When They Were Making It

Mae West shook up Depression-era Hollywood with a persona unlike anything American audiences had seen before — sexually confident, unapologetically funny, and always in control. She became one of the biggest stars in the country, only to face increasingly strict censorship from the same industry that had embraced her.

This episode of WTWMI follows the rise, fall, and reinvention of Mae West — from her working-class childhood in Brooklyn and years in vaudeville to the Broadway scandals, Hollywood triumphs, censorship battles, and late-career returns that made her an American institution.

It traces the creation of her famous persona through Sex, The Drag, and Diamond Lil, her arrest and jail sentence, her arrival at Paramount, and the enormous success of She Done Him Wrong and I'm No Angel. It also follows her battles with Joseph Breen and the Production Code, the radio performance that got her banned from NBC, her years away from Hollywood, and her later appearances in Myra Breckinridge and Sextette.

This is the story of the woman who wrote herself into stardom, turned innuendo into an art form and a business, and redefined what female sexuality could look like on the American stage and screen.

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When They Were Making It is written, produced, and hosted by Patrick Rankin. Original artwork by Simone Beech and original music by Lionel Ziblat.

Join WTWMI: The Backlot — our Patreon — for exclusive extras including mini and full-length bonus episodes, episode companion pieces, and behind-the-scenes materials at https://www.patreon.com/WhenTheyWereMakingIt.

For episode information, show notes, upcoming episodes, and more, visit whentheyweremakingit.com.

Follow WTWMI on Instagram and TikTok: @whentheyweremakingit. On Instagram, we share visual companion pieces for every episode, bringing the images, people, places, and atmosphere behind the story to life.

New episodes of When They Were Making It drop every Tuesday. Follow now wherever you get your podcasts.
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Creators and Guests

Host
Patrick Rankin
Creator and host of When They Were Making It, a narrative documentary podcast exploring classic Hollywood — from the silent era through the early 1960s.

What is When They Were Making It?

The real human stories behind classic Hollywood's greatest films and legends.

Marilyn Monroe. Casablanca. Audrey Hepburn. The Wizard of Oz. Charlie Chaplin. Breakfast at Tiffany's. Alfred Hitchcock. Sunset Boulevard.

What do they all have in common?

They had to make it first.

Each week, we go beyond the legend to explore classic Hollywood's biggest icons and most beloved films.

Not the myths. Not the takedowns. The whole human story.

From the silent era to the early 1960s — the people, the films, and the impossible work of becoming a legend.

WTWMI is written, produced, and hosted by Patrick Rankin. Original artwork by Simone Beech and original music by Lionel Ziblat.

A new chapter every Tuesday. Follow wherever you get your podcasts.