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Mame...hmm honestly.. when I first saw this movie.. and mind you I hadn't hit my obsessive stride with Lucille at that point in life, I didn't care for it.. but later in life, after I had my Lucy obsession engaged, I found that I really liked watching her in ANYTHING and grew to really like Mame.. I love it more and more, I wore my vhs copy out and watch the dvd almost monthly! My favorite sceen is with Mame in the carriage riding up to that little ole plantaion.. just love her outfit.. and my favorite line.. (spoken by Beaureguard) "You'll be first naming each other soon as I slosh another gallon of bourbon in the punch!"... there of course are others I love.. "Riding is my life.. oh dear me yes.. everyday up at the crack of noon!"

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"Sunset Boulevard afictionados will quickly realize that this movie, rather than the Salome that Norma Desmond hoped would return her to glory, is the faded Hollywood star's vanity production nonpareil, and that Lucille Ball as Auntie Mame is a good deal scarier than Gloria Swanson as Desmond. The difference, of course, is that Swanson was supposed to be scary."

 

- Edward Margulies and Stephen Rebello, Bad Movies We Love

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"Sunset Boulevard afictionados will quickly realize that this movie, rather than the Salome that Norma Desmond hoped would return her to glory, is the faded Hollywood star's vanity production nonpareil, and that Lucille Ball as Auntie Mame is a good deal scarier than Gloria Swanson as Desmond. The difference, of course, is that Swanson was supposed to be scary."

 

- Edward Margulies and Stephen Rebello, Bad Movies We Love

 

What a couple assholes.

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"Sunset Boulevard afictionados will quickly realize that this movie, rather than the Salome that Norma Desmond hoped would return her to glory, is the faded Hollywood star's vanity production nonpareil, and that Lucille Ball as Auntie Mame is a good deal scarier than Gloria Swanson as Desmond. The difference, of course, is that Swanson was supposed to be scary."

 

- Edward Margulies and Stephen Rebello, Bad Movies We Love

 

 

I am afraid I cannot concur with this..This article is crap. Mame was a GREAT movie made with a Beautiful Graceful woman..Not a scary woman..that is insulting.

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At 5:00 in she talks about her feelings on doing the movie.

 

I respect Bea's opinion on that but I can't say I agree with her. Lucy played serious roles too in movies, I don't see why she thought she was "terribly miscast." That's some BS. I think Mangela Fartsbury paid Bea to say that. :lucythrill:

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But the piece as a whole suffers from poor direction and pacing. With some more flair and a tighter cutting job it could be a vastly improved movie.

 

Yeah, blame Bea's husband for doing that. Perhaps she should've directed her comments more at him than at Lucy being "miscast." Whatever. <_<

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yeah.. I can see your views...but still Mame Rocked! Lucy did an impeccable job at the role handed her. I've never seen her (In My Opinion :lucythrill: ) act poorly. She did the best with what she was given..I can't say that the lines that were written were the greatest or anything but Lucy did a great job portraying the role. We all can say what we like about how people (actors/actresses) were "miscast" but we weren't the ones casting them and we are just here to enjoy the end result. Maybe somebody thinks someone else did a better job at it but everybody acts differently than everybody else.

Once again..this is jmho..

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yeah.. I can see your views...but still Mame Rocked! Lucy did an impeccable job at the role handed her. I've never seen her (In My Opinion :lucythrill: ) act poorly. She did the best with what she was given..I can't say that the lines that were written were the greatest or anything but Lucy did a great job portraying the role. We all can say what we like about how people (actors/actresses) were "miscast" but we weren't the ones casting them and we are just here to enjoy the end result. Maybe somebody thinks someone else did a better job at it but everybody acts differently than everybody else.

Once again..this is jmho..

 

I TOTALLY hear you and respect your opinion. I too have liked actors in roles that most audiences/critics didn't (Katherine Heigl in One for the Money, for example). I think Lucy did do a very admirable job all things considered. Had it had a bit more film savvy director she could've shon even brighter.

 

I also think Bea really missed Angela. I can feel for her, it must've been hard to adjust to playing alongside Lucy when she and Angela had done it together for so long. Plus, if her husband made her do it, there was some bitterness on her part going into the thing...never a good way to set the tone.

