Go West Young Man (1936)

A movie star, stranded in the country, trifles with a young man's affections.

Director:

Henry Hathaway

Writers:

Lawrence Riley (play), Mae West (screenplay)

Stars:

Mae West, Warren William, Randolph Scott

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mae West	...	Mavis Arden
Warren William	...	Morgan
Randolph Scott	...	Bud Norton
Alice Brady	...	Mrs. Struthers
Elizabeth Patterson	...	Aunt Kate Barnaby
Lyle Talbot	...	Francis X. Harrigan
Isabel Jewell	...	Gladys
Margaret Perry	...	Joyce Struthers
Etienne Girardot	...	Prof. Herbert Rigby
Maynard Holmes	...	Clyde
John Indrisano	...	Chauffeur
Alyce Ardell	...	Jeanette (French maid)
Nick Stewart	...	Nicodemus (as Nicodemus Stewart)
Charles Irwin	...	Master of Ceremonies
Walter Walker	...	Andy Kelton

Storyline

Movie star Mavis Arden, as amorous in private as she is pure in public, gets involved with a politician despite her watchdog publicist Morgan. Planning to meet her beau again at the next stop on her personal appearance tour, Mavis is stranded at a remote rural boarding house, with a pretentious landlady, sensible old maid, rabid film fan waitress...and strapping young mechanic Bud Norton, whom to Mavis is just the plaything of an idle hour...

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Plot Keywords:

camp | f rated | four word title | cardinal direction in title | film in film | 

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Taglines:

This is the guy Who took her away! (Original print ad)

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of over 700 Paramount productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since. Its earliest documented telecast took place in Seattle Thursday 30 April 1959 on KIRO (Channel 7). It was released on DVD 4 April 2006 as one of five titles in Universal's Mae West: The Glamour Collection, and again 8 March 2016 as one of nine titles in Universal's Mae West: The Essential Collection.

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Goofs

Story is set in mid-Thirties but at premiere of Mavis Arden's latest movie, stock footage of audiences watching the film are people dressed in fashions and hairstyles of some ten years earlier.

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Quotes

Mavis Arden: Don't be modest. Modesty never gets you anything. I know.

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Connections

Featured in Rapture (1979)

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Soundtracks

MOMENT
Written by Arthur Johnston
Lyrics by Johnny Burke
(used instrumentally)

User Reviews

A more laid-back Mae

This movie was shown on Australian TV in the mid-'60s and never been seen here since. True, this is not an out-and-out romp like Mae's earlier films but it does have a more subtle comic line about a movie star in small-town America. The scene where Mae is lying down in the hay is surprisingly explicit: she reaches out her arms to Randolph Scott and says: "I love it." She was actually talking about the country life or something but in the context it was pretty strong stuff for 1935. I'm sure this is the movie where she is chauffeur-driven in a fantastic Rolls-Royce town car with "rattan"-work around the rear of the car, rather like Norma Desmond's in Sunset Boulevard. The car would be worth a fortune today. Also featured was the wonderful Elizabeth Patterson as the cynical granny of the house, a characterisation she made her own, and reprised it as late as 1957 in Pal Joey. It's a bit more subtle than Mae's earlier films but it has a certain maturity and a low-key humour as a gentle poke at country folks. The young Randolph Scott is quite a hunk in this too. I quite enjoyed it.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 November 1936 (USA)

Also Known As:

Personal Appearance

Filming Locations:

General Service Studios - 1040 N. Las Palmas, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Emanuel Cohen Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1