Auntie Mame

Patrick's father dies and the boy is sent to his only relative, his aunt. Mame Dennis lives in New York; her house is always full, there is a party every night, and everyone she knows is an artist, a writer or something else. Instead of sending him to school she takes him about with her and teaches him what she knows. Under the will a lawyer oversees his education and does not approve of the arrangement. Then the market crashes, Mame's money is gone, she has to find work and is dismissed from every job she takes. Morton DaCosta directs. Rosalind Russell plays Mame. The source is Patrick Dennis's novel and the play that followed. Russell had played the same part on Broadway and the film comes out of that production; the director had staged it too. It was among the highest earning productions in America that year. The character the narrative builds stands outside the usual shape of the genre; Mame is not put into a story requiring her to marry, settle down or reform. The structure is episodic; years are skipped and each section describes a period. The stage origins show in the acting; the transitions are built like a curtain closing. Its satire is aimed at the American middle class and at the discriminatory habits of the period. Who it is for: viewers who like classic Hollywood comedy and strong women's parts. Who it is not for: it is long, the acting theatrical, and some sections have dated.