Was Mae West A Real Girl?
August 17 would have been birthday 123 for Mary Jane “Mae” West. Of course, she died in 1980, so the party is off. PG saw a note on facebook, and made the comment “She was rumored to be a man.” One right click google search later, this post started to take shape. This is a repost.
There is a blogspot site, maewest.blogspot.com. It is still published, with a birthday post today. Five years ago there was a post, Mae West: Penis Rumors. It seems as though Miss West liked to say, to the press, “When I die, you are going to be very surprised!”
A hollywood gossipmonger had a story, Was Mae West…A Man?! Much of her information comes from the tasteful findadeath site. The story here is that Mae West died in 1950, and the death was kept quiet. Her brother made appearances in her place, until the final death in 1980. This would have been quite a feat, considering that John Edwin West died in 1964. That doesn’t stop people from talking.
“…the real Mae West died somewhere around 1950, give or take a couple years, and rather than let the show stop, it was announced that not Mae, but her brother, died. Of course, the brother then became Mae West and carried on until November 1980. If you look carefully at photos from around 1950 on it definitely looks like a different person not to mention the big hands and masculine features, bone structure, etc. I may not have all the details 100% correct but I would almost put money on the fact that the ‘Mae West’ ‘who died in 1980 had a weenie!!”
The hands were mentioned by Raquel Welch. The two were in Myra Breckinridge, the first movie Miss West had made in 27 years. (Miss West appeared on Mr. Ed in 1964.) Miss Welch appeared at a film festival in 2012, and had stories to tell.
“When I went over to say hello to her (one day) I said, ‘Hi, it’s Raquel, remember?’ She sort of extended her hand to me and I went to kiss the ring and one false fingernail painted silver fell to the floor. I looked at the hand and I thought, ‘Oh, I’m getting a vibe.’ I really think she’s a man! At this point in her life all bets are off and you’re not going to be able to doll it up that much. I would say it’s pretty accurate that she resembled a dock worker in drag.” …
“I had this beautiful dress and it was black with a big white ruffle around the neck and a black velvet hat … Apparently Mae got wind of the fact that I was wearing this exquisite dress and I went to the studio that day for our scene together. I got coiffed, got my hair done and went to the closet to get the dress and it wasn’t there. I asked my dresser what happened to the dress and she said, ‘It’s been confiscated. Mae does not want you to wear that dress. You can wear the red dress that you wore in the last scene!’ … Welch was so outraged that she stormed off the set and refused to return until the dress was back in her closet. … “For the scene, we never appeared in a two-shot together. She left after she did her lines and I had someone off-camera reading her lines and I had to pretend she was there.”
Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Two Stories From 2009
This is a double repost from 2009. In the last seven years, Iraq has continued to be a hellhole, with the conflict spreading to Syria. The drug court client finished his program, and is having a good life. President Obama was reelected, and will retire in a few months. The people under the monuments, in the pictures, have not changed.
Thursday, President BHO had a white man and a black man over to take drugs. They had a rather public disagreement, and BHO stupidly poured gasoline on the fire. Drugs were the answer.
There are those who will immediately scream that beer is legal. Yes, alcohol is legal, advertised on television, and served in the White House. It is also an addictive drug. If you take too much, it will kill you. It is easier to die using hard liquor, but the concept is the same.
There are a lot of people in the legal machinery because of drugs. Some of these drugs are legal, some are not. Your liver is not amused to hear that the alcohol it is processing is legal. Your lungs don’t care if cigarettes are legal. The worst thing about some drugs is the fact that there is a law against them.
In Dekalb County, there is something called drug court. If you are on this program, you go to endless meetings, and get screened for drugs. Every time a person is screened for drugs, a lab charges the county money to process the test. This money could be used to give school teachers a raise, or to repair the roads. Instead, it goes to testing the urine of people who got caught smoking pot.
Thursday, drug court was meeting at the same time as the White House drug party. PG attended as part of “Friends and Family” night. The alcohol industrial complex was not affected.
One thing that PG likes to do is investigate “things he has always heard”. With google, you can often find the source, and a few things more. Some urban legends are tough to trace, often because they don’t exist. Others pop up 575k results is .49 seconds.
The myth PG was chasing was the notion that government officials said our army “will be greeted as liberators” in Iraq. On March 16, 2003, Vice President Dick Cheney was on Meet the Press.
MR. RUSSERT: If your analysis is not correct, and we’re not treated as liberators, but as conquerors, and the Iraqis begin to resist, particularly in Baghdad, do you think the American people are prepared for a long, costly, and bloody battle with significant American casualties?
