I am so thrilled you loved Auntie Mame! Whenever I am nervous about trying something new, I watch this film and it fills me with renewed excitement for grasping an opportunity. Get out there and live! live! Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!
One of my top 5 favorite movies (not just classic). I saw this movie as a child. I was sick and my Mom had me on the couch so that she didn't have to run up and down the stairs. PBS (at the time) aired classic movies on Saturday. This movie came on and I fell in love with it. Mame was the Auntie I wanted. I loved how she loved him so much, that she had to save him from becoming something he wasn't. As she told Babock, "He isn't my little boy...but he isn't yours either." By the way, we all know why she hired Pegeen (her saving him for the last time). Lets talk about the costuming and set designs. I love how all the colors represented parts of Mame's life. I wish it won an Oscars for "Best Art Direction" and "Best Cinematography- Color". I am so glad you loved it too. I better watch "Duck Soup" again. It's been awhile.
I'm so glad you loved this movie! Please check out: The Women (1939) ~ Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Joan Fontaine, Marjorie Main, & a hilarious Mary Boland!
You’ll notice that every time she changes her hair color, she redecorates! Each time reflecting a new manifestation of change in her life. One of my favorites!! I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched it and how with each time there’s something new to discover!! 🎉❤
Rosalind Russell is UNSTOPPABLE in this movie and it is so wonderful! Also, and someone may have mentioned this before, Russell as Auntie Mame is one of the top tier gay icons . . . right up there with Dorothy . . . and I think you can see why!!
Every boomer knows Forrest Tucker as Sergeant O'Rourke on F Troop. And every boomer knows Agnes Gooch as Peggy Cass who was on a thousand game show episodes.
Peggy Cass who played Agnes Gooch originated it on Broadway and won a Tony and was also nominated for Best Supporting actress for the same role. Jewish people were excluded from neighborhoids and country clubs. That's why Mame made a home for a Jewish charity. There is a great movie starring Gregory Peck called Gentleman's Agreement about an underground expose about anti semitism 1947. Won best movie.
I like the story behind the story. I think it was Daryl Zanuck of 20th Century who was excluded from joining a Country Club because he was Jewish... and he wasn't Jewish! It prompted him in getting Gentleman's Agreement produced.
There's a little film noir named Open Secret from '48 that also deals with the uncovering of a not so underground antisemitic cult. It's one of the best noirs I ever saw but people hardly talk about it.
I have yet to find anyone who recognized the homage to this scene, in the movie, "Trading Places", A girl at the country club is telling a story and finshes with, "and she stepped on the ball." I seem to be the only one that caught it.
The Upson’s were upset about having a home for Jewish war orphans next door to their house was due to the fact that the kids were Jews. At one time Jews were not welcome by WASPS in certain places. They were blacklisted from country clubs, some big firms and “exclusive” neighborhoods. Some colleges even had quotas for admission. Mame bought the property and arranged for the Jewish home to get back at them for being antisemitic .
This role had made quite a impression on her. Her autobiography is named after a line in the play, " Life is a Banquet". (...and Most poor suckers starve to death).
This movie is in my top 3, all-time favorites. I have watched it dozens of times, and my whole family can quote pretty much all of it. So pleased to see someone react to it - that doesn't happen often! And I'm so happy you enjoyed it! The way Gloria talks is called 'Long Island Lockjaw' or 'Locust Valley Lockjaw'. It is a colloquial term for a brand of speech, widely recognized as the stereotypical upper class American accent and associated with the traditional elite in the New York metropolitan area, particularly those on the North Shore of Long Island.
The scarlet coats worn for fox hunting, aka "riding to hounds", are known as "pinks" (don't ask why, it's tradition). It's formal attire like wearing a tux to dinner since the whole affair is very ritualized and upper class, having been exported from England to places like Virginia and Georgia.
'hunting pink'! Also there's a English tailor- they're shirts are very well known...the brand is Thomas Pink and their trademark is a fox! Very high end
"What the hell have you got back there? Reindeer?" I love that line. The actress who portrayed Gloria's mother is Lee Patrick, who was Sam Spade's assistant in 1941's "The Maltese Falcon".
I love Auntie Mame, classy, comical and loaded with spiritual values. Another great classic masterpiece you should watch is "Suddenly Last Summer" - the script is beyond amazing
I just came across your reaction to this. My partner, way back in '80, told me that I absolutely must see this. I immediately fell in love with it and it's one of my all-time favorite movies! When you feel down, just put on Auntie Mame and you can't help but feel good again.
I absolutely LOVE this movie. Rosalind is so damn GOOD in this role! You can still see that fast-talking witty repartee she gave us in His Girl Friday, but here she also has the room to give us the long drawls like she does whenever she says Patrick's name; and it really shows you how she feels about this child. No matter how manic she is the minute before, she comes to a stop and takes her time with him, letting him really drink in all the devotion she is showing to him. Her comic timing is magnificent, too! And I love that whenever we get to the end of a time period in her life, it is reflected in the incredibly detailed set of her apartment, and the scenes ending by everything else fading to dark while she remains spotlighted for a few more seconds are great little touches and nods to the play. I just *NEVER* get tired of this one, lol.
