Lucille Ball on MAME: "I Can't Sing"
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- Опубліковано 28 сер 2024
- TO SEE THIS INTERVIEW IN ITS ENTIRETY, PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK: • Video
In this interview, broadcast in November 1973, three months before MAME was released, Lucille Ball acknowledges she is not a singer or dancer and explains why she thinks that should not be an issue in MAME. Please note that this was well before any portion of the film had been seen by the critics or the public. Even Lucy, herself, had not yet seen any finished takes from the film. Besides Lucille Ball, MAME also featured Bea Arthur, Robert Preston, Bruce Davison and Kirby Furlong and Jane Connell.
I think Lucy was much more comfortable doing the kind of "singing" she did as Lucy Ricardo on I LOVE LUCY. :)
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Contrary to her humbleness, Lucy started as a model and dancer. If you see her in dancing roles, she floats and has really great dance moves.
She seemed like someone who I'd loved to sit and talk with. Straight up honesty and real talk!!!
Bea Arthur and Angela Landsbury were in "Mame" On broadway together. If you search youtube you can find them performing "Bosom Buddies" at the Tony awards. They performed it a few different years.
I liked her version of Mame. It had good campy element that I didn't mind in the least. It's entertaining and it does what it's supposed to do...the prefect escape for a couple of hours.
Yeah, I’ve got an idea of a “perfect escape” for a couple of hours that will leave you breathless, widen your eyes, heighten your senses and “blow the blues out of the horn.”
" I can't sing, I can't dance. Come pay money to see me do both".
Lmbo
Mame is my favorite movie of all time.
So this must be the only film you’ve ever seen if you can state that honestly which is a requirement for posting comment. You really need to get out more and see at least one or two other films, before stating this is your favorite. Remember, you don’t have to marry the first person you kiss or have sex with either.
Seeing Lucy so excited about "Mame" makes me cry. I wish the film had been a bigger success for her. I love the film. And I love Lucy.
We honor her and the rest of the cast by enjoying it, in my case, over and over again.
Mame came out at the wrong time. R rated films ruled especially winter spring 74, the exorcist.
I agree. It’s actually a great film, a lot of fun. Lucy was excellent. It broke her heart
My own opinion is contrary to the fashionable opinions that Lucy's performance was not so great, she was too old, or miscast--I think Lucy was fabulous and put her heart and soul into it, and she was perfect in the role. Yes, Angela Lansbury did a great job on Broadway and with the OCR. Did anyone dish Rex Harrison for "talking" his way through the songs of MY FAIR LADY? But Lucy made MAME here own and sadly, I think the harsh criticism of it over the next few years devastated her personally. I still love the film and am so grateful it was finally released as a quality DVD.
She lacked the verve of Mame, who is NOT Lucy. I've seen Mame many times, and she brought too many Lucy mannerisms. And I mean the older Lucy, when she wasn't as charming. Mame is a sophisticated character, and Lucy was fun when she pretended to be sophisticated, but in Mame, it just doesn't work.
I like the movie. One of my faves. With her and Bea Arthur
Lucille Ball was exceptionally humble. What a great lady
Gosh, I hope a bridge to sell you, if your seriously believe what your said.
Not only wasn't she 'humble', but - in spite of EVERYONE (EVEN Desi) trekking hey not to do Mame, as she's way too old, and SERIOUSLY through get weight around behind-the-scenes to be sure she WOULD make it, NOT ONLY did she BREAK get long-time makeup artist, Hal King's jaw (after he told her he'd been 'ill, and needed a rest' - that's definitely a great reason, right?!?!), talkinhy STRICTLY about Mame (because of I were to write how utterly wrong your comment is in relation to her throughout her life - esp. post 1960, Id be writing a book), she didn't listen to anyone - not BEFORE this vaseline-lensed nightmare began filming, not during. She'd not listen to anything anytime said.