VICE PRES. CHENEY: Well, I don’t think it’s likely to unfold that way, Tim, because I really do believe that we will be greeted as liberators. I’ve talked with a lot of Iraqis in the last several months myself, had them to the White House. The president and I have met with them, various groups and individuals, people who have devoted their lives from the outside to trying to change things inside Iraq. And like Kanan Makiya who’s a professor at Brandeis, but an Iraqi, he’s written great books about the subject, knows the country intimately,… The read we get on the people of Iraq is there is no question but what they want to the get rid of Saddam Hussein and they will welcome as liberators the United States when we come to do that.
There are a few things to say 78 months later. Why did the Vice President have this much power? The VP is supposed to dedicate buildings and go to funerals. Dick Cheney was clearly a very powerful man, and he was not elected to that job.
Mr. Russert, rest his soul, seems to have gotten one detail wrong. The conquest of Baghdad went smoothly, with relatively few American casualties. It was the occupation that would be “long, costly, and bloody …with significant American casualties”. One of the casualties has been the American economy. Thirteen years later, economic recovery is not complete.
There probably were many Iraqis who welcomed the change, Clearly, Mr. Hussein had some enemies, and there were some who did see the invasion as liberation. There were others who did not. Players in other countries saw an opportunity to come to Iraq and make trouble. The regime that was changed had many employees, who were bumped out of jobs. “The people of Iraq” were no more a monolithic force, all acting the same way, as the people of America would be if they were invaded.
Even if the Americans were “greeted as liberators”, there would be many challenges. The country had no experience in dealing with democracy. The different ethnic groups did not like each other. Sunnis were seen as having been privileged, and many were looking to settle the score. It seems obvious that these problems were not anticipated.
There is a debate in The United States about the use of torture. It seems apparent that “enhanced interrogation” was used extensively in Iraq and elsewhere. The use of torture would seem to be an admission that we were not greeted as liberators.
Coat Of Many Colors
PG saw a story, and thought about the song, “Coat of many colors”. The b side was by Porter Wagoner, “Coat of many sequins”. COMC is about a woman who is too poor to buy her little girl a coat at the store, so she makes a quilt. The other kids make fun of her, but little Dolly knows that the coat is really made of love.
The song talks about a story in the Bible. PG had heard about the story, but didn’t remember the details. He must have been daydreaming in Sunday School when that story was taught. With the help of google, Genesis 37 appears, as if by magic. Pass the popcorn.
2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
Ok, hold on for a minute. Israel had at least two wives. The Biblical definition of marriage must be between a man and two women.
The story gets a bit weird here. Joseph has this dream, where he becomes the boss hog brother. The other brothers decide something needs to be done, that Joseph needs to die. Reuben tries to help Joseph, and has a plan to save him. Joseph is stripped of the coat of many colors, and placed in a pit, with no water. Before Reuben can sneak Joseph out of the pit, a camel caravan comes by. Twenty pieces of silver change hands, and Joseph is sold into slavery. The brothers decide to pull a cover up, and make it look like Joseph was dead. Reuben made another sandwich.
31 And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;
32 And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no.
33 And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.
34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.
This feature was originally posted in 2012. The pictures, from The Library of Congress, are 4 years older. Dolly Parton is 4 years younger.
Self Ennobling Critique
Cam Newton on Those Versace Pants, Race in America, and Whether He Would Let His Kid Play Football ~ Cam Newton shouldn’t give racist critics a free pass ~ Philip Glass ~ Racism and Violence in America ~ SJW DEBATES #11-Katie Hopkins Vs Fat Women ~ 20 Diversion Tactics Highly Manipulative Narcissists, Sociopaths And Psychopaths Use To Silence You ~ 6 Things Everyone Knows About War (That Are Totally Wrong) ~ Trump’s Long-Time Friend Speaks Out, Reveals His TRUE Identity… ~ Ted Nugent’s 20 Reasons to Vote for Trump Go Viral… Liberals Horrified ~ 11 Out Social Media Personalities You Should Know ~ Who Said It? Famous Quotes From the Civil War Quiz ~ Inconvenient Penis Is A Huge Problem For Japanese Pole Vaulter Hiroki Ogita In Rio ~ Nice and Racist: What Ellen Degeneres Teaches Us About Racism ~ 23 Emotions people feel, but can’t explain ~ The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows ~ 4 More Half-Truths Women Regularly Tell Their Significant Others ~ 5 Excuses for Slavery That Need to STOP Five things about slavery are discussed. Two of them are true. One (slaves enjoyed having the work) is said by almost nobody. One was supported by speculation about alien abduction. This is comedy, not history. ~ David’s Ankles: How Imperfections Could Bring Down the World’s Most Perfect Statue ~ @TheHashtagGame @realJKCallaway @HashtagSkirmish This This was the inspiration for @TheEllenShow and her controversial meme ~ Internal server error ~ Kodak Black staying in jail after authorities discover outstanding warrants ~ maps ~ Where to Find the Most Mouthwatering Vegetarian Food in Atlanta ~ African-American man stabbed in