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144-530: The Cannes Film Festival ( / k æ n / ; French: Festival de Cannes , [fɛstival də kan] ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ( Festival international du film ), is an annual film festival held in Cannes , France, which previews new films of all genres, including documentaries , from all around the world. Founded in 1946, the invitation-only festival

288-421: A corset and fashion model, and John Patrick "Battlin' Jack" West, a prizefighter who later worked as a "special policeman" and created his own private investigations agency. Her German-born mother, who went by the nicknames "Tillie" and "Matilda", had emigrated from Bavaria in 1886 with her five siblings and their parents, Christiana (née Brüning) and Jakob Doelger. Her paternal grandmother after whom she

432-436: A "girl named Mae West, hitherto unknown, pleased by her grotesquerie and snappy way of singing and dancing". West next appeared in a show called Vera Violetta , whose cast featured Al Jolson . In 1912, she appeared in the opening performance of A Winsome Widow as a "baby vamp" named La Petite Daffy. West developed her career in vaudeville , appearing in such circuits (or "wheels") as that run by Gus Sun of Ohio, which

576-671: A 45 rpm record released by Plaza Records. She recorded several tongue-in-cheek songs, including "Santa, Come Up to See Me", on the album Wild Christmas , which was released in 1966 and reissued as Mae in December in 1980. Demonstrating her willingness to keep in touch with the contemporary scene, in 1966 she recorded Way Out West , the first of her two rock-and-roll albums. The second, released in 1972 on MGM Records and titled Great Balls of Fire , covered songs by The Doors , among others, and had songs written for West by English songwriter-producer Ian Whitcomb . Mae West's likeness

720-445: A Cannes award. Jurors are chosen from a wide range of international artists, based on their body of work and respect from their peers. The appointment of the president of the jury is made following several annual management proposals made in the fall and submitted to the festival's board of directors for validation. The jury meets annually at the historic Villa Domergue to select the winners. The most prestigious award given at Cannes

864-483: A best-seller. West guest-starred on television, including The Dean Martin Variety Show in 1959 and The Red Skelton Show in 1960, to promote her autobiography, and a lengthy interview on Person to Person with Charles Collingwood in 1959, which never aired. CBS executives felt members of the television audience were not ready to see a nude marble statue of West, which rested on her piano. In 1964, she made

1008-671: A brother named John Edwin West II (sometimes inaccurately called "John Edwin West, Jr."). During her childhood, the family moved to various parts of Woodhaven, Queens , as well as the Williamsburg and Greenpoint neighborhoods of Brooklyn. At Neir's Social Hall in Woodhaven, West supposedly first performed professionally. West was five when she first entertained a crowd at a church social, and she started appearing in amateur shows at

1152-535: A cult of jaded inverts, or special groups of craftsmen, shrill and involved only with themselves. It was its secret anti-social aspects I wanted to bring into the sun. This perspective, never elaborated upon by West in other books or interviews, seems inconsistent with the Mae West persona, for in her 1975 book Mae West: Sex, Health, and ESP , writing: I believe that the world owes male and female homosexuals more understanding than we've given them. Live and let live

1296-574: A daring, sensational performer and brought her additional widespread media attention. During that time, in the months after the play closed, West decided to put her stage career on hold and to accept a short-term, but lucrative, contract offer from Paramount Pictures to perform in a feature film in Hollywood. In June 1932, after signing a two-month contract with Paramount that provided her a weekly salary of $ 5,000 ($ 110,000 in 2023), West left New York by train for California. The veteran stage performer

1440-408: A dedicated venue for the event. Hollywood stars of the moment like Gary Cooper , Cary Grant , Tyrone Power , Douglas Fairbanks Jr. , Marlene Dietrich , Mae West , Norma Shearer , Paul Muni , James Cagney , Spencer Tracy , and George Raft arrived thanks to an Ocean liner chartered by MGM ( Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ). On 31 August, the opening night gala took place with the private screening of

1584-660: A defined maximum length. Film festivals are typically annual events. Some film historians, including Jerry Beck , do not consider film festivals as official releases of the film. The oldest film festival in the world is the Venice Film Festival . The most prestigious film festivals in the world, known as the "Big Five", are (listed chronologically according to the date of foundation): Venice , Cannes , Berlin (the original Big Three ), Toronto , and Sundance . The Venice Film Festival in Italy began in 1932 and

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1728-616: A dozen years, until January 1950, in an episode of The Chesterfield Supper Club , which was hosted by Perry Como . Ameche's career did not suffer any serious repercussions, however, as he was playing the "straight" guy. Nonetheless, Mae West went on to enjoy a record-breaking success in Las Vegas, swank nightclubs such as Lou Walters's The Latin Quarter , Broadway, and London. After appearing in The Heat's On in 1943, West returned to

1872-648: A fellow vaudevillian whom she met in 1909. She was 17. She kept the marriage a secret, but a filing clerk discovered the marriage certificate in 1935 and alerted the press. The clerk also uncovered an affidavit in which she had declared herself married, made during the Sex trial in 1927. At first, West denied ever marrying Wallace, but she finally admitted it in July 1937, in reply to a legal interrogatory. The couple never lived together as husband and wife. She insisted that they had separate bedrooms, and she soon sent him away in

2016-450: A film opposite W. C. Fields. The studio was eager to duplicate the success of Destry Rides Again starring Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart , with a comic vehicle starring West and Fields. Having left Paramount 18 months earlier and looking for a new film, West accepted the role of Flower Belle Lee in the film My Little Chickadee (1940). Despite the stars' intense mutual dislike, Fields's very real drinking problems and fights over

2160-493: A guest appearance on the sitcom Mister Ed . Much later, in 1976, she was interviewed by Dick Cavett and sang two songs on his "Back Lot U.S.A." special on CBS. West's recording career started in the early 1930s with releases of her film songs on shellac 78 rpm records . Most of her film songs were released as 78s, as well as sheet music. In 1955, she recorded her first album , The Fabulous Mae West . In 1965, she recorded two songs, "Am I Too Young" and "He's Good for Me", for

2304-414: A president, after his last term, becomes the honorary president of the festival. The general delegate is responsible for the coordination of the events. When Gilles Jacob passed from general delegate to the position of the president, in 2001, two new positions were created to take over his former post, the general director to oversee the smooth running of the event, and the artistic director, responsible for

2448-559: A relationship with the Cotton Club 's Owney Madden , who did not "date" the chorus girls . West remained close to her family throughout her life and was devastated by her mother's death in 1930. In 1930, she moved to Hollywood and into the penthouse at The Ravenswood apartment building where she lived until her death in 1980. Her sister, brother, and father followed her to Hollywood where she provided them with nearby homes, jobs, and sometimes financial support. Among her boyfriends

