Auntie Mame

Life is a banquet, indeed, in this smart and sassy film adaptation of the hit musical Auntie Mame, based on the autobiographical novel of the same name by Patrick Dennis. Rosalind Russell reprises her stage role as the eccentric title character whose madcap single life is thrown into a bit of a spin when her brother drops dead leaving her in charge of her ten-year-old orphaned nephew Patrick (Jan Handzlik). Mingling with party guests, her young charge writes down words he doesn't understand, such as "neurotic" and "heterosexual," which he then shares with his aunt (who replies, "You won't need some of these words for months and months."). Much to the consternation of the late Mr. Dennis's estate executor, Auntie Mame offers Patrick what some might consider an alternative education: how to mix cocktails, caring for hungover guests, and classes from a "free thinker" who teaches in the nude. Child protective services today would be all over Auntie Mame in a New York minute, but something else comes along to force a major change in the swinging socialite's lifestyle--the Depression, which forces our heroine to make earnest if ultimately disastrous stabs at entering the workforce, until better fortune finally allows her to find her true calling: writing a best-selling autobiography. Although episodic in nature, the story sings along, thanks to the zippy screenplay by the legendary team of Betty Comden and the late Adolph Green, and while the DVD itself is short on extras (beyond a music-only track highlighting Bronislaw Kaper's score), the glorious Technicolor anamorphic widescreen presentation more than makes up for the lack. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray Review—Dec. 26, 2017—Warner, 143 min., not rated, Blu-ray: $21.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1958's Auntie Mame features a great transfer and a DTS-HD 2.0 soundtrack. Extras include a music-only audio track. Bottom line: this wonderful musical sparkles on Blu-ray.]