Goodness had nothing to do with it: The Autobiography of Mae West

by Mae West

This autobiography traces Mae West's indulged Brooklyn childhood, through vaudeville success, a stage career which landed her in jail for the outspokenness of her lines, to spectacular Hollywood stardom. Witty and honest, she remained in control of her life, her career and her many, many loves.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Film, Autobiography, Biography Memoir, Memoir, Womens

271 pages, Hardcover

First published January 14, 1959

About the author

Mae West (August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American actress, playwright, screenwriter, and sex symbol.

Famous for her bawdy double entendres, West made a name for herself in vaudeville and on the stage in New York before moving to Hollywood to become a comedian, actress and writer in the motion picture industry.

One of the most controversial stars of her day, West encountered many problems including censorship.

When her cinematic career ended, she continued to perform on stage, in Las Vegas, in the United Kingdom, on radio and television, and recorded rock and roll albums.

Reviews

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic first person narrative about the early part of Ms. West's career. Her signature one liners and frank conversation about her life are the stuff of legend. Her ability and willingness to take on the censorship of her early work is amazing. I really appreciated learning more about her vaudeville beginnings. Her comedy and sensitivity to her audience's appetites made her a success both on stage and behind the curtain.

But it's her open and candid treatment of taboo topics is what put her ahead of her time. Her inclusion of homosexuality in "The Drag", and "The Pleasure Man" made her sensational. Her constant ability to stay in the news made her a box office success. But her most compelling stories are of her intense and candid stories of her sex life. Often entertaining several boyfriends at one time, she had a healthy understanding of herself and society.

She was well read, funny, brash, and rowdy. But most of all she was misunderstood. (I can relate) If you think you know Mae West because you've seen a few movies and heard a few quotes, you should take the time to read her story in her own words.

The last chapter is a great overview of advice from the legend herself, it includes things like drinking plenty of water, getting the right amount of rest for you, eating well. She even talks about the right way to shampoo your hair. She stresses the importance of a full length mirror. She insists that you go to the dentist. Mae even recommends going to the bookstore or asking a Librarian about books to help with exercise! She recommends getting with the beat. "Live, Girl- all your life. Rock with the rock and roll with the roll." and to always avoid arguments. But my favorite section is on the joys of men over 40! "At 40, a good man has come of age. Usually a man is more fascinating at 40 than before."

Some of my favorite lines that I hadn't heard/read before-

"There is a man for every mood, if one can create just the right mood."

"Marriage is a fine institution, but I'm not ready for an institution."

"A woman should appreciate and respect a man's love for her, even when she finds she cannot return that love."

"The recurring pattern of multiple men in my life was already showing itself. I would start with one, and usually five or six more would put in an appearance. It's a satisfactory pattern. Getting down to your last man must be as bad as getting down to your last dollar."

"I have never asked for second chances. With me there is no, 'next time things will be different.' Things must be different the first time, or I'm through with it."

" I have always felt a gift diamond shines better than one you buy yourself."

"My personal life kept pace with my public one. I played as hard as I worked. I did not neglect my pleasures, but I did wish I had more time for them."

"It's not the men you see me with, it's the men you don't see me with."

No truer words have ever been spoken Ms. West!

[A.E. Marling · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a sense that Mae West made up most everything in this autobiography for entertainment value.
Perfect! With color and flare, she describes her life's achievements. And achieve she did. Her success in movies saved Paramount Pictures after the Great Depression, and she was the greatest woman wit of the twentieth century and possibly the millennium. Imagine Kim Kardashian with something to say, and a creative fire that never dimmed. Mae West wrote her own dialog (or carefully stole it). She performed on the stage and silver screen into her fifties and beyond, while dating men half her age or younger. She may not have been a good person, but she was a great one.

And yet, few people today may remember her name. It's humbling to think that cultural icons of one century may be near forgotten in the next. I had a hard time finding a copy of this book, but the search was worth it.

