Casting Coup: Mame

My love affair with Mame came by chance. In fifth grade, I had the honor of being Ms. Turner's student for a second year. She approached me one morning, and it was the first time she told me about her sister. She, too, was a teacher, at a high school down the street from Joe's Crab Shack. This teacher, a fiery red-head, was participating in the school's musical, and they needed a ten-year-old boy to play a very crucial role. Ms. Turner sent me off to audition: I was the first to arrive, and after that they canceled auditions. I was IT. I've never had an easier audition, and it was one of the proudest moments of my life.

Due to an unmotivated ensemble, however, the show was canceled before I was scheduled to start rehearsals with them. Fortunately, Virginia--not just my sister, but my soul sister--had the soundtrack. It was as though rehearsals never stopped. I continued listening to the CD, memorizing the songs and falling for this Angela Lansbury character. The more I got to know about the musical, the more I learned of the original stage play, Auntie Mame.

When Patrick Dennis is orphaned, he is taken by his nanny Agnes Gooch to the home of Auntie Mame, his eccentric aunt who lives in a plush penthouse in Beekman Place. In ten years, Mame takes Patrick through the Depression, his college years, marriage to a Southern Gentleman, his engagement to a college girl, an unplanned pregnancy, and on into the future.

I read the book of the musical and the script to the play. I saw the film with Rosalind Russell, and the musical with Lucille Ball. I've yet to read Patrick Dennis's original novel, but I'm in the middle of Chapter Two right now.

What concerns me about Mame is that the Lucille Ball version is the only musical adaptation we got on film. It's not atrocious. Bea Arthur and Jane Connell reprise their Broadway roles as Vera and Gooch, respectively. Robert Preston is a great Beauregarde Jackson Pickett Burnside. But Lucy...I don't love Lucy. Not in this one. She can't sing. She's just not a singer. She does a rhythmic talking through each song, and when she does sing, it's AWFUL. Why should one of the greatest musicals be subjected to a sub-par rendering? Why remake a perfect musical adaptation (My Fair Lady) instead of revisiting an oldie but goodie?

Well, I'll remake that movie. Right now. With this damn cast. Click Read More! to get the D.L.


MRS. BURNSIDE
Who is She: Mother Burnside is the matriarch of the Burnsides. A large, intimidating Southern woman surrounded by vultures waiting for her to die so that they can collect on her will. Mother Burnside is Mame's future mother-in-law, and that's fucking terrifying.

Awesome Quote: "Mother of jefferson Davis! She's passing the fox!"

My Choice: An Academy Award Winner for Best Actress (Misery), she has played a Southern woman a number of times (Fried Green Tomatoes, for example). She also has musical experience (TV movie of Annie), and while Mother Burnside doesn't actually have a song, she could do background vocals.

Kathy Bates (Rat Race, Titanic)


PEGEEN RYAN
Who is She: Near the end, Patrick brings his fiancee to meet Mame and her friends. He meets this gal, who Mame hires as either a maid or an interior decorator. I forget how close the musical is to the original. Anyway, she's smarter, cooler, and much less of an uptight bitch. She's the right girl, but does he know it?

Awesome Quote:
Patrick: "Marriage is a great institution."
Pegeen: "Yeah, but who wants to be in an institution?"

My Choice: Pegeen is Irish, so its only natural that a redhead be chosen. This is a non-singing role, so it can be anyone, no matter what their vocal talents are. And it should be a babe.

Jenna Fischer (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Blades of Glory)


CLAUDE & DORIS UPSON
Who Are They: Gloria's parents, upper-class WASPs who own a nice piece of land called "Upson Downs." Get it? The Upsons are scandalized by unmarried preggos, poor people, and Jews.

My Choices: They must look comfortable in period WASP garb, and look wholesome. By which I mean, bred. One of them is an Academy Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (Pieces of April)

Bill Irwin (Across the Universe, Lady in the Water) as Claude Upson

Patricia Clarkson (Married Life, Jumanji) as Doris Upson

SALLY CATO
Who is She: A Southern belle who's after Beau, and Beau's money to go with it. She jump-starts the fox hunt in an attempt to kill Mame, Sally's greatest threat to Southern blue-bloodedry.

Awesome Quote:
Sally Cato: "Oh, Mame, I'm so excited! I'm just gonan hold my breath 'til dawn!"
Mame: "Do that, honey."

