn|Eells|Musgrove|1982|pp=78, 79, 81}} West revived it many times throughout her career.{{sfn|Eells|Musgrove|1982|pp=223, 228–229}}

Three years later, she played Babe Gordon in ''The Constant Sinner'', which opened at the [[Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre|Royale Theatre]] on September 14, 1931.{{sfn|IBDB|The Constant Sinner}} ''New York Times'' critic [[J. Brooks Atkinson]] gave the show a scathing review:

{{blockquote|...''The Constant Sinner'' commits one of the major sins in the theatre; it is dull... "The Constant Sinner" is also, as might be expected, vile as to speech... Her peculiar slouching about the stage... her vocal stunts, her exploitation of blond buxomness—all these grow pretty tiresome through repetition.<ref name="NYT31">"J. B" (J. Brooks Atkinson). "THE PLAY/Mae West in New Scarlet Role/The Constant Sinner", ''The New York Times'', September 15, 1931, p. 30.</ref>}}

Other critics similarly dismissed the play as "clumsy", "deliberately outlandish", and referred to West as an "atrocious playwright".{{sfn|Eells|Musgrove|1982|pp=97–98}} The play closed after 64 performances.{{sfn|IBDB|The Constant Sinner}} Compared to ''Diamond Lil'', which ran for 323 performances, ''The Constant Sinner'' was a disappointment.{{sfn|IBDB|Diamond Lil}}{{sfn|Leonard|1991|pp=98–104}} Still, its notoriety enhanced West's public image as a daring and provocative performer. Soon afterward, she accepted a contract from [[Paramount Pictures]] to begin her Hollywood film career.{{sfn|Leonard|1991|pp=102–103}}

===Motion pictures and censorship===
[[File:Mae West NYWTS cropped2.jpg|thumb|upright|"Diamond Lil" returning to New York from California, 1933]]
In June 1932, after signing a two-month contract with Paramount that provided her a weekly salary of $5,000 ($110,000 in 2023), West left New York by train for California.{{sfn|Leonard|1991|p=103}} The veteran stage performer was by then nearly 40 years old, yet managed to keep her age ambiguous for some time. She made her film debut in the role of Maudie Triplett in ''[[Night After Night (film)|Night After Night]]'' (1932) starring [[George Raft]], who had suggested West for the part.{{sfn|Leonard|1991|p=103}} She did not like her small supporting role in the drama at first, but was appeased when she was allowed to rewrite portions of her character's dialogue.{{sfn|Eells|Musgrove|1982|pp=105–106}} One of several revisions she made is in her first scene in ''Night After Night'', when a hat-check girl exclaims, "Goodness, what beautiful diamonds", and West replies, "Goodness had nothing to do with it, dearie."<ref name="amuse">{{cite book |last=Ashby |first=LeRoy |title=With Amusement for All: A History of American Popular Culture Since 1830 |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |year=2006 |page=[https://archive.org/details/withamusementfor00ashb/page/224 224] |isbn=978-0-8131-2397-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/withamusementfor00ashb/page/224 }}</ref> Reflecting on the overall result of her rewritten scenes, Raft is reported to have said, "She stole everything but the cameras."<ref name="amuse"/>

For her next role for Paramount, West brought her ''Diamond Lil'' character, now renamed "Lady Lou", to the screen in ''[[She Done Him Wrong]]'' (1933).<ref name=children>{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Sarah |title=Children, Cinema and Censorship: From Dracula to the Dead End Kids |publisher=I.B. Tauris |year=2005 |page=55 |isbn=978-1-85043-813-7}}</ref> The film was one of [[Cary Grant]]'s early major roles, which boosted his career. West claimed she spotted Grant at the studio and insisted that he be cast as the male lead.<ref>{{cite book |last=McCann |first=Graha |title=Cary Grant: A Class Apart |publisher= Columbia University Press |year=1998 |page=73 |isbn=978-0-231-10885-0}}</ref> She claimed to have told a Paramount director, "If he can talk, I'll take him!" The film was a box office hit and earned an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]].<ref name=children/><ref>{{cite book |last=Vogel |first=Frederick G. |title=Hollywood Musicals Nominated for Best Picture |publisher=McFarland & Co. |year=2003 |page=54 |isbn=978-0-7864-1290-7}}</ref> The success of the film saved Paramount from bankruptcy, grossing over $2 million, the equivalent of $46 million in 2023. Paramount recognizes that debt of gratitude today, with a building on the lot named after West.<ref>{{cite book |last=Starr |first=Kevin |title=The Dream Endures: California Enters the 1940s| publisher=Oxford University Press US |year=2002 |page=256 |isbn=978-0-19-515797-0}}</ref>

[[File:Mae West in I'm No Angel 2.jpg|thumb|230px|right|West's second film with Cary Grant, ''I'm No Angel'' (1933)]]

Her next release, ''[[I'm No Angel]]'' (1933), teamed her again with Grant. The film was also a box-office hit and was the most successful of her entire screen career. In the months after its release, references to West could be found almost everywhere, from the song lyrics of [[Cole Porter]], to a [[Works Progress Administration]] (WPA) mural of San Francisco's newly built [[Coit Tower]], to ''[[She Done Him Right (1933 film)|She Done Him Right]]'', a [[Pooch the Pup]] cartoon, to ''[[My Dress Hangs There]]'', a painting by Mexican artist [[Frida Kahlo]]. Kahlo's husband, [[Diego Rivera]], paid his own tribute: "West is the most wonderful machine for living I have ever known—unfortunately on the screen only." To [[F. Scott Fitzgerald]], West was especially unique: "The only Hollywood actress with both an ironic edge and a comic spark." As ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' put it, "Mae West's films have made her the biggest conversation-provoker, free-space grabber, and all-around box office bet in the country. She's as hot an issue as Hitler."{{sfn|Eells|Musgrove|1982|p=127}}

[[File:Mae West - 1936.jpg|right|upright|thumb|Publicity photo, 1936]]

By 1933, West was one of the largest box-office draws in the United States<ref>{{cite book|last=Pendergast|first=Tom|title=St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture|url=https://archive.org/details/stjamesencyclope04pend|url-access=limited|publisher=St. James Press|year=2000|page=[https://archive.org/details/stjamesencyclope04pend/page/n146 116]|isbn=978-1-55862-405-4}}</ref> and, by 1935, she was also the highest paid woman and the second-highest paid person in the United States (after [[William Randolph Hearst]]).{{sfn|West|1997|p=24}} Hearst invited West to [[Hearst Castle]], his massive estate in [[San Simeon, California|San Simeon]], California, where Hollywood celebrities and prominent political and business figures frequently gathered to socialize. "I could'a married him," West later commented, "but I got no time for parties. I don't like those big crowds." On July 1, 1934, the censorship guidelines of the film industry's [[Production Code]] began to be meticulously enforced. As a result, West's scripts were subjected to more editing. She, in turn, would often intentionally place extremely risqué lines in her scripts, knowing they would be cut by the censors. She hoped they would then not object as much to her other less suggestive lines. Her next film was ''[[Belle of the Nineties]]'' (1934). The original title, ''It Ain't No Sin'', was changed because of censors' objections.<ref>{{cite book |last=Doherty |first=Thomas Patrick |title=Pre-Code Hollywood: Sex, Immorality, and Insurrection in American Cinema, 1930–1934 |url=https://archive.org/details/precodehollywood0000dohe |url-access=registration |publisher=Columbia University Press |year=1999 |page=[https://archive.org/details/precodehollywood0000dohe/page/338 338] |isbn=978-0-231-11095-2}}</ref> Despite Paramount's early objections regarding costs, West insisted the studio hire [[Duke Ellington]] and his orchestra to accompany her in the film's musical numbers. Their collaboration was a success; the classic "[[My Old Flame]]" was introduced in this film. Her next film, ''[[Goin' to Town]]'' (1935), received mixed reviews, as censorship continued to take its toll by preventing West from including her best lines.{{sfn|Louvish|2006|p=279}}

