Editing Mae West (section)

==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}}</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|pp=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 Court House (now [[Jefferson Market Library]]), 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 Welfare Island (now known as [[Roosevelt 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.|title=Parody as Film Genre: "Never Give a Saga an Even Break"|url=https://archive.org/details/parodyasfilmgenr00gehr|url-access=limited|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=1999|page=39|isbn=978-0-313-26186-2}}</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}}</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>