My Choice: I chose a Southern belle who oozes sensuality and gentility, someone who can play both wholesome and bitchy.

Kristin Chenoweth (TV's Pushing Daisies, Bewitched)


GLORIA UPSON
Who is She: A rich girl who Patrick meets at university. Gloria is spoiled, prejudiced, vain and stupid.

Awesome Quote: "Bunny Bixler and I were in the semi-finals - the very semi-finals, mind you - of the ping-pong tournament at the club and this ghastly thing happened. We were both playing way over our heads and the score was 29-28. And we had this really terrific volley and I stepped back to get this really terrific shot. And I stepped on the ping-pong ball! I just squashed it to bits. And then Bunny and I ran to the closet of the game room to get another ping-pong ball and the closet was locked! Imagine? We had to call the whole thing off. Well, it was ghastly. Well, it was just ghastly."

My Choice: She's played spoiled, prejudiced, vain and stupid people before. She's also young and looks well-bred.

Kirsten Dunst (Spider-Man, Drop Dead Gorgeous)


DWIGHT BABCOCK
Who is He: The trustee left in charge of Patrick's inheritance, it means he also has a hand in Patrick's future. Babcock is a friend of the Upsons, meaning he shares their same views on the un-rich and the non-Protestant. He is a true snob, and tries to break Patrick free from Mame's grasp throughout his life.

Awesome Quote: "For nine years, Mame Dennis Burnside, I have done everything in my power to protect this boy from your idiotic, cockeyed nincompoopery."

My Choice: I wanted someone who looks professional, and can pull off that snob effect. He did this especially well in an episode of "The Nanny" in which he played CC's brother, DD. Their family name on the show: Babcock.

Michael McKean (Clue, The Producers: The Movie Musical)


LINDSAY WOOLSEY
Who is He: A progressive schoolteacher and friend of mame's, he finds the Montessori school to be old-fashioned and fuddy-duddy. His school holds classes completely nude, in order to strip repression off of his charges. Patrick's lessons there last a day, but Woolsey forever remains by Mame's side.

My Choice: I went with an Academy Award Nominee for Best Actor (Chaplin) who looks like a sexy Bohemian.

Robert Downey, Jr. (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Iron Man)


AGNES GOOCH
Who is She: Patrick's nanny, an introverted Catholic woman. Mame opens her up to new horizons with a new makeover. Gooch opens up her blouse and winds up getting pregnant.

Songs: St. Bridget, We Need a Little Christmas, Gooch's Song

Awesome Quote:
Gooch: "I'm a bachelor girl. My baby is going to be a little bas-"
Mame: "Agnes!"

My Choice: What I like about her features is that she can pass for both beautiful (as she needs to be for one scene) and frumpy (for most of the film). She can do it. Her voice has the proper range for Gooch.

Idina Menzel (Enchanted, Rent)


PATRICK DENNIS
Who is He: Mame's nephew, a writer. A good-looking young man, Patrick learns all there is about life from his Auntie Mame. As he gets older and meets more of Babcock's crowd, however, he becomes more snobbish and disapproving. It's up to Mame, Pegeen, and a few stiff drinks to save the day!

Songs:
YOUNGER PATRICK: St. Bridget, My Best Girl, We Need a Little Christmas, The Letter
OLDER PATRICK: The Letter

Awesome Quote:
"And if, some day, when everything turns out wrong
You're through with the human race
Come running to me
For you'll always be
My best girl."

My Choice: I've decided to keep Younger Patrick up to the unknown brigade. But older Patrick can be played by someone known, someone who can sing.

That's a video of a young Academy Award Nominee for eBest Actor (Half Nelson), but he also sang recently:

He's also a Hollmann Award Nominee for Best Actor (Lars and the Real Girl)

Ryan Gosling (The Notebook, Remember the Titans)


VERA CHARLES
Who is She: Mame's best friend, an actress from Pittsburgh who affects a British accent to sound more posh. Vera is a lush and a brat, but is always ready with a quip here and a smoke there. She's so delightfully bitchy sometimes.

Songs: It's Today, The Man in the Moon, Bosom Buddies

Awesome Quote:
Vera: (to Pegeen) "Congratulations."
Patrick: "No, Vera, this is Gloria."
Vera: "Pity."

