Three Plays by Mae West

by Schlissel, Lillian

  Act II “episode” 1 takes place in the cafe in Hotel Port au Prince, Trinidad, to which place the prostitute, Margie LaMont, following out the request of

  Lieutenant Gregg, in “episode” 2, has come with Lieutenant Gregg. In this “episode” the prostitute dances before the sailors of the fleet and the officers in a way that causes Ensign Jones, the same character in which “episode” 1 had solicited Margie LaMont to commit an act of prostitution with him, to say “You’d make a bulldog break its chain” the said dance having been performed by the defendant Mae West by moving her buttocks and other parts of her body in such a way as to suggest an act of sexual intercourse. In this scene defendant Lyons Wickland, portraying the character of Jimmy Stanton, makes his appearance, He is introduced to the prostitute with whom he falls in love. The second “episode” in the same act takes place after an interval of one week and is at the same scene as “episode” 1 of that act. In these scene the same prostitute, Agnes Scott, portrayed by defendant Ann Reader, again appears and announces to the prostitute Margie LaMont that she had heard that Margie LaMont was following the fleet and doing well, and for that reason she had come along. Jimmy Stanton asked the prostitute Margie LaMont to marry him and it is arranged that Jimmy Stanton and Margie LaMont shall leave for the United States the following morning.

  The first “episode” of Act III takes place in Robert Stanton’s home in Westchester, Robert Stanton being the father of Jimmy Stanton. It is then discovered that the character, Clara Smith, who in “episode” 2 of Act I was the married woman away from her husband, brought into the disorderly house in Montreal by the pimp, Rocky Waldron, is the mother of Jimmy Stanton who is in love with the prostitute Margie LaMont. Mutual recriminations take place between the prostitute and the character of Clara Stanton, alias Clara Smith, in which after Clara Smith has called the prostitute a woman of the street, the prostitute, after announcing that hers was a profession followed to earn a living, tells the mother of the man whom she expects to marry that such mother was a prostitute except that the mother gave her virtue away without pay. At another point all the characters have left the scene except Jimmy Stanton and the prostitute Margie LaMont. Jimmy embraces Margie LaMont and goes through with her the business of making love to her by lying on top of her on a couch, each embracing the other. When this is terminated and Jimmy Stanton offers to call a maid to show the prostitute to her room, Margie LaMont answers “Can’t you show me to my room?” The character Jimmy Stanton takes her to her room. On the threshold, after kissing and embracing, they step into that room and the scene ends.

  Prior to the termination of the act, and at the same time of the talk referred to between the character Clara Stanton and Margie LaMont, Margie LaMont tells Clara Stanton that inasmuch as Clara Stanton had used the home of Margie LaMont in Montreal, she, Margie LaMont, intended to use Clara Stanton’s home to have sexual intercourse with Jimmy Stanton and test out whether or not he really was in love with her. The language they used does not contain the words “sexual intercourse” but the purport and tenor of the business and language is to that effect.

  “Episode” 2 of Act III takes place the following morning in the same scene and is opened by Jimmy Stanton stealing out of the prostitute’s room into which he had gone as indicated at the end of the last act, after kissing and embracing her. In this last “episode” the pimp, Rocky Waldron, again appears, but the forgiving prostitute, Margie LaMont, upon his threatening to kill her, does not turn him over to the police but gives him another chance, so the pimp escapes justice. Margie LaMont confesses to Jimmy Stanton that she is a prostitute but indicates that she has reformed and is going to marry Lieutenant Gregg, the navy lieutenant who, in “episode” 1 and 2, solicited her to commit an act of prostitution with him.

  The foregoing is a public performance at which the general public was admitted upon the payment of a price for tickets. At the time of my observing the said play, several hundred other persons were present of both sexes as part of the public audience watching the play. I was accompanied by Sergeant Patrick D. Keneally and Patrolman James T. Powers, both attached to the Third Division of the Municipal Police Department of the City of New York.

