Edward Everett Tanner III (18 May 1921 – 6 November 1976), known by the pseudonym Patrick Dennis, was an American author. His novel '' Auntie Mame: An irreverent escapade'' (1955) was one of the bestselling American books of the 20th century. In chronological vignettes, the narrator — also named Patrick — recalls his adventures growing up under the wing of his madcap aunt, Mame Dennis. Dennis wrote a sequel, titled '' Around the World with Auntie Mame'', in 1958. Dennis based the character of Mame Dennis on his father's sister, Marion Tanner. Dennis also wrote several novels under the pseudonym Virginia Rowans. "I write in the first person, but it is all fictional. The public assumes that what seems fictional is fact; so the way for me to be inventive is to seem factual but be fictional." All of Dennis's novels employ to some degree the traditional comic devices of masks, subterfuge and deception.

Early life

Dennis was born Edward Everett Tanner III in Chicago, Illinois to Edward Everett Tanner II and Florence (née Thacker) Tanner, and grew up in Evanston, Illinois. He had one sister, Barbara, later Mrs. Hastings. His father nicknamed him Pat before he was born after the Irish heavyweight boxer Pat Sweeney, "a dirty fighter known for kicking his opponents." When he was old enough to say so, he let it be known that he liked Pat better than Edward, and so Pat he became.Myers, Eric. ''Uncle Mame: The Life of Patrick Dennis'', New York: St. Martin's Press, 2000. He attended Evanston Township High School, where he was popular and excelled in writing and theater.

Career

In 1942, he joined the American Field Service, working as an ambulance driver in North Africa and the Middle East. The first edition of ''Auntie Mame'' spent 112 weeks on the bestseller list, selling more than 2 million copies in five languages. The manuscript was turned down by 15 publishers before being accepted by the Vanguard Press. Dennis and a friend marketed the book to the booksellers. At the height of its popularity, it was selling more than 1,000 copies per day; throughout 1955 and 1956, it sold between 1,000 and 5,000 per week. In 1956, with ''Auntie Mame'', ''The Loving Couple: His (and Her) Story'', and ''Guestward Ho!'', Dennis became the first writer to have three books on the ''New York Times'' bestseller list at the same time. Working with longtime friend, actor and photographer Cris Alexander, Dennis created two parody memoirs, complete with elaborate photographs. The first, titled '' Little Me'', recounts the escapades through life and love of glamour girl Belle Poitrine "as told to Patrick Dennis." His wife, Louise, appeared as Pixie Portnoy in the book's photographic illustrations, which included their children and an employee as well. The second "bio," titled ''First Lady'' (1964), is the life story of Martha Dinwiddie Butterfield, oblivious wife of a robber baron who "stole" the U.S. presidency for 30 days at the turn of the century.

Personal life

On December 30, 1948, Dennis married Louise Stickney, with whom he had two children. He led a double life as a conventional husband and father, and as a bisexual in later life, becoming a well-known participant in Greenwich Village's gay scene.

Later years and death

Dennis's work fell out of fashion in the 1970s, and all of his books went out of print. In his later years, he left writing to become a butler, a job that his friends reported he enjoyed. At one time, he worked for Ray Kroc, the CEO of

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...

. Although he was, at long last, using his real name, he was in essence working yet again under a pseudonym; his employers had no inkling that their butler, Tanner, was the famous author Patrick Dennis. He died from

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a mass. These cancerous cells have the ability to invade other parts of the body. A number of types of pancr ...

in Manhattan at the age of 55, on November 6, 1976. At the turn of the 21st century, there was a resurgence of interest in his work, and subsequently many of his novels are once again available. His son, Dr. Michael Tanner, wrote introductions to several reissues of his father's books. Some of Dennis's original manuscripts are held at Yale University, others at Boston University.

Bibliography

Virginia Rowans

*Rowans, Virginia (1953). ''Oh What a Wonderful Wedding!'', New York: Crowell *Rowans, Virginia (1954). ''House Party'', New York: Crowell *Rowans, Virginia (1956). ''The Loving Couple: His (and Her) Story'', New York: Crowell *Rowans, Virginia (1961). ''Love and Mrs. Sargent'', New York: Farrar, Straus and Cudahy

Patrick Dennis

*Dennis, Patrick (1955). ''

Auntie Mame ''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 desc ...

