Mae West
Come Up and See Me Sometime, Sex Comedy Legend
The Original Leo Queen of Wit
Mae West was performing on stage at seven and writing her own shows at 24. Her 1926 play Sex was so scandalous she was arrested and jailed for eight days — then used the publicity to launch a career that made her the highest-paid person in Hollywood by 1935. She was writing, producing, and starring in her own material at a time when women in Hollywood did none of those things.
Leo Legacy
- I’m No Angel: 1933 — highest-grossing film of the year, saved Paramount from bankruptcy
- She Done Him Wrong: 1933 — launched Cary Grant’s career (‘Is that a gun in your pocket?’)
- Vegas residency: Performing at 80+ in Las Vegas with male admirers — decades ahead of reinvention culture
- Playwright: Wrote and produced Sex (1926) — arrested, jailed, and made more famous
West’s Leo wit was so sharp it could draw blood without anyone noticing the wound.
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”