Her following effort, ''[[Klondike Annie]]'' (1936), dealt, as best it could given the heavy censorship, with religion and hypocrisy.<ref>{{cite book |last=Black |first=Gregory D. |title=Hollywood Censored: Morality Codes, Catholics, and the Movies |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1996 |pages=228–229 |isbn=978-0-521-56592-9}}</ref> Some critics called the film her [[magnum opus]], but not everyone agreed. Press baron William Randolph Hearst, offended by a remark West made about his mistress [[Marion Davies]], sent a private memo to his editors stating: "That Mae West picture ''Klondike Annie'' is a filthy picture... DO NOT ACCEPT ANY ADVERTISING OF THIS PICTURE." Paramount executives felt they had to tone down West's characterization. "I was the first liberated woman, you know. No guy was going to get the best of me. That's what I wrote all my scripts about."<ref>{{cite book |last=Bavar |first=Michael |title=Mae West |publisher=Pyramid Communications |year=1975 |page=87 |isbn=978-0-515-03868-2}}</ref>

Around the same time, West played opposite [[Randolph Scott]] in ''[[Go West, Young Man (1936 film)|Go West, Young Man]]'' (1936), adapting [[Lawrence Riley]]'s Broadway hit ''[[Personal Appearance (play)|Personal Appearance]]''.{{sfn|Watts|2003|p=10}}{{sfn|Leider|2000 |page=[https://archive.org/details/becomingmaewest0000leid/page/402 402]}} Directed by [[Henry Hathaway]], it is considered one of West's weaker films of the era due to censor cuts.{{sfn|Louvish|2006|p=308}}

West next starred in ''[[Every Day's a Holiday (1937 film)|Every Day's a Holiday]]'' (1937) for Paramount before their association ended. Censorship had increasingly made West's sexually suggestive humor difficult to sustain on screen. She was included in the "[[Box Office Poison (magazine article)|Box Office Poison]]" list published by the Independent Theatre Owners Association. This did not stop producer [[David O. Selznick]] from offering her the role of Belle Watling in ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]'', but West declined, saying it was too small and would need rewriting.

[[File:Platform shoes worn by Mae West, 1950s AD, wood, metallic leather - Textile Museum, George Washington University - DSC09965.JPG|thumb|A pair of "trick" platform shoes worn by West in films to make her look taller, which also contributed to her unique gait]]

In 1939, [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]] approached West to star opposite [[W. C. Fields]] in ''[[My Little Chickadee]]'' (1940).<ref name="trapeze">{{cite book|last=Louvish|first=Simon|title=Man on the Flying Trapeze: The Life and Times of W. C. Fields|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|year=1999|page=[https://archive.org/details/manonflyingtrape00simo/page/435 435]|isbn=978-0-393-31840-1|url=https://archive.org/details/manonflyingtrape00simo/page/435}}</ref> Although West and Fields had a combative relationship, the film was a box office success.<ref>{{cite book|last=Deschner|first=Donald|title=The Complete Films of W.C. Fields|publisher=Citadel Press|year=1989|page=140|isbn=978-0-8065-1136-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Curtis|first=James|title=W.C. Fields: A Biography|publisher=A.A. Knopf|year=2003|page=399|isbn=978-0-375-40217-3}}</ref> Religious leaders condemned West's on-screen persona, taking offense at lines such as: "When I'm caught between two evils, I generally like to take the one I never tried."<ref>{{cite book |last=Gehring |first=Wes D. |url= |title=Parody as Film Genre: "Never Give a Saga an Even Break" |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-313-26186-2 |page=39 |url-access=}}</ref>

West's final film of the period was ''[[The Heat's On]]'' (1943), produced by Columbia Pictures. She only agreed to star as a personal favor to director [[Gregory Ratoff]].{{sfn|Tuska|1992|p=153}} It was the only film where she was not allowed to write her own dialogue. The result was poorly received, and West later cited her frustration with censorship as a key reason for her departure from filmmaking.<ref>{{cite book|last=Dick|first=Bernard F.|title=The Merchant Prince of Poverty Row: Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|year=1993|page=130|isbn=978-0-8131-1841-3}}</ref> Instead, she found continued success in nightclubs, stage shows, and Broadway revivals where she retained creative control over her performances.

===Radio and censorship===
On December 12, 1937, West appeared in two separate sketches on [[Ventriloquism|ventriloquist]] [[Edgar Bergen]]'s [[radio programming|radio show]] ''[[The Chase and Sanborn Hour]]''.{{sfn|Hilmes|Loviglio|2002|p=137}} Appearing as herself, West flirted with [[Charlie McCarthy]], Bergen's dummy, using her usual brand of wit and risqué sexual references. West referred to Charlie as "all wood and a yard long" and commented, "Charles, I remember our last date, and have the splinters to prove it!"<ref name=uncommon>{{cite book|last=Pendergrast|first=Mark|title=Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World|publisher=Basic Books|year=2000|page=200|isbn=978-0-465-05467-1}}</ref> West was on the verge of being banned from radio.

Another controversial sketch aired the same night on [[NBC]], written by [[Arch Oboler]], and featured [[Don Ameche]] and West as [[Adam and Eve]] in the [[Garden of Eden]]. She tells Ameche to "get me a big one... I feel like doin' a big apple!"<ref name=uncommon/> This ostensible reference to the then-current [[Big Apple (dance)|dance craze]] was one of the many [[double entendres]] in the dialogue. Days after the broadcast, the studio received letters calling the show "immoral" and "obscene".<ref>{{cite book|last=Dunning|first=John|title=On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-time Radio|publisher=Oxford University Press US|year=1998|page=[https://archive.org/details/onairencyclop00dunn/page/229 229]|isbn=978-0-19-507678-3|url=https://archive.org/details/onairencyclop00dunn/page/229}}</ref> Several conservative women's clubs and religious groups admonished the show's sponsor, [[Chase & Sanborn Coffee Company]], for "prostituting" their services for allowing "impurity [to] invade the air".{{sfn|Hilmes|Loviglio|2002|p=137}}

