Auntie Mame
Encyclopedia
Auntie Mame is a 1955 novel
by Patrick Dennis
that chronicles the madcap adventures of a boy, Patrick, growing up as the ward
of his deceased father's eccentric sister, Mame Dennis. The book is a work of fiction
inspired by the author's eccentric aunt, Marion Tanner, whose life and outlook in many ways mirrored those of Mame. In real life, Dennis was raised by his parents. The novel was a runaway best seller, setting records on the New York Times bestseller list, with more than two million copies in print during its initial publication. In 1958, Patrick Dennis wrote a sequel, Around the World with Auntie Mame
.
The novel was adapted for the stage by Jerome Lawrence
and Robert E. Lee. The original Broadway
production starred Rosalind Russell
in the title role. The original Broadway cast also included Robert Allen
as Mr. Babcock, Yuki Shimoda
, as Ito, Robert Smith
, as Beau and Peggy Cass
as Agnes Gooch. Both Russell and Cass were nominated for Tony Award
s in 1957 with only Cass winning.
In December 1958
, a film of the same title
, based on the play, was released by Warner Brothers, with Russell and Cass reprising their roles. Russell was nominated for an Academy Award and won a Golden Globe for her portrayal. The film was the highest grossing U.S. film of the following year.
A musical version, titled Mame, starring Angela Lansbury
and Bea Arthur
, opened on Broadway in 1966. It was a triumph in New York and then toured the country with great success. The musical was made into a film of the same title
in 1974
starring Lucille Ball
, Beatrice Arthur
, and Robert Preston
. This film was a success at the box office (even making records with audience attendance at its run at Radio City Music Hall
) but critics generally panned for the lack of Ball's singing ability and thought she was not up to the part (she was 62 years old).
The book was re-released in paperback
in September 2001 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.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Patrick Dennis
Patrick Dennis
Patrick Dennis was an American author. His novel Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade was one of the bestselling American books of the 20th century. In chronological vignettes "Patrick" recalls his adventures growing up under the wing of his madcap aunt, Mame Dennis...
that chronicles the madcap adventures of a boy, Patrick, growing up as the ward
Ward (law)
In law, a ward is someone placed under the protection of a legal guardian. A court may take responsibility for the legal protection of an individual, usually either a child or incapacitated person, in which case the ward is known as a ward of the court, or a ward of the state, in the United States,...
of his deceased father's eccentric sister, Mame Dennis. The book is a work of fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
inspired by the author's eccentric aunt, Marion Tanner, whose life and outlook in many ways mirrored those of Mame. In real life, Dennis was raised by his parents. The novel was a runaway best seller, setting records on the New York Times bestseller list, with more than two million copies in print during its initial publication. In 1958, Patrick Dennis wrote a sequel, Around the World with Auntie Mame
Around The World With Auntie Mame
Around the World with Auntie Mame is a novel by Patrick Dennis and sequel to his bestseller Auntie Mame.-Plot:Narrator "Patrick" is seventeen, and has left his private prep school. His Auntie Mame takes him with her on an extended tour of Europe, which becomes a round-the-world tour before his...
.
Adaptations
Jerome Lawrence
Jerome Lawrence was an American playwright and author.-Life and career:Lawrence was born Jerome Lawrence Schwartz in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Sarah , a poet, and Samuel Schwartz, a printer. He worked for several small newspapers as a reporter/editor before moving into radio as a writer for CBS....
and Robert E. Lee. The original Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production starred Rosalind Russell
Rosalind Russell
Rosalind Russell was an American actress of stage and screen, perhaps best known for her role as a fast-talking newspaper reporter in the Howard Hawks screwball comedy His Girl Friday, as well as the role of Mame Dennis in the film Auntie Mame...
in the title role. The original Broadway cast also included Robert Allen
Robert (Tex) Allen
Robert "Tex" Allen was a leading actor in both feature films and B-movie westerns between 1935 and 1944.Born as Irvine E. Theodore Baehr on March 28, 1906 in Mount Vernon, New York, Allen went on to graduate from the New York Military Academy in 1924, where he rode in the academy cavalry and from...
as Mr. Babcock, Yuki Shimoda
Yuki Shimoda
Yuki Shimoda was an American actor best known for his starring role as Ko Wakatsuki in the NBC movie of the week, Farewell to Manzanar in 1976. He also co-starred in a 1960s television series, Johnny Midnight , with Edmond O'Brien. He was a star of the silver screen, early television and the stage...