  There is annexed hereto and made a part of this affidavit as Exhibit B a more detailed summary of what occurred during the play at the time of my visit and observation of the same with verbatim excerpts from and reports of dialogues that occurred in the course of the exhibition and play. The audience was not only of both sexes but was chiefly made up of young persons whose ages appeared to me to be between 17 and 20 years.

  As appears from the said exhibit and hereto annexed, and from Exhibit C hereto annexed, the defendant C. William Morganstern advertises and presents, and the defendant Edward Elsner directs and at all times herein mentioned did advertise, present and direct the said play, exhibition and show. Exhibit C was at the time purchased in the lobby of the said theatre from persons who purported to be employees of the said theatre, by Sergeant Patrick D. Keneally, and Exhibit A was received from one of the ushers in the theatre as the programme of the play, after the tickets of admission had been presented to the person in charge of the gate and entrance obtained as a result thereof.

  The corroborative affidavit of Sergeant Patrick D. Keneally and Patrolman James T. Powers, both of whom accompanied me at the time, are hereto annexed and made a part of this affidavit.

  As to the other persons named as defendants and for whom warrants are sought, they each aided and abetted in that they played parts in the presentation of said play, exhibition and show, as appears from the exhibit marked “People’s Exhibit A”

  WHEREFORE deponent asks that warrants be issued for the arrest of the above named persons and that they may be dealt with according to law.

  James S. Bolan Subscribed and sworn to before me this 9th day of February 1927 William McAdoo Chief City Magistrate

  [The Pleasure Man had its tryout in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The play was moved to the Bronx Opera House for the week of September 17, 1928, and moved again for the week of September 24 to the Boulevard Theatre, in Jackson Heights, Queens. But when it opened in Manhattan on October 1 at the Biltmore Theatre on Broadway, the police raided the play. Nathan Burkan, Mae West’s attorney, obtained a temporary injunction, but Equity warned the actors not to appear again. When they showed up for the Wednesday matinee, the police broke into the theatre in the second act and herded the cast, in full costume, into a paddy wagon. Audiences who knew the police raid was in store paid $70 and $100 a ticket for the second performance, but West made no money on The Pleasure Man. On the contrary, it cost her $60,000 to bail out the cast of fifty-eight actors and for the legal defense that ended in a dismissal of the indictment. —L.S.]

  5. COVER SHEET AND INDICTMENT AGAINST MAE WEST AND 58 OTHERS, CASE #174820., CALENDAR NO. 53001, SUPERSEDED BY CASE #174820 1/2, CALENDAR NO. 53002. OCTOBER 4 AND 5TH, 1928.

  COURT OF GENERAL SESSIONS OF THE COUNTY OF NEW YORK

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK -against-

  MAE WEST, CARL REED, CHARLES EDWARD

  DAVENPORT, STAN STANLEY, ALAN BROOKS,

  JAY HOLLY, WILLIAM AUGUSTIN, CAM I LI A

  CAMPBELL, EDGAR BARRIER, ELAINE IVANS,

  LEO HOWE, LESTER SHEEHAN, MARTHA VAUGHN,

  EDWARD HEARN, WILLIAM SELIG, HERMAN

  LENZEN, JULIE CHILDREY, MARGARET BRAGAW,

  ANNA KELLER, JANE RICH, FRANK LESLIE,

  WILLIAM CAVANAGH, CHARLES ORDWAY,

  CHUCK CONNORS the Second, FRED DICKENS,

  HARRY ARMAND, SYLVAN REPETTI, GENE DREW alias Gene Grew,

  ALBERT DORANDO, LEW LORRAINE, JO HUDDLES-

  TON, WALTER MacDONALD, GENE PEARSON,

  HOWARD CHANDLER, JAMES AYERS, AUGUSTA

  BOYLSTON, MARGUERITE LEO, KATE J U LI ANNE,

  MAY DAVIS, EDWARD ROSEMAN, JOEJ DELANEY,

  ROBERT COOKSEY, ROBERT DeMARCHE, JAMES

  CLARK, CHARLES ZLATOFF, GEORGE CARTIER,

  PHIL
IP KIRSCHEN, PHILIP GROSSMAN, RICHARD READ, FRED CARLTON, JACK DENTON, HARRY BONER, RUDOLPH CORMILLO, TOMMY DENTON, FRANK RINDHAGE, FRANK SPENSER, KUNI HARA, WALLY JAMES, TOD LEWIS, DEFENDANTS.