I love, love ,love! This movie. I have so tried to live the Auntie Mame life. I’ve traveled and experienced so much of the world in my now 63 years. Don’t let life pass you by. You only get one shot.
Brilliant movie. If you love Rosalind Russell here, you need to check out the classic 1955 film Picnic with Rosalind Russell, William Holden, Kim Novak, Arthur O'Connell and Cliff Robertson. It's got that famous dance scene.😄 My favorite movie with Forrest Tucker is Chisum with John Wayne.
This is one of my all-time favorites! Coincidentally, last night I watched Roz Russell in the 1935 “Craig’s Wife” (only available on VHS) in which she played a woman obsessed with the material possessions in her life (including her husband). I thought to myself “This is the woman who only a few years later would be recognized as a master of comic timing.” She was a treasure!
This is my all-time favorite movie that I watch multiple times a year. I have always aspired to be Auntie Mame and I definitely invoke her spirit when needed! So glad that younger generations are still discovering it.
This is my favorite film! I honestly have no idea how many times I've seen it, and it gives me joy to see someone watch it for the first time and respond positively to it. I encourage you to see it again. It's one of those films that has so much going on you discover something new each time you watch it!
I don't ordinarily watch reaction videos but I started watching your reaction to 'All About Eve' and immediately subscribed. Usually I'm annoyed by the constant chipping in (I'm in the UK btw) but I didn't mind yours at all! Yours were so fresh and I appreciated your positivity. So thank you and props to you for doing a dang good job! TTFN!
I loved this movie so much. I’ve watched it 100 times. Everything about it are fantastic - the actors, the set, the way it was filmed, especially the costumes that were characters in itself. Top drawer, my darling
I loved the book! It had me, among other things, listening to Bessie Smith in my early teens. I just re-read the book a couple of months ago and I still listen to Bessie Smith.
It was great to rewatch to see your reaction. I've forgotten how much i like this movie. Great video again, Mia. I'm also very excited to see the silent and pre-codes reactions.
The actor who played Brian also had a sinister role in an episode of The Twilight Zone (since you are exploring those as well) called "The Howling Man". I hope you get a chance to check it out! As always I really enjoyed your watch of Auntie Mame! 2022 in the Tiffany Club is off to a great start!!
Loved that you loved this movie. One of my favorites. The red hunting jacket is traditionally worn for a fox hunt. The tradition began in England and I'm guessing the color red is used so that the hunter is easily seen by the others and not shot by accident. The reason the Upson's are so upset about the school for Jewish orphans is because the are anti-Semitic. There are many films from the 50's that explore intolerance and issues that would surprise many. It was a beginning of the relaxation of the Hayes Code, finally broken by Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolff in 1966. Since you love Rosalind Russell may I suggest you watch Picnic 1955 staring her, William Holden and Kim Novak. Also check out Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Cheers.
My favorite movie ever in my 68 years! My grandma took me to see it in a theater when I was about 10 years old and I had lost my mother at age 7. Read the book as a teenager and loved it, too!
It's a great movie to kick off the new year with since it starts with the end of a party! :P Haven't seen this since I was a kid! Just rewatched it last night so that I could enjoy this reaction! Wow, did I miss most of the jokes when I first saw it as a kid on TV! Really funny movie....and long as an epic! When I saw the running time, I did a double take! Outstanding edit, I might add! As I was watching this movie, I could hear you laughing at every joke, lol. And sure enough....you definitely enjoyed it! I did too, for some reason I thought it wasn't going to hold up and boy, was I wrong! Fantastic writing, and some great performances! PS: Good move, having this reaction in your back pocket for a couple of months! PSS: Super psyched for the next series!!!!
This is probably my favorite movie of all time. When I am down I watch this movie and it just picks me up. I watch it at least once a year at Christmas.
I can't tell you how much I am enjoying watching you delight in discovering Roseland Russell in her Penultimate role as "Aunti Mame", my personal idol, and one of my Favorite movies of all time!! I'm Sooo happy to see you enjoying it, and taking it in, in all its fabulous Technicolor glory! 😃🤩🥰You Get It Girl Hahaha!!😁🤘
for me, My Auntie Mame is one of the greatest films produced by Hollywood. Perfect satire of the times. Nobody but Russel could have played Auntie Mame: she was perfect, brilliant, and iconic.
As a lover of classic movies, I love your reviews. I can so watch and dissect a classic movie. I've seen Auntie Mame many times and also enjoy the one with Lucille Ball. Watching these movies with you is like sitting with a friend with a bowl of popcorn
Thank you for your review of Auntie Mame! It is one of my favourite films ever! I agree with each of the points you make, especially relating to the depth of Mame's character and her relationship with Patrick. I would also like to add that the film touched on issues of equality and diversity which I felt was quite ahead of it's time. Thank you again!
