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.
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