Under pressure, the [[Federal Communications Commission]] later deemed the broadcast "vulgar and indecent" and "far below even the minimum standard which should control in the selection and production of broadcast programs".<ref>{{cite book|last=Ohmart|first=Ben|title=Don Ameche: The Kenosha Comeback Kid|publisher=BearManor Media|year=2007|page=50|isbn=978-1-59393-045-5}}</ref> Some debate existed regarding the reaction to the skit. Conservative religious groups took umbrage far more swiftly than the mainstream. These groups found it easy to make West their target. They took exception to her outspoken use of sexuality and sexual imagery, which she had employed in her career since at least the [[Pre-Code Hollywood|pre-Code]]<!--The "p" in pre-Code is lowercased within body of narrative. See usage and form in captions and running text on Wiki page "Pre-Code Hollywood".!--> films of the early 1930s and for decades before on Broadway, but which was now being broadcast into American living rooms on a popular family-friendly radio program. The groups reportedly warned the sponsor of the program they would protest her appearance.<ref>{{cite book|last=Craig|first=Steve|title=Out of Eden: The Legion of Decency, the FCC, and Mae West's 1937 Appearance on The Chase and Sanborn Hour|publisher=Journal of Radio Studies (November 2006)}}</ref>

NBC Radio banned West (and the mention of her name) from their stations following the backlash.{{sfn|Hilmes|Loviglio|2002|p=138}} She did not return to radio until January 1950, when she appeared on an episode of ''[[The Chesterfield Supper Club]]'', hosted by [[Perry Como]].{{sfn|Curry|1996|p=81}} Ameche's career did not suffer any serious repercussions, however, as he was playing the "straight" character. West subsequently continued to perform in venues such as Lou Walters's [[Latin Quarter (nightclub)|The Latin Quarter]], Broadway, and London.

===Middle years===
[[File:Mae West in 1953.jpg|thumb|190px|upright|alt=Mae West posing in a glamorous dress with a confident smile, 1953.|Featured in the ''Los Angeles Times'', 1953]]
After appearing in ''The Heat's On'' in 1943, West returned to a highly active stage and nightclub career. Among her notable performances was the title role in ''[[Catherine Was Great]]'' (1944) on Broadway, a play she wrote as a satirical take on the life of [[Catherine II of Russia|Catherine the Great]]. In the production, she surrounded herself with a group of tall, muscular actors described as an "imperial guard".<ref>{{cite book|last=Shafer|first=Yvonne|title=American Women Playwrights, 1900–1950|url=https://archive.org/details/americanwomenpla0000shaf|url-access=registration|publisher=Peter Lang Publishing Inc.|year=1995|page=[https://archive.org/details/americanwomenpla0000shaf/page/419 419]|isbn=978-0-8204-2142-1}}</ref> Produced by theater and film impresario [[Mike Todd]], the play ran for 191 performances before going on tour.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bloom|first=Ken|title=Broadway: An Encyclopedia|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=2004|page=480|isbn=978-0-415-93704-7}}</ref>

West revived her 1928 play ''Diamond Lil'' in 1949, returning it to Broadway. A reviewer for ''The New York Times'' referred to her as an "American institution—as beloved and indestructible as Donald Duck. Like Chinatown, and Grant's Tomb, Mae West should be seen at least once." In the 1950s, she performed in her own Las Vegas stage show at the newly opened [[SLS Las Vegas|Sahara Hotel]], where she sang while flanked by bodybuilders. The show proved popular with both male and female audiences, with West commenting, "Men come to see me, but I also give the women something to see: wall to wall men."{{sfn|Robertson|1996|p=27}}

During the casting of [[Billy Wilder]]'s 1950 film ''[[Sunset Boulevard (1950 film)|Sunset Boulevard]]'', West was offered the role of [[Norma Desmond]]. Still frustrated by the censorship imposed on ''The Heat's On'', she declined the role, stating that its pathos did not suit her comedic sensibility, which she characterized as focused on uplifting audiences. The role ultimately went to [[Gloria Swanson]], after [[Mary Pickford]] also declined.<ref>{{cite book|last=Meade|first=Marion|author-link=Marion Meade|title=Buster Keaton: Cut to the Chase|publisher=Da Capo Press|year=1997|page=245|isbn=978-0-306-80802-9}}</ref>

West was later offered additional film roles, including Vera Simpson opposite [[Frank Sinatra]] in the 1957 musical ''[[Pal Joey (film)|Pal Joey]]'', which she declined, with the part going to [[Rita Hayworth]]. She also turned down a role in ''[[Roustabout (film)|Roustabout]]'' (1964) alongside [[Elvis Presley]], which was subsequently played by [[Barbara Stanwyck]]. West rejected offers from [[Federico Fellini]] to appear in both ''[[Juliet of the Spirits]]'' and ''[[Fellini Satyricon|Satyricon]]''.

===Television, and the next generations===
On March 26, 1958, West appeared at the live televised [[Academy Awards]] and performed the song "[[Baby, It's Cold Outside]]" with [[Rock Hudson]], which received a standing ovation.{{sfn|Robertson|1996|p=25}} In 1959, she released an autobiography, ''Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It'', which became a best-seller. West made several television appearances to promote the book, including on ''[[The Dean Martin Variety Show]]'' in 1959 and ''[[The Red Skelton Show]]'' in 1960. She also recorded a lengthy interview for ''[[Person to Person]]'' with [[Charles Collingwood (journalist)|Charles Collingwood]] in 1959, which was ultimately not broadcast; CBS executives reportedly felt viewers were not prepared to see a nude marble statue of West that appeared in the segment. In 1964, she guest-starred on the sitcom ''[[Mister Ed]]''.{{sfn|Cullen|Hackman|McNeilly|2007|p=1188}} In 1976, she appeared on a CBS special, ''Back Lot U.S.A.'', hosted by [[Dick Cavett]], where she was interviewed and performed two songs.

===Recording career===
West's recording career began in the early 1930s with releases of songs from her films on [[Phonograph record|78 rpm records]]. These were issued alongside sheet music for home use. In 1955, she recorded her first LP album, ''The Fabulous Mae West''. In 1965, she recorded two songs, "Am I Too Young" and "He's Good for Me", for a 45 rpm single released by Plaza Records. She also recorded novelty songs such as "Santa, Come Up to See Me", featured on the album ''Wild Christmas'',{{sfn|Kashner|MacNair|2003|p=335}} which was later reissued in 1980 as ''Mae in December''.{{sfn|Yeatts|2000|p=73}} In 1966, she released the rock-and-roll album ''[[Way Out West (Mae West album)|Way Out West]]'', followed in 1972 by ''[[Great Balls of Fire (Mae West album)|Great Balls of Fire]]'', which included covers of songs by [[The Doors]] and tracks written by English songwriter-producer [[Ian Whitcomb]].

