Auntie Mame (1958)

An orphan goes to live with his free-spirited aunt. Conflict ensues when the executor of his father's estate objects to the aunt's lifestyle.

Director:

Morton DaCosta

Writers:

Betty Comden (screenplay), Adolph Green (screenplay),

Stars:

Rosalind Russell, Forrest Tucker, Coral Browne

Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rosalind Russell	...	Mame Dennis
Forrest Tucker	...	Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside
Coral Browne	...	Vera Charles
Fred Clark	...	Dwight Babcock
Roger Smith	...	Patrick Dennis - Older
Patric Knowles	...	Lindsay Woolsey
Peggy Cass	...	Agnes Gooch
Jan Handzlik	...	Patrick Dennis - Younger
Joanna Barnes	...	Gloria Upson
Pippa Scott	...	Pegeen Ryan
Lee Patrick	...	Doris Upson
Willard Waterman	...	Claude Upson
Robin Hughes	...	Brian O'Bannion
Connie Gilchrist	...	Norah Muldoon
Yuki Shimoda	...	Ito

Storyline

Mame is an unconventional individualist socialite from the roaring 20's. When her brother dies, she is forced to raise her nephew Patrick. However, Patrick's father has designated an executor to his will to protect the boy from absorbing too much of Mame's rather unconventional perspective. Patrick and Mame become devoted to each other in spite of this restriction, and together journey through Patrick's childhood and the great depression, amidst some rather zaney adventures.

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Plot Keywords:

nephew | socialite | guardian | orphan | love | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 December 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die tolle Tante

Filming Locations:

Stage 11, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,240,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

143 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie's line "Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!" was voted as the #93 movie quote by the American Film Institute (out of 100).

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Goofs

During the fox hunt scene, a puff of white smoke can be seen coming from behind a bush as the fox runs by. This is likely from a small explosion, like a firecracker, used to scare the fox along a set path.

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Quotes

Auntie Mame: Oh, Agnes! Here you've been taking my dictations for weeks and you haven't gotten the message of my book: live!
Agnes Gooch: Live?
Auntie Mame: Yes! Live! Life's a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theatre 3000: The Mole People (1997)

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Soundtracks

"Till We Meet Again"
(1918) (uncredited)
Music by Richard A. Whiting
In the score for the ship sailing sequence

User Reviews

Perfect? Just about!

When "Auntie Mame" was first published, I read and re-read it (and its sequel, "Around the World with Auntie Mame") for several summers. Believe it or not, the books are even funnier than the film. They were not "memoirs," though that was the PR at the time. Edward Everett Tanner, or "Patrick Dennis," ultimately admitted as much. Auntie Mame was a creation from Tanner's own talented imagination.

No one ever has, or ever will, embody Auntie Mame as well as Rosalind Russell, who, by the time her Broadway performance in the role was filmed, had honed her portrayal to one of the finest in American theatre and film.

Listen to her vocal technique: from high girlish squeals to basso-profundo sarcasm.

Or watch her remarkable body language throughout -- from grande dame theatricality to lowbrow burlesque.

Russell's supporting players are magnificent -- from the 12-year old Jan Handzlik, through Coral Browne, Peggy Cass, Forrest Tucker, Fred Clark, Patrick Knowles, Connie Gilchrist, Yuki Shimoda, Robin Hughes, Roger Smith, Pippa Scott -- and, my own particular favorites who almost, but not quite, steal their scenes from Miss Russell: Willard Waterman, Lee Patrick and Joanna Barnes as the unforgettable Upsons.

George James Hopkins' brilliant sets and set design, and Orry-Kelly's amazing costumes, along with Branislau Kaper's score and Morton Da Costa's direction are like Tiffany settings, showing off this flawless cast at the top of their form.

Lawrence and Lee's original Broadway script was adapted by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, whose main contribution would appear to be the hydraulic furniture at the final dinner party.

The famous line, originally from the Broadway play and not found in the novel, is "Life is a banquet! And most poor sons-of-bitches are starving to death!" "Damn" and "hell" both are heard in the film: but "sons-of-bitches" was apparently too strong for the MPAA in 1958.

Is the film dated? I suppose. In the same way that "Citizen Kane" is dated, or "Some Like It Hot." It's also timeless. And Miss Russell's performance, here at the zenith of her long and distinguished comedic and dramatic career (Eugene O'Neill's "Mourning Becomes Electra," anybody?) is an acting lesson unto itself.