Madeline Kahn was hired and one 3 days before filming was let go. NOT for any other reason than Ms Ball (who - to keep it simple - worked in a way totally different than Ms Kahn not any other 'recent' actor), and Ms Ball - when Ms Kahn was at (what was to be get final rehearsal), 'do Gooch', and Ms Kahn said - shocked , 'I'll show it when we're ready to film', and Ms Ball said, 'uh-huh, you do it NOW'. Madeline went to a lady-ditch lunch with the producers - who were EXCITED to have her (she'd just been in What's Up Doc, in which she's hysterical, and anytime who knew her knew she didn't look like Eunice Burns, the character she played in that film (padding and wigs).
They begged Madeline to put in the uncomplicated 'Gooch' costume. When she wakes into the studio, Lucy walked RIGHT PAST her - didn't even recognise her, but, by this point, Ms Ball's control of this project (which she even said in so many words was way, way or y of date) had so destroyed any possibility, that Madeline was let go.
Ms Ball was not a 'humble' person - by far.
I'm not saying that for any reason than its well known. As for the reasons, I'm not her psychiatrist, and I'm not one who believes every little thing an actor (who is, after all, just doing a job) is for the masses. There should be a 'wall' of privacy - between a(ny) person and others. Such nonsense as 'social' media is ridiculous. A person shouldn't be so foolish and 'share' (with strangers!) their personal lives.
She was exceptionally insecure. Sad, considering all her talent.
@UNOwen1, I saw some video doc on "Blazing Saddles" awhile back that suggested that Madelyn Kahn purposely got herself fired from "Mame" so that she could do "Blazing Saddles." Production on "Blazing Saddles" began on March 6, 1973, two months after production on "Mame" had started and was still in progress.
Another mistake with LUCY on this picture is that nobody was allowed to be funnier or prettier than her. Principals, supporting cast, bit players, even extras were cast so as not to overshadow Lucy.
Mame was a vanity project for Lucy, who got the role by pumping $5 million of her own money into it.
@@moorlock2003 I believe that b/c it's no secret that she brought her way into 'Wildcat"....She was originally passed on by the producers b/c they believed she was out of her depth based on the character....but like most driven by the ego....the more
folks agreed with the naysayers the more determined that made ball....Ball was a talented COMEDIC actress....but she was ttly out of her depth based on the lack of vocal ability and shld have at least consented to her vocals being dubbed.
@@hardren101 Mame with Lucy was, in the words of Bea Arthur herself, "a horror". Angela Lansbury should have done it but Lucy's money won out. What a shame.
I don't think the movie should have been made at all. The year before "Cabaret" swept the Oscars and took musicals into a new era. Mame was great as a stage musical but the movie seemed old fashioned after Cabaret.
@@moorlock2003 🤔 I wonder how Lucy felt about "Cabaret".
This is a swell interview. I remember seeing it as a kid.
I loved Lucille Ball and think she was one of the most gifted comediennes of American film and tv. Having said that, however, her 1974 version of "Mame"
was a trainwreck from start to finish. Luckily we have hundreds of hours of her wonderful tv shows and OTHER movies in which we can enjoy her real talents.
I don't think I've ever seen Lucy is such a glowing, jolly mood before.
I'm seeing a lot of comments here on Lucy's voice. Well, I'm a Lucy historian and I can tell you for a FACT that the main LEADING cause of the deterioration of Lucy's voice was her performance in "Wildcat." She performed Wildcat on Broadway and she was literally expected to scream out her words so that the audience could hear her. She became seriously ill during her Wildcat run. In between scenes, a paramedic team would wait for her backstage to give her oxygen. Smoking was the 2nd leading cause. But all the yelling and hollering on The Lucy Show didn't help either.
Nor did all the years of performing her Lucy Ricardo character using an unnaturally high voice (not her natural speaking voice). Doing that puts a serious strain on the vocal chords. The Wildcat experiencing certainly compounded the problem. Her costar in Wildcat, Keith Andes, said she did not practice proper singing techniques in that show. Professional singers have to be very disciplined on vocal projection so as not to damage their voices. Lucy did not understand anything about that. She should have had some serious training before undertaking that show.
