Mae West (film)

Mae West (also known as The Mae West Story) is a 1982 television film about the life of the comedian actress and writer Mae West. It was directed by Lee Philips, starring Ann Jillian as West and featuring James Brolin, Piper Laurie, and Roddy McDowall in supporting roles.

Release and reception
The film originally aired on ABC on May 2, 1982, and was the third most-viewed prime time television program in the United States for the week of April 26–May 2, 1982. In 2010s, it was released digitally on platforms like Amazon Freevee and Google Play Movies. Unlike most TV movies of its time, it was filmed on theater grade movie stock and not video tape, which allowed Multicom Entertainment to perform a 4K restoration of the film in 2010, which is the version available on Freevee  and Google.

At the 34th Primetime Emmy Awards, the film received four nominations: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Special for Ann Jillian, Outstanding Directing in a Limited Series or a Special for Lee Philips, Outstanding Costume Design for a Special for Jean-Pierre Dorléac, and Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for Richard Blair. Jillian was also nominated to a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television.

In a retrospective review, AllMovie rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Cast

 * Ann Jillian as Mae West
 * Bridgette Andersen as Mae West (age 7)
 * James Brolin as Jim Timony
 * Piper Laurie as Matilda West
 * Roddy McDowall as Rene Valentine
 * Louis Giambalvo as George Kane
 * Chuck McCann as W. C. Fields
 * Lee de Broux as Jack West
 * Donald Hotton as Edward Eisner
 * Ian Wolfe as Dorset
 * Bill Morey as Al Kaufman
 * Rita Taggart as Sally
 * Michael Currie as Bill Le Baron
 * Jay Garner as Archie Mayo
 * Burke Byrnes as Withers
 * Martin Azarow as Detective