She Always Knew How: Mae West, A Personal Biography [Hardcover]

Charlotte Chandler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 10, 2009

The acclaimed biographer of Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Ingrid Bergman and other stars profiles one of Hollywood's most colourful and celebrated actresses, Mae West.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Chandler (Not the Girl Next Door: Joan Crawford) draws on her interviews with the 86-year-old Mae West, known for her "risqué brand of humor," in this chatty memoir. West carefully constructed and guarded the image of her personality as a woman who enjoyed sex at a time when "skirts had to cover ankles." She contended she was "never vulgar. The word for me was suggestive." West (1893–1980) craved the spotlight from a young age and had been a success in vaudeville, where she began to write her own material. Her screen legend perfected her sexually playful alter ego in such films as She Done Him Wrong, which contained her most quoted line: "Come up and see me sometime." Chandler also includes West's first-person account of her 10 days in jail, when she was found guilty of producing an immoral Broadway show, her first full-length play, Sex. West remained a box-office draw into her 70s, appearing in the 1970 film Myra Breckinridge. Whether discussing her love life or advising on playwriting or beauty tips, Mae West was always entertaining. Photos. (Feb.)
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From Booklist

Chandler’s biographies of film notables include leading ladies Ingrid Bergman, Joan Crawford, and Bette Davis, and she continues with star/diva/legend Mae West, whose candid statements provide a solidly three-dimensional look at an iconic actress. More than a movie star, witty writer, comedienne, and astute businesswoman, West changed public consciousness with humor: What I’m proudest of is that I offered entertainment, not a message. But there was a message, too, only it was subliminal, hidden behind the wisecrack. Women told me that I inspired them to stand up and walk on their own two feet. At 86, West was reluctant to give interviews, but could not refuse longtime friend and favorite director George Cukor, who arranged the meeting. The result is conversation laced with revelation from the woman who’d been performing since her star-struck debut at Brooklyn’s Royal Theatre amateur show, when the clothes-conscious little girl stamped her foot, demanded her spotlight, and won first prize: $10 and a gold medal. The story of Diamond Lil should see demand from film buffs and mainstream fans alike. --Whitney Scott

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (February 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416579095
• ISBN-13: 978-1416579090
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #841,900 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Diamond Lil Without The Sparkle, February 18, 2009

By 

R. M. Desjardins "R. Mark Desjardins" (Vancouver, B.C. Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: She Always Knew How: Mae West, A Personal Biography (Hardcover)

In the opening pages of Charlotte Chandler's new biography of Mae West, She Always Knew How, the author inadvertently tips off readers that they may be getting diluted goods. In regards to granting Ms Chandler's interview request West is quoted, "I'm saturated, I'm not promoting anything or selling anything, so I don't have any reason."

When excerpts of the interview were originally published in the February 1984 issue of MS magazine, the short article's snappy editing made for fascinating reading. Presented in this expanded form, the conversation seems to drag (no pun intended). That Chandler in fact conducted this interview is not in question. She has authored many acclaimed biographies of cinematic luminaries, but it's the exceedingly talkative nature of the material presented here that raises the question of what West actually said, and what Chandler interpreted as what she said, interwoven with comments made about West by other subjects the author interviewed over the years. Arranging this data into coherency may account for the large amount of elapsed time since the interview and the publication of this biography, some thirty years later. While it is improbable that Chandler has attempted to pull the wool over the eyes of readers, it appears West succeeded in pulling the wool over her eyes.

The fact that Chandler does not state a time frame, or how long a duration of time she interviewed West is troubling. Born Lyn Erhard, no personal facts about Chandler are available, and she appears to be somewhat of an enigma. Perhaps this is why she can relate to a personage such as West who had no problem rearranging the facts of her life to suit herself, or the listener at the time.

West certainly warms up talking about her favorite subject - herself, and it is wonderful to hear her voice throughout this book. However, to the informed Mae West fan, this voice is somewhat muted and self serving rather than being reflective. For example, when the subject of one of West's lovers is brought up, he is simply referred to a "D." Guido Deiro and West were in fact married and ample proof lies deposited in Envelope 7, Miscellaneous Letters, and Legal Documents in the collection at the Center for the Study of Free-Reed instruments at the City University of New York, Graduate Center. Years earlier, In 1911, West married Frank Wallace without obtaining a divorce. No mention is ever made of West being a bigamist.

