Three Plays by Mae West: Sex, the Drag, the Pleasure Man

Mae West, wise-cracking vaudeville performer, was one of the most controversial figures of her era. Rarely, however, do people think of Mae West as a writer. In Three Plays By Mae West, Lillian Schlissel brings this underexplored part of West's career to the fore by offering for the first time in book form, three of the plays West wrote in the 1920s—Sex (1926), The Drag (1927) and Pleasure Man (1928). With an insightful introduction by Schlissel, this book offers a unique look into to the life and early career of this legendary stage and screen actress.











ISBN-13 : 9780415909334
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Publication date : 08/28/1997
Author : Lillian Schlissel (Editor), Mae West

Editorial Reviews

Library Journal

West was a one-person entertainment business who left her mark on American culture. To get work, she "wrote" several plays, never pretending to be a creative artist but adapting her material freely from successful plays and films. Her plays attracted a huge, wealthy audience while offending official New York sensibilities. This collection not only contains the texts of her three best-known plays-one straight and two gay-but also documents her legal battle on morality charges. The plays are mostly unedited, without the stage directions needed to show us how to read the lines. Unfortunately, what makes these plays funny is the disparity between an innocent line and the sexually charged "business" around it, business that the reader needs to see clearly to be amused. Recommended for special collections only.-Thomas E. Luddy, Salem State College Lib., Mass.

Meet the Author

Lillian Schlissel is Director of the American Studies Program, Brooklyn College.