Mae West, a Hollywood sex symbol of the 1930s, was in her 60s when she began a “passionate affair” with 21-year-old Richard DuBois, but it was her muscular lover who ultimately led them to break up.
“It was, by accounts from those who were there, at the very least, a passionate affair,” author Michael Gregg Michaud told Fox News Digital. “It was 1954. There was an age difference of about 40 years. She liked the younger man, but it was also part of the mythology she worked so hard to create about herself.”
“She wanted to be known as an international sex symbol and she did everything she could to maintain that title,” Michaud said. “She presented herself in a very sexy way. She was surrounded by very sexy men, Richard being one of them, but she made an indelible impression on him.”
According to Mae West’s assistant, the ’30s sex symbol didn’t like nudity in films.
Pictured here is Mae West in 1932. In her later years, the Hollywood star continued to keep her love life steaming. (John Koval Foundation/Getty Images)
Micheaux has written a new book about the classic Hollywood star. “Mae West and Her Adonis” The film focuses on her later years, when she was on the nightclub circuit, performing with an army of superhuman male playthings who quickly became her lovers once the curtain fell.
“This is my third book about Mae West,” Micheaux explained, “She lived a very long and fulfilling life, and while there have already been several biographies written about her, I wanted to focus on this aspect of her life that has not been fully explored before.”
“I wanted to dig deep into her nightclub act and how it was perceived by the public. Sure, she was making films, but she wanted to tour. And she never let age limit her in terms of how she presented herself. She believed there was no age limit for a sexy woman.”
Michael Gregg Michaud’s new book, “Mae West and Her Adonis,” is out now. (Bear Manor Media)
West was stoking the nightclub scene in Las Vegas in 1954 when Hollywood was heavily censoring her sexy screenplays and her once-flourishing film career was in a tailspin. Life Magazine report.
So West did what he does best: surround himself onstage with loincloth-wearing Chippendales and do little else.
There she met Dubois.
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Richard DuBois was a popular bodybuilder and physique model when he began working for Mae West. (Michael Gregg Michaud)
“Anyone can see his pictures on the Internet,” laughed Michaud. “He was an extraordinarily handsome young man with an even more extraordinary physique. After she first laid eyes on him, she immediately featured him on her show. It didn’t take long for him to show an interest in her.”
Mr. America title winner Richard “Dick” Dubois (left) filming “Athena” with Debbie Reynolds and Steve Reeves. (Getty Images)
Dubois, who was crowned Mr. USA in 1957, was praised for his “great biceps” and “shapely constructed physique.” Los Angeles Times Prior to joining West, he was a popular bodybuilder who won the Amateur Athletic Union’s Mr. America bodybuilding contest, according to reports.
According to Michaud, Dubois was embarrassed when West ordered him to show off his muscles the first time they met. But he complied.
Mae West wrote that Richard DuBois’s body was reminiscent of a Greek god. (Michael Gregg Michaud)
West later wrote that Dubois’s body was reminiscent of a Greek god, making him an “unforgettable” figure.
According to Michaud, Dubois’s boyish infatuation quickly turned into a “physical relationship” with West.
“He was crazy about Mae,” Michaud explained, “but for Mae, it was all physical. She wasn’t looking for a boyfriend. They maintained a physical relationship, but she didn’t have an emotional relationship with him. Usually, when a man starts to show emotional interest in her, it’s anathema. It wasn’t what she wanted.”
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Mae West was in her 60s when she began a “passionate affair” with 21-year-old Richard DuBois. (Michael Gregg Michaud)
“She certainly liked him, [more of an] It’s an interesting arrangement for her,” Michaud added.
According to the book, West had no interest in Dubois “other than sex,” and to pass the time, he reached out to his former lover, champion wrestler Vincent Lopez.
“He arrived in Hollywood from his home in Mexico to join her a few days before she left for Nevada,” Michaud wrote. “She arranged for him to accompany her as her bodyguard and personal manager. Lopez interpreted his main role as keeping muscle men away from West, much to Dubois’s chagrin.”
In this photo, Mae West has Vincent Lopez to her right and a Sahara Hotel executive to her left. (Michael Gregg Michaud)
Meanwhile, West was determined to continue making big bucks: according to the book, West was making a whopping $12,500 a week, while Dubois was making $500 a week and some of the other macho men were making $200 a week.
