A Few Words About A few words about...™ Mame -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Garysb]

Box office success and a well made movie do not always go hand in hand. A movie can be well made and still fail at the box office ( "Bringing Up Baby" and "Holiday"). A terrible movie can make a lot of money ( Streisand In " A Star is Born.") Lansbury as "Mame" probably would have made a better film but it may not have made a much of a profit. Musicals were pretty much out of step with the times in 1974 and this was an old fashioned musical that would not appeal much to most teenagers, who made up a large portion of the movie going audience.

As to what Lucy believed about why Lansbury didn't get the role, the only one who can answer that is Lucy and she isn't talking. I can just as easily speculate that the story about Lansbury not being available could easily been thought of by Warner Bros, with the full knowledge of Lucy, to combat the possible negative publicity the film might get because Lansbury was not cast. Warner Bros. was also the studio that cast Audrey Hepburn over Julie Andrews in " My Fair Lady" so this was most likely something Warner Bros. was sensitive to. Lucy also said during publicity for the film that her version of "Mame" had more heart than Rosalind Russell as " Auntie Mame". Something to the effect that she loved Rosalind Russell as "Auntie Mame" but we put more heart into the story. She also talked about the necessity of getting the family to go to the film at a time when films were not really a family experience. Mom and Dad weren't taking the kids to the movies so much by 1974.

 

[Garysb]

Yes, Angela Lansbury had a film career for 30 years but she was not a star. She was a character actress. She finally became a Broadway star with Mame and a TV star (as in household name) with Murder She Wrote. If Murder She Wrote had debuted on TV in, say, 1971 then Lansbury just might have been allowed to play Mame.

Angela Lansbury did a revival of "Mame" on Broadway in the early to mid 1980's which was not a financial success or at least not as big as anticipated. She has stated this lack of success was why she choose to do TV as a way to become more of a household name.

 

[MatthewA]

Yes, Angela Lansbury had a film career for 30 years but she was not a star. She was a character actress. She finally became a Broadway star with Mame and a TV star (as in household name) with Murder She Wrote. If Murder She Wrote had debuted on TV in, say, 1971 then Lansbury just might have been allowed to play Mame.

The Brady Bunch didn't do much to salvage the box office take of Song of Norway, which ABC produced all by themselves, and that film's failure likely knocked Florence Henderson out of consideration. And though The Partridge Family got the better ratings of the two Friday night sitcoms when they were new, Shirley Jones' movie musical successes (and the Oscar that came between them) were more than a decade past by this point, despite one of them being at WB with Onna White choreographing it, so I doubt she was in mind for it. Doris Day had a TV show at the time that was on the same night as Here's Lucy, and she was WB's top box office draw throughout the 1950s and had also done With Six You Get Eggroll, a film about a large family around the same time as Lucy's similar Yours, Mine, and Ours. All of them were more musically inclined, too.

 

[John Maher_289910]

Agree that Lucy's explanation for why Lansbury did not do the film, is untrue. As for whether it would have been a better film with Lansbury, the answer is 100% YES! As for box-office draw, I can't imagine what moron thought Lucy would be box-office draw, when people could watch her for free, every single day of their lives, and twice on Mondays.

 

[MatthewA]

Yours, Mine, and Ours grossed $25 million against a budget of $2.5 million, and WB thought they could guarantee a similar rate of return. If they thought Lucy was box office, then that's probably why.

Angela Lansbury did a revival of "Mame" on Broadway in the early to mid 1980's which was not a financial success or at least not as big as anticipated. She has stated this lack of success was why she choose to do TV as a way to become more of a household name.

I heard they taped it for TV but no one's come up with audiovisual proof yet, so it remains apocryphal until further notice. In addition to having apparently been scaled back significantly from the original production, it was probably not the wisest of ideas to have it running concurrently with La Cage Aux Folles, which opened about a month later, and thus have two Jerry Herman shows cannibalizing each other; this obviously worked to the newer show's advantage simply because it was new.

 

[Garysb]

What might have been.
Per youtube poster:
Silent, colour 8mm home movie bootleg shot in 1966. This was dubbed (by myself) with the soundboard from the tour in 1968. The main difficulty in dubbing it was the fact that the role played on Broadway (the footage) by Bea Arthur, Vera Charles, was played by Anne Francine in the soundboard recording, (the video has Bea Arthur, the audio has Anne Francine) so they didn't exactly match up. Otherwise, it worked rather well. It is believed that the video was shot by Dame Lansbury's brother, Bruce Lansbury.



Musical Numbers Included:
"It's Today!"
"It's Today" (Reprise)
Mr. Babcock is here - dialogue scene
"One
School of Life - dance
Tango Scene - dance
"The Man in the Moon"
"Mame"
"Bosom Buddies"
"Bosom Buddies" (Reprise)
The Upson's Farm - dialogue scene
"How Young I Feel"
"If He Walked Into My Life"
"It's Today!" (Reprise)
Python Anyone? - dialogue scene

 

[Darby67]

Thank you for the review, Robert.

Not a huge fan of this version with Lucille Ball, but since I played Young Patrick in my high school production many moons ago I will be purchasing this title.