[Samantha Glasser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mae West was a star of the stage who successfully transitioned to films. Her appearances in My Little Chickadee, She Done Him Wrong, and I'm No Angel are unforgettable and entertaining. Her uber-sexual personality and wry delivery of clever dialogue have inspired characatures for decades.

This is her story, written in 1959 and obviously meant to boost a naturally diminishing career. While she is frank about her many love affairs, the storytelling is somewhat sanitized by the constrants of the era. It reflects the times in other ways too, such as on page 56 which contains a racist throwaway that made my eyes go wide when I read it, pairing cocoa butter and jungle monkeys. Or this now-laughably outdated piece of advice, "Don't say, 'Elvis Presley is for kids.' Say, 'That's for me.'"

The story is easy to read and it is entertaining. There are some good pieces of advice, and lots of one-liners.:

"Let go of things that can't possibly matter to you, and you'll always have room for the better things that come along. I learned early that two and two are four, and five will get you ten if you know how to work it."

"They were my type--men."

"...[Gregory] Ratoff has an accent that has an accent."

"Sometimes it seems to me I've known so many men that the FBI ought to come to me first to compare fingerprints."

[Keli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve had this book from the library maybe since Covid. I just kept rechecking it out. Was it worth the wait? Kind of. I knew nothing about Mae West. I had never seen a movie. I was aware of her sex symbol status, but not really aware. Know what I mean? The book delivers because I now know so very much about her. Luckily, she was moderately interesting. I am not a fan of biographies. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, most people really aren’t that interesting. Or, more accurately, no more interesting than anyone else. In the case of Ms West, she wanted to be a star, she worked incredibly hard and honed her skills, she was relentless in her pursuit and she was lucky enough to be at the right place and time. This is the story of anyone successful in their fields. With the exception of success, it is the story of anyone who has ever tried to make it. The sort of unique thing about Ms West was that she wasn’t silent about her promiscuity, nor apologetic. There was no shame in her game. Though not necessarily pioneering, it was still a rarity, this attitude. I did appreciate her candidness and kindness. She comes across as a rather kind person, the weird view on homosexuality aside. However, this is not a particularly well written story. Like her movie (She Done Him Wrong) I watched last night, it’s a frenetic smashed up tale of birth to 1959. There’s a lot of name dropping and ego stroking, but there are also fantastic one-liners and double entendres throughout. Not a rip-roaring jaunt, but I’m not mad at it.

[Lisabet Sarai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this when I was thirteen and loved it.

Looking back, I'd say Mae had a significant influence on my life!

[Kris (My Novelesque Life) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 STARS

"This autobiography traces Mae West's indulged Brooklyn childhood, through vaudeville success, a stage career which landed her in jail for the outspokenness of her lines, to spectacular Hollywood stardom. Witty and honest, she remained in control of her life, her career and her many, many loves." (From Amazon)

I picked this up at a local book store for $2 and it was more than worth the price. A great memoir and as honest as one can be. Mae West is cheeky and bold.

[Stefanie Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mae West should be every woman's idol. Though the prose isn't perfect at every turn, if you want to learn anything about the amazingly prolific, talented, and self-assured Mae West, this is a fun and revealing read. I learned a lot from her.

[Scott Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This autobiography had much more depth than I anticipated. Mae West was definitely ahead of her time. She was a true force in entertainment, and she did not lack in self-esteem. Her book was also a fun look at the inner-workings of the industry.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should read a biography of Mae West if I want the unvarnished full truth. While a fun read, the book reads as a promotional piece. It’s not like a modern celeb memoir where the person is sharing their deep thoughts and experiences. I don’t feel like I “know” her after reading this memoir. I know what she wants me to know. She does come across as very smart and savvy so it makes sense she would hold back her true self and give the reader her persona instead.

Personality is the most important thing to an actress's success.You can sing like Flagstad or dance like Pavlova or act like Bernhardt, but if you haven't personality you will never be a real star. Personality is the glitter that sends your little gleam across the footlights and the orchestra pit into that big black space where the audience is.Personality is what you as an individual radiate. What today we call charisma.

