Mae West in San Diego

This picture shows actress Mae West at the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition held in San Diego, which lasted from May to November 1935, and then again from February to September 1936. The accompanying caption was translated from the French in which it was originally written:

Famous screen star Mae West visited the San Diego, California, Fair last week. During her visit to the Fair, Mae West chats with a pair of dwarves in their miniature house.

Mae is shown holding Paolina Rodriguez (18" tall) and eighteen-year-old 26" tall Johnnie Fern McDill, known as the Midget Mae West. Yes folks, a major attraction at the San Diego Fair was Midget Village. Edited from The Times of San Diego website:

One of the most talked-about exhibits during the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition was Midget Village—a small but popular attraction featuring little people performing various acts and living in tiny houses designed to charm visitors. The Exposition was held to promote San Diego and support its economy and had hundreds of exhibits on history, the arts, horticulture, ethnic cultures, science, and industry.



The above image shows one of the more famous residents of the Village, Vance Swift

Midget Village was located in the Casa de Balboa building [shown below as it looks today] and capitalized on the era’s fascination with novelty entertainment, similar to the “freak shows” that were common at the time. Visitors were drawn to the miniature village and the performances, with weddings and social events often staged in the tiny homes.



According to Mary Steffgen of Point Loma, who, as an 8-year-old, freely explored Balboa Park during the exposition, the Midget Village was a major highlight. She recalled in a 1997 San Diego Magazine article, “I was fascinated by the Midget Village, where weddings frequently took place. Visiting the tiny houses and shops was the big step between playing with miniature dollhouses and living in the real grown-up world.”Many of the performers in Midgetland later went on to appear as Munchkins in the iconic film “The Wizard of Oz” she said.



Steffgen’s memories offer a vivid glimpse into the park’s atmosphere during that time, when children and families felt safe wandering the grounds—a freedom that, she noted, “could not happen in today’s social climate.”Adding historical context, Edith Ott, a longtime Balboa Park historian, shared insights in a Smithsonian Institution oral history interview about Midget Village’s role in the exposition. She described it as “a curious mix of fascination and spectacle that captivated many visitors, a window into a time when public amusement often involved unusual performances.” Ott’s remarks remind us how entertainment norms have evolved, highlighting the importance of viewing such exhibits through a modern lens that respects dignity and representation.

Back to Mae…from The San Diego Sun on June 10, 1935:

“Oh-h-h, if I’d known the fleet was to be in I would have arranged to stay over. I’m very patriotic.” And Mae West concluded a hurried visit to the Exposition with the promise: “I’m coming up again some time.” Nudists? The blonde screen star raised long lashes and looked vainly for a sailor in the goggle-eyed crowd. “Well—uh—I like uniforms—gobs of them!” Crowds packed the route as she rode with her manager, James A. Timony, to visit the Motion Picture Hall of Fame, the Midget Village and the Press building. No one was injured, but a fuse blew out in anticipation and Gold Gulch was dark for half an hour. The actress met the “Mae West of the Midgets,” Johnnie Fern McDill, age 18, heigh 26 inches. The tiny lady provided a neat take-off on Mae’s walk and someone suggested Mae adopt her. “When, Mae? Let me be your baby!” “But I’m not married,” returned Miss West. “Oh—I forgot—I’m supposed to have seven husbands. Sort of a chain-letter business, y’know.”

A day later, the Sunny Side column by L.E. Claypool ran this tidbit:

When Mae West hit the Expo Sunday nite she and a bodyguard and her manager each took a wheel chair and after rolling into the grounds in her limousine she accepted some bad advice and was wheeled into the various concessions pretty much rolling over the toes of other patrons who really hadn’t come to see Mae. The explanation was that the theatrical big shots who hire the uniformed personnel work for the people who hire Mae and are able to do this and that. On the whole, however, Mae was gracious and obliging and autographed cards until she was limp.

The site of larger-than-life Mae West being wheeled around the fair is difficult to fathom!

See more photos at my main website.