HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAE WEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE REMEMBER MAE WEST
Well, I'm sorry that I haven't been blogging for a few days. but it's been really crazy in my life for the last few days including a day at the store where from out of nowhere came a $17,000.00 day. Samuel L. Jackson came into our store and bought $9,000 worth of cameras and lenses and the previous day we had a visit from television past. The star's name was Kate Jackson, the actress who played "Sabrina" on "Charlie's Angels"Kate had her adopted son 11 year old "Taylor" with her. He is simply a charming little boy. But Kate seemed a bit scatterbrained and unfocused and I only hope this is but a temporary setback. She's looked a lot more glamorous than I saw her that night. I really don't think she knew what she wanted and ended up staying an hour and a half after closing. Samuel L. looked well and it was great meetinghim too! August 17th also marked the birthday of the great Mae West -- who would have been 113 years old. My cousin, James Crabe was the director of cinematography on her very last picture- the one and only "Sextette"-- Mae was at one time of the most controversial stars of her day! She encountered many obstacles in her long life including early censorship! Mae was able to look young for a long time by doing such "beauty secret" as massaging for two hours daily cold cream into her breasts to keep them youthful looking! Mae was born in Brooklyn in 1893. Mae began performing in vaudeville at the age of five. She was prosecuted on morals charges for portraying and producing a risque production called "Sex" in 1927. She was incarcerated on Welfare Island, but so overwhelmed the Warden there, that he permitted her to wear her silk panties instead of the standard prison issue. Of course, this same warden took Mae West to dinner every single night of her ten day stay. Mae West felt that talking about sex was a basic human right issue and she was an early advocate of gay rights long before the word "gay" had even been coined! In 1932, Mae west appeared in a classic movie starring George Raft called "Night After Night".She wanted to live close to the studio doing the picture (Paramount) and moved into a house two blocks away! She maintaineed a residence in this same house at 570 North Rossmore Avenue for the rest of her life. It was in this movie that she created one of her most famous lines when the director gave her free reign to make up her own lines in the picture. In Mae's very first scene she walks into a fancy nighclub where a hat check girl excaims "Goodness, what lovely diamonds" To which the great Mae West shot back "Goodness had nothing to do with it, dearie!" Atta, girl, Mae! Bye for now!