Did you know Gore Vidal called Myra Breckenridge a terrible movie, and that the film featured the multi-generational pairing of sex symbols Mae West and Raquel Welch? Mae West and Raquel Welch are two Hollywood sex symbols from two completely different eras. However, their two worlds collided in 1970, when they both appeared in a film by the name of Myra Breckinridge. While one might think that the meeting of these two generational figureheads might’ve been a happy occasion, it was anything but! The two could be found butting heads over the course of the film’s productions, and the film itself was a disaster. Gore Vidal was the writer of the book the film was based upon, and his unlikely association only adds to the whole episode’s hilarity.
▬Contents of this video▬ 00:00 - Intro 00:38 - Myra Breckenridge Is Remembered for the Wrong Reasons 02:49 - Raquel Controls the Narrative on Her and Mae’s Feud 03:53 - Mae West Was Allegedly Jealous of Her Younger Costar 05:21 - Mae West Had Little Reason to Be Intimidated 07:05 - Outro
Mae West broke out onto the Hollywood scene in the 1930s as both a writer and performer. Her hit films included 1933’s She Done Him Wrong, which many credits with inspiring the creation of the Motion Picture Production Code thanks to its groundbreaking risqué content. Film censorship caused Mae to abandon Hollywood for the stage in the 1940s, though she returned a few decades later once she felt that the censors were lightening up.
Though Mae West’s return to Hollywood saw the Golden Age icon performing in some decidedly transgressive material, that material wasn’t very well received. One of the films that Mae starred in upon her return was 1970’s Myra Breckenridge, which featured sex symbol Raquel Welch in the title role of a disenfranchised trans woman.
Not only was Myra Breckenridge a box-office disaster, but its production also sparked a feud between its two iconic stars that lasted until Mae West’s death. Join Facts Verse as we explore how this Mae West and Raquel Welch feud caused their movie to flop.
Mae West and Raquel Welch Feud Caused Their Movie to Flop
By: Facts Verse Title: Mae West and Raquel Welch Feud Caused Their Movie to Flop Sourced From: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZS2bYDjaeU