I didn’t know a lot about her going in and was surprised to learn that West was a writer and wrote many plays and screenplays. The entertainment industry back then (and life in general) was extremely sexist and to be a successful woman one really had to push against the grain. It was impressive how she managed to control her career. No one pushed around Mae West!(Or so she says)

I know a fair amount about early Hollywood and next to nothing about vaudeville so the early part of the book that focuses on her vaudeville career was both informative and also a bit boring. She assumes the reader will know what she is talking about - the acts and the theaters and the shows - but I had no idea for the most part. It really highlighted for me how fleeting fame is. You think, “everyone will always know who (fill in the blank) is” and that is not true. I also wished I had been reading this on the Kindle app instead of a paperback so I could easily look up all this vaudeville information.

I played from the age of eight to eleven the moonshiner's daughter in grim dramas of the Kentucky hills. I stopped the express train with an oil lamp when the bridge was washed out.
I was the poor little white slave in Chinatown. I went looking at night between the swinging doors for my drunken stage father.I helped Bertha the Sewing Machine Girl protect her virtue, even if a little pleasant loose living would have turned that dismal drudge into a butterfly at Delmonico's, set in precious stones and up to her little sable muff in bonds and gilt-edge stocks.

I watched the big women stars and enjoyed Sarah Bernhardt on a bill. She had a clause in her contract forbidding animal acts to play with her, but she permitted W. C. Fields, who was then an international juggler just discovering he had a gravel-bourbon voice and point of view. Fanny Brice was in burlesque, and the Marx Brothers were touring the sticks in an act called Fun in School. Groucho painted his mustache on in those days. The New York Star Burlesque featured a cowboy called Will Rogers, and everyone said: "How far can you get with a roping act?"

Her work ethic was impressive. It’s always a relief to read a memoir where the person is taking advantage of opportunities and networking and being on the ball. For all her talk about living the sexy glamorous life, the reality seems more like a workaholic life.

She was weirdly coy about her sex life. Her persona is all about SEX and I kept wondering what was the truth about her private life. Her comments about being with lots of men felt like an act. She would write that she can’t go into details because the publisher wouldn’t publish it but that is false. The book was published in 1959. I’ve read books published prior to that will more sex details than this memoir. She could have written more but chose not to because...who knows. I need to read a biography to discover that.

The book does include some racist/sexist/homophobic grandma talk because she was born in 1893 and that’s the way people were back then. For her time period she was very forward thinking and openminded. Seen through a twenty first century lens, less so. Something to keep in mind when you read some of her opinions. She did pave the way for others to move the bar forward.

My own desire to write a play on such a daring subject was part of my stubborn character, which never resisted a challenge. I had no personal emotional relations to the ideas of the theme. I had worked with male homosexuals in the theatre, but I myself had almost no contact with women at all. I preferred male company at all times. I never had any private interest in a woman as a love object, and would have recoiled in horror at myself if I had. Recoiled in horror at being gay, alrighty then.

In many ways homosexuality is a danger to the entire social system of western civilization. Certainly a nation should be made aware of its presence without moral mottoes and its effects on children recruited to it in their innocence. I had no objections to it as a cult of jaded inverts, or special groups of craftsmen, shrill and involved only with themselves.Uh……

The homosexuals I had met were usually boys from the chorus of some of the shows I'd been in. I looked upon them as amusing and having a great sense of humor. They were all crazy about me and my costumes.

THE DRAG treated seriously the problems of a homosexual, and showed how his abnormal tendencies brought disaster to his family, his friends, and himself. It stated that an intelligent
understanding of the problems of all homosexuals by society could avert such social tragedies. Stuff like this makes me wonder how she became a gay icon.

