Visiting Mae West’s grave
Unless you’re a fan of classic Hollywood films, you probably have never heard of Hollywood movie-star and famous “sexpot” Mae West. She was known for her sexy image (which she invented with lots of glitz & sparkle, bleached blond hair piled high and a carefully cultivated image). She was the “queen” of the double entendre—many of which she wrote herself and inserted into her screenplays and stage appearances. She started in burlesque, vaudeville and made many Broadway appearances before making her first movie at age 39 when she signed a contract with Paramount Pictures in Hollywood.
Recently, my blond actress friend Elizabeth called me excitedly to tell me she had just been cast as MAE WEST in the Broadway play DIRTY BLONDE. She was devouring all books and reading material about Mae West including Simon Louvish’s book MAE WEST: It Ain’t No Sin. (pic attached)
Elizabeth went on to say: She lived in Hollywood for 40 years but she’s from Brooklyn and that’s where she’s buried—at Brooklyn’s Cypress Hills Cemetery! She went on to say: “If I’m going to play her, I need to visit her and pay my respects. Go with me…it’s way the heck out in Brooklyn- quite a long subway ride and walk. It will be fun.” So I agreed and we left the next day.
We rode over an hour on the subway from Upper Manhattan all the way out to the far end of Brooklyn where the subway comes out from underground and becomes an Elevated train. Then we walked thru a very rundown slum before we came to the gates of the beautiful 1848 Cypress Hills Cemetery where nearly 175 years of New Yorkers are interred including Victor Moore, the Collyer Brothers, Eubie Blake and baseball great Jackie Robinson.
The man at the gatehouse smiles and asks who we are there to visit and Elizabeth answers: “Mae West.” Suddenly he wasn’t very friendly and told us she’s interred in a part of the 225 acre cemetery where “only families are allowed.” Elizabeth didn’t take no and began arguing with the man…finally in desperation, she said “but I’m an actress and I’m here to pay my respects.” Suddenly the man became more pleasant and agreed to drive us over to the mausoleum.
The mausoleum looked like a Vanderbilt mansion…it had a circular driveway with a fountain and the mausoleum was 2-3 stories of marble with a grand staircase, tiffany windows, a chapel and chandeliers. As we walked down the quiet, marble corridors I recognized many of the names from my Brooklyn tours…the Schermerhorns, the Juilliards, Morgans, Hicks and I realized that these were the “first families” of Brooklyn. As we came to the end of the hall, there was the WEST section: Mae had her mother, her sister and other relatives interred there. Mae was born in 1893 as Mary Jane West and died in Hollywood in 1980 as “Mae West.” Elizabeth took a quiet moment to say a prayer and light a candle.
I asked the man why his demeanor had changed so drastically…at first he emphatically told us Ms. West was interred in a part of Cypress Hills for “family only” but then he changed his mind so suddenly when Elizabeth mentioned she was an actress.
His answer: “Mae West had no children and in her will, she specifically states that she considers “theatre people” as her family and they should be allowed to visit her. So you see, I had no choice but to bring you here.
Comments
Post a Comment