Broadway Star Joined: 6/18/07
Haha1 ive just checked my old programes and i was younger than i thought when i saw Mame! 'Thats How Young I Feel'
Ha, ha..... Yes, time marches by...and time flies, doesn't it?
Had Angela been in it, the DVD release would be a boom for all theater lovers.
Music Man was originally offered to Cary Grant who turned it down & suggested preston for the part
Throughout the years, when Angela has been asked why she didn't do the movie version, she has always said, "Because, I was quite simply, never asked."
Cary Grant was apparently a pubilicly-discussed contender for the role of Harold Hill. In a May 25, 1960 petition, mailed to Jack Warner, it contained hundreds of signatures of protest against Grant (or anyone other than Robert Preston) being cast. When Shirley Jones was offered the role of Marian, she was told that her co-star would be Frank Sinatra.
Meredith Wilson went directly to Warner Bros with the threat of pulling the film rights and demanded that Preston recreate his stage role for the big screen.
Cary was offered "My Fair Lady" and declined. He even told Jack Warner that if Rex Harrison didn't do the movie version, he wouldn't go see it.
Updated On: 7/1/07 at 06:34 PM
I love the movie but I never think of Lucy and charming as going together. She acted it well enough and looked great but it's sad that Angela didn't get to do the film.
Hollywood = stupid
I may still have a book re original casting choices as opposed to who finally made the film
Lawrence of Arabia - Originally Brando was slated but he got bogged down with Mutiny on The Bounty. Albert Finney actually did a few days of filming but begged out fearing the film would make him a "star". The rest is history
Dirty Harry - originally offered To Sinatra & Mc Queen
Stand-by Joined: 8/26/06
Hollywood is stupid. Many times they don't know what to do with real talent. There is also an underlying competion between Broadway and Hollywood.
Angela Lansbury should have been asked to do the film verision of Mame. She campagned hard to get the Broadway role. Also, she was a know entity in Hollywood, she had appear in many films prior to the filming of Mame.
I'm also surprised that Angela wasnt asked to do the movie. I asumed she would have a little more box office clout than Lucille Ball at that time. Angela had done Bedknobs for Disney a couple of years before. It may not have beena huge hit, but i'm sure it would have warrented her to do the Mame.
I watched it on DVD again yesterday, and yes i know Lucille hasnt got the best voice in thr world. The words cat and strangling come to mind, but she does have a certain charm that i cant quite put my finger on.
Broadway Star Joined: 9/28/04
Part of the reason why Lucy was given the role was because she personally financed the film. When it tanked at the box office, she lost millions. Had she not offered up the cash, it's possible the film never would've gotten made, seeing as how "old-fashioned" musicals like MAME were extremely out of fashion at the time.
I've read that she had a longer cut of the film which she often watched at home. Someday, I'd love to see that cut!
Broadway Blog: From the Mouth of Alan Jay Lerner
Yes, I'd love to see an uncut version of "Mame." It's too bad that Warner Bros. didn't dig a little deeper in their film vaults to find it and make it available.
A little common sense goes a long way!
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/17/04
Lorings is right ... Lucy's personal financing guaranteed that MAME got made at all. And that's the reason there was no question about her starring, even over Herman's objections.
And as for her clout, Lucy was possibly THE biggest name in bankability at the time ... she was finishing up her third hit TV series when MAME was released, an there was no one more beloved by the public. All the more shocking to Lucy when the movie was savaged by critics and largely ignored by the public.
It is a shame that the public shunned Lucy in Mame, considering that everyone "loved" Lucy. I could only imagine how she felt when the reviews came out. Her voice may not be appealing, but neither was Roz Russell and she was fab too. My opinion and will always be: Mame is just entertainment. It's a fun way to pass the time and there are FAR WORSE movie musicals that are about *cough* Xanadu *cough* Lost Horizn aka Lost Investment *cough*.
She just can't sing and she seems uncomfortable in the dance numbers. Her acting was good, though at times phony. Thankfully the movie is not a complete dud- Bea Arthur and Robert Preston are sensational.
Broadway Star Joined: 6/18/07
She did a long forgotten Broadway musical called Wilcat. It ran for about 6 months back in 1960. You would have been very lucky to have seen her because she was nearly always off for some reason ar another. Not a bad score though and its on CD
Yes, Wildcat has some fun songs in it, but I find the music a little dull.
But I love the scene in the shopping mall when she roller skates away, her look is priceless.
Broadway Star Joined: 6/18/07
i heard stories years ago that she wasnt very well during the filming of Mame
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/17/04
Lucy was recovering from a broken leg (hip?) that pushed back the filming of MAME almost a year. She went to work with Onna White six weeks before filming began practically as physical therapy, and later credited Onna with her recovering as well as she did.
Still, Lucy was, and she admitted it, fairly tentative about her dancing ever after ... especially during the title number. She apparently checked over every bit of that rolling lawn herself to make sure she wouldn't encounter any gopher holes that could re-injure her.
(And even though she requested -- and got -- Robert Preston to play Beauregard, she wasn't happy that he was somewhat shorter than she had hoped, and rejected her request that he wear lifts in his shoes to appear taller.)
Broadway Star Joined: 6/18/07
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