“The company performed seven days a week, with two performances each night, at 8pm and 2am, plus three performances on Fridays and Saturdays,” the book states.
DuBois’s movie-star looks drew the attention of the crowd, but all he had eyes for was West.
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Mickey Hargitay, who worked for Mae West, married another blonde beauty, Jayne Mansfield, in 1958. They had a daughter (and Law & Order star) Mariska in 1964, but the couple divorced that same year. (Evening Standard/Getty Images)
The competition was fierce.
“Mickey Hargitay came on to the show as a macho man,” Michaud told Fox News Digital about actress Mariska Hargitay’s father. “Mickey was trying to make it in show business, so a little bit of a rivalry started. But it was Mae West’s ex-boyfriend, Vincent Lopez… [who] I tried my best to keep her away from Dubois. It didn’t work, but Dubois still cared.”
Richard Dubois (left) eventually left show business to serve God. (Getty Images)
In his book, Micheaux writes, “Behind the scenes, a personal drama arose that was just as intense as the comedy act onstage. West orchestrated a sexual encounter with DuBois in the hotel where the group all stayed, avoiding the watchful eye of Vincent Lopez. Each night she sought intimacy with the lovesick Mr. America. The star was in the mood for sex, but Dick DuBois was in the mood for romance. He believed he was in love with her.”
Richard Dubois believed he was in love with Mae West, but the actress had other plans. (Michael Gregg Michaud)
“DuBois continued to see West every night after his final show,” Micheaux continued. “Even when he was tired and in desperate need of rest, he was called to her room. He was frustrated by her apparent lack of interest in anything other than sex, and would often pace the hotel hallways talking to himself. He was still very jealous of the time she spent with Lopez, but to keep the peace, she assured him that nothing romantic was going on.”
DuBois eventually “grew into despair.” Although West was eager to continue “their sexual games” away from Lopez’s watchful eye, DuBois had had enough.
“He gave her an ultimatum,” Michaud told Fox News Digital. “He said, ‘Either Vincent Lopez goes or I go.’ She left Vincent Lopez. There were only two weeks left on the tour, and Dubois left… Vincent tried to keep all the muscle men, or really anyone, away from her when they weren’t onstage.
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Richard DuBois gave Mae West an ultimatum: he walked away. (Getty Images)
“Richard felt very threatened by it. He thought it was Vincent Lopez who was interfering the most. May told Richard she’d known Vincent for years and he was a loyal friend and she just didn’t want to abandon him at the end of the tour…May didn’t want Richard to go, much to his chagrin.”
“Mickey Hargitay was promoted,” Mr. Michaud says, “and Mae West became interested in another muscle man, Chuck Krauser, not just physically but emotionally. The two began dating.”
“As for Richard DuBois, Mae West thought he was one of the most physically incredible people in the world,” Micheaux continued, “and when you look at him, you can see why he was so attractive. But he wanted more than that.”
The photo shows Mae West surrounded by “the world’s most powerful men” at the Hotel Sahara in Las Vegas. (Getty Images)
Dubois then found love, married in 1960 and had a son. He then took on an entirely different role: that of a preacher.
“He retired from bodybuilding and became a minister,” Michaud said, “and continued to be a minister until the day he died…” [But] He always admired Mae West. In one interview late in life, he said he saw no contradiction in being a muscular man and appearing on stage in a bikini. “I think that helped prepare me to be a minister,” he said. “He was a very interesting person, but a fascinating person.”
Michaud wrote that DuBois served as pastor of the Gospel Lighthouse Church in Santa Monica, California, for the last 19 years of his life. He died in 2007 at age 74.
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Mae West waves to fans in July 1956 with her partner Chuck Crowther. (Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
West, meanwhile, renamed Crowther to the more appealing Paul Novak, a name she kept for the rest of her life. She died in 1980 at the age of 87.
Mae West and date Paul Novak attend the 1977 After Dark Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on May 12, 1977. (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
“Paul remained with her until her death,” Michaud said. “… he was her guardian, her constant companion and companion when she went out… Paul took great care of her. He was a great cook, he watched her diet very carefully, he helped her stay in shape with barbells, dumbbells and the stationary bike.”
“It was an interesting match… I think she was happy with the arrangement.”
