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First Glenn gets "Sunset" and now THIS


Neil

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Actresses mentioned for a new movie or TV version of Mame in the past 20 years include Streisand, Cher, Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, Queen Latifah, and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The Barbra/Cher one was the longest lasting rumor. Barbra allegedly angered Jerry Herman when she wanted to turn It's Today! into a solo just for her and cut the chorus. The other rumor was that Barbra was going to direct Cher in the TV movie (produced by Zadan and Meron), but nothing ever came of that. That was around the time ABC did a bunch of musical remakes like Annie, Cinderella, and The Music Man.

And when Lucy's MAME came out, and the TURKEY reviews flowed, Rosalind Russell said Cher should have done it.

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A few years ago the Lucy-Desi Museum said that they had unearthed Lucy's "audition" tape for Wildcat and were digitizing it and adding it to their collection. I'm assuming that this was an audio demo recording of the songs made prior to rehersals. They never gave any more information.

 

I've heard this audition recording (not through the museum). Unlike "Gypsy"'s which features Ethel, Wildcat is not Lucy. It's Carolyn Leigh singing with Cy at the piano. Not all songs are included but many have different lyrics. A couple of unused songs: one, a solo for janie, "Little What If". There aren't any unused songs for the Wildcat character. Other than "Bouncing back for More", I have not heard any songs sung by Wildcat that were not used.

 

Did the museum director (I'm assuming we're talking about ric Wyman) really take donations and make them part of his collection? The whole museum meltdown is such a strange story. I've never got a solid take because the two sides were so opposing: Ric's a monster vs. Ric was railroaded. Whatever happened to Ric anyway? (now we're REALLY off topic)

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I've heard this audition recording (not through the museum). Unlike "Gypsy"'s which features Ethel, Wildcat is not Lucy. It's Carolyn Leigh singing with Cy at the piano. Not all songs are included but many have different lyrics. A couple of unused songs: one, a solo for janie, "Little What If". There aren't any unused songs for the Wildcat character. Other than "Bouncing back for More", I have not heard any songs sung by Wildcat that were not used.

 

Did the museum director (I'm assuming we're talking about ric Wyman) really take donations and make them part of his collection? The whole museum meltdown is such a strange story. I've never got a solid take because the two sides were so opposing: Ric's a monster vs. Ric was railroaded. Whatever happened to Ric anyway? (now we're REALLY off topic)

LOL! No Neil, i was just joking about ric getting stuff into his car trunk, but common sense tells you that had to have happened with some Lucy things during his tenure there. He's now a toll taker on the Long Island Expressway by the way. Always bugging drivers asking if they wanna buy Lucy souvenirs at a really good price, LOL!

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  • 1 month later...

THANK THE GOOD LORD!!! A very interesting reason indeed!

 

A few years ago, she called me. It was a Sunday and I have an enormous breakfast on Sunday. I wait the whole week for that breakfast.

 

I said, 'Listen, Barbra, I'm having breakfast. Can I call you back?

 

That is a quote that can only be attributed to a 93-year-old man. :marionstrong:

 

"So we started a conversation and she started to talk about her mother. The conversation went on for three hours. At one point she said, 'I have to pee. I'll call you back.' And she called me back and told me more about her mother

 

:lucyhaha:

 

He recently spoke with the musical's lyricist, Stephen Sondheim, who asked Laurents why he wanted to allow the film project to happen.

 

Ah, Sondheim -- the voice of everyman.

 

That would have been a good exit for her career.

 

Oh, Snap, Arthur! :lucythrill:

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THANK THE GOOD LORD!!! A very interesting reason indeed!

 

 

 

That is a quote that can only be attributed to a 93-year-old man. :marionstrong:

 

 

 

:lucyhaha:

 

 

 

Ah, Sondheim -- the voice of everyman.

 

 

 

Oh, Snap, Arthur! :lucythrill:

I have to ask you, after reading your gleeful comments, do you send Barbra any HATE mail?
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THANK THE GOOD LORD!!! A very interesting reason indeed!

