Jan. 22, 1964 - Mae West, a theatrical sex symbol for more than half a century, has completed filming a guest star role for “Mr. Ed,” the comedy series about a talking horse. Many fans of “Mr. Ed” are children, but the average age of the audience may increase considerably when Miss West’s performance is televised by CBS on Mar. 22. “It is unusual for me to appear on this kind of show, but I’m doing it to please my fans,” the actress said yesterday in Hollywood. “You know, I now have three generations of fans, and there are lots of new fan clubs among teenagers.”
Miss West, who in recent years has limited her public appearances, was asked how the teenagers “discovered” her. “They saw me with Rock Hudson on an Academy Awards show,” she said. “I got fan mail for two years after that. And they see some of my old pictures on ‘The Late Show.’”
In disclosing the story line for her “Mr. Ed” episode, in which she plays herself, Miss West said: “I have brought horses from Paris, and I call the architect to fix my stables. I want a French décor so they will not become homesick. And I want the stables trimmed in gold to match the horses’ hoofs.” Midway in the story, Miss West takes a liking to Mr. Ed, who leaves his master and goes to live with her horses. But Ed returns home after Miss West subjects him to bubble baths.
According to “Who’s Who in the Theater,” Miss West was born in Brooklyn on Aug. 17, 1892, although her autobiography, “Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It,” lists the year as 1893. “I look 26 or 28,” she asserted today. “My secret? Positive thinking and no drinking. I never smoke, and I’m health-minded. I eat vegetables, exercise, and walk a lot in the sand at my beach house. I’m physically fit at all times.”
Miss West said there may be more T.V. in her future, but no plans had been made. “They’ve been trying to get me to do a panel program on which I would do interviews, but I’m not interested in this,” she said. “My people want me in there in costume and doing my stuff.”
