''Mae West'' (also known as ''The Mae West Story'') is a 1982

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

about the life of the comedian actress and writer

Mae West Mae West (born Mary Jane West; August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American stage and film actress, playwright, screenwriter, singer, and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned over seven decades. She was known for her breezy ...

. It was directed by

Lee Philips Lee Philips (born Leon Friedman; January 10, 1927 – March 3, 1999) was an American actor, film director and television director. Life and career Philips was born in New York. His acting career started on Broadway, and peaked with a starring ...

, starring

Ann Jillian Ann Jillian (born Ann Jura Nauseda; January 29, 1950) is a retired American actress and singer whose career began as a child actress in 1960. She is best known for her role as the sultry Cassie Cranston on the 1980s sitcom ''It's a Living''. Ea ...

as West and featuruing

James Brolin James Brolin (, born Craig Kenneth Bruderlin; July 18, 1940) is an American actor. Brolin has won two Golden Globes and an Emmy. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 27, 1998. He is the father of actor Josh Brolin. He ...

Piper Laurie Piper Laurie (born Rosetta Jacobs; January 22, 1932) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the films ''The Hustler'' (1961), '' Carrie'' (1976), and '' Children of a Lesser God'' (1986), all of which brought her Academy Award no ...

, and

Roddy McDowall Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall (17 September 1928 – 4 October 1998) was a British actor, photographer and film director. He began his acting career as a child in England, and then in the United States, in ''How Green Was My Valley'' (1 ...

in supporting roles.

Release and reception

The film originally aired on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

on May 2, 1982, and was the third most-viewed

prime time Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...

television program in the United States for the week of April 26–May 2, 1982. In 2010s, it was released digitally on platforms like

Amazon Freevee Amazon Freevee is an American ad-supported video-on-demand (VOD) streaming service owned by Amazon, with original and licensed programming. History Amazon Freevee launched as a free, ad-supported video channel by the Amazon-owned online data ...

and Google Play Movies. At the 34th Primetime Emmy Awards, the film received four nominations: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Special for

, Outstanding Directing in a Limited Series or a Special for

, Outstanding Costume Design for a Special for Jean-Pierre Dorléac, and Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for Richard Blair. Jillian was also nominated to a

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television. In a retrospective review,

AllMovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...

rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Cast

''as''

''as'' Jim Timony *

''as'' Matilda West *

''as'' Rene Valentine *

Louis Giambalvo Louis Giambalvo (born February 8, 1945) is an American actor, frequently seen on television in guest roles. Early life and education Giambalvo was born and raised in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City, where he attended Ca ...

''as'' George Kane *

Chuck McCann Charles John Thomas McCann (September 2, 1934 – April 8, 2018) was an American actor, comedian, puppeteer, commercial presenter and television host. He was best known for his work in presenting children's television programming and animation, a ...

''as''

W. C. Fields William Claude Dukenfield (January 29, 1880 – December 25, 1946), better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler, and writer. Fields's comic persona was a misanthropic and hard-drinking egotist who remained a sympathe ...

Lee de Broux Lee de Broux (born May 7, 1941) is an American character actor of film and television who is best known for his roles in such films and television series as '' Chinatown'', '' RoboCop'', '' The Gun'', '' Geronimo: An American Legend'', ''Norma ...

''as'' Jack West *

Donald Hotton Donald is a masculine given name derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the ...

''as'' Edward Eisner *

Ian Wolfe Ian Marcus Wolfe (November 4, 1896 – January 23, 1992) was an American character actor with around 400 film and television credits. Until 1934, he worked in the theatre. That year, he appeared in his first film role and later television, as a ...

''as'' Dorset *

Bill Morey Bill Morey (December 19, 1919 – December 10, 2003) was an American character actor.Harris M. Lentz III''Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2003: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture'' McFarland, 2004 page 27 ...

''as'' Al Kaufman *

Rita Taggart Rita Jean Taggart (born December 19, 1949) is an American film and television actress. She is known for playing Carla Bouvier on ''Night Court''. Biography Taggart was born in Salinas, California. She studied special education at San Francisco ...

''as'' Sally * Michael Currie ''as'' Bill Le Baron *

Jay Garner Jay Montgomery Garner (born April 15, 1938) is a retired United States Army lieutenant general who in 2003 was appointed as Director of the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance for Iraq following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, makin ...

''as'' Archie Mayo * Burke Byrnes ''as'' Withers *

Bridgette Andersen Bridgette Andersen (July 11, 19751997) was an American child actress and child model. She starred in 1982's ''Savannah Smiles'', for which she received her first of four Youth in Film Award nominations. Personal life Andersen was born on July ...

''as'' Mae West (age 7) * Martin Azarow ''as'' Detective

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0084289 1982 television films ABC network original films American television films Cultural depictions of Mae West Films directed by Lee Philips Films scored by Brad Fiedel 1980s English-language films