Auntie Mame (1958)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Morton DaCosta

Writers:

Betty Comden (screenplay) and
Adolph Green (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

27 December 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Socialite | Will | Orphan | Guardian | Love

Awards:

Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

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

Runtime:

143 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #19033) | USA:Unrated (video release) | USA:TV-MA | Canada:PG (video rating) | Australia:G | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | UK:A

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Mame's line in French at Macy's is "Après moi, le déluge" ("After me, the flood"). This quote is attributed to King Louis XV of France and represents a philosophy of living for now when disaster looms in the future. In the movie, it relates to purchasing Christmas gifts on credit so that one doesn't have to worry about paying for them right away, something that a rich socialite would be very comfortable with.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Patrick and Ms. Muldoon arrive on the afternoon of Mame's "Affair" to tell Mame that Ms. Muldoon is not the glass washer lady, Mame says, "Then I must have invited you" and takes a cocktail from Ito's tray. You hear the ice tinkling in the glass but clearly there is no ice in either of the glasses.

Quotes:

Auntie Mame: Exclusively what and restricted to whom?

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Lady in Question Is Charles Busch (2005)

Unforgettable Performance By Rosalind Russell

With a perfect match between character and actress, Rosalind Russell's unforgettable performance as "Auntie Mame" is almost enough to carry the whole movie by itself. The story is also interesting, if quite contrived, and most of the supporting cast helps out when needed. The variety of settings and situations also helps to make the movie an effective portrait of a life.

The story works best when taken as an appreciative but light-hearted portrayal of a memorable character. Many of Mame's adventures are stylized, and they work best when not taken too seriously. Given that, there are plenty of amusing sequences, and just enough thoughtful moments to maintain some balance.

Russell herself is in her element. With a character whom it is almost impossible to overplay, she gives the role plenty of energy and charm. She also works very well with the other characters, giving believable (given the character) and usually interesting reactions to what they say and do.

In the supporting cast, Forrest Tucker and Peggy Cass make good use of their scenes, and Fred Clark works well as Mame's frequent adversary. Coral Browne gets some good moments as Mame's old friend. The filming was approached in a rather stagy fashion, yet much of the time this seems appropriate. All told, the movie has a number of strengths, yet the memory most likely to remain is Russell's portrait of Mame herself.