Monday, April 26, 2010

Mae West Sentenced for Obscenity 1926

 
Sex is a 1926 play, written by, and starring, Mae West. It was very popular for about a year before the New York Police Department raided West and her company, charging them with obscenity, despite the fact that 325,000 people had watched it, including members of the police department and their wives, judges of the criminal courts, and seven members of the district attorney’s staff.

 
West was sentenced to 10 days in jail, getting out two days early for good behavior. The resulting publicity increased her national renown.

 
References

Theatre History: APRIL 26, By Anne Bradley and Ernio Hernandez, Playbill, on 26 Apr 2005

 

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