Loved watching you grow to understand (rather quickly) the lead character and the movie's theme. It's a warm, colorful and fun lesson in living and loving fully. Though it isn't a holiday movie per se, it's for me an annual must-watch during that time of year.
Mr. Upson is played by Willard Waterman, who was better known as radio’s “The Great Gildersleeve.” Mrs. Upson is Lee Patrick, who was Effie Perrine (Sam Spade’s secretary) in “The Maltese Falcon.”
Towards the end of the film when Mame receives her manuscript, she references author Edna Ferber. She was a prolific and Pulitzer Prize winning author whose books contain a strong independent female lead that cover multiple decades and have subplots that involve racism. If Mame wasn’t so funny, she could have been a heroine of a Ferber book. Giant is the best film adaptation of her books. Cimmaron was adapted to film twice and her book Showboat was adapted into the Broadway musical and filmed twice. My favorite film adaptation of Ferber is her stage play called Stage Door. The film stars Kathrine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers and would make a great film companion to The Women that stars Rosalind Russell.
I just happened upon this video, which refers to one of my all-time favorite movies. You picked up on so many of the details that made me love it so much. You have a new subscriber now!
I found your channel after watching your Charade review. Im so glad you did Auntie Mame. I rewatch it almost yearly and it still holds up, more than 60 years after its release. So quotable, too.
I just love that you get it! Watching this film with you just made me feel happy again. Thank you for sharing 😍 I don't have children but, I knew I could be the most awesome Auntie ever 😎 and here is the inspiration ❤️
The director, Morton DaCosta, was also a famous director on Broadway. His technique of the spotlight at the end of scenes is a nice way to remind us that AUNTIE MAME was also a stage play. He used the same technique in the movie version of THE MUSIC MAN. And if you want to see other classic Rosalind Russell movies, I highly recommend THE WOMEN and also GYPSY!!!
This has long been an annual tradition around Christmas: the scene as she leaves the store, realizes she does not have enough money for a cab, so she drops what she has in the kettle just sums up everything you need to know about Mame. And in the musical version, the exchange of gifts at home is where we get the song "Need a Little Christmas."
I have watched Auntie Mame so many times. What a wonderful story. I laugh, I cry. One of the best movies ever! Hits all the right buttons. For the nasty 1950's. Well, you know. The little elbow. Jew's! Was Lindsey Wollesy, the publisher of some naughty books? Nautilus? And Vera, Mame, I have been to so many wonderful parties here. Now I'm going to find out how they, all ended! Just priceless! It is as fresh today, as it was in 1958!
I love your reaction.....it's my most favorite movie of all time...it was so much fun seeing you appreciate and catch so many of the more nuanced parts of the movie!
I’ve had a RU-vid account for years, but you are the first channel I’ve ever subscribed to, because I just loved your honest and joyful reaction to this, one of my favorite movies. For my Mother’s Day present I’m asking my kids to watch this with me (a change from the Marvel movie oeuvre we normally watch together.) I’m looking forward to seeing your reaction to other older movies.
I'm two years out, but this is a favorite movie of mine. Another great Rosalind Russell comedy is The Trouble with Angels. She is a vastly different character: Mother Superior at an all-girls boarding school.
Great review of Auntie Mame. Rosalind Russell was somewhat underrated though very talented. In the beginning, the balcony scene, was that George Chakaris on the left in the white turtleneck, looking gorgeous? 🤔
Fred Clark, the man sent to keep an eye on Mame, is the creepy rich, married guy that is trapped in the lodge with Betty Grable in How To Marry A Millionaire. He was an important supporting actor of the era.
Mia love your channel as I am an incredible movie buff and worked in the industry. So many great lines. Such as How Bleak was my puberty in Buffalo. Then the switch board scene with Roz saying Whitacomb, Gutterman, Applewhite, Bibberman, and Black. Comdon and Green are great writers of drawing room comedies. I believe they wrote Born Yesterday with Judy Holiday. The dialogue in Auntie Mame is flawless. Life is a banquette and most poor suckers are starving to death. The writing was far more sophisticated and the use of the English language far surpasses todays. The cast is wonderfully cast and Joanna Barnes is fabulous.
Can't believe you're finally giving pre-codes a chance , i love this period in hollywood. And also silents! Flesh and the Devil was my first silent movie, i hope you'll react to this one sometime!
The man in the white suit shooting the gun to stop the runaway horse was Dub Taylor, a character who appeared in many films and TV shows. Joanna Barnes who played Gloria also appeared in many of the Warner Bros TV westerns of the late 1950s and early 1960s.
The great Roz. For a follow up watch Gypsy (1962). Another stagey set, complete, with fading blackouts. I love Russels speedy delivery, her acting face and of course her timing. She really is underrated. As for this character, to better understand her, read up on "the lost generation" and "The Algonquin Round Table". These people were her peers and are considered the great wits of the 20th century.
i knew you would love that movie. another movie with unusual characters and a good theme is You can't take it with you. the movie has a young James Stewart in it. it is a fun movie.
