Sextette is a 1978 American musical comedy film directed by Ken Hughes, and starring Mae West in her final film,[5] alongside an ensemble cast including Timothy Dalton, Dom DeLuise, Tony Curtis, Ringo Starr, Keith Moon, George Hamilton, Alice Cooper, and Walter Pidgeon.

[5] Produced by Daniel Briggs, Robert Sullivan, and Harry Weiss[5] for the production company Briggs and Sullivan, the screenplay was dramatized for the screen by Herbert Baker, from West's final stage performance play of the same title, later renamed Sextet, which West herself had written (based on a story idea by Charlotte Francis) and originally performed in 1961.

Her new husband, Sir Michael Barrington, and she depart for a honeymoon suite at a posh and exclusive London hotel reserved for them by her manager, Dan Turner.

The hotel is also the location of an international conference, where leaders have come together to resolve tensions and problems that threaten the survival of the world.

Chambers tries to call the meeting to order, the delegates are crowding to the windows in an effort to catch a glimpse of Marlo's arrival.

As they enter the lobby, Marlo, now Lady Barrington, and her husband, a knight, are swarmed by admirers and reporters.

Once inside their suite, the couple are unable to consummate due to the constant demands of Marlo's career, such as interviews, dress fittings, and photo sessions, as well as the various men, including some former husbands, diplomat Alexei Andreyev Karansky, director Laslo Karolny, gangster Vance Norton, and an entire American athletic team, all of whom want to have sex with her.

Ex-husband Alexei, Russian delegate at the conference, threatens to derail the intense negotiations unless he can have another sexual encounter with her.

[9] Marshall died during the run of the show after suffering a heart attack on stage during a performance of the play.

[16] West was reportedly in search of a leading man along the lines of Cary Grant, with whom she had co-starred in She Done Him Wrong.

[19] In August, Timothy Dalton was cast after West saw him in Wuthering Heights; 18 smaller roles went to the auditionees.

[23] Hughes later stated that with hearing loss, West was unable to take direction, which caused problems in filming.

The first was held on the Paramount Pictures' lot and the second at the Fox Bruin Theater, where West received a standing ovation.

Arthur Knight wrote in The Hollywood Reporter about "a kind of odd gallantry in the octogenarian Mae's loyalty to her public".

In July 2011, Sextette was released as part of Mill Creek Entertainment's Dangerous Babes, a budget-priced, three-DVD set that includes 11 other Crown Pictures films.

"[32] The New York Times' critic Vincent Canby called Sextette "embarrassing", and said, in reference to West, that "Granny should have her mouth washed out with soap, along with her teeth.

"[36] A critic at the same newspaper, Ann Guarino, gave the film a one-and-a-half star rating, saying that "at 86, [West] manages to bring back the tinsel glamor of her Hollywood days in 'Sextette,' adapted from one of her Broadway plays.

"[37] Joseph Gelmis of Newsday called it "outrageous camp and low farce of a kind that isn’t seen very often in movies anymore.

"[38] Amnon Kabatchnik of the Tallahassee Democrat said that "unfortunately, the legendary Mae West comes across as a pale imitation of her own image.

The various costume changes and her eternal prop a sizable fan cannot hide the dimming fire, the fading zest.

"[39] Ron Bush of the Orlando Sentinel said "whoever persuaded Mae West to do a film based on her play 'Sextette' did her—and moviegoers—wrong."

[40] Michael Blowen of The Boston Globe remarked that "the film creates the general ennui that one gets from going through a second-rate carnival freak show.

There is a queasy mixture of disgust, pity and guilt that settles in the bottom of your stomach after watching Mae West's deficiencies being exploited for profit.

Mae West is a sexual Peter Pan who's never grown up and "Sextette" is strictly for voyeuristic curiosity seekers.

[42]In Australia, John Lapsley of The Sun-Herald gave the film only a one-star rating out of four, and said, "despite what you may think if you see Mae West in Sextette, medical opinion is that the aged sex star is certifiably alive.

It is not considered nice to lambast an old lady, but as long as Mae West pretends she can play a sex-bombe—even tongue in cheek—she is young enough to make an ass of herself.

Chris Wienandt of the Abilene Reporter-News remarked, "Time is running out for Mae West's hourglass figure.

"[46] Scott Cain of The Atlanta Journal had the most favorable response to the film, saying, "Mae West’s new movie Sextette is tacky, silly, unbelievable, and unforgivable.