Mame (1974)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Gene Saks

Writers:

Patrick Dennis (novel)
Jerome Lawrence (play)

Release Date:

27 March 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Musical

Tagline:

She'll coax the blues right out of your heart!

Plot:

The musical revolves around the antics of Mame Dennis, a fun-loving, wealthy eccentric with a flare for life and a razor sharp wit...

Plot Keywords:

Aunt | Friendship Between Women | Heavily Pregnant Mother | Christmas | Aunt Nephew Relationship

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes.

Cast

Lucille Ball	...	Mame Dennis
Bea Arthur	...	Vera Charles
Robert Preston	...	Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside
Bruce Davison	...	The Older Patrick
Kirby Furlong	...	Young Patrick
Jane Connell	...	Agnes Gooch
Joyce Van Patten	...	Sally Cato
Doria Cook-Nelson	...	Gloria Upson (as Doria Cook)
Don Porter	...	Mr. Upson
Audrey Christie	...	Mrs. Upson
John McGiver	...	Mr. Babcock
Bobbie Jordan	...	Pegeen (as Bobbi Jordan)
Patrick Labyorteaux	...	Peter
Lucille Benson	...	Mother Burnside
Ruth McDevitt	...	Cousin Fan

Runtime:

132 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:G | UK:A (theatrical) | UK:PG (video rating) | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Bob Hope Airport - 2627 Hollywood Way, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Trivia:

Jerry Herman worked with Lucille Ball to improve her singing, but she could barely sustain even for one sentence without becoming winded. Even simple phrases like "Open a new window" had to be pieced together from multiple takes. Audio engineers tried to use whatever methods of processing existed at the time to make her vocals sound passable.

Goofs:

Continuity: Mame claps her hands together and asks "Where's all of last year's tinsel and stuff?" Then the camera angle changes and Mame's hands are suddenly spread apart.

Quotes:

Doris: Now we all know about these women things, don't we.Come down here and sit beside me. (Heavily pregnant Agnes sits down)Now, what's your name dear?
Agnes: Gooch.
Doris: And what does Mr. Gooch do?
Agnes: Oh, my father passed on.
Doris: No no, I meant your husband.
Agnes: I'm a bachelor girl. My baby is going to be a little bas...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Facts of Life: Christmas in the Big House (#6.13)" (1984)

Soundtrack:

Open a New Window

Absolutely one of my favourite movies

Yes, Lucille was filmed in soft focus. No, Lucille did not play Mame exactly like Rosalind Russell. Yes, Warner Brothers was foolish in rejecting Angela Lansbury. But if you are willing to look past that, you will find a WONDERFUL motion picture.

Although Paul Zindel perhaps changed more than necessary in his script rewrite, this is still some GREAT material. And one could not have asked for better direction or supporting cast. Gene Saks did a wonderful job on all counts...the cinematography is marvellous (if you can find the wide-screen version) and the whole film is delightfully theatrical. The art direction is to die for; Ball's singing notwithstanding, the musical arrangement is superior to the Broadway recording (possibly excepting "It's Today" and the title number [although it's still very much enjoyable]); and Wayne Fitzgerald's title sequence is one of the best in film history. Although there are a few notes here and there that may make one wince, Ball's singing is really NOT THAT BAD.

Folks expecting a musical duplicate of AUNTIE MAME, however, are in for a surprise. Rosalind Russell's performance, which I love, was outrageously campy; Ball interprets Mame quite differently, and plays her much less flamboyantly. Her portrayal is not as inherently funny as Russell's, but Ball is still a grand actress, and she shows real human emotions very well in MAME. Did Angela Lansbury deserve the film role? Most definitely. Lansbury, of whom I am an enormous fan, devoted years of her life to perfecting the role on Broadway (and she DID perfect the role), and she was more than willing to do the film. It is indeed a tragedy that we have no film record of her performance, but that should not be a factor in judging the quality of this film. Ball was perhaps older than the role called for, but she was an able Mame. Everyone around her, especially the great Bea Arthur and the superb Jane Connell (undoubtedly one of the most underappreciated comic actresses alive), is brilliant.

What was Ball doing in this picture in the first place? Although she had wanted the part badly ever since AUNTIE MAME was released, it was NOT her financial backing that took this part away from Lansbury. Initially she avidly pursued the role (not even her confidante Desi Arnaz could talk her out of it), but after she broke her leg in 1973 she had a sort of reality check. Realising that she was not in any kind of shape for the part, she told the producers that she was backing out of the movie. Warner Brothers promptly flew a representative out to see her and insist on delaying production for her, saying that she was the only reason the picture was being made in the first place. Lucy was a somewhat insecure person, as well as a person always concerned about others' jobs; feeling that dropping out of the picture would leave everyone else working on it out of a job, she acquiesced. Even when the director begged for Angela Lansbury, Warner Brothers refused on the basis of "star power." It was balderdash, of course, but the business side of show business unfortunately is always in the way of the artistic side.