===Later years===
West's likeness was used on the [[List of images on the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band|front cover]] of [[the Beatles]]' 1967 album ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]''. When approached for permission, West initially declined, reportedly asking, "What would I be doing in a Lonely Hearts Club?" She changed her mind after receiving a letter from the band expressing admiration for her work.<ref>{{cite book |last=Martin |first=George |title=Summer of Love: The Making of Sgt. Pepper |publisher=MacMillan |year=1995 |page=139}}</ref>

After a 27-year absence from motion pictures, West returned to the screen as Leticia Van Allen in ''[[Myra Breckinridge (film)|Myra Breckinridge]]'' (1970), based on the novel by [[Gore Vidal]]. The film starred [[Raquel Welch]], [[Rex Reed]], [[Farrah Fawcett]], and [[Tom Selleck]], but was hampered by production difficulties and poor critical reception.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hoberman|first1=J.|first2=Rosenbaum|last2=Jonathan|title=Midnight Movies|publisher=Da Capo Press|year=1991|page=268|isbn=978-0-306-80433-5}}</ref> Though West received top billing, her role was reduced during editing. In 1971, she was voted "Woman of the Century" by students at [[University of California, Los Angeles]] (UCLA) for her legacy as an outspoken figure on issues of sexuality and censorship.{{sfn|Hamilton|1997|p=263}}

[[File:Mae West 14 Allan Warren.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Mae West seated in her Los Angeles apartment, 1973|West in her Los Angeles apartment, 1973; photo by Allan Warren]]

In 1975, West released the books ''Sex, Health, and ESP'' and ''Pleasure Man'', the latter based on her 1928 stage play.{{sfn|Louvish|2006|p=463}} Her 1959 autobiography, ''Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It'', was also updated and reissued during this period.{{sfn|Leider|2000|p=401}} She managed her own stage acts and invested in real estate, including property in [[Van Nuys]], Los Angeles.

She appeared on the CBS television special ''Back Lot U.S.A.'' in 1976, where she was interviewed by [[Dick Cavett]] and performed "Frankie and Johnny" and "After You've Gone".{{sfn|Yeatts|2000|p=74}}{{self-published inline|date=February 2020}}

That year, she began production on her final film, ''[[Sextette]]'' (1978), based on a script she had written in 1959.{{sfn|Watts|2003|p=309}} Frequent revisions and production delays led to a decision to feed her lines via a speaker concealed in her wig due to her deteriorating eyesight.{{sfn|Watts|2003|p=310}} Despite these challenges, director [[Ken Hughes]] later described her as committed to completing the film. ''Sextette'' was not a commercial success. Its cast included [[George Raft]], [[Tony Curtis]], [[Timothy Dalton]], [[Walter Pidgeon]], [[Ringo Starr]], [[Alice Cooper]], [[Dom DeLuise]], and [[Rona Barrett]], along with several of West's former Las Vegas performers, such as [[Reg Lewis (bodybuilder)|Reg Lewis]]. The film reunited her with costume designer [[Edith Head]], who had worked on ''She Done Him Wrong'' in 1933.{{sfn|Kashner|MacNair|2003|p=336}}

West was awarded a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 1560 Vine Street for her work in film and was later inducted into the [[American Theater Hall of Fame]] for her contributions to stage performance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theaterhalloffame.org/members.html#VW|title=Theater Hall of Fame &#124; Preserve the Past • Honor the Present • Encourage the Future|website=theaterhalloffame.org|access-date=March 20, 2014|archive-date=January 27, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127184237/http://www.theaterhalloffame.org/members.html#VW|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.onthisveryspot.com/find/spot.php?spot_web_name=The_Gershwin_Theatre|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140320224158/http://www.onthisveryspot.com/find/spot.php?spot_web_name=The_Gershwin_Theatre|url-status=usurped|archive-date=March 20, 2014|title=The Gershwin Theatre – On This Very Spot|access-date=March 20, 2014}}</ref>

==Public image==

Mae West was known for her distinctive appearance, often characterized by figure-hugging, floor-length gowns with low necklines. Her style typically featured details such as [[Train (clothing)|fishtail trains]] and feather trim, which became associated with her on-screen persona.<ref>{{cite book |last=McEvoy |first=Anne |title=Costume and Fashion Source Books: The 1920s and 1930s |date=2009 |publisher=Chelsea House |location=New York |page=43}}</ref>

==Personal life==
[[File:Frank Wallace & Mae West 1911.jpg|thumb|150px|alt=Portrait of a young Mae West and Frank Wallace in formal attire, 1911|West and husband Frank Wallace in 1911]]
[[File:Guido Deiro & Mae West c 1916.jpg|thumb|alt=Mae West and Guido Deiro seated side by side in a performance advertisement, circa 1916|West (right) in an ad with Deiro, c. 1916–17]]
[[File:Paul Novak & Mae West 1978.jpg|thumb|150px|alt=Elderly Mae West standing next to Paul Novak at a social event, 1978|West in 1978 with Paul Novak, her partner of 25 years]]
West was married on April 11, 1911, in [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]], to Frank Szatkus (1892–1966),{{sfn|Leonard|1991|pp=29–30}} whose stage name was Frank Wallace,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://eu.thegleaner.com/story/news/columnists/frank-boyett/2016/11/26/frank-boyett-nov-27-henderson-entertainer-never-got-over-mae-west/94290010/|first=Frank|last=Boyett|website=The Gleaner|date=November 26, 2016|title=Boyett: Henderson residents made mark in show biz|access-date=November 3, 2018|archive-date=February 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226143209/https://eu.thegleaner.com/story/news/columnists/frank-boyett/2016/11/26/frank-boyett-nov-27-henderson-entertainer-never-got-over-mae-west/94290010/|url-status=live}}</ref> a fellow vaudevillian whom she met in 1909. She was 17.{{sfn|Hamilton|1997|p=15}} She kept the marriage a secret, but a filing clerk discovered the certificate in 1935 and alerted the press.{{sfn|Watts|2003|pp=201–202}} The clerk also uncovered an [[affidavit]] from her 1927 ''Sex'' trial, in which she had declared herself married.{{sfn|Louvish|2006|p=283}} At first, West denied the marriage but admitted it in July 1937 in response to a legal interrogatory.{{sfn|Watts|2003|p=224}} The couple never lived together as husband and wife; she stated they had separate bedrooms and soon sent him away to headline his own show. She obtained a divorce on July 21, 1942, during which Wallace withdrew his request for separate maintenance, and West testified that they had lived together for only "several weeks".{{sfn|Louvish|2006|pp=350–351}} The final divorce decree was granted on May 7, 1943.{{sfn|Louvish|2006|p=351}}

In 1913, West met [[Guido Deiro]] (1886–1950), an Italian-born vaudeville star and accordionist. According to his son, Guido Roberto Deiro, West married Deiro in 1914, though this has not been conclusively proven. Their relationship reportedly ended after West had an abortion at her mother's urging, which left her infertile and nearly killed her.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/mae-west-dirty-blonde-documentary/14998/ |title=Mae West: Dirty Blonde|website=American Masters|date=February 8, 2021 |publisher=PBS|access-date=April 8, 2025}}</ref> West later quipped, "Marriage is a great institution. I'm not ready for an institution."<ref>{{cite book|last=Swainson|first=Bill|title=Encarta Book of Quotations|publisher=Macmillan|year=2000|page=[https://archive.org/details/encartabookofquo00swai/page/980 980]|isbn=978-0-312-23000-5|url=https://archive.org/details/encartabookofquo00swai/page/980}}</ref>

