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Checklist of Mae West on DVD - INCLUDING THREE CONDEMNED FILMS
My all-time favorite Mae West line [from 'Go West Young Man'] was mangled by the censor.
In the film she says,
"You may kiss my hand.
And tomorrow, perhaps you may kiss me."
-- which doesn't even make sense.
It should have been:
"You may kiss my hand.
And tomorrow, perhaps, you may kiss the rest of me."
In her prime, Mae West starred in ten films (1932-1943)
-- The first nine are conveniently gathered in this three DVD box from Universal.
-- The rights to the tenth film are owned by a different conglomerate, so you have to buy it separately.*
Back in 2006, Universal released five films in the "Mae West Glamour Collection".**
The remaining films were issued on Universal Vault Series DVD-Rs.
This new set is the first time all nine Paramount and Universal titles have been released on standard DVDs.
English SDH subtitles.
In this box:
1932 Night After Night -- George Raft, Constance Cummings [Paramount]
1933 She Done Him Wrong - CONDEMNED -- Cary Grant, Owen Moore [Paramount]
1933 I'm No Angel - CONDEMNED -- Cary Grant, Gregory Ratoff, Edward Arnold [Paramount]
1934 Belle of the Nineties - CONDEMNED -- Roger Pryor, Johnny Mack Brown [Paramount]
1935 Goin' to Town -- Paul Cavanagh, Gilbert Emery [Paramount]
1936 Klondike Annie -- Victor McLaglen, directed by Raoul Walsh [Paramount]
1936 Go West, Young Man -- Warren William, Randolph Scott [Paramount]
1937 Every Day's a Holiday -- Edmund Lowe, Charles Butterworth [Paramount]
1940 My Little Chickadee -- W.C. Fields, Joseph Calleia, Margaret Hamilton [Universal]
The three films from 1933 and 1934 were given the dreaded "C" rating: CONDEMNED by the Legion of Decency during it's first two years of operation.
1932's 'Night after Night' likely would have received a Condemned rating, but it was released a year before the Legion was formed
And was one of the reasons why the Legion was formed.
Roman Catholics were forbidden to see these films. ***
All four are presented in their original uncut form.
'Night after Night' was a George Raft gangster movie.
Mae plays one of his old girlfriends, a supporting part - This is the only time she did not receive top billing.
And it's the only time that Mae did not receive a writing credit, even though she wrote the best line in the film - "Goodness had nothing to do with it".
If you are new to Mae West,
the best place to start is with her second film, 'She Done Him Wrong', with her best all-around supporting cast, screenplay and music ("I Wonder Where My Easy Rider's Gone")
It's also her only film to be nominated for an Academy Award. ****
The only bonus feature in this box is the 1933 Walter Lantz cartoon 'She Done Him Right'
Pooch the Pup is enamored with Poodles - a canine version of Mae West - who sings "Minnie the Moocher's Wedding Day" (by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler), a song with obvious drug references.
[hint - for ease of navigation, read the review through to the end, then come back and click on the links.]
Background:
In 1933-34, The Legion of Decency gave 52 films the Condemned rating before Hollywood buckled under and agreed to enforce censorship guidelines.
For a list of the 52 films, and more about Pre-Code Hollywood and the Legion of Decency, see my review of
Forbidden Hollywood V10
* The tenth film - Not in this box:
1943 The Heat's On -- Victor Moore, William Gaxton [Columbia] - Available separately: The Heat's On
** 2006 five film collection (not recommended):
Mae West - The Glamour Collection (Go West Young Man/ Goin' To Town/ I'm No Angel/ My Little Chickadee/ Night After Night)
*** It's OK for Catholics to see them now.
In March, 2016 Sister Rose Pacatte hosted a series of films condemned by the Legion of Decency on Turner Classic Movies.
**** Sixth Annual Academy Awards (1933) - Best Picture Nominees:
-- Cavalcade - winner
-- 42nd Street
-- A Farewell to Arms
-- I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
-- Lady for a Day
-- Little Women
-- The Private Life of Henry VIII
-- She Done Him Wrong
-- Smilin' Through
-- State Fair
-- For an overview of Mae West's later career, see the first comment (dated March 17, 2016) following this review.
March 2016 · Movies and TV · verified purchase