2592-498: A screenplay. Directed by Henry Hathaway , Go West, Young Man is considered one of West's weaker films of the era, because of the censor's cuts. West next starred in Every Day's a Holiday (1937) for Paramount before their association came to an end. The film performed below its goal. Censorship had made West's sexually suggestive brand of humor impossible for the studios to distribute. West, along with other stellar performers,

2736-569: A show of his own to get rid of him. She obtained a divorce on July 21, 1942, during which Wallace withdrew his request for separate maintenance, and West testified that Wallace and she had lived together for only "several weeks". The final divorce decree was granted on May 7, 1943. In August 1913, she met Guido Deiro (1886–1950), an Italian-born vaudeville headliner and piano-accordion star. Her affair, and possible 1914 marriage to him, as alleged by Deiro's son Guido Roberto Deiro in his 2019 book Mae West and The Count , went "very deep, hittin' on all

2880-432: A small part. The movie was intended to be deliberately campy sex change comedy, but had serious production problems, resulting in a botched film that was both a box-office and critical failure. Author Vidal, at great odds with inexperienced and self-styled "art film" director Michael Sarne , later called the film "an awful joke". Though Mae West was given star billing to attract ticket buyers, her scenes were truncated by

3024-407: A speaker concealed in her hair piece. Despite the daily problems, West was, according to Sextette director Ken Hughes , determined to see the film through. At 84, her now-failing eyesight made navigating around the set difficult, but she made it through the filming, a tribute to her self-confidence, remarkable endurance, and stature as a self-created star 67 years after her Broadway debut in 1911 at

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3168-512: A story about a racy, easygoing, and ultimately very smart lady of the 1890s, became a Broadway hit and cemented West's image in the public's eye. This show had an enduring popularity and West successfully revived it many times throughout the course of her career. Three years after the initial success of Diamond Lil , West portrayed another sexually charged character, Babe Gordon, in The Constant Sinner , which opened on Broadway at

3312-849: A very active career on stage and in clubs. Among her popular new stage performances was the title role in Catherine Was Great (1944) on Broadway, in which she penned a spoof on the story of Catherine the Great of Russia, surrounding herself with an "imperial guard" of tall, muscular young actors. The play was produced by theater and film impresario Mike Todd ( Around The World in 80 Days ) and ran for 191 performances and then went on tour. When Mae West revived her 1928 play Diamond Lil , bringing it back to Broadway in 1949, The New York Times labeled her an "American Institution—as beloved and indestructible as Donald Duck. Like Chinatown, and Grant's Tomb, Mae West should be seen at least once." In

3456-480: A yard long" and commented, "Charles, I remember our last date, and have the splinters to prove it!" West was on the verge of being banned from radio. More outrageous still was an NBC sketch written by Arch Oboler , starring Don Ameche and West as Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden . She tells Ameche to "get me a big one... I feel like doin' a big apple!" This ostensible reference to the then-current dance craze

3600-488: Is Raindance Film Festival . The British Urban Film Festival (which specifically caters to Black and minority interests) was officially recognized in the 2020 New Year Honours list. A few film festivals have focused on highlighting specific issues, topics, or subjects. These festivals have included mainstream and independent films . Some examples include military films , health-related film festivals , and human rights film festivals . There are festivals, especially in

3744-596: Is North America’s longest-running competitive film festival. The 60th Chicago International Film Festival, scheduled during the month of October, will host over 40,000 attendees from around the world. The Festival's program, screening 175+ films from more than 50 countries, is presented in sections including the International Competition, New Directors Competition, Documentary, Black Perspectives, City & State, and Special Presentations. The Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF), founded in 1977,

3888-605: Is a popular international film festival based in Kolkata which showcases international cult films. YathaKatha International Film & Literature Festival (YKIFLF) is an annual film & literature festival in Mumbai showcasing literature collaboration in cinema via various constructive discussions and forums. 1st edition of the festival is being held from 25–28 November in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Mae West Mary Jane " Mae " West (August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980)

4032-643: Is accredited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences , which makes all its jury-award-winning narrative short and animated short films eligible for an Academy Award. There are several significant film festivals held regularly in Africa. The Cairo International Film Festival in Cairo was established in 1976, the biannual Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) in Burkina Faso

4176-935: Is held annually (usually in May) at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès . The festival was formally accredited by the FIAPF in 1951. Cannes is one of the "Big Three" major European film festivals, alongside Venice and Berlin , as well as one of the "Big Five" major international film festivals, alongside Venice, Berlin, Toronto and Sundance . Despite the festival's popularity over critically-acclaimed films and Academy Award considerations, its reputation gained notoriety for introducing transgressive films—most notably each films behind New French Extremity as well as films of Michael Haneke and Lars von Trier —generated harsh criticism and controversy, extensive theatrical screening, lack of diversity, protests and various scandals continued over

4320-919: Is held in the last week of each July in the two colonial cities of San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato . Other Mexican festivals include the Guadalajara International Film Festival in Guadalajara , Oaxaca Film Fest , the Morelia International Film Festival in Morelia, Michoacan Mexico , and the Los Cabos International Film Festival founded by Scott Cross , Sean Cross , and Eduardo Sanchez Navarro, in Los Cabos , Baja Sur , Mexico are considered

4464-919: Is largest film festival in Ohio and among the longest-running in the United States. The film festival is held at the Playhouse Square , which are a series of elegant theaters built in the early 1920s, and the largest performing arts center in the United States outside of New York City (only Lincoln Center is larger). The Ottawa Canadian Film Festival , abbreviated OCanFilmFest, was co-founded by Ottawa-based filmmakers Jith Paul, Ed Kucerak, and Blair Campbell in 2015. It features films of various durations and genres from filmmakers across Canada. The Sundance Film Festival founded by Sterling Van Wagenen (then head of Wildwood, Robert Redford's company), John Earle, and Cirina Hampton Catania (both serving on

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4608-487: Is my philosophy on the subject, and I believe everybody has the right to do his or her own thing or somebody else's — as long as they do it all in private!" Between the late 1920s and early 1930s, West continued to write plays, including The Wicked Age , Pleasure Man , and The Constant Sinner . Her productions predictably aroused controversy, which ensured that she stayed in the news and often resulted in packed houses at her performances. Her 1928 play Diamond Lil ,

4752-504: Is one of the largest film festivals in North America. It focuses on East Asian films, Canadian films, and nonfiction films. In 2016, there was an audience of 133,000 and 324 films. The Toronto International Film Festival , founded by Bill Marshall, Henk Van der Kolk, and Dusty Cohl, is one of North America's most important film festivals, and is the most widely attended. The Chicago International Film Festival , founded in 1964,

