Diamond Lil is a 1928 play by Mae West.
West wrote a number of plays that failed to achieve widespread success due to poor ticket sales and negative attention from the authorities due to concerns over indecency. Diamond Lil told the story of a woman in the 1890s. Though racy, it became her first Broadway hit.
'Texas Guinan' was Mary Louise Cecilia Guinan, a saloon keeper, actress and entrepeneur. She was known for playing self-reliant women, often gun-slingers.
Faffner guarding the gold - Credit: Arthur Rackham
Faffner is a figure from Norse mythology, the son of a dwarf king. He turns into a dragon in order to guard a horde of treasure.
He appears in Wagner's Ring cycle as one of the giants who built Valhalla for the Gods and was paid off in treasure (including the magical ring). As a dragon guarding the treasure, he is killed by Siegfried, who then takes possession of the cursed ring.
Marcel Proust - Credit: Wikimedia Commons
This character is most likely a nod to Marcel Proust (1871-1922), the French novelist best known for his seven-part work À la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time), published between 1913 and 1927.
Marcel's physical characteristics strongly resemble Proust's.
In Search of Lost Time on Book Drum
