Mae West - The Glamour Collection (1936)

"Why don't you come up sometime and see me?"

Night After Night is a pre-code film might draw you in because of West, but it will make you a fan of George Raft. It is the story of a man who runs a speakeasy (Raft). He finds himself in a bind when another gang in town wants to buy him out or bump him off. He isn't worried, but when he meets a beautiful high class girl who he sets out to marry (Constance Cummings), he plans to sell for enough money to take care of her. However, in comes his old flame (West) who is by no means cautious when it comes to demolishing the good impression he is trying to make on his potential wife. West is brash and realistic in this film, but her debut role is much smaller than her later starring roles. She has some great lines though and some revealing costumes. Raft is wonderful in this film. His usual gangster character is enlightened by love; in scenes where he is innocently eager and lovestruck, he is incredibly likable. There are some scandalous elements here. We see Raft's naked hip as he steps into the bathtub, West in a loose, revealing nightgown, prostitution references, and a kiss that does not entail love.

In Go West Young Man, Marvis Arden (West) is a sensational movie star. Her following spans the world and her personal appearance tours prove her popularity. On her way home from one such appearance, Arden's car breaks down. She orders her publicity man (Warren William) to find her a place to stay, suspicious that he planned the break down to keep her away from a man. However, she soon finds herself mooning over an attractive repairman in town (Randolph Scott) and listening to his ideas about inventing equipment for film. West has many snappy quips, especially brilliant since she wrote the script herself. It is always exciting to see Hollywood parodying itself and its stars. The visual elements are quite good, especially the opener.

Goin' to Town is the story of an ambitious woman named Cleo Borden (West) who grew up in a saloon. She loves the men and the men love her, but her aspirations lead her to enter into a contract to marry a wealthy man (Fred Kohler). Fortunately for her, he dies and leaves her all of his fortune. She soon learns that although she has money, she is not yet a lady, so she embarks on a journey to become one. She has no desire to change herself, but the man she sets her sights on (Paul Cavanagh) does, so she obliges.

I've read many wonderful things about this I'm No Angel, and it certainly is an important one in the history of West's career because it is a film adaptation of her scandalous theatrical show called Sex. However, I found it to be quite dull. Basically what we have here is a study about a woman who enjoys the company of men and who gets tired of them as quickly as she falls for them. One day, a special man rolls along (Cary Grant) and she wants to become a one man woman. This does not happen, though, until about halfway through the film. Perhaps the code helped West more than it hurt her. When it was put into effect, she had to censor herself more, forcing her to limit the amount of inuendo used and to create a solid storyline. The lack of any real direction makes the movie more of a curiosity than an endurable classic. There is no refuting West's talent with words and her obvious sexuality, but you CAN have too much of a good thing, and this is a perfect example.

My Little Chickadee is the story of a wild woman (West) who is ejected from her town for her indiscreet behavior. She is only allowed to be accepted by marrying, so she fakes a wedding with a man she meets on a train (WC Fields). However, she does not give up her behavior and avoids her new husband as much as possible. The most powerful man in town takes to the woman and makes her husband sheriff, a position that does not hold members for long. West's saucy, purring voice is quite pleasing in this film. She is a suave gunslinger who is never surprised adorned with great costumes that show off her ample body. In the one song in the film, she sings "Willie of the Valley" with an excellently utilized vibrato voice with a bluesy style. She is excellent in the film, especially the schoolhouse scene. Fields makes a great entrance into the picture. He has a great personality, and an extravagant, stagy voice, but he is slightly upstaged by West. West and Fields wrote the screenplay, and it is filled with snappy, sophisticated dialogue. There are several great one-liners, like, "My heart is a bargain today; will you take me?" and "I'd like to see Paris before I die; Philadelphia will do." There are some racial stereotypes in this film including those aimed at Indians, Spaniards, and Chinese. The picture is crisp and clear, beautifully photographed.

West is her good ol' self here, complete with wiggling hips and growling voice. Either you love her or you hate her, and I find it quite difficult not to admire her. She had guts that many in the business did not have. She can put off a suggestive bit of dialogue with just enough inuendo to titilate those in on the joke, but with a subtlety that will pass over the heads of others. She is quick and expects you to keep up with her.

It is true that the packaging can be a bit frustrating, especially when they disks are not entirely full. However, the set is affordable and features some highly entertaining films with a great star. It is hard to complain too much. March 9, 2008

A SLEAZOID PACKAGE - SHAME ON THOSE MORONS !

A missed opportunity. Stupidly formulated and cheaply realized. Shame on the oafs who threw this package together. An oppertunity missed. The films themselves are terrific - The transfers, nothing to write home about, adequate - but the presentation SUCKS! Stupid packaging adds to the rotten package - And what's the blank side all about? Universal should fire the morons who f**ed a legend! January 27, 2008

Will Universal Ever Complete The Mae West DVD Collection?

In 1998, Image Entertainment/Universal released three Mae West movies on DVD: _Belle of the Nineties_, _Klondike Annie_ and _I'm No Angel_. Then, as quickly as they appeared, these titles went out of print. Fortunately, I was able to obtain these three titles at Tower Records close-out prices and not from eBay or other online flea markets.

In my opinion, the top three Mae West movies are: _Belle of the Nineties_, _I'm No Angel_ and _She Done Him Wrong_. Universal recently announced that _She Done Him Wrong_ will be released on April 22, 2008 and this will complete my DVD collection of Mae West favorites. Unfortunately for other collectors, another DVD version of _Belle of the Nineties_ is nowhere in sight.

When _Mae West - The Glamour Collection_ came out, it appeared that Universal was going to release a second edition, which would include the missing classics mentioned above as well as _Every Day's a Holiday_. Universal has always had peculiar DVD release versions and schedules and its slipshod treatment of the Mae West collection is no exception.

Maybe if enough people complain, Universal will finally complete the Mae West DVD collection. January 26, 2008

WOW!!!

Unbelieveable! 5 Mae West films for
5 bucks. Awesome!
And I don't know either, what these
other critics say. These movies are
in excellent viewing condition. So,
what if they aren't "digitally
re-mastered"!
These movies are perfect and for such
a great deal.
What a great way to start or add to
your collection.
BTW, the sticker on the cover of this
DVD says $25.99, and I paid $5. What a
steal!

dp January 13, 2008

brassy fun

much fun for those who remember her. Better to give to the younger film fans in order to show the character of her work over these years January 9, 2008

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