I rented this from my library a little over five years ago and I loved.i bought the dvd copy shortly afterwards.i can't tell you how many times I have viewed it.such joy this movie gives me.
@@MrRickyfc yes I watch it at Christmas and in July to celebrate Christmas in july.but I watch it at other times of the year.when I was homeless a few years ago and sleeping in my storage unit I watched mame on my portable DVD player while having coffee and donuts at dunkin donuts.when I was shut up indoors with covid 19 a few years ago I watched mame.it gives me such joy and inspiration to enjoy life and give myself to the world.i just have fun with it.
Bea Arthur proves tt a "Marine" can do anything. My favorite line of hers was in Mel Brooks' film "History of the World, Part 1." In ancient Rome, when she asked M/B's character what he did 4A living when he was applying 4 unemployment, Bea replied:"Oh, a bullshitter." May she RIP while she is standing guard over all of us with all the other Marines in Heaven.❤❤❤😊😊😊
I thought Lucy was great as Mame. It's my favorite musical. The film has found a new life on DVD and Warners has certainly recouped any financial loss. Lucille Ball was very underrated in movies but she gave a lot of great performances i.e. The Big Street, Dance Girl Dance, Without Love, Long, Long Trailer, Facts of Life and Yours, Mine & Ours. I felt she was overlooked for the Oscar in Without Love, Facts of Life and Mame. Angela Lansbury wouldn't have made the film better it was timing. In 1974 big splashy musicals were not popular. Crap like Last Tango In Paris were the craze.
Angela, in fact, passed on the role as her son was ill at the time....AND Lucy wasn't so much miscast regarding her age as it was supposed to be done a few years earlier when she broke her leg. Lucy was so excited to do this, wanting to bring family entertainment into homes, which is why she did it, putting her heart and soul into it. What I just said is the truth, regardless of whether or not you like the film
I saw this movie on TV decades ago when I was very young, and had no preconceived notions, knowing nothing about the Rosalind Russel film or the Broadway version, and recall being absolutely captivated by it. I just now had a hankering to watch it again. Decided to look at some reviews and was shocked to see how much hate and revilement were directed against it. I enjoyed it just as much this time, if not more, and was surprised at how many details of the film I could still recall after all that time. Not many movies are that memorable for me after a single viewing. I loved Lucy's performance, as well as all the other actors, though I admit her singing voice is definitely limited. Apart from that, her performance seems perfect to me, and I didn't see any problem with her age. That said, I can now understand some of the historical reasons why it would have been so panned at the time. I can understand how a lush and sentimental musical would have been perceived as "old fashioned" in 1974. I can see how people who saw the part as belonging to Angela Lansbury would hate to see anyone else in the role (and Lansbury really did have an outstanding singing voice. So I guess my point is that you can judge it for what it isn't or take it for what it is. And it's probably much easier to enjoy it now, since the old controversies originally surrounding it are nearly five decades in the past.
Thanks for watching and your comments! Trust me if a movie is in my Misunderstood Movies I have a love for it! I have been enjoying seeing how so any people embrace this film!
I love this movie. It is my feel good movie when I feel down. I thought Lucy did a great job except for the singing. Bea Arthur was superb. I have watched this at least a dozen times for I love the song "living loving you".
One of the best filmed musicals. Lucille Ball is great as Mame: the opening sequence It's Today gets everything off to a vibrant start. Lucy actually dances rather well, drawing on years of experience. I found her singing voice convincing for the part and she exudes energy, fun and joy. What's misunderstood about it?
Considering a skier ran into her and broke her leg in 4 places - Lucy was a wow in dancing and singing was fine. To me she was Mame. I always like Rosalind Russell in the movie Auntie Mame, but I loved Lucile Ball in Mame even more.
Lucy had broken her leg in many places (requiring pins & such to repair, & many painful hours of rehabilitation therapy), which caused a lengthy delay to the start of the film. She offered to withdraw, but the powers that be decided to wait for her to recover, thinking that having LUCILLE BALL in a film would be an automatic blockbuster. Lucy had not fully recovered from her leg injury when filming finally started, & it showed. Her dancing was hesitant. She even said that half the time she was looking down at the ground during dance numbers to be sure that there was nothing (like a divot in the grass) that would cause her to lose her balance & re-break her leg. The film was outdated, no matter who was going to be in the lead, even Rosalind Russell. It was ill-conceived & badly mistimed. That being said, there were some good moments in this film & some memorable songs. Not may people know this, but when it premiered at Radio City Music Hall, it broke box office revenue records for opening week movie premieres at the venerable institution that still stand, as movies are no longer shown there. Such was the power of Lucy at the time. Also at the premier, you could tell that Lucy's close-ups were HEAVILY filtered. so much so that Mae West (no stranger to "filters" herself), who attended the premier, wondered out loud if there was something wrong with the quality of the film itself. I actually like the movie (despite it's flaws) because NO ONE could have made it succeed. Musical comedies were well past their prime. Lucy was able to make a small profit for the studio that made the movie, which I am not sure anyone else could have done.