  THE GRAND JURY OF THE COUNTY OF NEW YORK, by this indictment, accuse THE SAID DEFENDANTS of the Crime of UNLAWFULLY PREPARING, ADVERTISING, GIVING, DIRECTING, PRESENTING AND PARTICIPATING IN AN OBSCENE, INDECENT, IMMORAL AND IMPURE DRAMA, PLAY EXHIBITION, SHOW AND ENTERTAINMENT, committed as follows:

  The said defendants, on the first day of October, nineteen hundred twentyeight, and for some time thereafter, at a certain building and theatre in said county situate and known as the Biltmore Theatre, unlawfully did prepare, advertise, give, present and participate in an obscene, indecent, immoral and impure drama, play, exhibition, show and entertainment, and obscene, indecent, immoral, impure scenes, tableaux, incidents, parts and portions of said obscene, indecent, immoral and impure drama, play and exhibition, which said obscene, indecent, immoral and impure drama, play, exhibition, show and entertainment was then and there called “PLEASURE MAN,” a more par ticular description of which said obscene, indecent, immoral and impure drama, play, exhibition, show and entertainment and said scenes, tableaux, incidents, parts and portions thereof would be offensive to this Court and improper to be spread upon the records thereof, wherefore such description is not here given, which said drama, play, exhibition, show and entertainment and said scenes, tableaux, incidents, parts and portions thereof tend and at all times herein mentioned tended and would tend to the corruption of the morals of youth and others, and in such acts unlawfully each of the said defendants did aid and abet; against the form of the statute in such case made and provided, and against the peace of the People of the State of New York and their dignity.

  SECOND COUNT.

  AND THE GRAND JURY AFORESAID, by this indictment, further accuse THE SAID DEFENDANTS of the Crime of UNLAWFULLY ADVERTISING, GIVING, PRESENTING AND PARTICIPATING IN AN IMMORAL PLAY AND EXHIBITION, committed as follows:

  The said defendants, on the day and in the year aforesaid, in the county aforesaid, unlawfully did prepare, advertise, give, direct, present and participate in a certain exhibition, show and entertainment, being the same exhibi tion, show and entertainment described in the first count of this indictment, to which reference is hereby made, and certain scenes and tableaux in said exhibition, show and entertainment, all then and there depicting and dealing with the subject of sex degeneracy and sex perversion; against the form of the statute in such case made and provided, and against the peace of the People of the State of New York and their dignity.

  THIRD COUNT.

  AND THE GRAND JURY AFORESAID, by this indictment, further accuse THE SAID DEFENDANTS of the Crime of MAINTAINING A PUBLIC NUISANCE, committed as follows:

  The said defendants, on the day and in the year aforesaid, in the county aforesaid, contriving and wickedly intending so far as in them lay, to debauch and corrupt the morals of youth and of other persons and to raise and create in their minds inordinate and lustful desires, unlawfully, wickedly and scandalously did keep and maintain a certain theatre and playhouse there commonly known as the Biltmore Theatre for the purpose of exhibiting and exposing to the sight of any persons willing to see and desirous of seeing the same and of paying for admission into the said theatre, a certain wicked, lewd, scandalous, bawdy, obscene, indecent, infamous, immoral and impure exhibition, show and entertainment, being the same exhibition, show and entertainment described in the first count of this indictment, to which reference is hereby made, and in the said theatre, at the time aforesaid, did unlawfully, wickedly and scandalously, for lucre and gain, produce, present, exhibit and display the said exhibition, show and entertainment to the sight and view of diverse and many people, all to the great offense of public decency, against the order and economy of the state and to the com mon nuisance of all the people, and against the form of the statute in such case made and provided, and against the peace of the People of the State of New York and their dignity.

  JOAB H. BANTON, District Attorney.