Although West scored numerous successes in vaudeville and on Broadway, she suffered many setbacks as well, but these are conveniently overlooked and glossed over. Any biographer worth their salt having done background sleuthing would be aware of the ups and downs of West's long and varied career. As a result the uninitiated reader would believe that West's career was smooth sailing and everything was sunshine and roses. Far from being the truth, West was toughened by the assaults of critics and the resiliency she developed ultimately made her successful, yet little of that struggle is revealed or acknowledged on either part here.

In her search for validation and add credence to her angle on West, Chandler has hitched her wagon to Tim Malachosky, the last of a long line of "personal assistants" to Miss West. Malachosky spent eight years rendering unpaid secretarial services to West and his utter devotion to looking after her needs is beyond reproach. West in turn, was grateful to have him as part of her entourage. However, in a somewhat misguided effort, Malachosky has attempted to rewrite West's history in regards to diminishing the role of the other young men she befriended in the last two decades of her life, placing himself in a more prominent position than is his due. By sheer good luck of being the last fan having close contact with her at the time of her death, he came into possession of many of West's personal items. In his dogged determination to sanitize the importance of Mae West's contribution to the sexual revolution of the 20th century he has kept papers that he deems "Miss West would not like others to see" locked away in his personal archives, and Chandler's book suffers for it.

Sharp eyed readers familiar with Malachosky's 1993 self published pictorial to Mae West will notice that Chandler has devoted several pages in her new book reprinting whole passages directly from that publication. Malachosky's lavishly illustrated coffee table picture book is a lovingly assembled tribute to West, but was dogged by spelling mistakes and atrocious grammar which Chandler has cleaned up considerably for inclusion here. Revealing little new insights into West, Malachosky's comments reveal a lot about him and his attempts to act as a censor as to what fan letters and photographs West was exposed to.

West encouraged her young male fans to come up and see her and in fact Malachosky was present during one occasion when West hilariously conducted a verbal lesson on fellatio, much to his consternation. None of this is mentioned and Malachoksy is adamant that few visitors were ever invited to visit her Ravenswood lair. This flies in the face of a long list of guests that included Burt Reynolds, Elton John, John Phillips, Ian Whitcomb, Paul Williams, Van McCoy, along with an army of others.

West's lover and defacto common law husband, Chester Rybinsky, AKA Chuck Krauser AKA Paul Novak is dealt with in a very one dimensional manner. Novak unquestionably loved and adored West but had much more going for him as a well rounded individual with interests of his own than what Chandler presents here. As well, Mae's love/hate relationship with her sister Beverly is somewhat glossed over. According to Dolly Dempsey, long time West confident, the two sisters' tumultuous relationship harkens back to their early years living in a Brooklyn tenement when young Beverly broke her ankle and there was no money to have it set properly. The resulting club foot and guilt and anger over that incident, made for a lifelong bitter sweet bond between the two sisters.

Despite the score of other Mae West biographies that have been published over the years, Chandler's examination of West's life and career is refreshing and welcome in that we hear Mae West in her own voice. Sadly little of the famous West wit and sparkle surfaces in their conversation. The reader can't get over the feeling that what Chandler offers the reader is a lack luster and pale imitation, paste if you will, of what Diamond Lil stood for, and was about.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Better overlooked than look over...., February 7, 2009

By 

S. Vonteese (West Palm Beach, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: She Always Knew How: Mae West, A Personal Biography (Hardcover)

This book is nothing like other books written on Mae West (and I have read every single one, including West's own biography). How is it different? All previous books on Mae West had been written after extensive research. This one is written (more like transcribed) in complete blind faith, with no research for possible untruths, wrong facts or embellishments.

The book is 95% a transcription of Mae West's last interview. She was 86 at the time-and well known for boastful embellishing of her history. MANY of the famous and elderly do this. They change the facts at whim, make up new ones, leave out unpleasant ones etc. This whole book consists of that. In no way, shape or form, can anyone identify with Mae West as a human being upon reading this. If we are to go along with the book's contents, then we must believe that Mae West never had a single failure in her life, NEVER HAD TO DIET, never had a moment's insecurity or negative thought in her entire life.