I appreciate the care and understanding that Mondo Nostalgia put into this piece. However, as I look at all of the shots of Lucy just in these clips here, I see a vibrant, exciting, energetic woman who is not too old at all. I think that the adjustments that Onna White did with the choreography of IT'S TODAY, OPEN A NEW WINDOW, and WE NEED A LITTLE CHRISTMAS are perfect for the environments in which the story is taking place. The MAME number is almost step-for-step what Angela Lansbury and Ginger Rogers performed on the stage. Lucy was the kind of star that did not need to do fancy dance steps. She moved beautifully and made even a grapevine step theatrical. And Robert Preston is sent from heaven. LOVIN' YOU is one of my favorite movie numbers ever. Yes it's simple - but it's beautiful. To see Lucy/Mame and Robert/Beau dancing their way through their honeymoon (yeah, yeah, the Warner Brother's back lot) always brings tears to me eyes. One thing I like about MONDO NOSTALGIA'S plea in this piece is not to be mean with comments. I will go to my grave loving LUCY/MAME.
Every movie I review for Misunderstood Movies is one I enjoy and try to get out there for people to discover if they havent already! I also know you can love a movie and still see faults in it! For me, there is no reason to be mean about these faults because I wouldn't waste my time on it if I didn't have a love for it! Thank you for your comment and for taking the time to watch it!
There's one thing no one can dispute: the musical score was fabulous and did stand the adaptation on the purely audial level, at least as far as the music was concerned.
The score was excellent (although they cut That's How Young I Feel), but where the heck did they record it? It sounds like a muffled bunker was used (the same type of sound occurred in New York, New York).
...for me, it's a misunderstood movie... ...I am not the one who will say the last word in this matter, but the voice of Lucille was perfect for the character... ...and the character was indeed a mature woman, like Dolly Levi in "Hello Dolly"... ...the script??? It really contains many serious errors... ...Lucille, being so famous as she was in her time, was also object of over exposure and envy too... ...but she still is one of my favorites comedians, indeed... ... let's the time run away, and let's permit to the younger generations, who didn't know Lucille Ball, have and express their point of view... 👏👏👏💕💕💕🌹💕💕💕💕👏👏👏
I loved Lucille Ball in Mame - also loved Rosalind Russell in the non - musical Auntie Mame. Lucy's talk-singing fit well with the character - (Rex Harrison talked-sang his songs in My Fair Lady - won an award for his part) Ok with her age, and seeing Mame 3-4 times on my computer, not on the big screen, did not see the flaws that critics complained about. I was amazed that after Lucy was involved in a skiing accident, breaking her leg in 4 places before the movie, that she could dance really well. Main criticism was not about Lucy Ball, but about the script which had less focus on her deep love and connection with her nephew. A Lack in the Script not in the performance of Lucille Ball.
Lucille was miscast. In fact Hollywood owes an apology to Jerry Herman for the bad casting of both the movies that were made from his work. Streisand was too young as Dolly being only in her 20s and Lucille Ball to old for Mame. If they had switched the actresses around Ball as Dolly and Streisand as Mame they would have both been better films. Dolly is a widower and was played really well by Bette Midler and Bernadette Peters just a few years ago on Broadway. Mame is middle aged to still a young lady when we first meet her. And the play covers about 12 years. And yes the script for the film did take the heart out of the story. I love Lucille Ball and I still watch this film because it's what we have buy it could have been so much more. For anyone interested in knowing more about Mame may I recommend the book BUT DARLING I'M YOUR AUNTIE MAME by Richard Tyler Jordan. He tells the whole history of the character from book to stage to screen to stage musical and to movie musical.
I agree with you that Lucy wasn't the only reason for the film's problems. However, if they had cast Lansbury in the first place, we might have overlooked the flaws.
I have to say I never particularly liked Angela Lansbury except in the tv show, "Murder She Wrote". And my love for Lucille Ball's Ï Love Lucy" has solidly lasted for decades, having watched all 6 seasons several times and will do so again in the future. In fact, some of the skits in every season I could watch once a week. What can I say: Lucille Ball is my favorite actress ever.
Look up the 1973 Academy Awards on :TH-cam. Angela Lansbury performs a great song and dance to open the show. I'm sure this was arranged to show Warner Bros. what a bad decision they made. "Mame" was filming in April 1973 when the show aired. That said, I eagerly went the film the first day in 1974 and returned six times that spring. The big title song after the fox hunt is worth sitting through of the rest of film.
Robert Preston was good in the Movie. Lucy is a Physical comic actor not necessarily a song and dance person. Maybe they should have given it to Angela Lansbury.
I enjoy the film...even though it is shunned by many. What they should have done was cast Angela Lansbury as Mame with Bette Davis (who campaigned hard) as Vera Charles and Madeline Kahn (who wouldn't have been fired) as Anges Gooch. I think it would have been an incredible classic movie instead of an okay one.
BETTE DAVIS as Vera Charles!?!? Like Lucille Ball, Davis was too old. YUK. Lucille Ball paid $2 million to get the role. There was no artistic choice by Warner Bros., it was purely a financial decision. It was a disaster of the film and yes, the screenplay was terrible. THERE IS NOTHING MISUNDERSTOOD about this film except for Bea Arthur and Robert Preston who were great but the film SUCKED!!