In 1916, West began a relationship with James Timony (1884–1954), an attorney and her manager. By the mid-1930s, they were no longer a couple but remained close until his death.{{sfn|Eells|Musgrove|1982|pp=39–61, 188–191, 241}}

She was also romantically linked to [[Owney Madden]], owner of the [[Cotton Club]].{{sfn|Womack|2013|p=52}}

West remained close to her family throughout her life and was especially affected by her mother's death in 1930.{{sfn|Eells|Musgrove|1982|pp=90–91}} She moved into apartment 611, one floor from the top, at [[The Ravenswood]] in Hollywood that year, remaining there until her death.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lord|first=Rosemary|title=Hollywood Then and Now|publisher=Thunder Bay Press|year=2003|page=77|isbn=978-1-59223-104-1}}</ref> She later brought her father, sister, and brother to Hollywood and supported them.{{sfn|Watts|2003|pp=168, 187–188, 207, 288}} She also had a relationship with boxer [[Gorilla Jones]] (1906–1982). When her apartment building barred Jones from entry because he was African American, she bought the building and lifted the ban.{{sfn|Watts|2003|p=207}}

In her sixties, West became romantically involved with Chester Rybinski (1923–1999), a former Mr. California and member of her Las Vegas stage show. He later changed his name to Paul Novak. He was 30 years her junior and remained with her until her death.{{sfn|Eells|Musgrove|1982|pp=249–250, 293}}<ref>{{cite news|first=Kevin|last=Thomas|title=Paul Novak, 76; 26-Year Companion of Actress Mae West|work=Los Angeles Times|date=July 15, 1999|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jul-15-mn-56251-story.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Obituary: Paul Novak|first=Tom|last=Vallance|date=July 20, 1999|work=The Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-paul-novak-1107530.html|archive-date=September 13, 2017|access-date=September 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913163256/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-paul-novak-1107530.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Novak once commented, "I believe I was put on this Earth to take care of Mae West."{{sfn|Eells|Musgrove|1982|p=293}}

West would sometimes refer to herself in the [[Illeism|third person]] and speak of "Mae West" as the entertainment character she had created.{{sfn|Watts|2003|p=313}}

West was a [[Presbyterian]].<ref name="burlesqued" />{{sfn|Watts|2003|p=313}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |title=Remembering Mae West – Interviews |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/remembering-mae-west |website=rogerebert.com |date=December 14, 2012 |access-date=January 7, 2018 |archive-date=January 8, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180108062512/https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/remembering-mae-west |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Death==
[[File:Lars Jacob at Mae West grave 2007.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=West family mausoleum at Cypress Hills Cemetery with floral tributes, photographed in 2007|West family crypt at [[Cypress Hills Cemetery]], with Mae at top]]
In August 1980, West tripped while getting out of bed. After the fall, she was unable to speak and was taken to [[Good Samaritan Hospital (Los Angeles)|Good Samaritan Hospital]] in Los Angeles, where tests revealed that she had suffered a [[stroke]].{{sfn|Watts|2003|p=313}} She died three months later on November 22 at the age of 87.{{sfn|Cullen|Hackman|McNeilly|2007|p=1183}}<ref name="burlesqued">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/specials/magazine4/articles/west1.html|title=Mae West, Stage and Movie Star Who Burlesqued Sex, Dies at 87|date=November 23, 1980|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 15, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080407064502/http://www.nytimes.com/specials/magazine4/articles/west1.html|archive-date=April 7, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1980/11/23/mae-west-hollywoods-sex-symbol-dies/21d91e47-e6af-466a-8d4f-58506de45a65/|title=Mae West, Hollywood's Sex Symbol, Dies|newspaper=Washington Post|date=November 22, 1980}}</ref>