4896-670: Is quoted to have said: "The Cannes Festival should be a no man's land in which politics has no place. It should be a simple meeting between friends." In 1962, the International Critics' Week was born, created by the French Union of Film Critics as the first parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival. Its goal was to showcase first and second works by directors from all over the world, not succumbing to commercial tendencies. In 1965 Olivia de Havilland

5040-611: Is the Palme d'Or ("Golden Palm") for the best film. The festival has become an important showcase for European films . Jill Forbes and Sarah Street argue in European Cinema: An Introduction ( ISBN   0333752104 ), that Cannes "became...extremely important for critical and commercial interests and for European attempts to sell films on the basis of their artistic quality" (page 20). Forbes and Street also point out that, along with other festivals such as

5184-916: Is the Melbourne International Film Festival (1952), followed by the Sydney Film Festival (1954). North America's first and longest-running short film festival is the Yorkton Film Festival , established in 1947. The first film festival in the United States was the Columbus International Film & Video Festival , also known as The Chris Awards , held in 1953. According to the Film Arts Foundation in San Francisco , " The Chris Awards (is) one of

5328-427: Is the most wonderful machine for living I have ever known—unfortunately on the screen only." To F. Scott Fitzgerald , West was especially unique: "The only Hollywood actress with both an ironic edge and a comic spark." As Variety put it, "Mae West's films have made her the biggest conversation-provoker, free-space grabber, and all-around box office bet in the country. She's as hot an issue as Hitler." By 1933, West

5472-550: Is the oldest film festival still running. Mainland Europe 's biggest independent film festival is ÉCU The European Independent Film Festival , which started in 2006 and takes place every spring in Paris, France. Edinburgh International Film Festival is the longest-running festival in Great Britain as well as the longest continually running film festival in the world. Australia's first and longest-running film festival

5616-521: The #MeToo movement that arose out of the Harvey Weinstein scandal , in 2018, Cannes Film Festival officials announced the creation of a telephone hotline during the festival in which victims could report incidents of sexual harassment and other crimes. The hotline is in collaboration with the French government. General Delegate Thierry Frémaux reportedly "banned" selfies on the red carpet of

5760-602: The American Film Institute posthumously voted her the 15th-greatest female screen legend of classic American cinema . Mary Jane West was born in either the Greenpoint or Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn on August 17, 1893, before New York City was consolidated. She was delivered at home by an aunt who was a midwife . She was the eldest surviving child of Mathilde Delker (originally "Doelger" and later Americanized to "Delker" or "Dilker") West,

5904-536: The American Theater Hall of Fame . Mae West was noted for her "voluptuous figure". The Mae West look has been described as "a figure-hugging floor-length gown with a very low neckline and the figure to fill it." Noted features were the fishtail train and feather trim. West was married on April 11, 1911, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Frank Szatkus (1892–1966), whose stage name was Frank Wallace,

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6048-573: The Caméra d'Or award, for the best first film of any of the main events, and the Un Certain Regard section, for the non-competitive categories. Other changes were the decrease of length of the festival down to thirteen days, thus reducing the number of selected films; also, until that point the Jury was composed by Film Academics, and Jacob started to introduce celebrities and professionals from

6192-578: The International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) in the category of competitive feature films. As a rule, for films to compete, they must first be released during the festivals and not in any other previous venue beforehand. Ann Arbor Film Festival started in 1963. It is the oldest continually operated experimental film festival in North America and has become one of the premier film festivals for independent and, primarily, experimental filmmakers to showcase work. In

6336-586: The New York Society for the Suppression of Vice to ban any attempt by West to stage it. West explained, "The city fathers begged me not to bring the show to New York because they were not equipped to handle the commotion it would cause." West was an early supporter of the women's liberation movement , but said she was not a "burn your bra" type of feminist . Since the 1920s, she was also an early supporter of gay rights, and publicly declared against

6480-532: The Royale Theatre on September 14, 1931. The influential drama critic for The New York Times , J. Brooks Atkinson , was among many reviewers at the time who bashed the play's storyline as well as West's performance. Atkinson's "scathing" assessment of her three-act production was published in The Times the day after the dramedy 's premiere: ... The Constant Sinner commits one of the major sins in

6624-586: The Second World War . The French government ordered a general mobilization and this prevented the festival from continuing so it was finally cancelled. In 1946, the festival was relaunched and from 20 September to 5 October 1946, twenty-one countries presented their films at the First Cannes International Film Festival , which took place at the former Casino of Cannes. In 1947, amid serious problems of efficiency,

6768-514: The Shubert Brothers revue Sometime , opposite Ed Wynn . Her character Mayme danced the shimmy and her photograph appeared on an edition of the sheet music for the popular number "Ev'rybody Shimmies Now". Eventually, West began writing her own risqué plays using the pen name Jane Mast. Her first starring role on Broadway was in a 1926 play entitled Sex , which she wrote, produced, and directed. Although conservative critics panned

6912-725: The Venice Film Festival (late summer to early autumn), the Cannes Film Festival (late spring to early summer), and the Berlin International Film Festival (late winter to early spring), founded in 1932, 1946, and 1951 respectively. The Edinburgh International Film Festival , founded in 1946, is the world's oldest continually running film festival. Many film festivals are dedicated exclusively to animation. Various regional festivals occur in various countries. The Austin Film Festival

7056-506: The Venice Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival , Cannes offers an opportunity to determine a particular country's image of its cinema and generally foster the notion that European cinema is "art" cinema. Additionally, given massive media exposure, the non-public festival is attended by many stars and is a popular venue for film producers to launch their new films and to attempt to sell their works to

7200-421: The pre-Code films of the early 1930s and for decades before on Broadway, but which was now being broadcast into American living rooms on a popular family-friendly radio program. The groups reportedly warned the sponsor of the program they would protest her appearance. NBC Radio scapegoated West for the incident and banned her (and the mention of her name) from their stations. West would not perform in radio for

7344-399: The 1950s, West starred in her own Las Vegas stage show at the newly opened Sahara Hotel , singing while surrounded by bodybuilders. The show stood Las Vegas on its head. "Men come to see me, but I also give the women something to see: wall to wall men!" West explained. Jayne Mansfield met and later married one of West's muscle men, former Mr. Universe Mickey Hargitay . When casting for

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7488-551: The American film The Hunchback of Notre Dame starring Charles Laughton and Maureen O'Hara and directed by William Dieterle . The next day, on 1 September, German troops invaded Poland . As a result, the festival was postponed for 10 days and it would be resumed if the circumstances allowed it. However, the situation only worsened and on 3 September, France and the United Kingdom declared war against Germany, sparking