, as Ito, Robert Smith
Robert Smith (actor)
Robert Cecil Smith was an American actor of the stage, television, and film. He began his career as a teenager, making his first appearance in the 1927 film Baby Brother...
, as Beau and Peggy Cass
Peggy Cass
Mary Margaret “Peggy” Cass was an American actress, comedian, game show panelist, and announcer.A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Cass became interested in acting as a member of the drama club at Cambridge Latin School; however, she attended all of high school without a speaking part...
as Agnes Gooch. Both Russell and Cass were nominated for Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
s in 1957 with only Cass winning.
In December 1958
1958 in film
The year 1958 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 16- "In the Money" by William Beaudine is released on this date. It would be the last installment of The Bowery Boys series which began back in 1946....
, a film of the same title
Auntie Mame (film)
Auntie Mame is a 1958 film based on the novel by Patrick Dennis and its theatrical adaptation by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee. This film version stars Rosalind Russell and was directed by Morton DaCosta...
, based on the play, was released by Warner Brothers, with Russell and Cass reprising their roles. Russell was nominated for an Academy Award and won a Golden Globe for her portrayal. The film was the highest grossing U.S. film of the following year.
A musical version, titled Mame, starring Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury
Angela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
and Bea Arthur
Beatrice Arthur
Beatrice "Bea" Arthur was an American actress, comedienne and singer whose career spanned seven decades. Arthur achieved fame as the character Maude Findlay on the 1970s sitcoms All in the Family and Maude, and as Dorothy Zbornak on the 1980s sitcom The Golden Girls, winning Emmy Awards for both...
, opened on Broadway in 1966. It was a triumph in New York and then toured the country with great success. The musical was made into a film of the same title
Mame (film)
Mame is a 1974 musical film based on the 1966 Broadway musical of the same name, directed by Gene Saks, written by Paul Zindel, and starring Lucille Ball and Beatrice Arthur.Warner Bros...
in 1974
1974 in film
The year 1974 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 7 - Blazing Saddles is released in the USA.*August 7 - Peter Wolf, lead singer of The J...
starring Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
, Beatrice Arthur
Beatrice Arthur
Beatrice "Bea" Arthur was an American actress, comedienne and singer whose career spanned seven decades. Arthur achieved fame as the character Maude Findlay on the 1970s sitcoms All in the Family and Maude, and as Dorothy Zbornak on the 1980s sitcom The Golden Girls, winning Emmy Awards for both...
, and Robert Preston
Robert Preston (actor)
-Early life:Preston was born Robert Preston Meservey in Newton, Massachusetts, the son of Ruth L. and Frank Wesley Meservey, a garment worker and billing clerk for American Express. After attending Abraham Lincoln High School in Los Angeles, California, he studied acting at the Pasadena Community...
. This film was a success at the box office (even making records with audience attendance at its run at Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
) but critics generally panned for the lack of Ball's singing ability and thought she was not up to the part (she was 62 years old).
The book was re-released in paperback
Paperback
Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
in September 2001 by Broadway Books, an imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
of Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
.
In 2009 the Italian publisher Adelphi
Adelphi Edizioni
Adelphi Edizioni S.p.A. is an Italian publishing house whose headquarters are in 14, via S. Giovanni sul Muro, Milan, Italy.Adelphi Edizioni was founded in 1962 by Luciano Foà and Roberto Olivetti. Contributors have included Roberto Bazlen, Giorgio Colli, Sergio Solmi, Claudio Rugafiori and...
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.