"I don't know. I'm a sort of serious actor who prepares for a part from his insides out."
"You can eat rice three times a day."
"It's a challenge. A Chinaman? I'l take it."
Her ‘joke’ about hiring a white guy to play a Chinese character.

West had a great wit and wrote a lot of clever quips that have held up and are still funny. I feel like I need to include some of those to counterbalance all the creepy stuff she wrote.

When caught between two evils, I generally pick the one I've never tried before

I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it.

A hard man is good to find.

I used to be Snow White, but I drifted

Good girls go to heaven. Bad girls go everywhere else.

I realized once I started reading that I have never seen one of her movies! I need to rectify that ASAP. I think I will get more out of watching the movies now that I have read about the making of them.

[Becki Iverson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never knew much about Mae West so this landed randomly on my list but WOW am I so glad I read it! The writing style is so engaging and kitschy, much like West herself. She has such a unique voice, and especially unique experiences for the time in which she lived. West would be today's feminists' dreamchild - there has been so much talk about changing Hollywood, and West has already solved that problem. There are no parts you like? Simple: prove how much money you can make in films, then write and star in all your own roles. It's a strategy I'm surprised so few actresses take (Reese Witherspoon and Ava DuVernay being two of them), and I'd like to see more of it. Maybe this should be required reading for contemporary actresses: many could use a course in How To Address Major Social Issues and Be Successful Without Relying On Others.

I adored this. I've already added a plenitude of West films to my Netflix and I will continue to do so. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a fun but substantive read and/or enjoys film history.

[Juli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mae West has got to be the most quotable woman ever read. She is bold and unapologetic, and I loved her. There is no bending of her will, which I found both abrasive and endearing. I sometimes wondered how much was bluster, but it was fun to take it at face value.

I was surprised to find her referencing the Kinsey Report, which was published about five years before this book. Using his research as a premise, she's done nothing "abnormal" - she just lived out the urges that Kinsey says are common but repressed. I was also amused to read a stage performer's view of the movie-making process. I recently read William Shatner's autobiography (Up Till Now), and he had the same frustration - a stage performer has to learn their lines, but film & movie actors don't. They found it unprofessional and wasteful, and that perspective gave me greater respect for them.

I had to work pretty hard to get a copy of this book, but it was worth it.

[Grania · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wise as well as witty. I learned from this book to start lying about your age early. While I enjoy Ms Wests rampant sense of her own financial value, and healthy interest in her box office returns, the bit where she advocates a project she is investing in, is a wee bit too mercenary. and 80 years too late.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book and this woman. She really was a pioneer for women and their personal freedom.
She talks of the Brooklyn streets where she was raised and the backstage of Vaudville and Broadway when they were the peak of entertainment. She is a wit and had control of her own world all the way into Vegas and Television.

[Tami · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another book I love reading. She was such a larger than life iconic figure. The book is her view of her life. It brings her more to life and gives a better understanding of the events in her life. She is such a great inspiration to people as she appeared to have the self confidence all of us need. I love reading this book over and over.

[Sarah Hackley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Mae West - her writing, her movies, her plays - but I was expecting more than what this book offered.

[Arsenio Peraza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. Mae West new what she wanted and would not be denied she was well ahead of he time in Hollywood.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so sad to finish this book. I SO enjoyed reading it. Mae West was certainly a pioneer and a woman WAY ahead of her time. It reads slightly as a brag book, but one I'd say is well deserved.

[Janet Keeten · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this would be spicier. I was hoping for more Hollywood dishing. However, she was an amazing woman. She deserved a better autobiography.

[Katy Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb look at an amazing life and mindset - what a woman.

I don’t read many biographies, but Mae West as actress/human being struck me as someone I was very interested to learn more about, and luckily my local library had her autobiography hidden away in their archives.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting up close with the women herself in her frank, funny and thorough story.

Written just after her TV debut singing with Rock Hudson at the Oscars (which I then watched), she reminisces over her early years as a future outspoken and determined female, showing these characteristics early. Her start on the stage and love for this, her mistake of a marriage. The career she built for herself and her own writing leading to both stage success and even jail time for her socially outrageous themes and characters (and wiggles it seems). The transition to Hollywood film and success there too. And the men. Oh the men.

