History Creator / MaeWest

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: She made a career out of this (see her quote on "NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity") at a time when people thought the movies were too indecent and the stars were vice-ridden (not much has changed and it might be a shock to no one, but try to look at it through the POV of someone who lived during that time).

* DumbBlonde: averted. She was quite witty and engaging.

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* DuelingStarsMovie: Creator/WCFields and Mae West were co-stars in ''My Little Chickadee'' (1941). We can only sigh at two such notoriously filthy comedians only being able to work together in an era where their material had to be severely curtailed on film.

* EternalSexualFreedom

* IWasQuiteALooker: Became an example of this later in life, although she tried and failed to deny it.
* MsFanservice

Mae West (1893-1980) was one of the most iconic and unlikely sex symbols of the early 20th century. Famous for her hourglass figure, sensual voice and cheeky DoubleEntendre she also became one of the most controversial film actors of all time.

Starting off - like most stars in her time- in vaudeville she rapidly became notorious for her sexually risqué singing style. Her Broadway play, ''Sex'' (1927), caused so much scandal that the police arrested her and the entire cast. She barely spent a few days in jail while the press elevated her to national fame. Her next play, ''The Drag'' (1928) was never staged because the Society for the Prevention of Vice took offense of its homosexual themes.

By the time she became a movie star she was already 38 years old, but became an overnight success. Classic films like ''Night After Night'' (1932), ''Film/SheDoneHimWrong'' (1933), ''I'm No Angel'' (1933), ''Klondike Annie'' (1936) and ''My Little Chickadee'' (1940) featured West intimidating her co-actors with her witty and sexually risqué wisecracks and double entendres. She played the same part when appearing on radio shows. Creator/SalvadorDali designed a wood and satin sofa after her lips and during World War II Allied aircrew units called their life preserver jackets "Mae West", due to its resemblance to her bosom. She is even featured on the cover of Music/TheBeatles ''Music/SgtPeppersLonelyHeartsClubBand'' album.

--> ''"When I'm good, I'm good. When I'm bad, I'm better."''

[[quoteright:338:[[PrettyInMink http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mae_portrait_995.jpg]]]]

* PrettyInMink: She loved wearing furs in her films and real life -- see the page image -- and bought a white rabbit cape, and muff with her first paycheck from stage work.

* ThatsWhatSheSaid: [[SincerityMode It is, actually]].

* TheRival: To Jayne Mansfield in later years.

* DuelingStarsMovie: Creator/WCFields and Mae West were co-stars in ''My Little Chickadee'' (1941).

* ReallyGetsAround: Her characters were known for this.

By the time she became a movie star she was already 38 years old, but became an overnight success. Classic films like ''Night After Night'' (1932), ''She Done Him Wrong'' (1933), ''I'm No Angel'' (1933), ''Klondike Annie'' (1936) and ''My Little Chickadee'' (1940) featured West intimidating her co-actors with her witty and sexually risqué wisecracks and double entendres. She played the same part when appearing on radio shows. Creator/SalvadorDali designed a wood and satin sofa after her lips and during World War II Allied aircrew units called their life preserver jackets "Mae West", due to its resemblance to her bosom. She is even featured on the cover of Music/TheBeatles ''Music/SgtPeppersLonelyHeartsClubBand'' album.

Later in life Mae West tried her best to keep her status as former sex symbol, despite looking nothing like it anymore. She recorded a few rock 'n' roll albums and even appeared in a few {{Cult Classic}}s like ''MyraBreckinridge'' (1970) and starred and wrote the very campy ''{{Film/Sextette}}'' (1978).

* DoubleEntendre

* PigeonholedVoiceActor: Mae's voice is so iconic that it's been parodied to death, both in her era and in the modern day. Melissa [=McCarthy=] (from the movie ''Bridesmaids'') can actually do a spot-on vocal impression of her (as seen on an ''SNL'' sketch featuring a Mae West knock-off who keeps falling down the stairs in her movies).

By the time she became a movie star she was already 38 years old, but became an overnight success. Classic films like ''Night After Night'' (1932), ''She Done Him Wrong'' (1933), ''I'm No Angel'' (1933), ''Klondike Annie'' (1936) and ''My Little Chickadee'' (1940) featured West intimidating her co-actors with her witty and sexually risqué wisecracks and double entendres. She played the same part when appearing on radio shows. Creator/SalvadorDali made a famous painting of her as a sofa and during World War II Allied aircrew units called their life preserver jackets "Mae West", due to its resemblance to her bosom. She is even featured on the cover of Music/TheBeatles ''Music/SgtPeppersLonelyHeartsClubBand'' album.

By the time she became a movie star she was already 38 years old, but became an overnight success. Classic films like ''Night After Night'' (1932), ''She Done Him Wrong'' (1933), ''I'm No Angel'' (1933), ''Klondike Annie'' (1936) and ''My Little Chickadee'' (1940) featured West intimidating her co-actors with her witty and sexually risqué wisecracks and double entendres. She played the same part when appearing on radio shows. Creator/SalvadorDali made a famous painting of her as a sofa and during World War II Allied aircrew militaries called their life preserver jackets "Mae West", due to its resemblance to her bosom. She is even featured on the cover of Music/TheBeatles ''Music/SgtPeppersLonelyHeartsClubBand'' album.

Later in life Mae West tried her best to keep her status as former sex symbol, despite looking nothing like it anymore. She recorded a few rock 'n' roll albums and even appeared in a few CultClassic s like ''MyraBreckinridge'' (1970) and starred and wrote the very campy ''{{Film/Sextette}}'' (1978).

* ReallyGetsAround: Her characters were known for this

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: She made a career out of this (see her quote on "NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity")

Not to be confused with DebiMaeWest.