Las Vegas
Mae West opened her nightclub act at the Sahara, Las Vegas, in July 1954. From there she toured it to Reno, Boston, Buffalo and New York, finishing the year back at the Sahara.  She is reported to have been paid $10,000 per week, a record at the time.
The act, which lasted only 45 minutes, consisted of a series of sketches and songs with Mae backed by a troupe of singers and dancers and a line up of titled bodybuilders to act as eye candy for the ladies - and no doubt some of the men.  Their main purpose, of course, was to be seen to adore the Star of the show. Veteran black actress, Louise Beavers, responded to the call and cheerfully reprised her role as Mae's maid for some of the sketches.
The act was a smash hit and she toured it for the next four years covering many of the major US cities, including Miami, Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, St Louis, Los Angeles, Tahoe and several visits to New York's Latin Quarter.
The nightclub act was a change in direction for Mae and opened just a few months following Jim Timony's death in April 1954.  A lawyer whom she met in her vaudeville days, Jim was her manager and had been her lover for a time. He was also her devoted friend and confidante in all matters - except love!  Mae kept a lid on her love-life where Timony was concerned because of his intense jealousy and possessiveness. He was Mae's self-appointed "keeper", a role she didn't always appreciate. Nevertheless, she must have faced her opening night at the Sahara with some unaccustomed apprehension without his guiding hand.  What she didn't know then was that the man with whom she would spend the rest of her life was already on hand and in the line-up of muscle men she had hired for her show.  That man was Mr Paul Novak.
But before Paul became the love of her life, Miss West enjoyed her new found freedom from Jim Timony's constant gaze and had a passionate association with at least one other of the Adonises from her troupe, the then Mr America, Richard Du Bois.
Once again, Mae West was at the top of her game - and apparently enjoying the chase!