 

[MatthewA]

Angela Lansbury has been on both sides of the dubbing issue, having been dubbed herself in The Harvey Girls and having been hired to redub Ingrid Thulin's dialogue in the 1961 version of The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

 

[Richard Kaufman]

The original Broadway version of A Little Night Music was, and remains, the best musical I've seen. The film version goes off the rails in so many directions, and the casting of Elizabeth Taylor is only one of many mistakes made along the way. The recent revival of the show with Zeta-Jones was very problematic, with major things missing (the chorus), and the part of the father dreadfully miscast. Angela Lansbury was almost the equal of Hermione Gingold, but not quite. And it lacked a full orchestra, which was a catastrophe for the score. Hopefully, but unlikely, it should be made into a tremendous film. It could be done,

 

[Thomas T]

The original Broadway version of A Little Night Music was, and remains, the best musical I've seen. The film version goes off the rails in so many directions, and the casting of Elizabeth Taylor is only one of many mistakes made along the way.

Poor Elizabeth Taylor gets the brunt of the blame for the failure of the film version of A Little Night Music. While I agree the film is a failure, I place it firmly on the shoulders of Harold Prince who should never be allowed behind a movie camera ever again. Prince directed the stage version (which I saw with the lovely Jean Simmons as Desiree) which was wonderful but the film is clunky and heavy handed as the stage musical is magical. Prince's only previous experience in film was the godawful Something For Everyone (coincidentally starring Angela Lansbury) which should have clued the powers that be that the man, while a fantastic stage director, simply knows zilch about cinema. Thankfully after the film of ALNM, Prince stayed away from movies. With the right director (a Minnelli or a Cukor), I think Elizabeth Taylor (or Audrey Hepburn) would have been just fine. I agree it needs to be remade into a film again in the right hands. However, like the 1977 film, the chorus needs to be eliminated. It's too theatrical a device for film.

 

[bujaki]

Poor Elizabeth Taylor gets the brunt of the blame for the failure of the film version of A Little Night Music. While I agree the film is a failure, I place it firmly on the shoulders of Harold Prince who should never be allowed behind a movie camera ever again. Prince directed the stage version (which I saw with the lovely Jean Simmons as Desiree) which was wonderful but the film is clunky and heavy handed as the stage musical is magical. Prince's only previous experience in film was the godawful Something For Everyone (coincidentally starring Angela Lansbury) which should have clued the powers that be that the man, while a fantastic stage director, simply knows zilch about cinema. Thankfully after the film of ALNM, Prince stayed away from movies. With the right director (a Minnelli or a Cukor), I think Elizabeth Taylor (or Audrey Hepburn) would have been just fine. I agree it needs to be remade into a film again in the right hands. However, like the 1977 film, the chorus needs to be eliminated. It's too theatrical a device for film.

I saw Glynis, but would have loved to have seen Jean Simmons, one of my favorite actresses (and voices).

 

[Thomas T]

I saw Glynis, but would have loved to have seen Jean Simmons, one of my favorite actresses (and voices).

Jean Simmons did both the London cast production and the national touring company. I was living in San Francisco at the time and saw the national touring production when it played in SF. In a strange bit of casting, Margaret Hamilton (Wizard Of Oz) played Simmons mother (the Gingold part) and it was difficult to believe she had once been a great beauty and mistress to kings.

 

[Garysb]

Margaret Hamilton (Wizard Of Oz) made an appearance at Boston University while she was in Boston touring with " A Little Night Music". She did the witch's cackle for us. She still had it.

 

[sjbradford]

Lucille Ball was known to tell tall tales. Her longtime writer, Madelyn Davis, was amused when Ball told stories like how dunking her nose in a a cup of coffee in the William Holden episode was unscripted.

 

[Marco S]

Getting back to the movie Mame..
Two questions---
1. Who would go skiing, knowing that they would be going through vigorous dance routines, needed for a multi million dollar musical?
2. Why was the ping pong ball story removed from this musical or movie?

 

[Panavision70]

I saw this opening night in March 1974 at the Mann Theater in Minneapolis. I was 19. Sold out house and everybody loved it. Lucy was wrong, but worked hard. Of course Angela Lansbury should have done it. At the time Lucy was filming "Mame," Lansbury opened the 1973 Oscar show with a song & dance number that must have made the Warners suits suicidal. Although flawed, I love the film. It's such a great show that it survives a mis-cast star. In recent years I've thought a really great person for the part in early seventies would have been Jane Fonda. That ought to ruffle some feathers.

 

[Thomas T]

In recent years I've thought a really great person for the part in early seventies would have been Jane Fonda. That ought to ruffle some feathers.

Acting wise, she would have been fine but I don't believe Ms. Fonda has shown any capacity for singing and dancing. I distinctly recall an interview where Rosalind Russell was asked who could play Auntie Mame today (today meaning whenever the interview was given) and she said Cher. Cher would have been an inspired choice for Mame compared to Lucy and she can sing!

 

[Matt Hough]

After Bette Midler scored such a major success with Gypsy on television, there was serious talk of a made-for-TV film of Mame starring Cher. I don't know whatever became of those plans.

 

[B-ROLL]

After Bette Midler scored such a major success with Gypsy on television, there was serious talk of a made-for-TV film of Mame starring Cher. I don't know whatever became of those plans.

I'm sure she's been replaced ... By Ariana Grande, Cardi B or Bhad Bhabie (Danielle "Cash Me Ousside..." Bregoli) ...

 

[Thomas T]

I'm sure she's been replaced ... By Ariana Grande, Cardi B or Bhad Bhabie (Danielle "Cash Me Ousside..." Bregoli) ...

I vote for Taylor Swift