+Seth Williams You are absolutely correct about Lucille Ball's voice issues. I have read a few books about Lucy and Desilu, also observed the woman now for some six decades on television and in films, and have read and watched several interviews with Lucy and also her daughter, Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill. So I consider myself relatively well informed on subjects Lucy and Desilu. Lucy admitted herself she spoke in a higher register as the "Lucy" character than was Ball's natural voice. Of course that higher register was very obvious in the earlier seasons of "I Love Lucy," but also somewhat in the later years of the series, as well the early years of "The Lucy Show."As for shouting during the Broadway run of "Wildcat," that was the norm for good Broadway and stage actors and actresses before the innovation of those headsets (which, in my opinion, breaks the reality of a play or musical and renders the characters as nothing so much as air traffic controllers in appearance), which demands no voice projection from players on stage. But, in the pre-headset days, part of being a well-trained actor involved elocution and projection of the voice, such that the speaking and singing parts of a role could be heard in the second balcony of a medium-to-large-sized theatre. I recall actress Elaine Stritch, a year or two before her death, having said she refused to "cheat" by wearing a headset or reading lines from a teleprompter in the last few productions in which she appeared. Would that more younger actors and actresses had Stritch's discipline, perhaps the profession of acting might not continue to deteriorate as much as it has in recent times.Of course some of the rules for film, radio and television have always been different from stage acting. Naturally, it is easier to hide and mask microphones in filmed and videotaped performances than on stage. But in no acting medium is good diction and elocution not required.As for Lucile Ball being "a completely different person" than the "Lucy" character, while that is also largely true, I like to think there was some natural clowning in Lucy. I think the fact she supposedly spent hours rehearsing those pantomime and physical comedy routines showed a sense of fun and play in the woman. Lucy had always been honest she was not naturally "funny," but was very good at "playing funny." And Lucy was also always very generous and honest in having said Desi Arnaz was the more naturally witty of the two when they were a couple. But Lucy also enjoyed laughing and watching the humor of others. I think Lucy became more serious and even sad in later years, partly due to boredom and the rejection she experienced in the few roles ( a final sitcom that was cancelled, a television film) she was allowed to have. But some of that was probably also due to the natural mental and physical deterioration all people experience (to varying degrees) as they grow older.One thing that very much impressed me when watching Lucy in a few interviews was how really intelligent and well-spoken she was, and how much insight she had as a person and professional. The "Lucy' character was bright and conniving, but no one would have said that character was intellectual. Whereas, I think Lucille Ball (the person) was possessed of an above-average intelligence and had an intellectual curiosity about her, even if more cynical in later years. Lucy would have made an excellent teacher. And Lucy was also very respectful of education and philosophy, to the degree she was a practitioner of the ideology of Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. Lucy also started, while still at Desilu, a sort of "actor's studio" for younger performers to learn the craft of TV performance. A few graduates of Lucy's Desilu acting workshop were longtime Desilu ensemble member Carole Cook, as well current Turner Classic Movies (TCM) host Robert Osborne.
+Seth Williams You both certainly know your stuff. I agree with your summary Seth, I doubt that she had a particularly happy ending. She lived to work and deeply enjoyed it and I think having her show cancelled was a blow she couldn't recover from. To be honest, I also that most of her post ILL work was on a downward spiral. I think that she needed Desi (for many professional and personal reasons) but also simply to help create and insist on high quality material. Stone Pillow was shudder worthy to me although that's just my opinion and the movie may simply not of been my style. Don't forget either the huge impact that Desi's death and loss from her life had on her. I get the impression that she was not completely happy in her second marriage by the end of her life and she felt that although she couldn't be with Desi, she also couldn't get over him. A tough situation for any women. I should add that she's funny and very alive here. Perhaps the last time I saw her in an interview looking so wonderfully enthused. Gary is also the funniest I have ever seen him.