A private service was held three days later at the church in [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1980/11/25/Friends-of-Mae-West-gathered-today-for-a-private/8068343976400/|title=Friends of Mae West gathered today for a private...|website=United Press International|date=November 25, 1980}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Jet (magazine)|Jet]]|title=Former Boxing Champ Managed by Mae West Succumbs at Age 75|date=January 28, 1982|volume=61|issue=17|issn=0021-5996|pages=52–53|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t0EDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA52}}</ref>{{sfn|Leonard|1991|p=406}} Her friend, Bishop Andre Penachio, officiated at the entombment in the family mausoleum at [[Cypress Hills Cemetery]] in [[Brooklyn]], which had been purchased in 1930 when her mother died. Her father and brother had also been entombed there, and her younger sister Beverly was laid to rest in the last of the five crypts less than 18 months later.{{sfn|Kashner|MacNair|2003|p=336}}<ref>{{cite news|title=Blown Sideways, but Landing on Broadway|first=Alex|last=Witchel|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/08/theater/blown-sideways-but-landing-on-broadway.html|date=May 8, 2000|work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Kirby |first=David |author-link=David Kirby (journalist) |date=January 25, 1998 |title=Neighborhood Report: Upper East Side; The Lady Is a Stamp? |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/25/nyregion/neighborhood-report-upper-east-side-the-lady-is-a-stamp.html |archive-date=March 17, 2017 |access-date=February 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317063200/http://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/25/nyregion/neighborhood-report-upper-east-side-the-lady-is-a-stamp.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==In popular culture==
* In the 1935 Laurel and Hardy film ''[[Bonnie Scotland]]'', in response to the character Mrs. Burns saying to Mr. Miggs, "The next time you drop down to Glasgow, you must come up and see me some time," Stan comments, "It's Mae West."
* In the 1937 film ''[[Stand-In]]'', the stage mother ([[Anne O'Neal]]) who has her young daughter ([[Marianne Edwards]]) auditioning for Dodd ([[Leslie Howard]]) tells her, "Now, do the Mae West number."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ok.ru/video/259914926755|title=''Stand-In'' (1937)|website=ok.ru/video|date=April 23, 2017|access-date=July 19, 2020|archive-date=July 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719165709/https://ok.ru/video/259914926755|url-status=live}}</ref>
* During World War II, Allied aircrews called their yellow inflatable, vest-like [[personal flotation device]]s "Mae Wests", partly from [[rhyming slang]] for "breasts" and partly because of the resemblance to her torso.<ref>{{cite book|last=Elster|first=Charles Harrington|author-link=Charles Harrington Elster|title=What in the Word?: Wordplay, Word Lore, and Answers to Your Peskiest Questions about Language|publisher=Harcourt Trade|year=2006|page=[https://archive.org/details/whatinwordwordpl0000elst/page/246 246]|isbn=978-0-15-603197-4|url=https://archive.org/details/whatinwordwordpl0000elst/}}</ref> A "Mae West" is also a type of round parachute malfunction that contorts the shape of the canopy into the appearance of a large [[brassiere]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Parachute Rigger Handbook |url=https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/prh_change1.pdf#page=340 |page=340 |publisher=[[Federal Aviation Administration]] |date=August 15, 2015 |access-date=September 17, 2023 |archive-date=November 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101040553/https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/prh_change1.pdf#page=340 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* West is referenced in songs, including the title number of [[Cole Porter]]'s Broadway musical ''[[Anything Goes]]'' and in "You're the Top".{{sfn|Leider|2000|page=[https://archive.org/details/becomingmaewest0000leid/page/349 349]}}
* [[Surrealist]] artist [[Salvador Dalí]] created works inspired by West, including ''Face of Mae West Which May Be Used as an Apartment'' and the ''[[Mae West Lips Sofa]]'', completed in 1938 for [[Edward James]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3604018/Object-of-the-week-the-Mae-West-lip-sofa.html |title=Object of the week: the 'Mae West' lip sofa |date=October 6, 2003 |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |access-date=November 22, 2008 |first=Colin |last=Gleadell}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* Several of West's comedy lines are used in the parody musical ''[[Wild Side Story]]'' (1973–2004).<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Stevens |first=Rob |date=October 26, 1979 |title=West Hollywood |magazine=Data Boy Pacific Southwest |page=76}}</ref><ref>{{citation|first=Göran|last=Sellgren|date=January 9, 1976|title=[[Svenska Dagbladet]]|page=14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Kim|last=Ekemar|date=January 6, 1976|title=''Wild Side Story'' at Showcase Alexandra's Stockholm|url=http://libris.kb.se/bib/21675795?vw=full|page=8}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOV2tY8Scs08biLNoc3eCmGCy1C-I_5Ol|website=YouTube|title=Wild Side Story 1998 (CabarEng History)|access-date=April 18, 2021|archive-date=April 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418132420/https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOV2tY8Scs08biLNoc3eCmGCy1C-I_5Ol|url-status=live}}</ref>
* In 1982, actress [[Ann Jillian]] portrayed West in the television biopic ''[[Mae West (film)|Mae West]]''.
* In 2000, ''[[Dirty Blonde (play)|Dirty Blonde]]'', a play about two Mae West fans, opened on Broadway at the [[Helen Hayes Theater]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Dirty Blonde – Broadway Play – Original |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/dirty-blonde-12573#OpeningNightCast |website=IBDB |access-date=November 5, 2020 |archive-date=March 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220330/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/dirty-blonde-12573#OpeningNightCast |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[MAE-West]] ("Metropolitan Area Exchange, West") was a major [[Internet exchange point]] in the United States, with a corresponding [[MAE-East]] on the East Coast.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theage.com.au/technology/southern-cross-cable-network-commissions-third-us-access-point-20020819-gdfk0n.html|title=Southern Cross Cable Network commissions third US access point|date=August 19, 2002|website=The Age}}</ref>
* In 2017, West was the subject of an episode of the TV series ''Over My Dead Body'' on [[Amazon Prime Video|Amazon Prime]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B078WYJHJ9/|title=Watch Over My Dead Body|website=Amazon Prime Video|access-date=November 12, 2018|archive-date=August 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220802132420/https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B078WYJHJ9|url-status=live}}</ref>
* West was the subject of the 2020 [[PBS]] documentary ''Mae West: Dirty Blonde'', part of the ''[[American Masters]]'' series and produced by [[Bette Midler]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Kennedy|first=Mark|date=June 15, 2020|title=PBS invites you to come up sometime and see a Mae West doc|work=The Chicago Tribune|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/featured/sns-pbs-mae-west-doc-20200615-3gtlc6tjjvchjihah2vcel3sta-story.html|access-date=June 16, 2020|archive-date=June 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617052531/https://www.chicagotribune.com/featured/sns-pbs-mae-west-doc-20200615-3gtlc6tjjvchjihah2vcel3sta-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The Canadian dessert cake [[May West]] (formerly spelled "Mae West") was named in her honor. It remains popular in [[Quebec]] and parts of [[Ontario]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vachon.com/en/pastries/may-west/#regulier|title=May West – Classic – Pastries – Home|website=Vachon|access-date=August 17, 2020|archive-date=August 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804083743/https://www.vachon.com/en/pastries/may-west/#regulier|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* A {{convert|52|m|ft|-high|sp=us|adj=mid}} sculpture in [[Munich]], completed in 2011, is titled ''[[Mae West (sculpture)|Mae West]]''.

==Broadway stage==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Broadway stage
|-
! Date
! Production
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
! class="unsortable" | Ref.
|-
| {{dts|1911|September|22|format=mdy}} – September 30, 1911
| ''A La Broadway''
| Maggie O'Hara
|
|<ref name=IBDB>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/mae-west-7476|title=Mae West|publisher=[[Internet Broadway Database]]|access-date=April 19, 2017|archive-date=April 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170420045537/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/mae-west-7476|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1911|November|20|format=mdy}} – February 24, 1912
| ''Vera Violetta''
|
| West left the show during previews.
|<ref name=IBDB/>
|-
| {{dts|1912|April|11|format=mdy}} – September 7, 1912
| ''{{sortname|A|Winsome Widow|nolink=1}}''
| Le Petite Daffy
| West left show after opening night.
|<ref name=IBDB/>
|-
| {{dts|1918|October|4|format=mdy}} – June 1919
| ''Sometime''
|Mayme Dean
|
|<ref name=IBDB/>
|-
| {{dts|1921|August|17|format=mdy}} – September 10, 1921
| ''{{sortname|The|Mimic World of 1921|nolink=1}}''
|
|
|<ref name=IBDB/>
|-
| {{dts|1926|April|26|format=mdy}} – March 1927
| ''[[Sex (play)|Sex]]''
| Margie LaMont
| Written by Jane Mast (West), West was jailed for 8 days because of the play's content.
|<ref name=IBDB/>
|-
| {{dts|1927|January}}
| ''{{sortname|The|Drag|dab=play}}''
|
| Closed during out-of-town tryouts ([[Bridgeport, Connecticut]])<br />credited only as writer
|{{sfn|Curry|1996}}
|-
| {{dts|1927|November}}
| ''{{sortname|The|Wicked Age|nolink=1}}''
| Evelyn ("Babe") Carson
|
|<ref name=IBDB/>
|-
| {{dts|1928|April|9|format=mdy}} – September 1928
| ''[[Diamond Lil (play)|Diamond Lil]]''
| Diamond Lil
|
|<ref name=IBDB/>
|-
| {{dts|1928|October|1|format=mdy}} – October 2, 1928
| ''[[Pleasure Man]]''
|
| Credited only as writer
|<ref name=IBDB/>
|-
| {{dts|1931|September|14|format=mdy}} – November 1931
| ''{{sortname|The|Constant Sinner|nolink=1}}''
| Babe Gordon
|
|<ref name=IBDB/>
|-
| {{dts|1944|August|2|format=mdy}} – January 13, 1945
| ''Catherine Was Great''
| Catherine II
|
|<ref name=IBDB/>
|-
| {{dts|1945}}–46
| ''Come on Up''
|
| Tour
|{{sfn|Louvish|2006|p=461}}
|-
| {{dts|1947|September}} – May 1948
| ''Diamond Lil''
| Diamond Lil
| (Revival) United Kingdom
|<ref name=IBDB/>
|-
| {{dts|1949|February|5|format=mdy}} – February 26, 1949
| ''Diamond Lil''
| Diamond Lil
| (Second revival) until West broke her ankle on the latter date<br />The play resumed as a "return engagement".
|<ref name=IBDB/>
|-
| {{dts|1949|September|7|format=mdy}} – January 21, 1950
| ''Diamond Lil''
| Diamond Lil
| (Second revival) as "return engagement"
|<ref name=IBDB/>
|-
| {{dts|1951|September|14|format=mdy}} – November 10, 1951
| ''Diamond Lil''
| Diamond Lil
| (Third Revival)
|<ref name=IBDB/>
|-
| {{dts|1961|July|7|format=mdy}} – closing date unknown
| ''[[Sextette]]''
|
| Edgewater Beach Playhouse
|<ref>{{cite news|work=Chicago Tribune|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1961/07/08/page/61/article/mae-west-still-a-show-stopper/|title=Mae West Still a Show Stopper|date=July 8, 1961|access-date=April 19, 2017}}</ref>
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Other plays as writer
|-
! Year
! Title
! class="unsortable" | Notes
! Ref.
|-
| 1921
| ''{{sortname|The|Ruby Ring|nolink=1}}''
| Vaudeville playlet
| {{sfn|Louvish|2006|p=85}}
|-
| 1922
| ''{{sortname|The|Hussy|nolink=1}}''
| Unproduced
| {{sfn|Louvish|2006|p=93}}
|-
| 1930
| ''Frisco Kate''
| Unproduced, later produced as the 1936 film ''Klondike Annie''
| {{sfn|Louvish|2006|p=140}}
|-
| 1933
| ''Loose Women''
| Performed in 1935 under title ''Ladies By Request''
| {{sfn|Louvish|2006|p=244}}
|-
| 1936
| ''Clean Beds''
| Sold treatment to George S. George, who produced<br />an unsuccessful Broadway play of West's treatment
| {{sfn|Louvish|2006|p=460}}
|}