 

 

 

That is a quote that can only be attributed to a 93-year-old man. :marionstrong:

 

 

 

:lucyhaha:

 

 

 

Ah, Sondheim -- the voice of everyman.

 

 

 

Oh, Snap, Arthur! :lucythrill:

Stephen Soundheim has been called many things, but the voice of everyman is certainly not one of them, he is extremely cerebral and a pompous ass with MENSA tendencies, he is one of those rarities in the broadway cultural elite, everything about his work is refined, intelligent and ABOVE most people's notions about what lyrics should be, he never takes the easy way out and is definitely the standard by which other creative people on the Great White Way measure talent. I loved Bea Arthur's comment at a tribute to Dolly and Mame's Jerry Herman. She scolded him for saying he couldn't call MAME "Vera" because he could not find anything to rhyme with Vera, she then added, Sondheim could have done it.
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This is completely off our original topic, but I was just thinking of the other Lucy related people who played Mame at some point:

 

Ruta Lee

Morgan Brittany (tour in the '90s)

 

 

Kaye Ballard was a finalist for the original Broadway production, but was told nobody would ever believe she resided at 3 Beekman Place. It was then down to Angela Lansbury and Delores Gray. You-know-who got it.

 

Ruta Lee as Mame in the musical? Where? (Irwin Charone and Barbara Morrison as the Upsons? Vanda Barra as Gooch? Sid Gould as Ito? Patrica Cutts as Gloria? Jimmy Garrett as Patrick?)

And what TWO members (that I can think of) of the original broadway cast had appeared as guests on "the Lucy Show"??

As much as I love Kaye, she probably wouldn't have worked as Mame, Gooch-maybe.

I know the casting of Angela is one of the great casting Cinderella stories that paid off, but Dolores Gray would have been absolutely wonderful and (not knocking Angela) she's got one of the greatest theatrical voices in history.

Harry, I've read about all those considered for the role from Mary Martin on down, but how did you find out it was narrowed down to Dolores or Angela? I MUST find out for inclusion in MY book, "Q's I FA HC"

Other than Ann Miller, the Mame replacements seemed a bit lackluster. No marquee value like the replacement Dollys. I wonder if Dolores was approached but like Teensy "didn't want to play second fiddle."

Dolores was on her way to being the next Merman and had a 1959 hit in "Destry Rides Again", but somehow through no fault of hers, her career lost momentum. From originating her own role on B'dway in 1959, she was reduced to playing "Wildcat" in a 1963 regional theater production.

Despite her workload, I know Lucy was actively pursued for Broadway's Mame. Her threat to quit "The Lucy Show" (AGAIN!) after the 4th season was serious enough it made the news, so she might have been trying to make herself free. "Wildcat" was recent enough that the producers knew that her BO appeal would have made "Mame" sure-fire. But it's doubtful Lucy would have signed up for anything but a limited run. She coveted the Mame part, but she now knew what a GRIND doing anything 8 times a week was. But I so wish that the timeline had been different and the "Mame" movie could have been made in 1966 when she still had her youthful vigor and her voice was still strong.

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I saw the Morgan Brittany Mame production which toured and played for ONE NIGHT in Portland. It must have been after "the men backstage took away the costumes and the scenery", because the whole production was a bit sparse.

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Stephen Soundheim has been called many things, but the voice of everyman is certainly not one of them,

 

I bet he's never been called "Mr. Soundheim" either. :lucythrill:

 

everything about his work is refined, intelligent and ABOVE most people's notions about what lyrics should be, he never takes the easy way out and is definitely the standard by which other creative people on the Great White Way measure talent. I loved Bea Arthur's comment at a tribute to Dolly and Mame's Jerry Herman. She scolded him for saying he couldn't call MAME "Vera" because he could not find anything to rhyme with Vera, she then added, Sondheim could have done it.

 

:marionstrong: I love that moment.

 

Sondheim is brilliant. BRILLIANT! (Sell his own mother, but brilliant!)

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So there was really no need to change the sets after the depression hit? lol

 

And the company was so small that there was double and triple casting. Since they had no scenes together, I think the same person who played Vera donned a mustache and played Beau!

