Mame

Mame was Lucille Ball's last movie, and to honest she was too old to be convincing in much of it. She throws away probably the best song in the musical - If He Walked Into My Life - but claws back a bit of class for Bosom Buddies (with the fabulous Bea Arthur, from the stage production), and the whole Southern sequence, starting with the hunt and culminating in 'Mame' the song. Lucy on roller skates is also pretty funny. I'd have liked to have seen someone like Angela Lansbury or Janis Paige, both who had done the role successfully in stage, star in it, but there are compensations (Jane Connell, who was Agnes on stage, is good here, as is Robert Preston as Beau). It's not bad - it just could have been just that bit better.

Critics at the time complained that "Mame" was overproduced, but you simply can't stage a musical version of Patrick Dennis' novel/memoir "Auntie Mame" and not have it be splashy with all the trimmings. Screen-adaptation of the hit Broadway show (previously staged and filmed without songs as "Auntie Mame" in 1958 and starring Rosalind Russell) had a lot of people in 1974 crying foul over the casting (they were "anti-Mame"). The by-passing of Broadway's Angela Lansbury for the lead brought nothing but slings and arrows for this new Mame, Lucille Ball, who--despite a sandpaper voice--is to be commended for giving her all to a distinctly old-fashioned presentation. Ball has several amusing scenes, particularly when she's due to be on stage with gal-pal Vera Charles (Beatrice Arthur) and can't stop primping in her vanity mirror. The plot is the same as before: an orphaned lad goes to live with his merry, madcap aunt in 1920s New York and learns about life. Robert Preston is well-cast as a romantic suitor, and Arthur is wonderful reprising her Tony-winning role as Vera. The picture has gauzy, gaudy razzle-dazzle, though not enough to justify a two hour-plus movie. Portions of it creak and sag with the weight of sentimentality; worse, an unnecessary montage of hugs-and-kisses at the finish line is grueling. Still, the cast works hard to keep things bubbling along and there are some choice highlights. ** from ****

In general, critics have been much too harsh regarding their comments on MAME. It's simply an old-fashioned, entertaining musical that's fun to watch. Lucille Ball does a fine job in the title role. She gives a thoroughly professional performance and looks fantastic in all those wonderful costumes. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy Motion Picture. The rest of the cast is terrific. It makes a delightful addition to your video collection. MAME may not be great art but it is very enjoyable, especially if you are a Lucy fan.

It has been a puzzlement to me ever since seeing Mame in it's premiere run way back in 1974, that so many people have so many different views of this movie. It is either absolutely loved or positively hated by the people who see it. I believe Lucille Ball is, and always will be Mame. She plays the character exactly the way she should be played, hard, tender, funny, bitchy, loving, sophisticated and free-spirited.

This film has a bright cheery look and feel with big splashy production numbers which lovingly look back at the grand old Hollywood Musicals of the past. The production values are stunning, with beautiful sets and costumes that are truer to the period than the ones in Auntie Mame. The supporting cast is great, with Bea Arthur as Vera Charles and Jane Connell as Gooch. And concerning the complaints about the filming of Lucy through gauze, just go back to the MGM Musicals of the 40's and 50's and you'll see almost every major female star, young and old, filmed through heavy gauze.

I've come to the conclusion that this movie has been labeled a bomb for so long that some people already have their minds made up not to like it before the opening credits have ended. And the ones who see it for the first time without any idea of it's troubled history, end up loving it!

This was Lucille Ball's penultimate film ("Stone Pillow" being her last) and proves, despite her age, she still has all her youthful charms and charisma, but strengthens the "Lucy Ricardo" in her as well--she can't sing. But she is quite talented on her feet (and she was recovering from a broken leg!). She brought a bit of the 'Lucy' persona into the Mame, which I feel didn't hurt the character-- now Auntie Mame is both free-spirited and screwballed; strengthening Mame's brother's wariness to let his son stay with her.

Rosalind Russell's 50's version was great as well, but was more solemn and serious than this, and was the nonmusical adaptation. That's all good and well, but I feel music enhanced the airy blitheness that is Mame.

Oh, and I forgot to mention Bea Arthur, who played Vera Charles impeccably, as if she was born for the role.

Let's face it: If you like Russell, you'll abhor this film; if you like Lucy you'll fall in love with it; if you like the nonmusical you'll feel the musical was deprived of proper depth; and if you liked the musical you'll think the nonmusical was rather pensive.