Bette Midler asked to do Mame
Back in 1964, who would have thought that Angela Landbury could pull off MAME? That woman from The Manchurain Candidate? Evlis' mom in Blue Hawaii? To be a successful Mama requires talent, not just a sense of whackiness. I've always thougt that the key to Lansbury's success as Mame was that she had excessive talent, could sing and dance, and could act. (I never saw her in the role, just the LP and various YouTube clips.) With Lansbury, one thought "elegance," not "comic." There has to be an a...
