Today’s movie is a
comedy/drama film with a scene that happens on October 1. Watch it tonight and
enjoy.
AUNTIE MAME
Edwin Dennis makes out his will
giving custody of his son Patrick to his eccentric sister Mame and then
promptly dies. On October 1, 1928 [3:13 to 16:31] Patrick arrives in New York
in the midst of a wild party being thrown by his Aunt. In spite of their
different personalities a strong bond immediately forms between Mame and her
nephew. Patrick’s father, while giving custody to Mame, entrusted Patrick’s
money to the Knickerbocker Bank and its representative, Mr. Babcock, a staunch
conservative who does not get along with Mame. When Mame tries to defy Babcock
by enrolling Patrick at a progressive, Montessori type school, Babcock ships
Patrick off to a boarding school. Mame loses almost everything in the Stock
Market Crash of 1929. She has to take on a series of jobs such as acting,
switchboard operator and sales girl at Macys. In this last job she meets
bucolic southern oil millionaire Beauregard
Jackson Pickett Burnside (“Bo” for short), who falls in love with her. Mame, Bo
and Patrick travel to his plantation where Bo’s former love interest, Sally
Cato, tries to sabotage Mame by forcing her to participate in a fox hunt.
However, in spite of not being a rider, Mame ends up catching the fox and Bo
proposes to her on the spot. The two go on a lengthy around the world honeymoon
tour. When Bo is killed in an accident on the Matterhorn, Mame comes back to
New York where Patrick has arranged for her to write her autobiography with the
help of dissolute Irish poet, Brian O’Bannion and secretary Agnes Gooch.
Sometime later Patrick returns, acting as conservative as Babcock and
expressing disdain for Mame’s lifestyle. He has met a girl Gloria and Mame
cares for Patrick so mush she agrees to do whatever it takes to make him happy.
Mame sends O’Bannion and Agnes(to whom Mame has given a makeover) to a party
with film executives interested in her book, telling O’Bannion Agnes is
actually an incognito heiress, so Mame can meet Gloria. Mame is appalled to
discover that Gloria is a shallow twit.
Mame goes to visit Gloria’s parents and finds them just as shallow and
anti-Semitic to boot. Mame arranges a dinner party at her apartment inviting
Gloria and her family and some of her friends. The result(as Mame secretly
hoped) is a disaster. Patrick meets Pegeen Ryan, Mame’s new secretary while
Gloria’s family is appalled by the presence of Agnes, who is pregnant and unmarried as a result of
attending the party with O’Bannion. Mame’s publisher and longtime friend Lindsay Woolsey reads from her just
published scandalous autobiography leading to Gloria insulting Mame’s friends.
However Patrick defends them. A telegram from O’Bannion reveals he wants half
the profits on Mame’s book for his “help” and that he had in fact married Agnes
while she was intoxicated. We jump ahead several years. Mame married Lindsay Woolsey and Patrick married Pegeen
Ryan. They have a son Michael who they agree can go spend a few months in India
with his great Aunt Mame.
A classic comedy. The comedy in
this film may be a little stilited for today’s audiences. However, they should
give it a chance as it is actually a very funny movie with a serious
message. Uses an interesting method of handling
fadeouts.
Mame gives the date in the film
at 7:10 when Patrick arrives at her apartment.
Producer - Morton DaCosta
Director - Morton DaCosta
Awards – This film was nominated
for the Best Picture, Best Actress(Russell), Best Supporting Actress(Cass),
Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography
and Best Film Editing Oscars at the 31st Academy Awards
Screenplay - Betty Comden and
Adolph Green
Runtime – 2 hours 23 minutes
Released – December 27, 1958
Starring –
Rosalind Russell as Mame Dennis
Forrest Tucker as Beauregard
Jackson Pickett Burnside
Coral Browne as Vera Charles
Fred Clark as Dwight Babcock
Roger Smith as Patrick Dennis – older
Patric Knowles as Lindsay Woolsey
Peggy Cass as Agnes Gooch
Jan Handzlik as Patrick Dennis – younger
Joanna Barnes as Gloria Upson
Pippa Scott as Pegeen Ryan
Lee Patrick as Doris Upson
Willard Waterman as Claude Upson
Robin Hughes as Brian O'Bannion
Connie Gilchrist as Norah Muldoon
Yuki Shimoda as Ito
Brook Byron as Sally Cato MacDougall
Henry Brandon as Acacius Page
Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014
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