7632-577: The Broadway stage, even in these frank and forward times... However creditable an impersonator of scarlet roles Miss West may be, variety of attack is not among her qualifications as an actress.... Her peculiar slouching about the stage, which seems to provide firsthand evidence that, as the program says, she originated the shimmy dance, her vocal stunts, her exploitation of blond buxomness—all these grow pretty tiresome through repetition.... Other prominent reviewers in 1931, like Atkinson, roundly criticized

7776-409: The Cannes Film Festival. These include "Heelgate" in which numerous female attendees of a red carpet premiere were stopped from entering in 2015 for wearing flat soled shoes instead of high heels . The incident caused numerous female celebrities to wear flat soled shoes or no shoes at all to other red carpet premieres in a show of solidarity and protest. As a result of the past sexual controversies and

7920-775: The Dominican International Film Festival occurs annually in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic . As well as the Havana Film Festival was founded in 1979 and is the oldest continuous annual film festival in the Caribbean. Its focus is on Latin American cinema . The Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival , founded in 2006, is dedicated to screening the newest films from the English-, Spanish, French- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean and

8064-781: The Festival in Buenos Aires, as La Semana de Cine del Festival de Cannes , and in 2010, he created the Cannes Court Métrage for the Short Film competition. On 20 March 2020, organizers announced the postponement of the Cannes Film Festival 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic ; the festival was later cancelled outright. Spike Lee, director of Do the Right Thing and BlacKkKlansman , had been chosen to lead

8208-477: The Festival. In his term, the Festival started including films from more countries, like Philippines, China, Cuba, Australia, India, New Zealand and Argentina. In 1987, for the first time of the Festival, a red carpet was placed at the entrance of the Palais. In 1989, during the first Cinéma & liberté forum, hundred directors from many countries signed a declaration "against all forms of censorship still existing in

8352-465: The French desire to compete with the Venice Film Festival , which at the time was the only international film festival and had shown a lack of impartiality with its fascist bias during those years. The political interference seemed evident in the 1937 edition when Benito Mussolini meddled to ensure that French pacifist film La Grande Illusion would not win. The last straw was in the 1938 event when Mussolini and Adolf Hitler respectively overruled

8496-719: The Government of Kerala held annually at Thiruvananthapuram is acknowledged as one of the leading cultural events in Indian. The International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK), hosted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, is a major documentary and short film festival. The Mumbai Women's International Film Festival (MWIFF) is an annual film festival in Mumbai that features films made by women directors and technicians. The Calcutta International Cult Films Festival (CICFF)

8640-490: The Mae West menace?" Paramount executives felt they had to tone down the West characterization or face further recrimination. "I was the first liberated woman, you know. No guy was going to get the best of me. That's what I wrote all my scripts about." Around the same time, West played opposite Randolph Scott in Go West, Young Man (1936). In this film, she adapted Lawrence Riley 's Broadway hit Personal Appearance into

8784-451: The U.S., Telluride Film Festival , Sundance Film Festival , Austin Film Festival , Austin 's South by Southwest , NYC 's Tribeca Festival , and Slamdance Film Festival are all considered significant festivals for independent film. The Zero Film Festival is significant as the first and only festival exclusive to self-financed filmmakers. The biggest independent film festival in the UK

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8928-596: The US, that highlight and promote films made by or about various ethnic groups and nationalities or feature the cinema from a specific foreign country. These include African-Americans , Asian-Americans , Mexican-Americans , Arabs , Jews , Italian, German , French , Palestinian , and Native American . The Deauville American Film Festival in France is devoted to the cinema of the United States . LGBTQ+ and Women's film festivals are also popular. Tribeca Festival , one of

9072-695: The Utah Film Commission at the time) is a significant festival for independent film. The Woodstock Film Festival was launched in 2000 by filmmakers Meira Blaustein and Laurent Rejto to bring high-quality, independent films to the Hudson Valley region of New York . In 2010, Indiewire named the Woodstock Film Festival among the top 50 independent film festivals worldwide. The Regina International Film Festival and Awards (RIFFA) founded by John Thimothy, one of

9216-441: The Years of Fire marking this turn. In some cases, these changes helped directors like Andrei Tarkovsky overcome problems of censorship in their own country. Also, until that time, the different countries chose the films that would represent them in the festival. Yet, in 1972, Bessy created a committee to select French films, and another for foreign films. In 1978, Gilles Jacob assumed the position of General Delegate, introducing

9360-566: The age of 18. Time magazine wrote an article on the indomitable star entitled "At 84, Mae West Is Still Mae West". Upon its release, Sextette was not a critical or commercial success. The diverse cast included some of West's first co-stars such as George Raft ( Night After Night , 1932), silver screen stars such as Tony Curtis , Timothy Dalton and Walter Pidgeon , plus contemporary pop stars such as Ringo Starr and Alice Cooper , and television favorites such as Dom DeLuise and gossip queen Rona Barrett . It also included cameos of some of

9504-435: The age of seven. She often won prizes at local talent contests. She began performing professionally in vaudeville in the Hal Clarendon Stock Company in 1907 at the age of 14. As a young child, West had first performed under the stage name "Baby Mae" ( the baby may behave like this ), and a bit later tried various personas, including a male impersonator . She used the alias "Jane Mast" early in her career. Her trademark walk

9648-633: The best Hollywood novels of all time by Entertainment Weekly . Iain Johnstone 's Cannes: The Novel is a dystopian tale about terrorists holding the festival hostage. Paulo Coelho 's The Winner Stands Alone is also set at the Cannes Film Festival. The culture and history of the festival has been covered in a number of non-fiction books. The festival has been used as the backdrop and setting of several films, including The Last Horror Film (1982), La cité de la peur (1994), Festival in Cannes (2001), Femme Fatale (2002) and Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007); some of these were shot on location at

9792-542: The books Sex, Health, and ESP (William Allen & Sons, publisher) and Pleasure Man (Dell publishers) based on her 1928 play of the same name. Her autobiography, Goodness Had Nothing to Do with It , was also updated and republished in the 1970s. Mae West was a shrewd investor, produced her own stage acts, and invested her money in large tracts of land in Van Nuys , a thriving suburb of Los Angeles. With her considerable fortune, she could afford to do as she liked. In 1976, she appeared on Back Lot U.S.A. on CBS, where she

9936-407: The border of Western Sahara , is notable as the only film festival in the world to take place in a refugee camp. The festival aims to provide cultural entertainment and educational opportunities to refugees and raise awareness of the plight of the Sahrawi people, who have been exiled from their native Western Sahara for more than three decades. The International Film Festival of India , organized by

10080-471: The broadcast "vulgar and indecent" and "far below even the minimum standard which should control in the selection and production of broadcast programs". Some debate existed regarding the reaction to the skit. Conservative religious groups took umbrage far more swiftly than the mainstream. These groups found it easy to make West their target. They took exception to her outspoken use of sexuality and sexual imagery, which she had employed in her career since at least

