Mae West visited Blackpool several times during the late 1940s, with well-documented appearances at both the Blackpool Hippodrome and the New Opera House between 1947 and 1948. The Hippodrome’s archives record her performances alongside screenings of her films, including I’m No Angel, featured during the Blackpool Film Festival. The town’s lively theatrical atmosphere clearly appealed to her, and she later joined other prominent entertainers in supporting St Stephen-on-the-Cliffs Church, contributing as one of its notable celebrity donors.
Mae West’s likeness appeared on the front cover of the Beatles’ 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. When first asked for permission, she declined, remarking that she could not imagine what she would be doing in a lonely hearts club. After receiving a personal letter from the band expressing their admiration, she reconsidered and agreed, her image ultimately joining those of other celebrated cultural figures on one of the most iconic album covers of the twentieth century.
Paramount Pictures publicity photo taken in 1936
A pair of “trick” platform shoes worn by West in films to make her look taller, which also contributed to her unique gait. Photo taken by Daderot at Textile Museum George Washington University on 26 March 2015.
Mae West (British Debut) “DIAMOND LIL” Blackpool, England 1947 Tryout Playbill – available on eBay
Mae West in her Los Angeles apartment, 1973. Photo by Allan Warren CC BY-SA 3.0
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