Book Review: The Mae West Films

Three years ago this summer I began watching Mae West films for the first time, and -- frankly somewhat to my surprise -- I discovered that I thoroughly enjoyed them.

As I described at the time, West had been something of a punchline to jokes when I was growing up, and I hadn't been interested in digging deeper. I'm certainly glad I changed my mind, as I found West "a completely unique film persona in both looks and personality...[she] absolutely owns the screen." West's films proved to be a wonderful discovery for me.

I've now seen all but the last couple of West's films of the '30s and '40s, and I was delighted to learn more about her life and career thanks to the new book by James L. Neibaur, THE MAE WEST FILMS. It was recently published by Bear Manor Media.

The book opens with a brief overview of West's life and stage work before the movies, then launches into in-depth looks at her dozen films. (I certainly regret the relative brevity of her movie career!) Additional biographical information is included towards the end of the book.

Each movie chapter contains the film's credits, production history, and contemporaneous critical reception, as well as some more recent assessments.

In the interests of full disclosure, this is a good place to pause and mention that I had the lovely surprise of finding my review of West's first film, NIGHT AFTER NIGHT (1932), quoted in the book. I loved her in it!

West was a unique movie personality; as Neibaur notes in his introduction, due to her pre-film stage fame she was able to have some control over her characters and dialogue, although she faced challenges when Production Code enforcement began in 1934. I appreciated the book's behind-the-scenes descriptions of these issues.

I found the book an informative and enjoyable guide which would also be the perfect companion to read alongside viewing the films; I'll return to it as I watch MY LITTLE CHICKADEE (1940) and THE HEAT'S ON (1943) for the first time, and I'm sure I'll consult it again when I rewatch her earlier movies in the future.

I reviewed a paperback edition of this book, which is also available in hardcover and e-book formats. The paperback measures six by nine inches and is 211 pages including bibliography and index. A nice selection of well-reproduced black and white photographs are printed directly on the pages.

Finally, I loved seeing that the book is dedicated to someone I admire very much, Farran Smith Nehme, aka the "Self-Styled Siren."

Previous reviews of books authored by James L. Neibaur: FRANK SINATRA ON THE BIG SCREEN; THE GEORGE RAFT FILMS; THE FILMS OF JUDY GARLAND; THE JOHN WAYNE B-WESTERNS 1932-1939.

My previous reviews of Mae West films: NIGHT AFTER NIGHT (1932), SHE DONE HIM WRONG (1933), I'M NO ANGEL (1933), BELLE OF THE NINETIES (1934), GOIN' TO TOWN (1935), KLONDIKE ANNIE (1936), GO WEST YOUNG MAN (1936), and EVERY DAY'S A HOLIDAY (1937).

Thanks to James L. Neibaur and Bear Manor Media for providing a review copy of this book.

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