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Year
! Film
! Role
! Writer(s)
! Co-stars
! Director
! Studio
|-
| 1932
| ''[[Night After Night (film)|Night After Night]]''
| Maudie Triplett
|''Story:'' [[Louis Bromfield]]<br> ''Screenplay:'' Vincent Lawrence<br>''Continuity:'' [[Kathryn Scola]]<br>''Additional dialogue (uncredited):'' Mae West
| [[George Raft]]<br>[[Constance Cummings]]<br>[[Wynne Gibson]]
| [[Archie Mayo]]
| rowspan=8|[[Paramount Pictures]]
|-
| rowspan=2|1933
| ''[[She Done Him Wrong]]''
| Lady Lou
|''Screenplay:'' Harvey F. Thew and John Bright <br>''Based on the play ''Diamond Lil'' by'' Mae West
| [[Cary Grant]]<br>[[Owen Moore]]<br>[[Gilbert Roland]]
| [[Lowell Sherman]]
|-
| ''[[I'm No Angel]]''
| Tira
| ''Story, Screenplay and All Dialogue:'' Mae West<br> ''Suggestions:'' Lowell Brentano<br>''Continuity:'' Harlan Thompson
| [[Cary Grant]]<br>[[Gregory Ratoff]]<br>[[Edward Arnold (actor)|Edward Arnold]]
| [[Wesley Ruggles]]
|-
| 1934
| ''[[Belle of the Nineties]]''
|Ruby Carter
| Mae West
| [[Roger Pryor (actor)|Roger Pryor]]<br>[[Johnny Mack Brown]]<br>[[Katherine DeMille]]
| [[Leo McCarey]]
|-
| 1935
| ''[[Goin' to Town]]''
| Cleo Borden
|''Screenplay:'' Mae West <br> ''Story:'' Marion Morgan and George B. Dowell
| [[Paul Cavanagh]]<br>[[Gilbert Emery]]<br>[[Marjorie Gateson]]
| [[Alexander Hall]]
|-
| rowspan=2|1936
| ''[[Klondike Annie]]''
| The Frisco Doll<br>Rose Carlton<br>Sister Annie Alden
|''Screenplay:'' Mae West <br> ''Story:'' Marion Morgan and George B. Dowell<br>''And material suggested by'' Frank Mitchell Dazey
| [[Victor McLaglen]]<br>[[Phillip Reed]]<br>[[Helen Jerome Eddy]]
| [[Raoul Walsh]]
|-
| ''[[Go West, Young Man (1936 film)|Go West, Young Man]]''
| Mavis Arden
|''Screenplay:'' Mae West <br> ''Based on the play ''[[Personal Appearance (play)|Personal Appearance]] ''by'' [[Lawrence Riley]]
| [[Warren William]]<br>[[Randolph Scott]]<br>[[Alice Brady]]
| [[Henry Hathaway]]
|-
| 1937
| ''[[Every Day's a Holiday (1937 film)|Every Day's a Holiday]]''
| Peaches O'Day
|Mae West
| [[Edmund Lowe]]<br>[[Charles Butterworth (actor)|Charles Butterworth]]<br>[[Charles Winninger]]
| [[A. Edward Sutherland]]
|-
| 1940
| ''[[My Little Chickadee]]''
| Flower Belle Lee
|Mae West and [[W. C. Fields]]
| [[W. C. Fields]]<br>[[Joseph Calleia]]<br>[[Dick Foran]]
| [[Edward F. Cline]]
| [[Universal Pictures]]
|-
| 1943
| ''[[The Heat's On]]''
| Fay Lawrence
|Fitzroy Davis & George S. George and Fred Schiller
| [[Victor Moore]]<br>[[William Gaxton]]<br>[[Lester Allen]]
| [[Gregory Ratoff]]
| [[Columbia Pictures]]
|-
| 1970
| ''[[Myra Breckinridge (film)|Myra Breckinridge]]''
| Leticia Van Allen
| ''Screenplay:'' Michael Sarne and David Giler<br>''Based on the novel by'' [[Gore Vidal]]
| [[Raquel Welch]]<br>[[John Huston]]<br>[[Farrah Fawcett]]
| [[Michael Sarne]]
| [[20th Century Fox]]
|-
| 1978
| ''[[Sextette]]''
| Marlo Manners<br>Lady Barrington
| ''Screenplay:'' Herbert Baker<br>''Based on the play by'' Mae West
| [[Timothy Dalton]]<br>[[Dom DeLuise]]<br>[[Tony Curtis]]
| [[Ken Hughes]]
| [[Crown International Pictures]]
|}

==Discography==
Albums:
* 1956: ''[[The Fabulous Mae West]]''; [[Decca Records|Decca]] D/DL-79016 (several reissues up to 2006)
* 1960: ''W.C. Fields His Only Recording Plus 8 Songs by Mae West''; Proscenium PR 22
* 1966: ''[[Way Out West (Mae West album)|Way Out West]]''; [[Tower Records (record label)|Tower]] T/ST-5028
* 1966: ''[[Wild Christmas]]''; Dragonet LPDG-48
* 1970: ''The Original Voice Tracks from Her Greatest Movies''; Decca D/DL-791/76
* 1970: ''Mae West & W.C. Fields Side by Side''; [[Harmony Records|Harmony]] HS 11374/HS 11405
* 1972: ''[[Great Balls of Fire (Mae West album)|Great Balls of Fire]]''; [[MGM Records|MGM]] SE 4869
* 1974: ''Original Radio Broadcasts''; Mark 56 Records 643
* 1987/1995: ''Sixteen Sultry Songs Sung by Mae West Queen of Sex''; [[Rosetta Reitz|Rosetta]] RR 1315
* 1996: ''I'm No Angel''; [[Jasmine Records|Jasmine]] CD 04980 102
* 2006: ''The Fabulous'': [[Rev-Ola Records|Rev-Ola]] CR Rev 181
At least 21 singles (78 [[rpm]] and 45 rpm) were released from 1933 to 1973.