10224-426: The cameras." For her next role for Paramount, West brought her Diamond Lil character, now renamed "Lady Lou", to the screen in She Done Him Wrong (1933). The film was one of Cary Grant 's early major roles, which boosted his career. West claimed she spotted Grant at the studio and insisted that he be cast as the male lead. She claimed to have told a Paramount director, "If he can talk, I'll take him!" The film

10368-516: The censorship guidelines of the film industry's Production Code began to be meticulously enforced. As a result, West's scripts were subjected to more editing. She, in turn, would often intentionally place extremely risqué lines in her scripts, knowing they would be cut by the censors. She hoped they would then not object as much to her other less suggestive lines. Her next film was Belle of the Nineties (1934). The original title, It Ain't No Sin ,

10512-412: The distributors who come from all over the globe. Though most of the media attention the festival receives is journalistic in nature, the festival has been explored from the standpoint of fiction by novelists over the years. Michael Grothaus ' Epiphany Jones is a social satire about the festival and film industry and explores sex trafficking that occurs during the festival. The book was named one of

10656-503: The drama at first, but was appeased when she was allowed to rewrite portions of her character's dialogue. One of several revisions she made is in her first scene in Night After Night , when a hat-check girl exclaims, "Goodness, what beautiful diamonds", and West replies, "Goodness had nothing to do with it, dearie." Reflecting on the overall result of her rewritten scenes, Raft is reported to have said, "She stole everything but

10800-496: The emotions". According to the American Masters documentary Mae West: Dirty Blonde , West aborted Deiro's child on the advice of her mother, the procedure nearly killing her and leaving her infertile. The younger Deiro said that his father was devastated when he learned about the abortion and ended the relationship. West later said, "Marriage is a great institution. I'm not ready for an institution." In 1916, when she

10944-712: The eviction of the then President of the Cinémathèque Française . The filmmakers achieved the reinstatement of the President, and they founded the Film Directors' Society (SRF) that same year. In 1969 the SRF, led by Pierre-Henri Deleau created the Directors' Fortnight ( Quinzaine des Réalisateurs ), a new non-competitive section that programs a selection of films from around the world, distinguished by

11088-608: The exhibitors. This did not stop producer David O. Selznick , who next offered West the role of the sage madam Belle Watling, the only woman ever to truly understand Rhett Butler , in Gone with the Wind , after Tallulah Bankhead rejected the role. West also turned down the part, claiming it was too small for an established star and that she would need to rewrite her lines to suit her own persona. The role eventually went to Ona Munson . In 1939, Universal Studios approached West to star in

11232-676: The experience and by her years of struggling with the strict Hays Code censorship office, that she would not attempt another film role for the next quarter-century. Instead, West pursued a successful and record-breaking career in top nightclubs , Las Vegas, nationally in theater and on Broadway, where she was allowed, even welcomed, to be herself. On December 12, 1937, West appeared in two separate sketches on ventriloquist Edgar Bergen 's radio show The Chase and Sanborn Hour . Appearing as herself, West flirted with Charlie McCarthy , Bergen's dummy, using her usual brand of wit and risqué sexual references. West referred to Charlie as "all wood and

11376-430: The fact that the regulations at that time prohibited awarding a documentary. Outraged by the decision and as a measure of protest, the French, British, and American jury members decided to withdraw from the festival with the intention of not returning. This snub encouraged the French to found a free festival. Thus, on 31 May 1939, the city of Cannes was finally selected as the location for the festival over Biarritz and

11520-420: The festival a commercial character and facilitating exchanges between sellers and buyers in the film industry. Today it has become the first international platform for film commerce. Still, in the 1950s, some outstanding films, like Night and Fog in 1956 and Hiroshima, My Love in 1959 were excluded from the competition for diplomatic concerns. Jean Cocteau , three times president of the jury in those years,

11664-462: The festival in 2015. In 2017, along with the 70th anniversary events of the Festival, the issue of changing the rules on theatrical screening caused controversy. In 2018, the enforcement of theatrical screening in France resulted in Netflix withdrawing their films from the festival. The president of the festival, who represents the festival in front of financial partners, the public authorities and

11808-458: The festival was held as the "Festival du film de Cannes", where films from sixteen countries were presented. The festival was not held in 1948 and 1950 due to budgetary problems. In 1949, the Palais des Festivals was expressly constructed for the occasion on the seafront promenade of La Croisette , although its inaugural roof, while still unfinished, blew off during a storm. In 1951, the festival

11952-441: The festival. 43°33′3″N 7°1′5″E  /  43.55083°N 7.01806°E  / 43.55083; 7.01806 Film festival Films may be of recent date and depending upon the festival's focus, can include international and domestic releases. Some film festivals focus on a specific filmmaker, genre of film, such as horror films , or subject matter. Several film festivals focus solely on presenting short films of

12096-468: The film industry. In 1983, a new, much bigger Palais des Festivals et des Congrès was built to host the festival, while the Directors' Fortnight remained in the old building. The new building was nicknamed "The Bunker", provoking much criticism, especially since it was hardly finished at the event and several technical problems occurred. In 1984 Pierre Viot replaced Robert Favre Le Bret as President of

12240-464: The film, but after actor, director and friend Gregory Ratoff (producer Max Fabian in All About Eve ) pleaded with her and claimed he would go bankrupt if she could not help, West relented as a personal favor. Censors curtailed the sexual burlesque of the West characterization. The studio had orders to raise the neck lines and clean up the double entendres. This was the only film for which West

12384-428: The first U.S. film festival dedicated to honoring music in film. Film Funding competitions such as Writers and Filmmakers were introduced when the cost of production could be lowered significantly, and internet technology allowed for the collaboration of film production. Film festivals have evolved significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic . Many festivals opted for virtual or hybrid festivals. The film industry, which

12528-507: The first year included Akira Kurosawa 's Throne of Blood and Satyajit Ray 's Pather Panchali . Today, thousands of film festivals take place around the world—from high-profile festivals such as Sundance Film Festival , Newport Beach Film Festival , and Slamdance Film Festival ( Park City, Utah ), to horror festivals such as Terror Film Festival ( Philadelphia ), and the Park City Film Music Festival ,

12672-503: The funding of their films. Gilles Jacob was appointed Honorary President in 2000, and in 2002, the Festival officially adopted the name Festival de Cannes . During the 2000s, the Festival started focusing more on the technological advances taking place in the film world, especially the digital techniques. In 2004, the restored historical films of the Festival were presented as Cannes Classics , which included documentaries. In 2007, Thierry Frémaux became General Delegate. In 2009, he extended