My Choice: True, she already played Mame on Broadway. But she's much more perfect for the role of Vera. A great singer, she's demonstrated her vocals in such films as Chicago and Mamma Mia!. It's a part she could play in her sleep, sure, but she always delivers. It's just too much fun.

Christine Baranski (The Birdcage, The Ref)


BEAUREGARDE JACKSON PICKETT BURNSIDE
Who is He: Beau is a Southern gentleman who meets Mame while Christmas shopping in New York. Mame is fired due to her inability to properly look after his needs, but Beau is charmed and takes her home to Georgia. They marry and travel the world.

Songs: Mame

My Choice: A handsome actor who can sing, dance, and do a Southern accent. He's an Academy Award Winner for Best Supporting Actor (The Usual Suspects) and Best Actor (American Beauty)

Kevin Spacey (TV's Recount, Superman Returns)


MAME DENNIS
Who is She: Everyone's favorite aunt, a force of nature with skin. Mame is a free spirit, always changing outfits, interior decorators, hair color, etc.

Songs: It's Today, Open a New Window, My Best Girl, We Need a Little Christmas, Bosom Buddies, That's How Young I Feel, If He Walked Into My Life Today, Finale

Awesome Quote: "Life is a banquet, and most poor sons-of-bitches are starving to death."

My Choice: She doesn't do musicals often, but when she does, she's a natural. And she LOOKS like Auntie Mame. She SOUNDS like Auntie Mame. She's the perfect person to carry on the Rosalind Russell tradition of class and cool. She is an Academy Award Winner for Best Actress (Dead Man Walking) and a Hollmann Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (In the Valley of Elah).

Susan Sarandon (Speed Racer, The Rocky Horror Picture Show)

Attention Mame fans: Any problems that you see? Or did something strike your fancy to the point of praise? Tell me about it!

Addicted to Crazy

That's the second Carol Channing post in as many days. I think I have a problem. And not in the same way Carol has a problem, which seems to work, but a REAL problem.

A New Kind of Mame

Carol Channing sings a new version of "That's How Young I Feel" from Mame, before being carried off on the back of a motorcycle among dancing hippies. It's too good to be true.

Patty C, Do You Love Me?

So, I was doing my daily reading of the Film Experience, when I came upon Nate's piece on Patricia Clarkson. And it got me to thinking about what a beautiful woman she is, and talented, and beautiful.



Seriously, am I right? Look at that smile. That's a million-dollar smile right there. That's a face that could launch a thousand ships. No lie. No exaggeration. Just plain-speaking truth.



And, OK, I always respected her as an actress, but after Lars and the Real Girl, I was hooked. I think I managed to see five movies with her in the the two weeks after that. (Dogville was one, I know...but there were others, I swear.)



And, holy crap, she was funny and quirky and HOT in Married Life, one of the three best movies of the year so far. Look at that red hair. My oh my.



And I completely forgot to mention yesterday that she's actually in Vicky Cristina Barcelona! Why did it take Woody Allen so long to put her in one of his movies. She would have been much better than Helen Hunt in The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (not that Hunt was bad, I'm just sayin'). Apparently, it worked well, since she's also in his next rom-com, Whatever Works. OMIGOD I HOPE SHE'S HIS NEW DIANNE WIEST OMIGOD!



Wowsers.

Broken Promises

So, due to much difficulty in casting, timing, and motivation, The Little Mermaid will not be cast this month. Though you probably already guessed that. So, we're starting August's round of CCTs with Mame. That one is ready to go.

In other news, Vicky Cristina Barcelona premiered in L.A. this week, to glowing reviews. Even Jeff Wells, who dismissed it at Cannes, saw some merit to the film this time around.



VCB is the latest flick from the incredible Woody Allen, who has been enjoying a resurgence of faith in his work since Match Point in 2005.

(I still haven't seen Cassandra's Dream -- few did, since it was a Weinstein Company release -- but I hear it's right up my alley. I'll get to it soon.)

In other-other news, I finished reading Watchmen. Which means the movie can't come out soon enough. I especially look forward to Matthew Goode's performance, because that is going to be AWESOME.

Late to the Party

It's been a week since I've seen it, but I just wanted to make sure the magic wouldn't wear off before I started writing about it. And there's another movie that came out at the beginning of the Summer, but I just got around to seeing it. And I don't need to sit around debating with myself how I felt.