Actually I think it was a really good movie. Not a big fan of Angela Lansbury, and Jane Connell, who played Agnes Gooch, was perfect - she, in fact, had a great voice. Lucy talked-sang her role like Rex Harrison did in My Fair Lady. Her dancing was fine. The movie was jammed up with too many scenes of singing and dancing - not the star's fault. Also Bea Arthur not great in her role - something about her in it was almost grating. I have seen many movies of Lucille Ball's 10 that I really liked - #1Lured, #2 Dance Girl Dance (and her singing was not dubbed) #3 "The Dark Corner #4 The Big Street all b/w. #5 DuBarry Was a Lady - singing not dubbed in final number "Friendship." #6 Easy to Wed. The last two were in color and showed her beauty even more - also her comedic talent was apparent in both of these movies. # 7 Yours Mine and Ours, #8 Miss Grant Takes Richmond #9 The Fuller Brush Girl #10 The Long Long Trailer Also 3 of her 4 movies with Bob Hope were good. And the two movies that did not get great reviews Mame and Forever Darling - liked both of them a lot. All in all I liked 15 movies Lucy was in and have seen all of them several times. (Except for Critics Choice with Bob Hope - which I did not like - both Hope and Ball agreed that it was the worst one they did together.)
@@LJ-ht4zs Lucy did some fine films in her day, and proved she could be a terrific dramatic actress. Apart from the ones you mentioned, I found some tantalizing clips on TH-cam of her and John Hodiak in Two Smart People. Apparently it wasn't well received, but it looks to be fascinating (Lucy directed by Jules Dassin!?). Post I Love Lucy, I think she relied on schtick, and stuck to the safety of her popular image (Stone Pillow excepted). It just made Mame seem tired and lacking freshness. And those damned filters! It was like a fog descended for the whole movie. The audience deserved better than that.
Am I the only one who wonders what Bea Arthur would have been like as Mame? Yes, she’s a superb Vera, but if I were Patrick I’d be thrilled to have Bea as my Auntie Mame. (I think Elaine Stritch played both roles at various times.) Bea for Mama Rose too ( which never happened).
Ummm... forgettable songs? Open a New Window? If he Walked into my Life Today? Bosom Buddies? Maaaaame? This is seriously one of the best musicals ever written. And I will always take Lucille Ball's performance over Rosalind Russell in Mame with the creepy Patrick and weird fade-outs and way over acting! This is one of the most undeservedly maligned movies in movie history. Lucy was not too old. She was his aunt not his mother. Having a sixty year old aunt during this time is not a stretch. Old men marrying young young women girls in some cases. It's just so stupid and ageists.
Also, Angela Lansbury was not available when the movie was made. She was living in Ireland with her drug addicted son. They needed to move forward with the project.
I agree with you RoverBoy.i love all of the songs.i find Lucille balls mame far far superior to Rosalind Russell's auntie mame.russells version had its moments of funny comedy and wit.but I found it overlong lumpy and it sagged.mame is one of my all time favorite movie musicals.they keep harping on Lucille balls age.look at Fred astaire his leading ladies got younger and younger joan Leslie judy garland Audrey Hepburn etc.he was old enough to be their daddy not their live interests bit nobody criticizes him for having Many years younger actresses for his leading ladies.but how they howl and pick on Lucille ball for playing mame in her 60s.it just shows the bias in showbiz and society about women and their age.lucille ball can't do it because she is a woman.but since Fred astride is a man it is ok.
@@RoverBoy1899 Wrong. Lucille Ball bought the Broadway show for herself. She actually owned the property. Angela Lansbury wasn't even thought about. But it wouldn't have worked with her either. Not a big enough star. Ball's age was only a part of it. The story refuses to make sense with such a much older character. Mame wants to adopt Patrick, not just be a temporary guardian. Right? So the courts going going to pass the kid over to someone in a rest home? Nah.
The script is the real culprit (clearly Paul Zindel misunderstood the material), even lamer than Lucille Ball's not-quite-mended right leg which she had broken a year before filming began. The unflattering costumes that looked more like drag than anything an actual woman, however eccentric, would have worn in the 1920s and '30s; and the fact that by the 1970s movies had become more realistic and a glamor-themed musical seemed out of place, didn't help, either.
You are right , I made a mistake, it did manage to win three acting awards that year but it did not win best musical! Thanks for bringing it to my attention and for watching!
@@MondoNostalgia It should have won Best Musical. Saw the movie in high school with best friend's family. When she had that Santa Claus mask on, I discretely said "this has turned into a horror movie." Remark was not appreciated.
Although Mame on the stage was a hit, it was a lucky one. It was dated when it opened, and the film version, with a wildly miscast Lucille Ball, who bought the show for herself, just revealed the flaws. The show itself was dead ordinary. Anyone else actually see it?? It wasn't misunderstood. It was obvious from the get go after the fabulous credit titles, what was wrong with the film. The over sixty years old Lucy, who couldn't sing to save her life, playing a singing character who should be around thirty five. And would the courts ever hand over a small child to a relative who's on a walking frame??
Nobody’s perfect. A Bomb. An expensive BOMB. It really should have worked. Troubles on the set stories were nonstop. Lucy fired Madeline Kahn as Gooch. I'm not certain one said NO to Lucille Ball. And we love Lucy. The incredible score suffered. The end result would have been great as a tv movie.
It was said that Lucille Ball had extensive plastic surgery to do this role.I remember that Merv Griffin dedicated an episode of his show to the premier of this film. I like Lucy’s version better than the Rosalind Russel 1950’s version which is a snore fest.
Lucille Ball never had any plastic surgery. After this movie when seen on specials, you could see that. She had very sensitive skin and felt that plastic surgery would not work out for her.
