There have been some movies I've watched where I said the writer must've had a wet dream and made a movie about it. Movies such as "Boomerang," "How to be a Player," and "Thin Line Between Love and Hate" come to mind. In those movies Eddie Murphy, Bill Bellamy, and Martin Lawrence were the stars respectively and had to fight off the women they had so many. The only thing that got them in trouble was their love of, and power over women.
"She Done Him Wrong" gives me the same vibes, except it stars a woman.
"She Done Him Wrong" takes place in New York City in the 1890s. The main character was Lady Lou (Mae West). She was beautiful and had swagger and every man who laid eyes on her wanted her. When I say every man, I mean EVERY man. I don't know any woman on this planet so desirable that EVERY guy turns into a whimpering puppy at the sight of her, but that's what Lou did to men. Her clothes, her walk, her attitude, and her manner of speaking exuded "I'm the baddest b---- in this place so take notice."
When I heard Lou speak it was instantly recognizable. It was a style of speech that I'd only heard in parody form whenever a woman was imitating a woman with moxy from the late 19th century. Lou spoke in a clipped slangy style full of sass and confidence that would often turn into a flirtatious mode that almost sounded like a cat purring. The way she spoke she always sounded like she was indifferent to everything and everyone unless she wanted them to believe she was interested--then she was flirtatious and no man could resist that. When she wanted to turn a man on it was nothing for her to say something provocative in a purring voice. Then he was hers.
While Mae West commanded the screen as Lou I can't say that I liked the character. I could respect her game, but as I mentioned before, she was some writer's wet dream. And being that Mae West wrote the movie, it all makes sense.
She worked at a saloon owned by Gus Jordan (Noah Beery), the most powerful man in that district and the man who could best protect Lou. Lurking on the perimeter along with several other men ready to pounce on Lou was Dan Flynn (David Landau), a man looking to take over Gus's operation and score Lou as a prize.
The other notable men orbiting Lou ready to lie, cheat, steal, and kill for her were Chick Clark (Owen Moore), her ex who was in prison for stealing jewels for her, Cummings (Cary Grant), a reformer, Serge (pronounced ser-gay) (Gilbert Roland), a foreigner in business with Gus, and Spider (Dewey Robinson), her muscle and criminal handyman. Every other bloke, and there were many, wasn't worth mentioning. Besides, this review would be thirty pages long if I had to list them all.
Also serving Lou was Pearl (Louise Beavers). Unfortunately, Louise Beavers was a Black actress at a time when the roles she could get were all the same. Every movie I've seen her in she's been a servant or a mammy, and it was no different in "She Done Him Wrong." She's always a dutiful, cheery servant who seems to genuinely love the person or family she's serving. Even if she's being kicked in the butt like she was in "Wild Girl" or being called "eight ball" like she was in this movie, she's always ebullient and ready to serve.
It's infuriating.
OK, I've said my piece.
"She Done Him Wrong" was an OK movie. Even if I didn't like the character Lady Lou or the grossly exaggerated powers of seduction I can't deny Mae West was good in the role. I'm surprised to see that she only has thirteen movies to her credit, especially since she was acting at a time when actors and actresses did several movies a year. I'd bet that someone like Barbara Stanwyck, Jean Harlow, or Joan Crawford did thirteen movies in two years. I'd like to see Mae West in something a little more toned down just to see what kind of actress she really is.
Free on YouTube.
"She Done Him Wrong" gives me the same vibes, except it stars a woman.
"She Done Him Wrong" takes place in New York City in the 1890s. The main character was Lady Lou (Mae West). She was beautiful and had swagger and every man who laid eyes on her wanted her. When I say every man, I mean EVERY man. I don't know any woman on this planet so desirable that EVERY guy turns into a whimpering puppy at the sight of her, but that's what Lou did to men. Her clothes, her walk, her attitude, and her manner of speaking exuded "I'm the baddest b---- in this place so take notice."
When I heard Lou speak it was instantly recognizable. It was a style of speech that I'd only heard in parody form whenever a woman was imitating a woman with moxy from the late 19th century. Lou spoke in a clipped slangy style full of sass and confidence that would often turn into a flirtatious mode that almost sounded like a cat purring. The way she spoke she always sounded like she was indifferent to everything and everyone unless she wanted them to believe she was interested--then she was flirtatious and no man could resist that. When she wanted to turn a man on it was nothing for her to say something provocative in a purring voice. Then he was hers.
While Mae West commanded the screen as Lou I can't say that I liked the character. I could respect her game, but as I mentioned before, she was some writer's wet dream. And being that Mae West wrote the movie, it all makes sense.
She worked at a saloon owned by Gus Jordan (Noah Beery), the most powerful man in that district and the man who could best protect Lou. Lurking on the perimeter along with several other men ready to pounce on Lou was Dan Flynn (David Landau), a man looking to take over Gus's operation and score Lou as a prize.
The other notable men orbiting Lou ready to lie, cheat, steal, and kill for her were Chick Clark (Owen Moore), her ex who was in prison for stealing jewels for her, Cummings (Cary Grant), a reformer, Serge (pronounced ser-gay) (Gilbert Roland), a foreigner in business with Gus, and Spider (Dewey Robinson), her muscle and criminal handyman. Every other bloke, and there were many, wasn't worth mentioning. Besides, this review would be thirty pages long if I had to list them all.
Also serving Lou was Pearl (Louise Beavers). Unfortunately, Louise Beavers was a Black actress at a time when the roles she could get were all the same. Every movie I've seen her in she's been a servant or a mammy, and it was no different in "She Done Him Wrong." She's always a dutiful, cheery servant who seems to genuinely love the person or family she's serving. Even if she's being kicked in the butt like she was in "Wild Girl" or being called "eight ball" like she was in this movie, she's always ebullient and ready to serve.
It's infuriating.
OK, I've said my piece.
"She Done Him Wrong" was an OK movie. Even if I didn't like the character Lady Lou or the grossly exaggerated powers of seduction I can't deny Mae West was good in the role. I'm surprised to see that she only has thirteen movies to her credit, especially since she was acting at a time when actors and actresses did several movies a year. I'd bet that someone like Barbara Stanwyck, Jean Harlow, or Joan Crawford did thirteen movies in two years. I'd like to see Mae West in something a little more toned down just to see what kind of actress she really is.
Free on YouTube.