On 19 April 1927 actress Mae West was found guilty of “obscenity and corrupting the morals of youth” in a New York stage play entitled “Sex”. She was sentenced to 10 days in prison and fined $500, the resulting publicity launched her Hollywood career.

Using the pen name Jane Mast, Mae West  wrote, produced, directed, and starred in the play ‘Sex’.

After being found guilty, Mae West chose not to pay the fine, instead she went to jail on Welfare Island. While incarcerated on Welfare Island, she dined with the warden and his wife and told reporters she had worn her silk panties while serving time, instead of the “burlap” issued to other inmates. She served eight days, with two days off for good behaviour, and afterward told reporters that her play was “a work of art”. Media attention surrounding the incident enhanced her career, with reporters dubbing her a “bad girl” who “had climbed the ladder of success wrong by wrong”