Review: Mae West's 'Go West Young Man' an Incisive Satire on Hollywood and the Working Class

As I chronologically whipped through the Mae West oeuvre, I assumed her best films would be her first few. I was delighted to find that Henry Hathaway's "Go West Young Man" proved that assumption incorrect. The movie is a hidden gem in her canon. I had heard little about it beyond the fact that it featured Cary Grant's alleged lover, Randolph Scott. (Ironically, Scott met Grant on a film titled, "Hot Saturday" – who said the universe didn't have a sense of humor. But I digress...)

Released in 1936 and written by West, but based on the play "Personal Appearance" by Lawrence Riley, the story centers on Mavis Arden (West), a popular movie star on a personal appearance tour. She is bound by a studio contract that forbids her to marry for five years, and her annoying press agent (Warren William) is along to police said contract. When their car breaks down and they are forced to spend time in a quaint boarding house, Mavis notices the hot local handyman Bud Norton (Randolph Scott), and begins a pursuit of the lunk that causes all kinds of mayhem.

"Go West Young Man" feels way before its time in it taking on Tinseltown, fame, and fans as fodder for satire. There are even some jabs at censorship, the press, and the types of movies studios put out. West has a field day in a film within the film (titled "Drifting Lady"), where she gets to send up the over-the-top acting style of the time, which had carried over from the silent film era.

The film also contains quite a few self-reflexive lines, and one allusion to an incident that happened to the star about a potential threat to throw acid in her face.

West is at her best trying to seduce Scott, who is first seen lifting a car. She gets to check out his butt, slap it, and then fall hilariously into a mound of hay in pursuit of this handsome, but dim, boy's attentions.

The only disappointment, as usual, is an unsatisfying ending that unnaturally pairs Mavis with someone safe. I can only imagine the censors were forcing the studio's hand. Again.

Hathaway, who had just received his first (and only) Oscar nomination for Best Director a year earlier for "The Lives of a Bengal Lancer," does a terrific job here. He would go on to direct, "Kiss of Death," segments of "How the West Was Won," and "True Grit."

The 1080P Blu-ray transfer is very good, with little grain. There is some fuzziness, especially in the close ups, but that's to be forgiven in a film from 1936. The sound is slightly distorted at times.

The Blu-ray boasts a new audio commentary by author and film critic Lee Gambin, who discusses West as feminist icon and gay icon. He also gives West her deserved due for being an extraordinary writer.

For anyone wanting a Mae West primer, you can't go wrong with including "Go West Young Man," an incisive and rather keen satire on both Hollywood and the working class (something for blue and red states alike). It's rare to find that nowadays.

Blu-ray Extras Include: