Go West Young Man

Even the title is self-referential. The movie's inside commentary on fame and film feels strikingly modern - or at least as modern as Sullivan's Travels. Here, West herself wrote this, her own O Sex Symbol, Where Art Thou?, that does seem to resonate just under the surface as a treatise on trying to claim personal agency over a private life constantly rewritten by men to sell an idol of an image. The bonkers finale of her ending up with her publicist only makes sense in meta, and it's scathing

Mae West surrounds herself with Warren William, Lyle Talbot and Randolph Scott! And while this is toned down Mae West, it's a delightful comedy! Not so much the big gags, but always those little things to make one laugh. Kind of down to earth and very sarcastic about being a movie star. And while she is Mae West, she lets the other have plenty of time being themselves and score points as well. Warren William is great as her lovesick relationship wrecker. Elizabeth Patterson do that West walk!

OK this is funnier than I expected

This has higher production values and more supporting cast star-power than any of her previous films. Yet..it's just a bit weird, from all the utterly implausible situations to the fish-out-of-water stay in rural Pennsylvania to ending up with...Warren William?? It does have amusing moments, and Jack La Rue smolders all-too-briefly as Rico in the first scene. Poor Mae--the Hays code really took all the teeth (and stiff lips) out of her writing, and her movie career never recovered.