''Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade'' is a 1955 novel by American author
Patrick Dennis chronicling the madcap adventures of a boy, Patrick, growing up as the
ward of his Aunt Mame Dennis, the sister of his dead father.
The book is often described as having been inspired by Dennis' real-life eccentric aunt, Marion Tanner, whose life and outlook mirrored those of Mame, but Dennis denied the connection. The novel was a runaway bestseller, setting records on the
''New York Times'' bestseller list, with more than 2 million copies in print during its initial publication. It became the basis of a
stage play,
a
film,
a
stage musical, and a
film musical.
In 1958, Dennis wrote a sequel titled ''
.''
Adaptations
The novel was adapted for the stage by
Jerome Lawrence and
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...
. Running from October 31, 1956, to June 28, 1958, at the
Broadhurst Theatre, the original Broadway production starred
Rosalind Russell
Catherine Rosalind Russell (June 4, 1907November 28, 1976) was an American actress, comedienne, screenwriter, and singer,Obituary '' Variety'', December 1, 1976, p. 79. known for her role as fast-talking newspaper reporter Hildy Johnson in the H ...
in the title role. The original Broadway cast also included
Robert Allen as Mr. Babcock,
Yuki Shimoda as Ito,
Robert Smith Robert Smith or Bob Smith, or similar, may refer to:
Business
* Robert MacKay Smith (1802–1888), Scottish businessman, meteorologist and philanthropist who founded Glasgow University's Mackay Smith Prizes
* Robert Barr Smith (1824–1915), ...
as Beau,
Polly Rowles as Vera Charles, Jan Handzlik as young Patrick and
Peggy Cass as Agnes Gooch. In 1957, both Russell and Cass were nominated for
Tony Awards
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
, and Cass won the award. A West Coast touring production, starring
Eve Arden
Eve Arden (born Eunice Mary Quedens, April 30, 1908 – November 12, 1990) was an American film, radio, stage and television actress. She performed in leading and supporting roles for nearly six decades.
Beginning her film career in 1929 ...
in the title role and
Benay Venuta
Benay Venuta (born Benvenuta Rose Crooke, January 27, 1910 – September 1, 1995) was an American actress, singer and dancer.
Early life
Born in San Francisco, Venuta was a graduate of Hollywood High School. She attended finishing school in G ...
as Vera Charles, ran from August 4 to December 13, 1958, with stops at
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
,
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
and
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
.
The British production of the play opened at the
Adelphi Theatre in London on September 10, 1958, and ran for 301 performances, closing on 30 May, 1959.
Beatrice Lillie
Beatrice Gladys Lillie, Lady Peel (29 May 1894 – 20 January 1989), known as Bea Lillie, was a Canadian-born British actress, singer and comedic performer.
She began to perform as a child with her mother and sister. She made her West End debut ...
played the title role, with
Florence Desmond
Florence Dawson (31 May 1905 – 16 January 1993), better known by her stage name Florence Desmond, was an English actress, comedian and impersonator.
Biography
Early life and career
Born in London in 1905, Desmond was educated at the Dame Al ...
as Vera Charles (later replaced by Joan Peart).
Dinsdale Landen played Patrick Dennis (as a man), Agnes Gooch was
Rosamund Greenwood and
Jill Melford played Pegeen Ryan.
In December 1958, a
film of the same title based on the play was released by
Warner Brothers
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...
with Russell, Shimoda, Handzlik and Cass reprising their roles.
Russell and Cass were both nominated for an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...
, and Russell won a
Golden Globe
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
for her portrayal.
In 1966, a musical version titled ''
Mame'', starring
Angela Lansbury
Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American film, stage, and television actress. Her career spanned eight decades, much of it in the United States, and her work received a great deal ...
and
Bea Arthur
Beatrice Arthur (born Bernice Frankel; May 13, 1922 – April 25, 2009) was an American actress and comedian. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, Arthur began her career on stage in 1947, attracting critical acclaim before achieving ...
, opened on Broadway.
In 1974, the musical was made into a
film of the same title starring
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Gold ...
, Bea Arthur (reprising her stage role), and
Robert Preston. This film was a failure at the box office—despite breaking attendance records during its
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and theater at 1260 Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplace of the Nation", it is the headquarters for th ...
run—and critics generally panned it for Ball's singing ability and thought she was not up to the part (she was 62 years old).
In 2016, screenwriter
Annie Mumolo told ''Vanity Fair'' that she was working on a "modern-day" adaptation of the novel as a film with
Tilda Swinton as Mame.
Re-issues
In September 2001, the book was re-released in paperback by Broadway Books, an imprint of Random House.
In 2009, the Italian publisher
Adelphi re-released the book, which had been out of print for many years in its Italian translation, under the title ''Zia Mame''; the book reached the top spot on Italian bestseller lists and stayed there for many weeks, an unusual performance for a re-release.
References
External links
* (1956 non-musical play starring Rosalind Russell)
* (1966 musical play starring Angela Lansbury)
The Classic New York of Mame DennisWalking Off the Big Apple: A Strolling Guide to New York City
{{Lawrence and Lee, state=collapsed
1955 American novels
1956 plays
Mame
American novels adapted into films
Broadway plays
American novels adapted into plays
American plays adapted into films
Plays based on novels
Plays by Robert E. Lee (playwright)
Plays set in New York City
Vanguard Press books
Works published under a pseudonym