Olympia, attacker mentions Black Lives Matter ~ papaya ~ @robwhisman how is sticking the flag up my ass more acceptable than burning it ~ 6 Reasons Why Being Called a Cis Person Is Not ‘Oppressive’ ~ Losing Larry Wilmore and Why It Matters—to TV, Women, and the Nation ~ #HateYouHaikus ~ Whites See Racism as a Zero-Sum Game That They Are Now Losing ~ White people think racism is getting worse. Against white people. ~ Joy Reid shames pastor for Trump lies: ‘Even a pastor cannot make things up on this show’ ~ Photographs by James Bareham ~ “NYC Parks stands firmly against any unpermitted erection in city parks, no matter how small,” ~ Trump supporter tells Joy Reid Breitbart.com isn’t racist because top writer is ‘incredibly gay’ ~ resume nonos ~ 2 dead after shooting at the Southside Inn ~ DeJarius Thurman ~ Noel Reed ~ Daniel Zeitz ~ Kenneth Hayes, Andraus Betts ~ 1 dead, 2 others shot in DeKalb County ~ Clifford Elston, Shayla Sullivan ~ Teen dead after confronting men about stolen bike ~ Royheem Delshawn Deeds ~ Which “over bloated turd” are you talking about? ~ How many of the people denouncing #CamNewton read the GQ article? ~ Is it racist for Donald Trump to say rude things about her ~ @WayneL_Jr Somebody said Cam Newton thinks he doesn’t face racism cause he dresses like a white lady ~ The old joke is true…it hurts when you laugh. ~ Peter Bogdanovich is on the Bret Easton Ellis podcast this week. He has a story about William Randolph Hearst. Someone said Mr. Soandso really hates your guts, Mr. Hearst. That’s funny, I never did him a favor. ~ is the quart the liter ally? ~ pro tip for writers: never use a word you don’t know how to pronounce ~ @chamblee54 @BretEastonEllis what does @blogdanovich think about the eagles? ~ There was a meme on twitter. “I’ve had a lot of worries in my life. Most of which never happened.” – Mark Twain After spending thirty seconds on a google search, I was directed to this The first reliable source for this quote was President elect James Garfield, in 1881. Mr. Garfield did, indeed, have something to worry about. ~ I am 35 minutes into @SamHarrisOrg chat with @GlennLoury the word talk is used often the word listen has not been used ~ Hillary, can do whatever she wants. It is Congress that will have to expand Medicare ~ @SamHarrisOrg @GlennLoury 1:16 of show…not killing someone because he steps on your shoe, in starbucks, is called privilege how strange ~ Sorry, something went wrong. We’re working on getting this fixed as soon as we can. ~ how many “self-ennobling critique” authors actually read the hines article that fired the controversy? I would guess a minority ~ Uncle Hotep @handymayhem @TheEllenShow @usainbolt ride that brutha like a horse Ellen…I know you secretly like the D ~ Ten starters on the Denver defense are black. This is the defense that shut down Carolina in the Stupid Bowl. ~ It’s a miss thing. You wouldn’t understand. ~ Isn’t Canada very picky about who they allow to move there? ~ I like to recycle overblown prose as poems. Legal writing is a productive field. These letters are no different. This quote stands out: Should we require people who are members of The Florida Bar that burn American flags to attend mandatory classes to understand how their conduct is viewed by veterans and their families? ~ “The U.S. Senate proposed the Eighteenth Amendment (mandating prohibition) on December 18, 1917. Upon being approved by a 36th state on January 16, 1919, the amendment was ratified as a part of the Constitution. By the terms of the amendment, the country went dry one year later, on January 17, 1920” That is two constitutional amendments in two years. The last two amendments to the constitution were passed in 1992 and 1971. ~ “I lost my boat, all my clothes and supplies. I’m afraid I’m a mess until I can get a shower and a change.” The man smiled at him for a long time before speaking. “It don’t matter, son,” he said in an unhurried drawl. “I’m gonna fuck you anyway.” ~ Political bribe solicitors/fund raisers are seeing an increase in donations ~ Every one? I suspect that many are, but 100%? Also, how do you decide who fits in those categories? ~ I bet campaign contributions to senators and congressmen are increasing ~ @WernerTwertzog I am not generous with interviewers who use profanity for no good purpose but vestigial antiestablismentarianism. ~ What about birth gendered? I just plain don’t like cis. ~ I doubt if a HO (Hillary Operative) installed those statues. ~ I see how we need a word for *opposite of trans*. However, I find the cis prefix to be distasteful. My suggestion would be to say that people in this category are birth gendered. ~ I did not care for reason number three. While being “encouraged to check your privilege.” is not oppression, it is not respect either. ~ @chamblee54 @mbsycamore @rabihalameddine @groveatlantic to say someone lost their mind presupposes that they had one to begin with ~ @WernerTwertzog I was not aware of any satire. ~ Having an opinion that differs from community standards should not be an act of bravery. ~ Being told you have a negative attitude works wonders. ~ It is a real shame to lose a friend over an honest attempt at discussion. I have written a blog post about this subject, but am not brave enough to post a link. If anyone is interested, send me a private message. It does have some great photos, taken at Agnes Scott College in 1937. ~ pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. The Atlanta Crackers played ball at Ponce De Leon Park until 1964 ~ selah
12th Street Camera
This is a repost, from six years ago. Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. The link for the camera still works. It has a still photograph from 2010. The neighborhood below continues to change, sometimes for the better.