STEP BROTHERS
Will Ferrell and Adam McKay are magic when they get together. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy was instantly quotable (yes, that counts for a lot), and gets funier with repeat viewings. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby offered the same nonsensical tone with an actual plot, with sexy results. But Step Brothers...hoo boy, did I love Step Brothers.

There's more of a plot than Anchorman, but less so than Talladega Nights. Lay-abouts Brennan (Ferrell) and Dale (Academy Award Nominee John C. Reilly) still live at home with their parents. Dale's father (Richard Jenkins) meets Brennan's mom (Academy Award Winner Mary Steenburgen), they marry, all four move in together, hilarity ensues. Okay, so it's more of a set-up than a plot, but at least it goes somewhere.

As the first R-rated film of their collaboration, Step Brothers allows Ferrell and McKay to up the ante. Masturbating to the weather girl? Adultery in the men's room? Mary Steenburgen shouting, "What the fucking fuck"?!? The climactic Wine Mixer? I don't do it justice in print, but the execution on film is HILARIOUS.

Everyone in the cast is pitch-perfect. Jenkins almost steals the show as the put-upon patriarch of this crazy clan, while Adam Scott is a perfectly hilarious villain, playing Brennan's devious, more successful brother. The chemistry between Ferrell and Reilly, first seen in Talladega Night, is just awesome. They are clearly more blood brothers than stepbrothers -- comically, anyway.

Step Brothers is mindless entertainment, it is true. (And thank goodness for that -- it's nice to kick back and relax after three viewings of The Dark Knight) Trust me when I say it's hilarious, it's awesome, it hits all the right notes. And that Jon Brion score is GAH! amazing. ***1/2


INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
Well, Indiana Jones (Academy Award Nominee Harrison Ford) has returned: older, campier, computier than before.

Indy and greaser Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) search for a missing professor (Academy Award Nominee John Hurt), winding up in a quest for a mythical City of Gold and the Crystal Skull of the title. Russian commies are the villains this time out, led by paranormal investigator Colonel Dr. Irina Spalko (Academy Award Winner Cate Blanchett).

The Indy movies have always had a great balance between the exciting and the ridiculous. This new one, an attempt to recreate 50s B-flicks, is no exception, though there were times where I had to keep my eyes from rolling. I can accept refrigerators that can survive nuclear blasts. I can accept forays into the supernatural and trans-dimensional.

I just cannot accept Shia auditioning for a new Tarzan movie, nor will I ever accept the use of CG animals. What, they couldn't find real prairie dogs? And why fake monkeys -- did they kill all the real ones in the first three movies (those fucking dates!)? Not a big fan of Janusz Kaminski's cinematography in this one, either. Too much white light. Too fake-looking. I get that there's a "feel" about this film, but it was awfully distracting.

But whatever. It's great to see Indy back in action. Hell, it's great to see Harrison Ford back in action, still in shape and still doing most of his own stunts. The guy's still got it, and looks ready for a few more. Everyone is clearly having a good time, especially Blanchett. I'd love to see her do more roles like this, like maybe in a Bond film. She just nails it. Perfectly.

Overall: Great fun. I'd see it again, but I can wait for the DVD. ***

His Favorite Year?

Peter O'Toole turns 76 today!



O'Toole is considered one of the greatest actors in the English language, living or dead. It helps that he actually is, as a recent Oscar nomination proved.



Venus was a surprise late contender in 2006. After all, he received an Honorary Oscar in 2002, which usually functions as both a consolation prize and a boot out the door. He wasn't kidding when he said he wasn't done trying. Of course, this meant we also had to watch the hope die from his face as they inevitably announced Forest Whitaker the winner.



Now the younger generation can appreciate him as food critic Anton Ego in Pixar's Ratatouille. Which rocked. O'Toole received his first Hollmann Award Nomination for his superior voice-over work, though he lost that one, too.

Peter is not one to get discouraged. He'll be appearing in the next season of Showtime's The Tudors as Pope Paul III, which means I need to start watching The Tudors, which drives me crazy because I tire Jonathan Rhys Meyers. The man has SIX MOVIES in the works, two of which should be out by the end of the year.



Happy 76th Birthday, Pete. Keep on dancin'.