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| Shirley Temple and Mae West pinup Look May 25 1937 (from my collection) |
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| Mae West dressed as a boy aged 15 in 1908. This photo probably started a lot of rumours |
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| In her teens Mae West was striking |
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| Mae West as a vamp variety performer in 1917 |
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| Mae West and her rarely seen sister Beverly (own collection) |
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| Blondes have more fun |
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| Mae West color magazine pinup (own collection) |
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| Mae West vintage postcard (own collection) |
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| Mae West as a lion tamer in I'm No Angel 1933 (own collection) |
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| My favorite photo of Mae West (own collection) |
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| This is a close 2nd favorite shot. |
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| Silver Screen Feb '35 (own collection) |
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| Mae & Charlie McCarthy "Why don't you come up and play in my wood pile?" |
There has been a lot of speculation over the years that Mae West may have actually been born male.
She was rarely photographed showing her legs, loved films set in the 'gay nineties' as that era suited her penchant for big hats, ample bosom, tiny waist and hourglass figure. Also Mae disliked being touched, was very discreet with her lovers, loved a prizefight or a black boxer as a lover. And yet Mae was tiny, she wore stacked shoes that had false bottoms on them, so when she walked, it was one balancing act. Another unusual thing about Mae was she hated her masculine chin and jawline, and had them retouched in every photo. Mae made her first film at 40, so she wanted to look as good as possible in every photo. Her weight was always a problem, and being short in stature didn't help. So she always wore long dresses or trousers to cover her stacked heels. In the late 40's it was reported Mae had died, then the papers said it was her brother who had died. Some people believe Mae's looks changed from the 50's onwards. Her brother was taller, but her sister Beverly was about the same height. and looked very similar. Very few photos exist of Mae with her sister Beverly. But her sister was at Mae's funeral in 1980, so it couldn't have been her pretending to be Mae all those years. It would be a fascinating rumour to believe, but there is no proof. Anyway, Raquel Welch loves to talk about working on the 1970 camp classic Myra Breckenridge with Mae, and on the dvd's commentary, she states at the time she noticed Mae's big hands, and thought she was a man. Raquel and Mae famously did not get on during filming. Mae insisted on being the only actress to wear white, so Raquel wore a pale blue tinted ruffle. But more about Myra in my next post on Mae's later years. For now enjoy some rare early shots of Mae in her vaudeville days, and some stunning shots through the 30's of Mae at her peak.
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