12816-679: The government of India, was founded in 1952. Chennai International Film Festival has been organized since 2002 by the Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation (ICAF), the Government of Tamil Nadu, the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce, and the Film Federation of India. The Jaipur International Film Festival , founded in 2009, is India's most prominent international film festival. The International Film Festival of Kerala organised by

12960-580: The heavy censorship, with religion and hypocrisy. Some critics called the film her magnum opus , but not everyone agreed. Press baron and film mogul William Randolph Hearst, ostensibly offended by an off-handed remark West made about his mistress, Marion Davies , sent a private memo to all his editors stating, "That Mae West picture Klondike Annie is a filthy picture... We should have editorials roasting that picture, Mae West, and Paramount... DO NOT ACCEPT ANY ADVERTISING OF THIS PICTURE." At one point, Hearst asked aloud, "Isn't it time Congress did something about

13104-497: The independent judgment displayed in the choice of films. During the 1970s, important changes occurred in the Festival. In 1972, Robert Favre Le Bret was named the new president, and Maurice Bessy the General Delegate. He introduced important changes in the selection of the participating films, welcoming new techniques, and relieving the selection from diplomatic pressures, with films like MASH , and later Chronicle of

13248-507: The inexperienced film editor, and her songs were filmed as though they were merely side acts. Mae West's counterculture appeal (she was dubbed "the queen of camp"), included the young and hip, and by 1971, the student body of University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) voted Mae West "Woman of the Century" in honor of her relevance as a pioneering advocate of sexual frankness and courageous crusader against censorship. In 1975, West released

13392-409: The jury panel. In 2019, the jury panel had been led by Alejandro González Iñárritu , director of Birdman . Lee was later invited to head the jury of the 2021 Cannes Film Festival , held in July of that year. In 2022, the festival denied press accreditation to Russian journalists associated with outlets who are not opposed to the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war . On the opening night of the festival,

13536-791: The jury's decision in order to award the Coppa Mussolini (Mussolini Cup) for the Best Film to Italian war film Luciano Serra, Pilot , produced under the supervision of Mussolini's son, and the Coppa Mussolini for the Best Foreign Film to Olympia , a German documentary film about the Berlin 1936 Summer Olympics produced in association with the Nazi Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda despite

13680-566: The largest international cinema event in coastal Southern California , attracting over 56,000 attendees to Orange County, CA . The Festival partners with over 40 non-profit organizations and pairs each with a film that aligns with their mission. The films featured include World, North America, U.S. and West Coast premieres as well as the International Spotlight Series which celebrates foreign language films. The Vancouver International Film Festival , founded in 1958,

13824-421: The media, is elected by the board of directors of the festival, officially named the "French Association of the Film Festival". The board is composed of authorities of the world of cinema, as well as of public authorities which subsidize the event. The president has a renewable 3-year mandate and appoints the members of his team, including the general delegate, with the approval of the board of directors. Sometimes

13968-541: The morals of youth". Though West could have paid a fine and been let off, she chose the jail sentence for the publicity it would garner. While incarcerated on Welfare Island (now known as Roosevelt Island ), she dined with the warden and his wife; she told reporters that she had worn her silk panties while serving time, in lieu of the "burlap" the other girls had to wear. West got great mileage from this jail stint. She served eight days with two days off for "good behavior". Following her release, West told reporters that her play

14112-638: The most important film festivals in Latin America. In 2015, Variety called the Los Cabos International Film Festival the "Cannes of Latin America". The Cartagena Film Festival , founded by Victor Nieto in 1960, is the oldest in Latin America . The Festival de Gramado (or Gramado Film Festival) Gramado , Brazil . The Lima Film Festival is the leading film festival in Peru and one of

14256-643: The most important in Latin America. It is focused on Latin-American cinema and is organized each year by the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru . The Valdivia International Film Festival is held annually in the city of Valdivia . It is arguably the most important film festival in Chile . There is also Filmambiente, held in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil, an international festival on environmental films and videos. For Spanish-speaking countries,

14400-515: The most influential fall film festival to the most influential film festival, period". The Seattle International Film Festival is credited as being the largest film festival in the United States, regularly showing over 400 films in a month across the city. The festivals in Berlin , Cairo , Cannes , Goa , Karlovy Vary , Locarno , Mar del Plata , Moscow , San Sebastián , Shanghai , Tallinn , Tokyo , Venice , and Warsaw are accredited by

14544-579: The most prestigious documentaries, educational, business and informational competitions in the U.S.; (it is) the oldest of its kind in North America and celebrating its 54th year". It was followed four years later by the San Francisco International Film Festival , held in March 1957, which emphasized feature-length dramatic films. The festival played a major role in introducing foreign films to American audiences. Films in

14688-528: The most prestigious in North America, ranks first worldwide in terms of audience attendance and 11th in terms of media attendance. The San Francisco International Film Festival , founded by Irving "Bud" Levin in 1957, is the oldest continuous annual film festival in the United States. It highlights current trends in international filmmaking and video production with an emphasis on work that has not yet secured U.S. distribution. The Newport Beach Film Festival , founded by Gregg Schwenk in 1999, has emerged as

14832-608: The musclemen from her 1950s Las Vegas show, such as the still remarkably fit Reg Lewis . Sextette also reunited Mae West with Edith Head , her costume designer from 1933 in She Done Him Wrong . For her contribution to the film industry, Mae West has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street in Hollywood . For her contributions as a stage actor in the theater world, she has been inducted into

14976-416: The police brutality that gay men experienced. She adopted a then "modern" psychological explanation that gay men were women's souls in men's bodies, and hitting a gay man was akin to hitting a woman. In her 1959 autobiography Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It , a memoir compiled by ghostwriter Stephen Longstreet, West strongly objects to hypocrisy while also disparaging homosexuality: I have always hated

15120-423: The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky , made a video appearance where he talked about the war and the role of cinema in it. Iris Knobloch was elected the first woman president of the festival in the same year, succeeding the co-founder and former head of French pay-TV operator Canal+ , Pierre Lescure , who had served since 2014. In recent years, a number of gender and sexual controversies have surrounded

15264-581: The recognition of original films and daring filmmakers. In 1954, the Special Jury Prize was awarded for the first time. In 1955, the Palme d'Or was created, replacing the Grand Prix du Festival which had been given until that year. In 1957, Dolores del Río was the first female member of the jury for the official selection. In 1959, the Marché du Film (Film Market) was founded, giving

15408-555: The region's diaspora. It also seeks to facilitate the growth of Caribbean cinema by offering a wide-ranging industry programme and networking opportunities. The Lusca Fantastic Film Fest (formerly Puerto Rico Horror Film Fest) was also founded in 2006 and is the first and only international fantastic film festival in the Caribbean devoted to sci-fi , thriller , fantasy , dark humor , bizarre, horror , anime , adventure , virtual reality , and animation in short and feature films . The most important European film festivals are