==Written works==
* {{cite book |last=West |first=Mae |title=Babe Gordon |publisher=The Macaulay Company |year=1930}} (the novel on which ''The Constant Sinner'' was based)
* {{cite book |last=West |first=Mae |title=Diamond Lil Man |publisher=Caxton House |year=1932}} (novelization of play)
* {{cite book |last1=West |first1=Mae |last2=Weintraub |first2=Joseph |title=The Wit and Wisdom of Mae West |publisher=G.P. Putnam |year=1967 |isbn=978-0-399-50549-2}}
* {{cite book |last=West |first=Mae |title=Goodness Had Nothing to Do with It |publisher=Prentice-Hall |year=1970 |orig-year=1959 |isbn=978-1-86049-034-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/goodnesshadnothi00west}}
* {{cite book |last=West |first=Mae |title=Mae West on Sex, Health and ESP |year=1975a |publisher=W.H. Allen |isbn=978-0-491-01613-1}}
* {{cite book |last=West |first=Mae |title=Pleasure Man |publisher=[[Dell Pub. Co.]] |year=1975b |isbn=978-0-440-07074-0}}
* {{cite book |last=West |first=Mae |editor-last=Schlissel |editor-first=Lillian |title=Three Plays by Mae West: ''Sex'', ''The Drag'', ''Pleasure Man'' |publisher=Routledge |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-415-90933-4}}
* {{cite book |last=West |first=Mae |editor-last=Tutak |editor-first=Romain |title=Mae West – The First Plays: ''Ruby Ring'', ''The Hussy'', ''The Wicked Age'', ''Frisco Kate'' |year=2023 |isbn=979-8856398860}}

==See also==
* {{Portal-inline|Biography}}

==References==
;;Citations
{{reflist}}
;;Works cited
* {{cite book |last1=Cullen |first1=Frank |last2=Hackman |first2=Florence |last3=McNeilly |first3=Donald |title=Vaudeville, Old & New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America |url=https://archive.org/details/vaudevilleoldnew00cull |url-access=limited |publisher=Routledge |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-415-93853-2}}
* {{cite book |last=Curry |first=Ramona |title=Too Much of a Good Thing: Mae West as Cultural Icon |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-8166-2791-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/toomuchofgoodthi0000curr}}
* {{cite book |last1=Eells |first1=George |last2=Musgrove |first2=Stanley |title=Mae West: A Biography |publisher=Morrow |year=1982 |isbn=978-0-688-00816-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/maewestbiography00eell}}
* {{cite book |last=Hamilton |first=Marybeth |title=When I'm Bad, I'm Better: Mae West, Sex, and American Entertainment |publisher=University of California Press |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-520-21094-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/whenimbadimbette0000hami}}
* {{cite book |last1=Hilmes |first1=Michele |last2=Loviglio |first2=Jason |title=Radio Reader: Essays in the Cultural History of Radio |publisher=Routledge |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-415-92821-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/radioreaderessay0000unse}}
* {{cite book |last1=Kashner |first1=Sam |last2=MacNair |first2=Jennifer |title=The Bad & the Beautiful: Hollywood in the Fifties |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-393-32436-5}}
* {{cite book |last=Leider |first=Emily Wortis |title=Becoming Mae West |publisher=Da Capo Press |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-306-80951-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/becomingmaewest0000leid}}
* {{cite book |last=Leonard |first=Maurice |title=Mae West: Empress of Sex |publisher=Collins |year=1991 |isbn=978-0-00-215197-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Louvish |first=Simon |title=Mae West: It Ain't No Sin |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-571-21948-3}}
* {{cite book |last=Robertson |first=Pamela |title=Guilty Pleasures: Feminist Camp from Mae West to Madonna |publisher=I.B. Tauris |year=1996 |isbn=978-1-86064-088-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Watts |first=Jill |title=Mae West: An Icon in Black and White |publisher=Oxford University Press US |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-19-516112-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/maewesticonblack00watt_938 |url-access=limited}}
* {{cite magazine |last=Winslow |first=Thyra Samter |title=Mae West, the Queen of New York |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1928/11/10/mae-west-profile-diamond-lil |date=November 2, 1928 |magazine=The New Yorker}}
* {{cite book |last=Yeatts |first=Tabatha |title=The Legendary Mae West |publisher=Lulu.com |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-9679158-1-4}}{{self-published source|date=February 2020}}

==External links==
{{wikisource|works=or}}
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons category|Mae West}}
* {{IMDb name|922213}}
* {{Tcmdb name}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{Playbill person}}
* [https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/259666 ''Mae West''], on [[Goodreads]]
* {{Discogs artist|Mae West}}
* ''[https://musicbrainz.org/artist/9cde9e3a-e8af-4659-9c59-bdbf96acb558 Mae West]'', on [[MusicBrainz]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150114075003/http://www.tv.com/people/mae-west/ Mae West], on [[TV.com]] <small>(archived 1 January 2012)</small>
* [https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/mae_west Mae West], on [[Rotten Tomatoes]]

{{Mae West|state=expanded}}
{{Burlesque Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:West, Mae}}
[[Category:Mae West| ]]
[[Category:1893 births]]
[[Category:1980 deaths]]
[[Category:Age controversies]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century American comedians]]
[[Category:20th-century American dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women writers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women singers]]
[[Category:Actresses from Brooklyn]]
[[Category:Actresses from Queens, New York]]
[[Category:American burlesque performers]]
[[Category:American people of English descent]]
[[Category:American people of German descent]]
[[Category:American people of Scottish descent]]
[[Category:American contraltos]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:American Presbyterians]]
[[Category:American stage actresses]]
[[Category:American television actresses]]
[[Category:American vedettes]]
[[Category:American women comedians]]
[[Category:American women dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:American women screenwriters]]
[[Category:Burials at Cypress Hills Cemetery]]
[[Category:Illeists]]
[[Category:Musicians from Brooklyn]]
[[Category:People from Woodhaven, Queens]]
[[Category:Paramount Pictures contract players]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from New York (state)]]
[[Category:American vaudeville performers]]
[[Category:20th-century American screenwriters]]
[[Category:Comedians from Brooklyn]]
[[Category:Comedians from Queens, New York]]