 

I think a lot of the critical barbs against Lucy, including the comment I posted, are unfair and cruel. Critics sometimes seem to go out of their way to show how witty and condescending they can be, rather than try to offer any balanced insight into why someone made the acting choices she/he did. It's even worse nowadays. Nobody can look at a work for what it is, they always have to sound like Hollywood insiders: analyzing career paths and comparing every aspect of the production to something else, usually unfavourably. Kinda sucks nobody seems willing to take the "business" out of showbusiness and objectively look at something as a creative piece, not a financial commodity.

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But the piece as a whole suffers from poor direction and pacing. With some more flair and a tighter cutting job it could be a vastly improved movie.

 

While I enjoy the hell out of the movie, I agree with you on the poor direction. In some cases, the blocking during some of the musical numbers is awful. Such as "Mame" blocking out the dancer's face with her arm at the top of the stairs in It's Today and having to swiftly dodge a table during "We Need A Little Christmas."

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While I enjoy the hell out of the movie, I agree with you on the poor direction. In some cases, the blocking during some of the musical numbers is awful. Such as "Mame" blocking out the dancer's face with her arm at the top of the stairs in It's Today and having to swiftly dodge a table during "We Need A Little Christmas."

 

Yeah, I enjoy moments of it too, but some of it is baaad. That little step she and Bea do at the end of Bosom Buddies is cute, but not natural on film. Also the cutting was bad for that song. They cut one of Bea's lines and it was very obvious because the shots didn't match up. And the audio mixing was dreadful in places, very piecemeal and patched together sounding. So sad, because with more effort those problems could've been fixed.

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Mame does suffer from bad direction and terrible editing.. and it doesn't help that a 63 year old is trying to be fourtysomething.. all of these factors combine to rub some people the wrong way... I think she did a great job.. and I think some excellent moments are in Mame.. thank god we have the sense not to listen to these idiots who want to complain about Lucille or her work...

But I have to agree with that comment about Norma Desmond .. comparing Sunset Boulevard with Mame and Lucille.. not that I think it is a bad thing.. NO ONE ever wants to stop doing something they love.. Hell .. I don't want to admit how old I am.. and I STILL like watching I LOVE LUCY!!!! ( I thought I would out grow it.. but NO!)

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That's great! I've always wanted to see Mame on the big screen. It looks like the theater is also showing Myra Breckenridge and Berserk!, so I hope the audience isn't too mean sprited. :(

 

Yes I know what you mean, this theater does show alot of movies for camp value, like Valley of the Dolls and The Women, but they dont treat all of them as camp, although Im sure some people will have comments or laugh at the wrong times.

 

I have seen Mame before on the big screen - back when it first came out.

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Yes I know what you mean, this theater does show alot of movies for camp value, like Valley of the Dolls and The Women, but they dont treat all of them as camp, although Im sure some people will have comments or laugh at the wrong times.

 

I have seen Mame before on the big screen - back when it first came out.

 

Well camp or not, for whatever reason they're showing it, lucky you and ENJOY! Missed out seeing it in the theatre (despite much pleading to deaf ears!) back then so would love to see it still, maybe they'll be a revival or something here in LA someday. Next best thing: finally seeing it on a big HD flatscreen: maybe not as big and impressive as the theater, but it certainly never looked and sounded better (for me) watching it via home video -- and that was just on "regular" DVD -- I'm fervently hoping it finds its way to Blu-Ray someday! lucythrill.JPG

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  • 2 weeks later...

What are your favorite moments in Mame and what are your least favorite moments in Mame?

 

I don't have any least favorite parts. I loved the dancing and singing number at the plantation with Lucy in her riding clothes and the fox hunt scenes. Also when that old bat belches. Hi-larious. :lucythrill:

 

Also, any scene where Lucy says "son of a bitch," "goddamn," or "bastard" works for me too. Hehehe.

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The best part is Lucy on the fox hunt which has the funny Southern martiarch and the breathtaking cherography of Mame. I always enjoy Loving You because Lucy is in so many fashions. I also like "Open a New Window" and "My Best Girl." I love Lucy's dramatic side when she upsets the Upsons. My least favorite part is probably Gooch and the baby. In the original Auntie Mame the governess is not who has the baby and Jane was funny but too old to have a baby in my opinion.

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