While never graphic, as you would expect from Mae West, just a phrase or a suggestion of what was and what might have been is alluded to and the man men in her life are reflected on with some nostalgia, some dismissals and some relief.

Names are dropped. Mae’s place is history is discussed. Her role in the careers of others and engagement with other important cultural figures. It’s amazing just thinking Mae West was born in the Victorian era, 1893. But was often ahead of the times in her thinking, her writing and her attitudes.

The one bum note was her references to homosexuality, a play she wrote on the subject and her feelings on persons this way inclined… this jars for the contemporary reader, even knowing the attitudes and laws of the time. The Drag is not a play I think I would want to see performed.

Diamond Lil however, I am incredibly curious to see and will now go down a YouTube rabbithole in search of clips.

A woman for the ages, talented beyond belief. I even liked her final chapter of life and beauty advice (and some good points for the over 40s male, which my partner I insisted listen to).

A rare but worthwhile biographical read for me. Mae should not be forgotten. I did indeed enjoy coming up and seeing her sometime.

[Sparkie Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mae West was an incredible actress and singer with an 8th grade education that started in vaudeville as a child and created a persona that became her life on Broadway and movies. At a time when the entertainment business was dominated by men, she demanded and became the highest paid actress, saving Paramount Pictures from bankruptcy.
She re-wrote dialogue and songs and eventually took over by writing the scripts of many plays. She wrote books and made sure she got screen credits for writing the films.
With all her fame and money, she realized that it was meaningless by itself and she sought out Spiritualism and meditation. She was dynamic and determined and became the character she created for stage and screen.

[Les · Rating 3 out of 5]

As far as autobiographies go, this was readable but you never realise until now, how great Mae West was. According to this book, I don't think there is a man who didn't fall for her charms; an idea for a play that didn't go on to succeed without her input and a movie that wasn't a success without her 'creative genius'. Yes, I say that with my tongue firmly contained within my cheek.

I'm not a fan of Mae West's work however I do love to read about Hollywood stars of old. This was one of those books bout which I didn't feel was sincere or honest, more like how the author would have liked herself to have been interpreted by the world.

[Leonie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miss West lived a full and vividly life but she doesn't let the mask drop much here. Well written and occasionally with outdated attitudes, Miss West's continual assertions that everything she did was of only the highest quality doesn't feel like bragging, more like self-assurance. Of it's time (the fifties) by a woman born in the 1890s. Interesting as a bit of Broadway and Hollywood history but becomes a bit samey and less engaging, the more towards Miss West's present we get.

[Eva Tipps · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mae West's career was before my time, but understanding she was a legend, I wanted to read about her life. She was a no-nonsense woman who demanded complete control of her projects. Being a singer and dancer in Vaudeville to becoming both a playwright and an actress on Broadway, a novelist, becoming a radio star, then screen writer and Hollywood movie star, then TV personality, Mae was ambitious and unbelievably successful. The autobiography made me appreciate her achievements.

[Johnny Yoshida · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too much of anything can be wonderful, and I wish there were hundreds more pages for me to be whisked away into...

Five stars cause I'm biased. I love Mae. You learn a lot about her from this book which is what I was hoping for.

[Pwl · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's all in the title

[Sandy Carmichael · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kind of woman, ever true to herself---what a career she had.

[scarlettraces]

WHY DIDN'T THEY MAKE THE CATHERINE THE GREAT FILM???

Clearly Hollywood muppetry is not a new thing.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mae West had a great life and basically everything went perfectly for her. She set out to do it, she did it. And that includes many, many men.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Half true, half fiction, all Mae.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic read! Mae West could have written this book today. She was ahead of her time in comedy, acting, screen and play writing, and sex. This will, definitely, be a re-read for me.