Most folks are familiar with the wit of legendary actress Mae West. Yet how many are aware this woman was not only brilliant, but wise?
I had heard one story about how self-centered she was, that at dinner parties her eyes would glaze over unless she was the topic of conversation. However Charles Eagle Plume told me that when Miss West visited his famous Indian store, she proved to be soft-spoken, gracious, polite and she wore a tasteful white silk pant suit, plus she had "…the softest, most beautiful white skin I've ever seen."
A series of synchronistic associations led me to study that woman more closely. Sometime late last year, a mention of the great American writer Gore Vidal led me to think of his novel MYRA BRECKINRIDGE
Then I discovered that the film was also available in a restored version. MYRA
Even the notorious SEXTETTE
This led more recently to a Netflix review of Miss West's older films--which I realized I had only glimpsed bits of on TV long ago when I used to watch television. I'd never really studied her films with a brain. The best of those, in my opinion are GO WEST YOUNG MAN and SHE DONE HIM WRONG
Only the biggest revelation about her came with more research into who Miss West really was. Turns out that privately those who knew her found her to be loving and generous. She was not merely a sensual creature; she worked extremely hard at her writing and forever persisted in her projects. Indeed she appeared at just the right time to promote healthier attitudes towards sensuality and ironically, about the independence of women. However her statement, "I believe with a passion in myself" is what impressed me most. Her self-respect and positive thinking were astonishing!
Among my treasures now is a superb bio, mostly in her own words from extended interviews Miss West gave to Charlotte Chandler just a few months before she died in 1980: SHE ALWAYS KNEW HOW.
What choice reading this is, because, indeed she did know!
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