15552-583: The role down, and Barbara Stanwyck was cast in her place. West was also approached for roles in Federico Fellini 's Juliet of the Spirits and Satyricon , but rejected both offers. On March 26, 1958, West appeared at the live televised Academy Awards and performed the song " Baby, It's Cold Outside " with Rock Hudson , which received a standing ovation. In 1959, she released an autobiography, Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It , which became

15696-457: The role of Norma Desmond for the 1950 film Sunset Boulevard , Billy Wilder offered West the role. Still smarting from the censorship debacle of The Heat's On , and the constraints placed on her characterization, she declined. The theme of the Wilder film, she noted, was pure pathos, while her brand of comedy was always "about uplifting the audience". Mae West had a unique comic character that

15840-474: The screenplay, My Little Chickadee was a box office hit, outgrossing Fields's previous film, You Can't Cheat an Honest Man (1939) and the later The Bank Dick (1940). Despite this, religious leaders condemned West as a negative role model , taking offense at lines such as "When I'm caught between two evils, I generally like to take the one I never tried". West's next film was Columbia Pictures ' The Heat's On (1943). Initially, she did not want to do

15984-450: The selection of films. However, in 2007, the artistic director Thierry Frémaux , became again the general delegate of the Festival. The general secretary is responsible for the reception of works and other practical matters. The Cannes Film Festival is organised in various sections: Prior to the beginning of each event, the festival's board of directors appoints the juries who hold sole responsibility for choosing which films will receive

16128-490: The show, ticket sales were strong. The production did not go over well with city officials, who had received complaints from some religious groups, and the theater was raided and West arrested along with the cast. She was taken to the Jefferson Market Court House (now Jefferson Market Library ), where she was prosecuted on morals charges, and on April 19, 1927, was sentenced to 10 days for "corrupting

16272-504: The stage production, calling it a "clumsy drama", "deliberately outlandish", and labeling West herself as an "atrocious playwright". Ultimately, the elaborate play closed on Broadway after just eight weeks and 64 performances. When compared to Diamond Lil , which had run for nine months with 323 performances, The Constant Sinner was critically, financially, and personally a disappointment for West. Nevertheless, its notoriety and even its negative reviews further enhanced her public image as

16416-400: The theatre; it is dull. This is a sin which is common to all of Miss West's wonderworks except Diamond Lil , but because of the luridness of the hokum plot and the highly colored melodramatic backgrounds of the new piece, it has seldom been more in evidence..."The Constant Sinner" is also, as might be expected, vile as to speech.... Seldom, come to think about it, has fouler talk been heard on

16560-489: The top leading international film festivals in western Canada ( Regina, Saskatchewan ) represented 35 countries in 2018 festival. RIFFA annual Award show and red carpet arrival event are getting noticed in the contemporary film and fashion industries in Western Canada . Toronto's Hot Docs , founded by filmmaker Paul Jay, is a North American documentary film festival. Toronto has the largest number of film festivals in

16704-403: The town hall along with the French government signed the International Film Festival's official birth certificate with the name of Le Festival International du Film . The reason for deciding Cannes was because of its touristic appeal as a French Riviera resort town and also because the city hall offered to increase the municipality's financial participation, including the commitment of building

16848-417: The two-faced, the smoother-over folk — the people who preach loudly one way of life, and then do something in private that they're against in public. In many ways homosexuality is a danger to the entire social system of western civilization. Certainly a nation should be made aware of its presence — without moral mottoes — and its effects on children recruited to it in their innocence. I had no objections to it as

16992-527: The world". In 1998, Gilles Jacob created the last section of the Official Selection: la Cinéfondation , aiming to support the creation of works of cinema in the world and to contribute to the entry of the new scenario writers in the circle of the celebrities. The Cinéfondation was completed in 2000 with La Résidence , where young directors could refine their writing and screenplays, and in 2005, L'Atelier , which helps twenty directors per year with

17136-459: The world, ranging from cultural, independent, and historic films. The Seattle International Film Festival , which screens 270 features and approximately 150 short films, is the largest American film festival in terms of the number of feature productions. The Expresión en Corto International Film Festival is the largest competitive film festival in Mexico . It specializes in emerging talent and

17280-608: The years to be one of the most polarizing. The Cannes Film Festival has its origins in 1938 when Jean Zay , the French Minister of National Education , on the proposal of high-ranking official and historian Philippe Erlanger and film journalist Robert Favre Le Bret decided to set up an international cinematographic festival. They found the support of the Americans and the British. Its creation can be largely attributed to

17424-591: Was "a work of art". Media attention surrounding the incident enhanced her career, by crowning her the darling "bad girl" who "had climbed the ladder of success wrong by wrong". Her next play, The Drag , dealt with homosexuality, and was what West called one of her "comedy-dramas of life". After a series of try-outs in Connecticut and New Jersey, West announced she would open the play in New York. However, The Drag never opened on Broadway, owing to efforts by

17568-415: Was a box office hit and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture . The success of the film saved Paramount from bankruptcy, grossing over $ 2 million, the equivalent of $ 46 million in 2023. Paramount recognizes that debt of gratitude today, with a building on the lot named after West. Her next release, I'm No Angel (1933), teamed her again with Grant. The film was also a box-office hit and

17712-414: Was a vaudeville actress, West had a relationship with James Timony (1884–1954), an attorney nine years her senior. Timony was also her manager. By the time that she was an established movie actress in the mid-1930s, they were no longer a couple. West and Timony remained extremely close, living in the same building, working together, and providing support for each other until Timony's death in 1954. West had

17856-410: Was already in upheaval due to streaming options, has faced another major shift, and movies showcased at festivals have an even shorter runway to online launches. The "Big Five" film festivals are considered to be Venice , Cannes , Berlin , Toronto , and Sundance . The Toronto International Film Festival is the most popular festival in North America. Time wrote it had "grown from its place as

18000-485: Was an American actress, singer, comedian, screenwriter, and playwright whose career spanned over seven decades. Considered a sex symbol , she was known for her breezy sexual independence and her lighthearted bawdy double entendres , often delivered in a husky contralto voice. She was active in vaudeville and on stage in New York City before moving to Los Angeles to begin a career in the film industry . West

18144-521: Was boxing champion William Jones, nicknamed Gorilla Jones (1906–1982). The management at her Ravenswood apartment building barred the African American boxer from entering the premises; West solved the problem by buying the building and lifting the ban. She became romantically involved at age 61 with Chester Rybinski (1923–1999), one of the muscle men in her Las Vegas stage show—a wrestler, former Mr. California, and former merchant sailor. He