'', New York: Vanguard Press *Dennis, Patrick (1956). ''Guestward, Ho! by Barbara C. Hooton, as indiscreetly confided to Patrick Dennis'', New York: Vanguard Press *Erskine, Dorothy, and Patrick Dennis (1957). ''The Pink Hotel'', New York: Putnam *Dennis, Patrick (1958). '' Around the World with Auntie Mame'', New York: New American Library *Dennis, Patrick (1961). '' Little Me: The Intimate Memoirs of that Great Star of Stage, Screen and Television, Belle Poitrine (as told to Patrick Dennis)'', New York: E. P. Dutton. *Dennis, Patrick (1962). ''Genius'', New York: Harcourt, Brace & World *Dennis, Patrick (1964). ''First Lady: My Thirty Days Upstairs at the White House, by Martha Dinwiddie Butterfield, as told to Patrick Dennis'', New York: William Morrow *Dennis, Patrick (1965). ''The Joyous Season'', New York: Harcourt, Brace & World *Dennis, Patrick (1966). ''Tony'', New York: E. P. Dutton *Dennis, Patrick (1968). ''How Firm a Foundation'', New York: William Morrow. *Dennis, Patrick (1971). ''Paradise'', New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich *Dennis, Patrick (1972). ''3-D'', New York: Coward, McCann and Geoghegan (published in the UK as ''Anything You Like'' in 1974)

Adaptations in other media

The 1956 Broadway production of ''Auntie Mame'', starring Rosalind Russell, and the highly successful 1958 screen adaptation that followed, inspired

Jerry Herman Gerald Sheldon Herman (July 10, 1931December 26, 2019) was an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway theatre. One of the most commercially successful Broadway songwriters of his time, Herman was the composer and lyrici ...

's 1966 musical '' Mame'', with

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 ...

in the lead. A 1974 film version starred

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 ...

and Bea Arthur. ''Little Me'' was turned into a musical in 1962, with book by Neil Simon and score by Cy Coleman and

Carolyn Leigh Carolyn Leigh (August 21, 1926 – November 19, 1983) was an American lyricist for Broadway, film, and popular songs. She is best known as the writer with partner Cy Coleman of the pop standards "Witchcraft" and " The Best Is Yet to Come". With ...

, and

Sid Caesar Isaac Sidney Caesar (September 8, 1922 – February 12, 2014) was an American comic actor, comedian and writer. With a career spanning 60 years, he was best known for two pioneering 1950s live television series: ''Your Show of Shows'' (1950� ...

playing all the male roles. Bob Fosse won the

Tony Award 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 c ...

for Best Choreography. There have been several revivals of ''Little Me'', most recently in 1998 with Martin Short, who won a Tony Award for Best Actor. Two of Dennis's novels were transformed into television sitcoms: * ''House Party'' (1954), about a supposedly wealthy family who were actually dead broke, was the inspiration for '' The Pruitts of Southampton'' (1966–67), starring Phyllis Diller,

Grady Sutton Grady Harwell Sutton (April 5, 1906 – September 17, 1995) was an American film and television character actor from the 1920s to the 1970s. He appeared in more than 180 films. Early years Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Sutton was raised ...

Gypsy Rose Lee Gypsy Rose Lee (born Rose Louise Hovick, January 8, 1911 – April 26, 1970) was an American burlesque entertainer, stripper and vedette famous for her striptease act. Also an actress, author, and playwright, her 1957 memoir was adapted in ...

, and Richard Deacon. * Dennis's book ''Guestward Ho!'' (1956) became the sitcom '' Guestward Ho!'' (1960–61), about city folk trying to run a dude ranch in New Mexico. The latter sitcom starred Mark Miller, J. Carrol Naish, and Joanne Dru.

References

External links

''Uncle Mame: The Life of Patrick Dennis'' (2000)
at

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dennis, Patrick 20th-century American novelists 1921 births 1976 deaths American male novelists Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Deaths from pancreatic cancer Bisexual men Bisexual writers American LGBT novelists LGBT people from Illinois American butlers Writers from Evanston, Illinois 20th-century American male writers Novelists from Illinois 20th-century LGBT people