@@LJ-ht4zs If Lucille did not have plastic surgery then they used an awful lot of tape to pull her facial skin back because even though they made the close-ups fuzzy her skin appears stretched….The Doris Day Show used this trick of putting Vaseline on the camera lense to blur out wrinkles and when the camera went to shoot someone else in the scene it was clear and not fuzzy….which this made the whole technique look phoney because Doris’ camera shots made her glow like an Angel.
Yes, she was definitely too old for the role. But she had her moments and she tried hard. If they had dubbed her with a believable ghost singer (Lisa Kirk would have been ideal, as she had been for Rosalind Russell in "Gypsy"), it would have covered up a lot of the other warts. (BTW, it's "adapTAtion", BTW... Not "adaption"). Also... IF they had cast Angela Lansbury in the film role and IF it had still bombed (due, likely, to public tastes on musicals at the time -- rather than her talent or ability), it could very likely have killed Angela's career. We'll never know, but she may have truly dodged a bullet here!
Lucy had her moments, but lacked sophistication and subtlety. It was difficult to see her with that foggy filter they used. Angela would have been great.
Lucy never should have done the film. She was a Superstar. The film was a Flop. Angela Lansbury would not have done any better. This is a Sad Story. Lucy should have done Hello Dolly - FUN. Her voice could have been dubbed.
I saw Auntie Mame which was not a musical performed very well by Rosalind Russell; The muscial with Lucille Ball was fun and I thought good viewing. She talked/sang her tunes similarly as Rex Harrison did on "MY Fair Lady"; 2nd time I saw it thought it was really very good, and the third time - I loved it! Bea Arthur was good in her part and the actress who played Agnes Gooch had a wonderful singing voice. The mixtures of all of this made for a great picture. The soft lens focus was not obvious watching it on my lap top. So while critics panned Mame and Forever Darling - I really enjoyed both pictures and am not that easy to please. While I've seen movies that the "great"Brando "The Last Tango in Paris"was awful - the story the characters, the lack of feeling of the characters when playing out sex scenes. It was pretty disgusting. I love when there is sensuality and truth, while pornography does not turn me on - either watching or the thought of participating in it. There are times when a theatrical production is playing people degrading each other w/o artistic redemption.
@@LJ-ht4zs I agree to disagree Rosiland Russell was a Doll but Mame the storyline is very depressing Lucy was a Superstar she never should have done the film she never should have played a bag woman in the TV movie that she did or Life with Lucy as far as Brando he mumbled his way through the movies I didn't really like the Last Tango in Paris. I liked him in The Chase.
MAME is a terrible film; Lucille Ball can't sing and the musical numbers are done at a snail's pace because her dancing abilities had eroded to the point of near non-existence. Also she was sixty-three years old and they used so much filtration on her close-ups that she looks blurry.
Angela had the true spirit of Mame, and Lucille Ball did not. Too bad. Lucille was not a Broadway star, and she did not sing and dance. Warner Bros. had rocks in their head. They would have made alot more than 2 million if they had cast Angela. A shame.
I am not a fan of Angela Lansbury and the problem was in the crammed sets - felt like too much noise with some many cast members jammed into scenes. Lucy's dancing was fine - no complaint, and the singing was more talk singing which did not bother me a bit, nor did the soft lens. It felt that critics were out to wallop the film - politics - and did not see the energy and depth that Lucille Ball put into it, making it fun and most enjoyable. Desi brought Lucy's original writers to change some things - he was always right on target, knowing what to do and the right people to do it. However the writers guild or something like that did not allow it. Too bad - with some better direction etc. it would have been a great hit.
@@LJ-ht4zs The problem wasn't that she couldn't dance, and never could - the problem was that she couldn't actually move from one place to the next without being carried by chorus boys.
@@jochenstossberg5427 Lucille Ball danced in her movies very well and on the tv show I Love Lucy when she was allowed to (the schtick was she coudn't ) but she actually could.
![[The Breakfast Club] Alternate Ending That Was Never Shown](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/IHYXAKDwxOc/mqdefault.jpg)
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I rented this from my library a little over five years ago and I loved.i bought the dvd copy shortly afterwards.i can't tell you how many times I have viewed it.such joy this movie gives me.
I bought the DVD years ago and I love it, too. Especially fun to watch around the holidays.
@@MrRickyfc yes I watch it at Christmas and in July to celebrate Christmas in july.but I watch it at other times of the year.when I was homeless a few years ago and sleeping in my storage unit I watched mame on my portable DVD player while having coffee and donuts at dunkin donuts.when I was shut up indoors with covid 19 a few years ago I watched mame.it gives me such joy and inspiration to enjoy life and give myself to the world.i just have fun with it.
I dont even care, I loved this movie 😂 I understand Lucy is not a great singer, but she has the Aunty Mame spirit!! And Bea Arthur is always amazing!!
I second this Lucy had her good moments in the film I love it
I'm with you!!
Bea Arthur proves tt a "Marine" can do anything. My favorite line of hers was in Mel Brooks' film "History of the World, Part 1."
In ancient Rome, when she asked M/B's character what he did 4A living when he was applying 4 unemployment, Bea replied:"Oh, a bullshitter."
May she RIP while she is standing guard over all of us with all the other Marines in Heaven.❤❤❤😊😊😊
I thought Lucy was great as Mame. It's my favorite musical. The film has found a new life on DVD and Warners has certainly recouped any financial loss. Lucille Ball was very underrated in movies but she gave a lot of great performances i.e. The Big Street, Dance Girl Dance, Without Love, Long, Long Trailer, Facts of Life and Yours, Mine & Ours. I felt she was overlooked for the Oscar in Without Love, Facts of Life and Mame. Angela Lansbury wouldn't have made the film better it was timing. In 1974 big splashy musicals were not popular. Crap like Last Tango In Paris were the craze.
Angela, in fact, passed on the role as her son was ill at the time....AND Lucy wasn't so much miscast regarding her age as it was supposed to be done a few years earlier when she broke her leg. Lucy was so excited to do this, wanting to bring family entertainment into homes, which is why she did it, putting her heart and soul into it. What I just said is the truth, regardless of whether or not you like the film
Absolutely LOVE this movie!!
It is great to see all the love this movie has! I enjoy it very much too! Thanks for watching and commenting!
I LOVE LUCILLE BALL IN THIS MOVIE, AND I SEE THE LIMITATIONS, HOWEVER, SHE HAD GUTS TO TRY TO BRING THE CHARACTER TO LIFE!
I loved this movie
Me too.
I saw this movie on TV decades ago when I was very young, and had no preconceived notions, knowing nothing about the Rosalind Russel film or the Broadway version, and recall being absolutely captivated by it. I just now had a hankering to watch it again. Decided to look at some reviews and was shocked to see how much hate and revilement were directed against it.
I enjoyed it just as much this time, if not more, and was surprised at how many details of the film I could still recall after all that time. Not many movies are that memorable for me after a single viewing. I loved Lucy's performance, as well as all the other actors, though I admit her singing voice is definitely limited. Apart from that, her performance seems perfect to me, and I didn't see any problem with her age.
That said, I can now understand some of the historical reasons why it would have been so panned at the time. I can understand how a lush and sentimental musical would have been perceived as "old fashioned" in 1974. I can see how people who saw the part as belonging to Angela Lansbury would hate to see anyone else in the role (and Lansbury really did have an outstanding singing voice.
So I guess my point is that you can judge it for what it isn't or take it for what it is. And it's probably much easier to enjoy it now, since the old controversies originally surrounding it are nearly five decades in the past.
Thanks for watching and your comments! Trust me if a movie is in my Misunderstood Movies I have a love for it! I have been enjoying seeing how so any people embrace this film!
I love this movie. It is my feel good movie when I feel down. I thought Lucy did a great job except for the singing. Bea Arthur was superb. I have watched this at least a dozen times for I love the song "living loving you".
One of the best filmed musicals. Lucille Ball is great as Mame: the opening sequence It's Today gets everything off to a vibrant start. Lucy actually dances rather well, drawing on years of experience. I found her singing voice convincing for the part and she exudes energy, fun and joy. What's misunderstood about it?
Considering a skier ran into her and broke her leg in 4 places - Lucy was a wow in dancing and singing was fine. To me she was Mame. I always like Rosalind Russell in the movie Auntie Mame, but I loved Lucile Ball in Mame even more.
Lucy had broken her leg in many places (requiring pins & such to repair, & many painful hours of rehabilitation therapy), which caused a lengthy delay to the start of the film. She offered to withdraw, but the powers that be decided to wait for her to recover, thinking that having LUCILLE BALL in a film would be an automatic blockbuster.
Lucy had not fully recovered from her leg injury when filming finally started, & it showed. Her dancing was hesitant. She even said that half the time she was looking down at the ground during dance numbers to be sure that there was nothing (like a divot in the grass) that would cause her to lose her balance & re-break her leg.
The film was outdated, no matter who was going to be in the lead, even Rosalind Russell. It was ill-conceived & badly mistimed. That being said, there were some good moments in this film & some memorable songs.
Not may people know this, but when it premiered at Radio City Music Hall, it broke box office revenue records for opening week movie premieres at the venerable institution that still stand, as movies are no longer shown there. Such was the power of Lucy at the time. Also at the premier, you could tell that Lucy's close-ups were HEAVILY filtered. so much so that Mae West (no stranger to "filters" herself), who attended the premier, wondered out loud if there was something wrong with the quality of the film itself.
I actually like the movie (despite it's flaws) because NO ONE could have made it succeed. Musical comedies were well past their prime. Lucy was able to make a small profit for the studio that made the movie, which I am not sure anyone else could have done.
I appreciate the care and understanding that Mondo Nostalgia put into this piece. However, as I look at all of the shots of Lucy just in these clips here, I see a vibrant, exciting, energetic woman who is not too old at all. I think that the adjustments that Onna White did with the choreography of IT'S TODAY, OPEN A NEW WINDOW, and WE NEED A LITTLE CHRISTMAS are perfect for the environments in which the story is taking place. The MAME number is almost step-for-step what Angela Lansbury and Ginger Rogers performed on the stage. Lucy was the kind of star that did not need to do fancy dance steps. She moved beautifully and made even a grapevine step theatrical. And Robert Preston is sent from heaven. LOVIN' YOU is one of my favorite movie numbers ever. Yes it's simple - but it's beautiful. To see Lucy/Mame and Robert/Beau dancing their way through their honeymoon (yeah, yeah, the Warner Brother's back lot) always brings tears to me eyes. One thing I like about MONDO NOSTALGIA'S plea in this piece is not to be mean with comments. I will go to my grave loving LUCY/MAME.
Every movie I review for Misunderstood Movies is one I enjoy and try to get out there for people to discover if they havent already! I also know you can love a movie and still see faults in it! For me, there is no reason to be mean about these faults because I wouldn't waste my time on it if I didn't have a love for it! Thank you for your comment and for taking the time to watch it!
Me too!
I love this movie !
Me too.
There's one thing no one can dispute: the musical score was fabulous and did stand the adaptation on the purely audial level, at least as far as the music was concerned.
The score was excellent (although they cut That's How Young I Feel), but where the heck did they record it? It sounds like a muffled bunker was used (the same type of sound occurred in New York, New York).
Absolutely! Just because they are Misunderstood Movies to me I still enjoy them immensely! I want people to discover them! Thanks for your thoughts!
@@jaygatz4335 I second the score is really good
...for me, it's a misunderstood movie... ...I am not the one who will say the last word in this matter, but the voice of Lucille was perfect for the character... ...and the character was indeed a mature woman, like Dolly Levi in "Hello Dolly"... ...the script??? It really contains many serious errors... ...Lucille, being so famous as she was in her time, was also object of over exposure and envy too... ...but she still is one of my favorites comedians, indeed... ... let's the time run away, and let's permit to the younger generations, who didn't know Lucille Ball, have and express their point of view...
👏👏👏💕💕💕🌹💕💕💕💕👏👏👏
I love Lucille Ball too! You make some wonderful points! Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts!
I loved Lucille Ball in Mame - also loved Rosalind Russell in the non - musical Auntie Mame. Lucy's talk-singing fit well with the character - (Rex Harrison talked-sang his songs in My Fair Lady - won an award for his part) Ok with her age, and seeing Mame 3-4 times on my computer, not on the big screen, did not see the flaws that critics complained about. I was amazed that after Lucy was involved in a skiing accident, breaking her leg in 4 places before the movie, that she could dance really well. Main criticism was not about Lucy Ball, but about the script which had less focus on her deep love and connection with her nephew. A Lack in the Script not in the performance of Lucille Ball.
I love it!
Thanks for watching!
I love this movie - I only wish the subplot about her husband was cut. It feels pointless .
Thanks for watching and commenting! It's a great film for sure!
Lucille was miscast. In fact Hollywood owes an apology to Jerry Herman for the bad casting of both the movies that were made from his work. Streisand was too young as Dolly being only in her 20s and Lucille Ball to old for Mame. If they had switched the actresses around Ball as Dolly and Streisand as Mame they would have both been better films. Dolly is a widower and was played really well by Bette Midler and Bernadette Peters just a few years ago on Broadway. Mame is middle aged to still a young lady when we first meet her. And the play covers about 12 years. And yes the script for the film did take the heart out of the story. I love Lucille Ball and I still watch this film because it's what we have buy it could have been so much more. For anyone interested in knowing more about Mame may I recommend the book BUT DARLING I'M YOUR AUNTIE MAME by Richard Tyler Jordan. He tells the whole history of the character from book to stage to screen to stage musical and to movie musical.
Thanks for watching and for the incredible insight on this and his other film!
If they didn't want Lansbury, I wonder if Warner Bros ever considered Doris Day, or even Mitzi Gaynor or Debbie Reynolds?
Debbie Reynolds very good in unsinkable Molly Brown
What exactly was "misunderstood" about Mama? And it's pronounced "adapTAtion", not "adaption". Upon reviewing, the film is actually quite good.
I agree with you that Lucy wasn't the only reason for the film's problems. However, if they had cast Lansbury in the first place, we might have overlooked the flaws.
I have to say I never particularly liked Angela Lansbury except in the tv show, "Murder She Wrote". And my love for Lucille Ball's Ï Love Lucy" has solidly lasted for decades, having watched all 6 seasons several times and will do so again in the future. In fact, some of the skits in every season I could watch once a week. What can I say: Lucille Ball is my favorite actress ever.
Look up the 1973 Academy Awards on :TH-cam. Angela Lansbury performs a great song and dance to open the show. I'm sure this was arranged to show Warner Bros. what a bad decision they made. "Mame" was filming in April 1973 when the show aired. That said, I eagerly went the film the first day in 1974 and returned six times that spring. The big title song after the fox hunt is worth sitting through of the rest of film.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I very much enjoy this movies flaws and all!
I enjoy the fox hunt and the song afterwards.
Robert Preston was good in the Movie. Lucy is a Physical comic actor not necessarily a song and dance person. Maybe they should have given it to Angela Lansbury.
I enjoy the film...even though it is shunned by many. What they should have done was cast Angela Lansbury as Mame with Bette Davis (who campaigned hard) as Vera Charles and Madeline Kahn (who wouldn't have been fired) as Anges Gooch. I think it would have been an incredible classic movie instead of an okay one.
I agree it would have been more of a classic with that cast rather than the guilty pleasure it is now! Thanks for watching!
I understand Lucy nixed Madeline Kahn. Too much competition?
BETTE DAVIS as Vera Charles!?!? Like Lucille Ball, Davis was too old. YUK. Lucille Ball paid $2 million to get the role. There was no artistic choice by Warner Bros., it was purely a financial decision. It was a disaster of the film and yes, the screenplay was terrible. THERE IS NOTHING MISUNDERSTOOD about this film except for Bea Arthur and Robert Preston who were great but the film SUCKED!!
Actually I think it was a really good movie. Not a big fan of Angela Lansbury, and Jane Connell, who played Agnes Gooch, was perfect - she, in fact, had a great voice. Lucy talked-sang her role like Rex Harrison did in My Fair Lady. Her dancing was fine. The movie was jammed up with too many scenes of singing and dancing - not the star's fault. Also Bea Arthur not great in her role - something about her in it was almost grating. I have seen many movies of Lucille Ball's 10 that I really liked - #1Lured, #2 Dance Girl Dance (and her singing was not dubbed) #3 "The Dark Corner #4 The Big Street all b/w. #5 DuBarry Was a Lady - singing not dubbed in final number "Friendship." #6 Easy to Wed. The last two were in color and showed her beauty even more - also her comedic talent was apparent in both of these movies. # 7 Yours Mine and Ours, #8 Miss Grant Takes Richmond #9 The Fuller Brush Girl #10 The Long Long Trailer Also 3 of her 4 movies with Bob Hope were good. And the two movies that did not get great reviews Mame and Forever Darling - liked both of them a lot. All in all I liked 15 movies Lucy was in and have seen all of them several times. (Except for Critics Choice with Bob Hope - which I did not like - both Hope and Ball agreed that it was the worst one they did together.)
@@LJ-ht4zs Lucy did some fine films in her day, and proved she could be a terrific dramatic actress. Apart from the ones you mentioned, I found some tantalizing clips on TH-cam of her and John Hodiak in Two Smart People. Apparently it wasn't well received, but it looks to be fascinating (Lucy directed by Jules Dassin!?). Post I Love Lucy, I think she relied on schtick, and stuck to the safety of her popular image (Stone Pillow excepted). It just made Mame seem tired and lacking freshness. And those damned filters! It was like a fog descended for the whole movie. The audience deserved better than that.
Am I the only one who wonders what Bea Arthur would have been like as Mame? Yes, she’s a superb Vera, but if I were Patrick I’d be thrilled to have Bea as my Auntie Mame. (I think Elaine Stritch played both roles at various times.) Bea for Mama Rose too ( which never happened).
gerry wilson big lucy fan but agree with yoiu on the use of her in mame
Ummm... forgettable songs? Open a New Window? If he Walked into my Life Today? Bosom Buddies? Maaaaame? This is seriously one of the best musicals ever written. And I will always take Lucille Ball's performance over Rosalind Russell in Mame with the creepy Patrick and weird fade-outs and way over acting! This is one of the most undeservedly maligned movies in movie history. Lucy was not too old. She was his aunt not his mother. Having a sixty year old aunt during this time is not a stretch. Old men marrying young young women girls in some cases. It's just so stupid and ageists.
Also, Angela Lansbury was not available when the movie was made. She was living in Ireland with her drug addicted son. They needed to move forward with the project.
I agree with you RoverBoy.i love all of the songs.i find Lucille balls mame far far superior to Rosalind Russell's auntie mame.russells version had its moments of funny comedy and wit.but I found it overlong lumpy and it sagged.mame is one of my all time favorite movie musicals.they keep harping on Lucille balls age.look at Fred astaire his leading ladies got younger and younger joan Leslie judy garland Audrey Hepburn etc.he was old enough to be their daddy not their live interests bit nobody criticizes him for having Many years younger actresses for his leading ladies.but how they howl and pick on Lucille ball for playing mame in her 60s.it just shows the bias in showbiz and society about women and their age.lucille ball can't do it because she is a woman.but since Fred astride is a man it is ok.
Mame is unjustly maligned as a bad movie.i agree with ROVERBOY on that too.personally it is one of my favorite movies.
@@RoverBoy1899 Wrong. Lucille Ball bought the Broadway show for herself. She actually owned the property. Angela Lansbury wasn't even thought about. But it wouldn't have worked with her either. Not a big enough star. Ball's age was only a part of it. The story refuses to make sense with such a much older character. Mame wants to adopt Patrick, not just be a temporary guardian. Right? So the courts going going to pass the kid over to someone in a rest home? Nah.
I agree with you
The script is the real culprit (clearly Paul Zindel misunderstood the material), even lamer than Lucille Ball's not-quite-mended right leg which she had broken a year before filming began. The unflattering costumes that looked more like drag than anything an actual woman, however eccentric, would have worn in the 1920s and '30s; and the fact that by the 1970s movies had become more realistic and a glamor-themed musical seemed out of place, didn't help, either.
It didn't win Best Musical. In fact, Man of La Mancha was the big winner that year.
You are right , I made a mistake, it did manage to win three acting awards that year but it did not win best musical! Thanks for bringing it to my attention and for watching!
@@MondoNostalgia It should have won Best Musical. Saw the movie in high school with best friend's family. When she had that Santa Claus mask on, I discretely said "this has turned into a horror movie." Remark was not appreciated.
@@briankooker2627 I actually hated when she wore the that Santa Claus mask - thought it was awful.
@@LJ-ht4zs Yes, she looked like a very old serial killer in drag.
Although Mame on the stage was a hit, it was a lucky one. It was dated when it opened, and the film version, with a wildly miscast Lucille Ball, who bought the show for herself, just revealed the flaws. The show itself was dead ordinary. Anyone else actually see it?? It wasn't misunderstood. It was obvious from the get go after the fabulous credit titles, what was wrong with the film. The over sixty years old Lucy, who couldn't sing to save her life, playing a singing character who should be around thirty five. And would the courts ever hand over a small child to a relative who's on a walking frame??
Nobody’s perfect. A Bomb. An expensive BOMB. It really should have worked. Troubles on the set stories were nonstop. Lucy fired Madeline Kahn as Gooch. I'm not certain one said NO to Lucille Ball. And we love Lucy. The incredible score suffered. The end result would have been great as a tv movie.
It was said that Lucille Ball had extensive plastic surgery to do this role.I remember that Merv Griffin dedicated an episode of his show to the premier of this film. I like Lucy’s version better than the Rosalind Russel 1950’s version which is a snore fest.
Lucille Ball never had any plastic surgery. After this movie when seen on specials, you could see that. She had very sensitive skin and felt that plastic surgery would not work out for her.
@@LJ-ht4zs If Lucille did not have plastic surgery then they used an awful lot of tape to pull her facial skin back because even though they made the close-ups fuzzy her skin appears stretched….The Doris Day Show used this trick of putting Vaseline on the camera lense to blur out wrinkles and when the camera went to shoot someone else in the scene it was clear and not fuzzy….which this made the whole technique look phoney because Doris’ camera shots made her glow like an Angel.
@@LawrenceMartinez-fb1tt She did use tape to pull back her skin - did not have plastic surgery
Yes, she was definitely too old for the role. But she had her moments and she tried hard. If they had dubbed her with a believable ghost singer (Lisa Kirk would have been ideal, as she had been for Rosalind Russell in "Gypsy"), it would have covered up a lot of the other warts. (BTW, it's "adapTAtion", BTW... Not "adaption").
Also... IF they had cast Angela Lansbury in the film role and IF it had still bombed (due, likely, to public tastes on musicals at the time -- rather than her talent or ability), it could very likely have killed Angela's career. We'll never know, but she may have truly dodged a bullet here!
I agree! Even with it's flaws I still enjoy the heck out of this movie! Thanks for watching!
Lucy had her moments, but lacked sophistication and subtlety. It was difficult to see her with that foggy filter they used. Angela would have been great.
Lucy never should have done the film. She was a Superstar.
The film was a Flop.
Angela Lansbury would not have done any better.
This is a Sad Story.
Lucy should have done
Hello Dolly - FUN.
Her voice could have been dubbed.
I saw Auntie Mame which was not a musical performed very well by Rosalind Russell; The muscial with Lucille Ball was fun and I thought good viewing. She talked/sang her tunes similarly as Rex Harrison did on "MY Fair Lady"; 2nd time I saw it thought it was really very good, and the third time - I loved it! Bea Arthur was good in her part and the actress who played Agnes Gooch had a wonderful singing voice. The mixtures of all of this made for a great picture. The soft lens focus was not obvious watching it on my lap top. So while critics panned Mame and Forever Darling - I really enjoyed both pictures and am not that easy to please. While I've seen movies that the "great"Brando "The Last Tango in Paris"was awful - the story the characters, the lack of feeling of the characters when playing out sex scenes. It was pretty disgusting. I love when there is sensuality and truth, while pornography does not turn me on - either watching or the thought of participating in it.
There are times when a theatrical production is playing people degrading each other w/o artistic redemption.
@@LJ-ht4zs I agree to disagree Rosiland Russell was a Doll but Mame the storyline is very depressing Lucy was a Superstar she never should have done the film she never should have played a bag woman in the TV movie that she did or Life with Lucy as far as Brando he mumbled his way through the movies I didn't really like the Last Tango in Paris.
I liked him in The Chase.
I’m in the I loved it club. While fully understanding it’s flaws, I still loved it.
Nope, you nail it. The reason this movie is awful is Lucy. She’s awful. Simply awful.
MAME is a terrible film; Lucille Ball can't sing and the musical numbers are done at a snail's pace because her dancing abilities had eroded to the point of near non-existence.
Also she was sixty-three years old and they used so much filtration on her close-ups that she looks blurry.
Angela had the true spirit of Mame, and Lucille Ball did not. Too bad. Lucille was not a Broadway star, and she did not sing and dance. Warner Bros. had rocks in their head. They would have made alot more than 2 million if they had cast Angela. A shame.
I am not a fan of Angela Lansbury and the problem was in the crammed sets - felt like too much noise with some many cast members jammed into scenes. Lucy's dancing was fine - no complaint, and the singing was more talk singing which did not bother me a bit, nor did the soft lens. It felt that critics were out to wallop the film - politics - and did not see the energy and depth that Lucille Ball put into it, making it fun and most enjoyable. Desi brought Lucy's original writers to change some things - he was always right on target, knowing what to do and the right people to do it. However the writers guild or something like that did not allow it. Too bad - with some better direction etc. it would have been a great hit.
@@LJ-ht4zs The problem wasn't that she couldn't dance, and never could - the problem was that she couldn't actually move from one place to the next without being carried by chorus boys.
@@jochenstossberg5427 Lucille Ball danced in her movies very well and on the tv show I Love Lucy when she was allowed to (the schtick was she coudn't ) but she actually could.