Review: Mae West in Hollywood, 1932-43

Blu-ray: Mae West in Hollywood (1932-43)

I’m betting that the words “Come up and see me sometime” was the first thing that went through your mind when you saw the title of this review, and to be honest with you, that would have been the same for me too before sitting down with this limited edition blu-ray box set from Powerhouse Films.

However, as I’ve certainly discovered recently, there is a whole lot more to Mae West than that one unforgettable turn of phrase.

Already an accomplished actress/singer/playwright in New York, she went to Hollywood just a few years shy of her 40th birthday, and made her first big screen appearance as Maudie Triplett in Night After Night. Despite her character not getting much screen time, she absolutely steals every scene that she is in…something which she continued to do throughout her career as far as I’m concerned.

Sashaying through scenes, hand on hips, wry smile playing on her lips, she demanded that your eyes were focused on her no matter what else was happening onscreen.

She Done Him Wrong not only upped her screen time and made her a more focused character, it also gave her with her first writing credit…something else which would continue through her movie career.

It also properly introduced me to her singing (again, something else which would be a part of her future movies), and while I admit to cringing a bit when I first heard her, over the course of her movies I’ve actually found myself quite enjoying the songs (just don’t tell anyone I enjoy them okay? I exclusively listen to rock music and have never rewatched any of her songs on YouTube…ahem).

This pre-code era of Hollywood was a golden time for Mae, allowing her sexual innuendos to scattershot the script and leave audience members gasping in their theatre seats. But even the Hays Code didn’t derail her writing for latter movies, as her wit and intellect always found a way to work around the enforced rules and keep audiences loving her brazenness.

While her character name was always different, and even the time period in which the movie was set kept changing, Mae was always there; centre screen, strong willed, always ready with a snappy reply to anyone, and more often than not adorned in the finest dresses accompanied by an array of sparkling jewellery. 

Co-stars included Cary Grant, Randolph Scott, and W.C. Fields, and despite everyone playing their parts well, no matter which movie I watched, it was always Mae who dominated the screen for me.

You might have noticed that I haven’t said much about the narrative of each movie, but if you’re a fan you’ll already know what happens, and if like me your knowledge of Mae West is not much more than the line of dialogue that began this review, then it is definitely better going into this great box set only knowing what I’ve already disclosed.

The picture and sound on these blu-rays (which include 9 x UK Blu-ray premieres, 1 x World Blu-ray premiere) defy the age of the movies…hard to believe that we’re coming up to 90 years after the release of Night After Night, and the extensive set of special features will keep you informed and entertained for MANY hours after you’ve watched all the movies.

A superb box set for fans of Mae West and newcomers too, while also being released at a time when it would make a great Christmas present for someone, this is a box set that you might not yet know that you want…give it a try and you might be as pleasantly surprised as I was.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

NIGHT AFTER NIGHT / SHE DONE HIM WRONG

I’M NO ANGEL / BELLE OF THE NINETIES