18288-521: Was by then nearly 40 years old, an unusually late age to begin a film career, especially for women, although Paramount certainly never had the slightest intention of casting her as an ingénue . She nonetheless managed to keep her age ambiguous for some time. She made her film debut in the role of Maudie Triplett in Night After Night (1932) starring George Raft , who had suggested West for the part. She did not like her small supporting role in

18432-569: Was changed because of censors' objections. Despite Paramount's early objections regarding costs, West insisted the studio hire Duke Ellington and his orchestra to accompany her in the film's musical numbers. Their collaboration was a success; the classic "My Old Flame" (recorded by Duke Ellington) was introduced in this film. Her next film, Goin' to Town (1935), received mixed reviews, as censorship continued to take its toll by preventing West from including her best lines. Her following effort, Klondike Annie (1936), dealt, as best it could given

18576-437: Was considered bottom of the barrel but gave her experience. She was encouraged as a performer by her mother, who, according to West, always thought that anything Mae did was fantastic. Other family members were less encouraging, including an aunt and her paternal grandmother. They are all reported as having disapproved of her career and her choices. In 1918, after exiting several high-profile revues, West finally got her break in

18720-582: Was established in 1969 and accepts competition-only films by African filmmakers and chiefly produced in Africa. The annual Durban International Film Festival in South Africa and Zanzibar International Film Festival in Tanzania have grown in importance for the film and entertainment industry, as they often screen the African premieres of many international films. The Nairobi Film Festival (NBO), which

18864-572: Was established in 2016 with a special focus on screening exceptional films from around the world that are rarely presented in Nairobi's mainstream cinema and spotlighting the best Kenyan films, has also been growing in popularity over the years and has improved the cinema-going culture in Kenya. The Sahara International Film Festival , held annually in the Sahrawi refugee camps in western Algeria near

19008-451: Was interviewed by Dick Cavett and sang " Frankie and Johnny " along with " After You've Gone ." That same year, she began work on her final film, Sextette (1978). Adapted from a 1959 script written by West, the film's daily revisions and production disagreements hampered production from the beginning. Because of the near-endless last-minute script changes and tiring production schedule, West agreed to have her lines signaled to her through

19152-532: Was moved to spring to avoid direct competition with the Venice Festival which was held in autumn. During the early 1950s, the festival attracted much tourism and press attention, with showbiz scandals and high-profile personalities' love affairs. At the same time, the artistic aspect of the festival started developing. Because of controversies over the selection of films, the Critics' Prize was created for

19296-478: Was named the first female president of the jury, while the next year Sophia Loren became president. The 1968 festival was halted on 19 May. Some directors, such as Carlos Saura and Miloš Forman , had withdrawn their films from the competition. On 18 May filmmaker Louis Malle along with a group of directors took over the large room of the Palais and interrupted the projections in solidarity with students and labour on strike throughout France , and in protest to

19440-496: Was named, Mary Jane (née Copley), was of Irish descent. Her paternal grandfather, John Edwin West, was of English and Scottish descent. West's parents married in Brooklyn on January 18, 1889, to the pleasure of the groom's parents and the displeasure of the bride's, and raised their children as Protestants. Her eldest sister, Katie, died in infancy. Her remaining siblings were a sister named Mildred Katherine "Beverly" West and

19584-584: Was one of the largest box-office draws in the United States and, by 1935, she was also the highest paid woman and the second-highest paid person in the United States (after William Randolph Hearst ). Hearst invited West to Hearst Castle , his massive estate in San Simeon , California, where Hollywood celebrities and prominent political and business figures frequently gathered to socialize. "I could'a married him," West later commented, "but I got no time for parties. I don't like those big crowds." On July 1, 1934,

19728-516: Was one of the many double entendres in the dialogue. Days after the broadcast, the studio received letters calling the show "immoral" and "obscene". Several conservative women's clubs and religious groups admonished the show's sponsor, Chase & Sanborn Coffee Company , for "prostituting" their services for allowing "impurity [to] invade the air". Under pressure, the Federal Communications Commission later deemed

19872-607: Was one of the most controversial movie stars of her day; she encountered problems especially with censorship. She once quipped, "I believe in censorship. I made a fortune out of it." She bucked the studio system by making comedy out of conventional beliefs, and the Depression -era audience admired her for it. When her film career ended, she wrote books and plays, continued to perform in Las Vegas and London and on radio and television, and recorded rock and roll albums. In 1999,

20016-716: Was put on a list of actors called " Box Office Poison " by Harry Brandt on behalf of the Independent Theatre Owners Association. Others on the list were Greta Garbo , Joan Crawford , Marlene Dietrich , Fred Astaire , Dolores del Río , Katharine Hepburn and Kay Francis . The attack was published as a paid advertisement in The Hollywood Reporter , and was taken seriously by the fearful studio executives. The association argued that these stars' high salaries and extreme public popularity did not affect their ticket sales, thus hurt

20160-493: Was said to have been inspired or influenced by female impersonators Bert Savoy and Julian Eltinge , who were famous during the Pansy Craze . Her first appearance in a Broadway show, at age 18, was in a 1911 revue A La Broadway put on by her former dancing teacher, Ned Wayburn . The show folded after eight performances, but West was discovered and singled out for praise by a New York Times reviewer, who wrote that

20304-508: Was the most successful of her entire screen career. In the months after its release, references to West could be found almost everywhere, from the song lyrics of Cole Porter , to a Works Progress Administration (WPA) mural of San Francisco's newly built Coit Tower , to She Done Him Right , a Pooch the Pup cartoon, to My Dress Hangs There , a painting by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo . Kahlo's husband, Diego Rivera , paid his own tribute: "West

20448-471: Was timeless, the same as Charlie Chaplin. After Mary Pickford also declined the role, Gloria Swanson was cast. In subsequent years, West was offered the role of Vera Simpson, opposite Frank Sinatra , in the 1957 film adaptation of Pal Joey , which she turned down, with the role going to Rita Hayworth . In 1964, West was offered a leading role in Roustabout , starring Elvis Presley . She turned

20592-635: Was used on the front cover of the Beatles ' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band . When approached for permission, West initially refused and asked, "What would I be doing in a Lonely Heart's Club?" She changed her mind after the band wrote her a personal letter declaring themselves great fans of her. After a 27-year absence from motion pictures, West appeared as Leticia Van Allen in Gore Vidal 's Myra Breckinridge (1970) with Raquel Welch , Rex Reed , Farrah Fawcett , and Tom Selleck in

20736-409: Was virtually not allowed to write her own dialogue and, as a result, the film suffered. Perhaps the most critical, ongoing challenge facing West in her career was censorship of her dialogue. As on Broadway a decade before, by the mid-1930s her risqué and ribald dialogue could no longer be allowed. The Heat's On opened to poor reviews and weak performance at the box office. West was so distraught after

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