What do you think?
Rate this book
Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It
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.
223 pages, Paperback
First published January 14, 1959
About the author
Mae West
27 books1,229 followersMae 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
November 18, 2014
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!
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!
October 14, 2016
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.
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.
May 17, 2019
I read this when I was thirteen and loved it.
Looking back, I'd say Mae had a significant influence on my life!
Looking back, I'd say Mae had a significant influence on my life!
February 7, 2020
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."
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."
February 12, 2015
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.
"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.
May 19, 2013
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.
September 3, 2015
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.
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.
August 29, 2012
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.
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.
September 11, 2007
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.
July 9, 2009
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.
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.
September 3, 2015
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.
February 24, 2013
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.
May 22, 2022
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.
October 5, 2013
I thought this would be spicier. I was hoping for more Hollywood dishing. However, she was an amazing woman. She deserved a better autobiography.
September 20, 2020
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.
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.
June 21, 2020
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.
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.
June 20, 2019
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.
April 29, 2021
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.
April 1, 2023
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.
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.
October 13, 2019
It's all in the title
July 2, 2020
My kind of woman, ever true to herself---what a career she had.
Read
December 14, 2020WHY DIDN'T THEY MAKE THE CATHERINE THE GREAT FILM???
Clearly Hollywood muppetry is not a new thing.
Clearly Hollywood muppetry is not a new thing.
September 22, 2022
Sparkling wit and a powerful time capsule, it's like Mae West has her arm around your shoulder and is gaily rehashing old times. She is charming and informative. Her life's work as a storyteller shines brilliantly in the pages of her life. It also illuminates a half-century of media history. From vaudeville to Broadway to film to TV, demand for Mae West's humor and personality defied formatting. Although there is historical interest to how Hollywood used to run, there's a slow bit of reading in the middle where sales numbers and production details dominate the narrative. Everything else is delightful but not necessarily juicy. For as widely publicized as she was, Mae West maintains a sense of mystery. The telling of her life is ultimately one of self-respecting privacy and a touch of showman's embellishment. Pseudonyms and overly gracious memories are more prevalent than diamonds or debauchery. All told, it's a fun read and an intimate glimpse of an American icon.
March 13, 2016
Wonderful, witty and wise, West was ahead of her time in her refusal to be hemmed in by social expectation. She loved life and loved being a woman. She loved men, but didn't them push her around. The pattern in her affairs with the unfairer sex always seems to begin with mutual infatuation and end when the poor slob becomes a whimpering, besotted ninny that West cannot stand being around anymore. Most importantly she was a great defender of human rights. Today she is remembered as a slinking sex-symbol, when should be remembered as one who went to jail in her defence of freedom of expression. An eye-opening biography.
August 26, 2009
I was always intrigue about Mae West being the "bad" girl. What surprised me about Mae is that she wrote many screen plays and acted in them. I would probably rather read an biography than an autobiography because it seemed so self indulging
October 22, 2015
She tells a great story. But the writing can be clunky in places. The pace is a bit sluggish...takes a while to get off the ground, though once it does the pros have a quick quip. She will definitely have you laughing out loud at times throughout the book.
May 10, 2009
I love Mae West - her writing, her movies, her plays - but I was expecting more than what this book offered.
February 11, 2014
mae west does a great job at promoting mae west. oh. wait. that's all she's ever done, really. mildly entertaining.
November 15, 2014
I'd hit it...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews