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Mame
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Mame (1974) -- The musical revolves around the antics of Mame Dennis, a fun-loving, wealthy eccentric with a flare for life and a razor sharp wit...

Overview

User Rating:
5.5/10   1,120 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 2% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Gene Saks
Writers:
Patrick Dennis (novel)
Jerome Lawrence (play)
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Mame on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
27 March 1974 (USA) more
Genre:
Musical more
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... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. more
NewsDesk:
(17 articles)
Prince And More To Honor Lansbury At Actors Company Theatre Gala On 5/11
 (From BroadwayWorld.com. 8 May 2009, 8:05 PM, PDT)

Cynopsis 4/27/09
 (From Cynopsis. 27 April 2009, 1:30 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Often criticised, but a thoroughly enjoyable musical comedy! more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
132 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Stereo
Certification:
Australia:G | UK:A (theatrical) | UK:PG (video rating) | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:PG

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The lyric "We'll always be dear companions, My crony, My mate. We'll always be harmonizing, Orphan Annie and Sandy, like Amos and Andy!" was cut from the "Bosom Buddies" number, though it is left intact on the original soundtrack album. more
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. more
Quotes:
Patrick: Can I slide down the banister?
Mame: Well, why not.
Patrick: My father would never let me.
Mame: That's too bad. You must come from a dreadful family.
Patrick: I only have one relative in the whole world.
Mame: Oh, really, dear? And who is that?
Patrick: You.
Agnes: That's right.
Mame: Who are you?
Agnes: Agnes Gooch.
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Biography: Angela Lansbury: A Balancing Act" (1998) more
Soundtrack:
Bosom Buddies more

FAQ

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13 out of 22 people found the following comment useful:-
Often criticised, but a thoroughly enjoyable musical comedy!, 4 June 2001
10/10
Author: ozziefilmbuff from Australia

I thoroughly enjoyed 'Mame', though I admit to being a biased Lucille Ball fan.

Set during the late 1920's and early 1930's, an orphaned nine year old boy goes to live with his wealthy and highly eccentric socialite aunt (Lucille Ball), who delights in teaching him to live life to the fullest. A repertoire of spirited, memorable songs accompany a complex story chronicling the relationship between a boy and his aunt.

Unfortunately, the darker side of human nature dominated within the hostile critiques of 'Mame' at the time of it's release... offensive reviews which deeply hurt Lucille Ball personally. Indeed, 'Mame' was maimed by the critics in 1974.

Had 'Mame' been released in the 1940's, 50's or even the 1960's, (with Lucille Ball in the leading role), this delightful musical would have been a major success and Lucy would have won critical acclaim. Unfortunately, by the 1970's the golden era of the Hollywood movie musical was over (in my humble opinion, the film musical died not long after 'Thoroughly Modern Millie' in 1966 ... hopefully, ' Moulin Rouge' will bring it back, or at the very least restore it's dated image, fingers crossed!).

Techniques and tastes had changed by the time 'Mame' hit the screen. Audiences were no longer accustomed to leading characters bursting into song spontaneously, ('Cabaret' in 1972 being the only memorable success of this period, complete with it's own different musical style). Therefore, 'Mame' was doomed from the very beginning.

To make matters worse, Lucille Ball had been (and remains) solidly typecast as a comedienne [albeit a highly talented one], and would always encounter difficulty in winning over hostile critics who refused to positively endorse her as anything else. Yet Lucy could act, (as had been proven within her touching portrayal of a homeless woman in 'Stone Pillows'), and despite being judged from her somewhat deeper, slower vocal renditions within 'Mame', she **could** sing (her musical talent was showcased within 'Sorrowful Jones' in the 1940's). I personally believe she would have been awarded a 'lifetime achievement' academy award had she survived past 1989, (also, I believe she would have done justice to the portrayal of the older 'Rose' character in 'Titanic', but I digress)...

The sets and costumes are sumptuous. In fact, after viewing the film I decided to re-decorate my home in the art-deco style which was the height of fashion within the period in which 'Mame' was set.

I first viewed 'Mame' late at night, when I was half asleep, on the ABC (that is, the Australian Broadcasting Co-operation) about three years ago and mistook it for a much earlier production owing to the filming techniques. Of course, a much older Lucille Ball gave the age of the film away, but the filming technique gives this film an 'authentic' feel. Because Lucy happened to be in her 60's at the time of production (somewhat older than Angela Lansbury, who starred in the Broadway stage production and, to her credit, would have also made a *great* Mame), the 'soft' lens was used in some of her close-up shots to make her appear younger. While criticised from time to time, I found the lighting and image texture to closely imitate similar techniques commonplace within the 1920's and 1930's. The film comes across 'authentic', complimenting the art-deco sets and flamboyant costumes.

In short, I **love** this film. Don't let the critics rain on Mame's parade. Even the stuffiest cynics *must* concede that the film has it's moments...

The 'moon lady' sequence had me in stitches, (as Lucy ascended upon a stage before a theatre-going audience clumsily perched on a cardboard crescent moon). And who can forget Mame's demands for "straight scotch" when shocked by her nephew's [proposed] in-laws and her revolting, belching Southern 'mother-in-law'!? Bea Authur (a one-time 'golden girl'), also steals a number of scenes before the memorable finale.

A must see... indeed, let Lucy's Mame "coax those blues right out of your heart"

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Laserdisc question pmac1978
Lucille Ball's voice... SilverCreedWolf
My mom was a lot like Mame! valerie17
The opening credits for MAME mamacassfan
Julie Andrews as Mame? mikwalen
I don't think it's a TERRIBLE movie - mikwalen
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