MAME Now Available on Warner Archive

[JoeySanJoaquin]

For those who may not already own this on home video (all 2 of you!) -- although it's been released not once but TWICE each on VHS, LaserDisc (!) (anyone else have those??) and DVD --uh, so who are you?? -- but here's another "avenue" should you want instant access but don't currently have it in physical form:

 

https://www.facebook.com/warnerarchiveinstant/videos/308477052870182/

 

I think we should start a write-in campaign to get it on Blu-ray and see if there're any cool, hidden treasure goodies in the vault that could be added as bonus features!! Who knows, maybe there's an alternate soundtrack out there with Carole Cook singing for Lucy/Mame!!?? (Haven't stranger things happened??? )  A nice, newly remastered soundtrack in the latest, greatest version of surround sound would be a nice perk too.  I mean if Neil could get "Bosom Buddies" sound so much better, you'd think the folks behind the scenes @ Warner Bros. could!!

 

[Mot Morenzi]

A nice, newly remastered soundtrack in the latest, greatest version of surround sound would be a nice perk too. I mean if Neil could get "Bosom Buddies" sound so much better, you'd think the folks behind the scenes @ Warner Bros. could!!

Sadly, that's not likely:

 

Although Warner had intended to give the film a 5.1 stereo remastering, they were unable to do so due to several factors. The main reason was the fact that Ball's vocals in her songs often had to be pieced together line by line in order to get a more pitch-perfect performance (this method is a lot more obvious on the soundtrack CD, where you can often hear a difference in fidelity in each individual line.) This and the varying conditions of the original master copies caused Warner Bros. to simply restore the original release's mono soundtrack and remaster it in Dolby Digital 1.0 mono for the DVD's audio track.

[JoeySanJoaquin]

Sad is right...in more ways than one!

[Neil]

In his autobiography Jerry Herman claims Lucy couldn't hit the half-tone-up "door" in a "Open a new window, open a new...." and he had her just sing the word "door" on the right pitch.  Jerry went on to say "I pieced together all her vocals like that", giving the impression that each and every word sung was a different take, edited together to form her vocal track.  

I don't buy that for the ENTIRE score.  However, there are a few times where it's obvious that different takes are used.  One that stands out:  the last line of her "My Best Beau" part.  Each of those three words in a different take.  And maybe the opening of "Christmas" "Haul..out...the....holly".   There are several others. 

I was surprised to learn that Jerry Herman was in charge of this sort of technical work, a rather lowly position for a famed Broadway composer.

But if the method he describes was indeed the one that was implemented, it accounts for some of the problems with the movie's songs.  They were so concerned with keeping her precisely on pitch that any acting interpretation of the lyrics was killed off, resulting in a sterile sort of sound.  

This might also account for Lucy's singing before and after "Mame" sounding better than her soundtrack vocals.  Her "Making Whoopee" with Eddie Albert for instance. 

Sadly, that's not likely:

Although Warner had intended to give the film a 5.1 stereo remastering, they were unable to do so due to several factors. The main reason was the fact that Ball's vocals in her songs often had to be pieced together line by line in order to get a more pitch-perfect performance (this method is a lot more obvious on the soundtrack CD, where you can often hear a difference in fidelity in each individual line.) This and the varying conditions of the original master copies caused Warner Bros. to simply restore the original release's mono soundtrack and remaster it in Dolby Digital 1.0 mono for the DVD's audio track.