There is a nifty webcam up now. It shows the progress of a high rise going up now at 12th and Peachtree. The location of the camera itself is not certain, with the speculation centering on 999 Peachtree, two blocks south on Tenth Street.
A glance at the image reveals a curve in the road, between the two glass boxes under construction. Atlanta does not have wide, straight boulevards extending to the horizon. It is said that Atlanta did not build roads, but paved the cow paths.
People of a certain age will remember this area as the strip. The tenth street district was a neighborhood shopping area, up until the mid sixties. At some point, the old businesses started to move out and the hippies moved in. For a while, it was a festive party. Soon enough reality returned, and the area went into a crime filled decline.
The 999 complex is the neighborhood story in a nutshell. Before 1985, it was a block of small businesses. There was a hardware store, with the peace symbol set in tiles in the sidewalk. On Juniper Street stood the Langdon Court Apartments. They were named for PG’s great uncle Langdon Quin. Ru Paul used to stay there. He would sit out on a balcony, and wave to the traffic going by.
Across the street was a chinese restaurant, the House of Eng. A staircase on the side led to the Suzy Wong Lounge. Behind the restaurant was an apartment building. It was one of the residences of Margaret Mitchell, while she wrote “Gone With The Wind”. She called it “the dump.” It was.
PG went to the House of Eng for lunch one day in 1985. He noticed that he was the only customer in the house, at 12:30 pm on a weekday. After finishing his lunch, PG knew why.
At some point, it was decided to build a high rise there. Heery was one of the equity partners, along with a law firm and an ad agency. The building was designed by Heery (duh).The ad agency folded before the building opened, followed within a couple of years by the law firm. Heery was sold to a British company. PG does not know who owns the building now.
The Cost Of Football
Football is just around the corner. The teams are busy with the pre season, and soon weekends will be full of hitting and drinking. Perhaps this is a good time to wonder whether football is worth the human cost. Especially now, with a national debate raging about the future of our health care. Football injuries keep hospitals hopping during the autumn.
This is the annual post about the down side of football. There is a helping of hypocrisy here, as PG enjoys watching the hits. Pictures are from The Library of Congress.
Football season is here. While the games are fun to watch, the players are paying the price. Your health insurance premiums just might be affected.
Football is a contact sport. On every play, the linemen block other lineman to keep them from tackling a back. Someone gets hit on every play. Most of these hits are “clean” and cause only bruises. Some are “dirty”, and cause injuries. Even the clean hits can hurt someone.
It is estimated that 187,000 emergency room visits every year are due to football. What if an illegal drug sent 187k to the er annually? There would be a hue and cry to kill the pushers.
Knee injuries are especially prevalent. An estimated 45,000 knee operations are performed each year due to football injuries. Arthroscopy is a wonderful invention.
With all those helmets slamming into each other, head injuries occur. “The researchers found that there is approximately one catastrophic head injury per every 150,000 athletes playing, or 7 catastrophic injuries yearly. There were 0.67 injuries per 100,000 players at the high school level and 0.21 injuries per 100,000 for college level football players.” Often, the coaches get caught up in the do or die spirit of a big game, and don’t get the player the medical attention that he needs. “Football is a very macho sport. Athletes are taught to play through pain,” …“But concussions range in severity and symptoms, so all a player may experience is a headache several hours after impact. High school players need to be educated in these symptoms and encouraged to self report.”
Even cheerleading squads are reporting more injuries, due to botched stunts.
When you see the players in their youthful glory, you don’t think what they will look like after they quit playing. Many players know this, but the lure of today’s glory justifies the pain of tomorrow. The heroes of yesterday often walk with pain today.
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