  6. MAE WEST S REPLY AFFIDAVIT FILED IN ANSWER TO CHARGES AGAINST PLEASURE MAN. IN PAPERS DRAWN UP BY HER ATTORNEY, NATHAN BURKAN, MAE WEST OFFERED A READING OF HER PLAY THAT DENIED ALL ALLEGATIONS OF INDECENCY.

  SUPREME COURT: NEW YORK COUNTY. CARL REED, MAE WEST

  Plaintiffs,

  -against-

  CHARLES WARREN, both individually,and in his official capacity as Commissioner of Police of the City of New York, JAMES S. BOLAN, Deputy Chief Inspector of the Police Department of the City of New York, JAMES J. WALKER, both individually and in his official capacity as Mayor of the City of New York, WILLIAM F. QUIGLEY, both individually and in his official capacity as License Commissioner of the City of New York, JOAB H. BANTON, both individually and in his official capacity as District Attorney of the County of New York, and the officers under the command of any of the said defendants and their agents, et al. Defendants

  STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK

  MAE WEST, being duly sworn, deposes and says:

  I am an actress and playwright, and have had many years experience on the stage. In the Spring of 1928, I commenced to write an original play around the adventures of a troupe of vaudeville actors. I had been on the vaudeville stage myself for many years, and was familiar with this phase of life. I wrote the play within a period of about 2 or 3 months. The story of the play, in synopsis form, is briefly as follows:

  SYNOPSIS OF “THE PLEASURE MAN” The locale of the play is a small town in the middle-west. The play opens with a scene in a vaudeville theatre of the town, showing the bare stage with scrubwomen who have just cleaned the dressing rooms. stage-hands are shown moving trunks and scenery. The manager of the theatre comes on, ready to look over the new acts that were billed for the current week. The house musicians are shown ready to rehearse the music for the new acts.

  Various acts come on for rehearsal. The first act is a man and wife act—Edgar “It” Morton and wife. The second act is the Bird of Paradise, a female impersonator with his four manikins, also female impersonators. Another act—Dolores and Randall, who are husband and wife, with four girls; this is a dancing act. Another act, Hethingwater [stet] and wife. The headline is Rodney Terrill. He takes the star part in the play and is designated as “The Pleasure Man.” There is also an acrobatic team.

  “The Pleasure Man” is shown as a pronounced voluptuary; he seeks many adventures with the fair sex and seems to have a craze for women, his com plex being to have them fall desperately in love with him. He has charm and personality and exercises them constantly, seeking an intrigue with almost every woman he meets. Not only does he seek the women of his own profession, but those in the towns in which he plays as well.

  The first act of the play shows Terrill carrying on various flirtations with the feminine members on the vaudeville bill.

  He is particularly interested in Dolores of the team of Dolores and Randall. Randall, her husband, senses the incipient affair and admonishes his wife not to have anything to do with “The Pleasure Man.”

  The manager of the theatre, who also knows TerriU’s reputation (Terrill having played in this theatre on a prior occasion) warns the various girls on the bill to beware of the blandishments of this modern Don Juan.

  The stage manager, Stan Stanley, who was at one time an acrobat, fills in a gap in the acrobatic act and helps out and various comic lines are interpolated in that way. Having had no conquests of his own, Stanley secretly admires “The Pleasure Man” for his ability to charm the fair sex, and makes strenuous efforts to imitate him.

  The end of the first act closes with the curtain coming down on the stage, showing the vaudeville bill about to commence.

  The second act is set back-stage, four dressing rooms being shown.

  The star dressing room is being shared by Terrill, the headliner, and the acrobats, including Stanley.

  In the next dressing room are Dolores and Randall.

 
; The dressing room above Terrill’s is occupied by the Bird of Paradise and the four manikins; all female impersonators.

  In the next room are the girls of the Dolores and Randall act, four dancing girls.

  The actors are seen in the various dressing rooms, making up for the performance.

  The girls in the upper dressing room are discussing the affair that is going on between Dolores and Terrill.

  The female impersonators are seen disrobing.

  Music is heard Off stage, as the different actors close their acts and the applause of the audience is heard.

  The actors are seen coming back from the stage and other actors are shown going on to their acts.