Cheeky Quote Day! 9 September 2009

Profiling actress Mae West who specialized in cheeky quotes!

From Denny: After profiling Will Rogers last week from America's early Hollywood entertainment history I started thinking: who else might be of interest? Then I remembered "the risque one" herself that today's saucy singer and comedian Bette Midler surely might be a sure fire reincarnation of that oh, so original and tiny powerhouse of a woman: Mae West.

Mae West grew up in comedy, notable the Vaudeville and entertained America during the dreary Depression years of the 1930's. Her image was that of an independent woman, a bit risque - which was considered downright pornographic for the prudish time period. In her movies she was draped in jewels and looked to be enjoying the high life, something ordinary Americans could only dream about at that time.

The woman's movies were constantly censored; she kept them busy anyway, knowing the risk. By today's standards she is actually quite tame. She is still risque, full of either the obvious or the innuendo, but definitely ranks high in the Cheeky Quotes category to land a starring place on this blog today! :)

There are pages and pages of quotes attributed to actress Mae West. She often wrote her own material for the movies since she had studied comedic techniques from the time she was a child in the Vaudeville arena. YouTube has plenty of her movies; here are a couple of well known examples.

Mae West, American actress, Vaudeville entertainer, total ham of the exaggerated, 1893 - 1980.

I'm No Angel 1933 comedy classic:



Mae West with Duke Ellington Orchestra in the 1934 Belle of the Nineties:



Quotes

* “It's not the men in my life that counts--it's the life in my men.”

* “I see you're a man with ideals. I better be going before you've still got them.”

* “Opportunity knocks for every man, but you have to give a woman a ring.”

* “When women go wrong, men go right after them.”

* “When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I've never tried before.”

* “It's not what I do, but the way I do it. It's not what I say, but the way I say it.”

* “I speak two languages, Body and English.”



* “Too much of a good thing can be wonderful.”

* “I've been in more laps than a napkin.”

* “I'm a woman of very few words, but lots of action.”

* “I didn't discover curves; I only uncovered them.”

* “When I'm good I'm very, very good, but when I'm bad, I'm better.”

* “It is better to be looked over than overlooked.”

* “A hard man is good to find.”

* “Good sex is like good bridge. If you don't have a good partner, you'd better have a good hand.”

* “Look your best--who said love is blind?”

* “Those who are easily shocked should be shocked more often.”

* “The best way to hold a man is in your arms.”

* “All discarded lovers should be given a second chance, but with somebody else.”

* “The score never interested me, only the game.”

* “A man's kiss is his signature.”

* “I like a man who's good, but not too good--for the good die young, and I hate a dead one.”

* “Any time you got nothing to do--and lots of time to do it--come on up.”

* “Don't keep a man guessing too long--he's sure to find the answer somewhere else.”

* “Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly.”

* “I only have 'yes' men around me. Who needs 'no' men?”

* “Personally, I like two types of men--domestic and foreign.”

* “Love thy neighbor--and if he happens to be tall, debonair and devastating, it will be that much easier.”

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*** For a much more detailed recounting of her funny life, loves and movies, the day after this post I wrote an article for HubPages:Funny Quotes Wordsmith: Mae West, go here.