Speaking to the infamous Tim Malachosky, does not help matters when it comes to facts. Malachosky, who met West well into his late 20's in 1973 via sitting for days-on-end in the lobby of the Ravenswood (not in 1969 as a "teenager" after West allegedly called HIM) sounds like Max from 'Sunset Boulevard' throughout. I know this because I lived at the Ravenswood from 1971 to 1977 and dated the desk clerk who finally asked Miss West if Malachosky could visit for a short while. She had a very close friend, a young latin fellow named Robert whom was her right hand man, besides Paul Novak. When West passed on, only a hired nurse and Paul Novak were present. None of these facts were researched to any degree for this book.

Candid recollections from those who knew West are few herein, thus the reader comes away feeling West was some kind of apparition, something immortal. She would have loved that- but it does little for anyone looking for facts or something new that might not have been revealed before. In fact, a massive portion of this book consists of mundane tid-bits, that would leave even the most ARDENT Mae West fan thinking "who cares?"

What will you remember once you have reached the final page? Probably nothing. There are several other great Mae West books available, written in a more realisitic light (and more fun!). It is my understandning that two more are in the works, one concentrating on her fascinating early career (pre-Hollywood) and another, with great detail, dealing with her later life. Let's hope those have a little more substance and research. Mae West was, indeed, fascinating. Chandler's book does not showcase this.

And I second the other reviewer's question: Did Chandler take notes or did she tape record all of this? Because a LOT of this book doesn't sound like Mae West at all.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars At Face Value..., March 4, 2009

By 

Damon Devine (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: She Always Knew How: Mae West, A Personal Biography (Hardcover)

Unfortunately, this book does not grab the reader, at any point. It is an 86 year old Mae West talking about anything and everything, yet saying nothing profound. It is breezy afternoon banter and minor recollections. And this is coming from a HUGE Mae West fan! I can safely say I have read every single book on Mae West, I even have her likeness tattooed on both arms! So you can take my word for it, when I say this book is almost unreadable.

For one--Charlotte Chandler did no reseach what-so-ever. There are endless factual errors, both in what Mae West says throughout and what others said in regards to her, but Chandler questions nothing. She just goes with the flow--so this becomes somewhat of a FICTIONAL book. You don't know, unless you have seriously studied Mae West, what is true and what is extreme "grande embellishment" (i.e. false recollection).

Tim Malachosky, despite popular belief, was not Mae West's "personal secretary for 10 years" and I have in my possesion a SIGNED letter by him acknowledging this. It was considerably less time, not to mention West had several guys tend to her mail, set up folding chairs for her guests, etc. The letter goes on to reveal that Malachosky was selling copies of West's 'Mae West on Sex, Health and ESP' book mere WEEKS after her death in 1980, at $10 a pop. And if we choose to believe all that he states in this latest book, combined with Chandler's slant--then Mae West was a normal elderly lady, innocent, pure, extremely ladylike and may well have had butter-scotch candies at the bottom of her purse, to hand out to crying babies! NOTHING could be further from the truth, and Chandler would have discovered this, had she talked to those much closer to Mae West (several of whom are still alive and only in their 50's and 60's).

The truth? Mae West was fascinated by sex and good looking men all her life. She adored a good lurid story by her younger friends and would sit with rapt attention as she listened (and then told a few of her own!). A detailed account of someone's trip to Beijing would have bored her to tears and she would have said so. She was, in fact, very much like her screen character, just a little more "subtle" in her delivery and body language. She was a PASTICHE/ a characature of a 'lady.' She was a New York 'broad' who knew how to put on the 'lady act' in certain company (non-intimates) and also knew when she could be herself (with true intimates). She made fun of this in 'Goin' To Town', as she was well aware of this transparent transformation, and how humorous it truly was.

I'm going to go out on a limb here, but I feel it's necessary. I am not entirely sure Mae West even said much of what is quoted in this book. In short--I feel Chandler may well have made a lot of it up because she quite possibly didn't have enough material for a book. As other reviewers have pointed out, "Why now? Why 30 YEARS later"? Chandler claims to have RECORDED these conversations. In this case--let's see a double CD set released to prove it. Now THAT would be a massive seller! The grammar does not sound like West, the weeping in front of Chandler is highly unbelievable, the endless chatter about Elvis and Marilyn Monroe is not customary of Mae West (who liked to keep the conversation centered around HERSELF) and...well...the list is endless.

In all other books about Mae West, one comes away with the 'feeling' of Mae West. When you finish this (which is no easy task) you may well feel nothing at all.