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And the company was so small that there was double and triple casting. Since they had no scenes together, I think the same person who played Vera donned a mustache and played Beau!

Ever see that comic who has two dummies on each side of him and he does this song and dance as five people? That's how they did crowd scenes like the unwed mothers in the version Neil described.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ruta Lee as Mame in the musical? Where? (Irwin Charone and Barbara Morrison as the Upsons? Vanda Barra as Gooch? Sid Gould as Ito? Patrica Cutts as Gloria? Jimmy Garrett as Patrick?)

And what TWO members (that I can think of) of the original broadway cast had appeared as guests on "the Lucy Show"??

As much as I love Kaye, she probably wouldn't have worked as Mame, Gooch-maybe.

I know the casting of Angela is one of the great casting Cinderella stories that paid off, but Dolores Gray would have been absolutely wonderful and (not knocking Angela) she's got one of the greatest theatrical voices in history.

Harry, I've read about all those considered for the role from Mary Martin on down, but how did you find out it was narrowed down to Dolores or Angela? I MUST find out for inclusion in MY book, "Q's I FA HC"

Other than Ann Miller, the Mame replacements seemed a bit lackluster. No marquee value like the replacement Dollys. I wonder if Dolores was approached but like Teensy "didn't want to play second fiddle."

Dolores was on her way to being the next Merman and had a 1959 hit in "Destry Rides Again", but somehow through no fault of hers, her career lost momentum. From originating her own role on B'dway in 1959, she was reduced to playing "Wildcat" in a 1963 regional theater production.

Despite her workload, I know Lucy was actively pursued for Broadway's Mame. Her threat to quit "The Lucy Show" (AGAIN!) after the 4th season was serious enough it made the news, so she might have been trying to make herself free. "Wildcat" was recent enough that the producers knew that her BO appeal would have made "Mame" sure-fire. But it's doubtful Lucy would have signed up for anything but a limited run. She coveted the Mame part, but she now knew what a GRIND doing anything 8 times a week was. But I so wish that the timeline had been different and the "Mame" movie could have been made in 1966 when she still had her youthful vigor and her voice was still strong.

 

I actually like the your casting choices for a Ruta Lee Mame (well, not Sid as Ito. lol) Patricia Cutts was born to play Gloria. I think a young Vanda could have been a great "Auntie Mame" Gooch. I have no idea where and when Ruta played Mame, but it's in her official bio.

 

I'm trying to remember now where I heard how close Dolores Gray was to landing the role. For some reason, I think I heard it in a Jerry Herman interview, but I'm not sure. I will definitely do more research! I had no idea she ever did Wildcat. I love how she holds the record for winning a Tony for the least amount of performances. She won for Best Actress in a Musical for "Carnival in Flanders," which run less than a week.

 

I've also been puzzled by the lack of star power in the Mame replacements. There was Oscar winner Celeste Holm and Broadway star Janis Paige, but no one of the Dolly caliber. Jane Morgan (not Our Miss Brooks' Mrs. Davis!) seemed like a weak choice as first replacement.

 

Willard Waterman from "Lucy and the Plumber" played Mr. Babcock in the original production. What other Lucy Show guest was in the Broadway show? Jerry Lanning's brother and mother both guested on The Lucy Show.

 

Oh, and it looks like Barbra's film is back on: My link

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What other Lucy Show guest was in the Broadway show? Jerry Lanning's brother and mother both guested on The Lucy Show.

 

So that WASN'T Jerry Lanning of "Mame" on "The Lucy Show" with Roberta "Up a Lazy River 'Til We're Seasick" Sherwood?

Or as Viv calls her ROberta..

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So that WASN'T Jerry Lanning of "Mame" on "The Lucy Show" with Roberta "Up a Lazy River 'Til We're Seasick" Sherwood?

Or as Viv calls her ROberta..

 

 

It was actually his younger brother, Robert Lanning. I believe The Lucy Book claims it was Jerry, though. Jerry also played Randy Twizzle in The Dick Van Dyke Show episode

"The Twizzle" - the least liked episode among the series' cast and crew, but one of my favorites.

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