Come on, you know she smoked two packs of cigs a day, and that changed her voice and her breathing...just like it did to Suzanne Pleshette.
Smoking will change/deepen your voice. I’m 50 years old. I have an extremely young, high-pitched voice. I tried smoking as a teen and into my twenties. Thankfully, I quit at 22-23. My voice never changed. I still have people tell me I sound like a 16 year old. I’m certain Lucy smoked her entire life.
Lauren Bacall can't sing...but got a Tony for Applause.
Correct wonderful woman but also could not sing
Just because you can’t sing doesn’t win you can’t win a Tony
"Mame" plays far better on the small screen than it does on the big screen. Lucy was actually quite good in the role, and her singing, while far from being of the league of Judy Garland, was actually pretty good in this movie. I love the "Bosom Buddies" song she shared with Bea Arthur, in particular. Her voice also suffered from surgery she had on her throat due to "growths" in her throat, which had to be surgically removed. This surgery altered her speaking voice for the rest of her life.
MAME plays terrible whatever the size of the screen. It wasn’t that Lucille Ball was too old but yes, her singing was terrible but also because she couldn’t support her croaking with any type of breathing so the songs could be interpreted. It was about 20 years too late for her in this film as she was 62/63. Yech, what a waste!!
I thought her voice gave out due to all the smoking she did. I did not know she had surgery.
@@devontehuntley6274 The smoking didn't help either. She did quit a few years before her death, but the damage was already done between the smoking and the surgery.
@@devontehuntley6274There were a number of factors on why her voice deepened. 1.) Smoking. That’s the big reason. She was a heavy smoker. 2.) Her “Lucy” voice. She always played her Lucy character using a higher pitched voice than what her natural voice was at. Years of doing that eventually caused straining on her voice and added to vocal damage. 3.) Wildcat. In 1961, she starred on Broadway in a musical called Wildcat. Because she was not a professionally trained singer nor trained on proper projection, she caused a lot of damage to her voice. She suffered from losing her voice, exhaustion, injuries and became ill during the production of the show. If you listen to her voice in 1960 and then two years later in 1962 in The Lucy Show, you will notice a change in her voice.
This interview did not help in the publicity for MAME. She could have talked about a dozen other things surrounding the film rather than, "I can't sing, I can't dance, come pay money to see me do both".
I agree, she doesn't seem too thrilled....
So happy that LUCILLE had a BALL 😉 doing MAME! Of all the versions of Auntie Mame this will always be my favorite. But after all, who doesn't LOVE LUCY?🏆 👑. RIP LUCY and thanks for the memories! ❤ 💖
Lucy was amazing in "Mame". Sure, her voice wasn't up to par, but her performance was exceptional.
I agree with the folks that like this film. It is not a Lucille Ball failure. By 1974 musicals musical tastes were rapidly changing. We were headed into sad shows, (Follies 1971) and remember disco is on the way.
I LOVE Mame the musical and the film and play "Auntie Mame." I don't think Lucille Ball was right for this role. I love her, but I have to give my honest opinion. I have the musical soundtrack with Angela Lansbury on my ipod and listen to it constantly. I also watch the movie "Auntie Mame" with Rosalind Russell constantly. The movie version of "Mame" disappoints me and I try to stay away from it as much as I can. It's not a fair representation of how great the actual musical is.
Regarding the remarks about Lucy ruining her voice, it was not her "straining" it to sound young, nor was it "yelling." It was the combination of smoking Phillip Morris cigarettes and drinking. She did strain her voice during WILDCAT on Broadway in 1960. But as for her runining her voice in I LOVE LUCY, any experienced actor knows how to "project". Second, there were sensitive microphones to pick up the voices of the four principles, and the others didn't ruin their voices.
BROADWAY singer LISA KIRK had done most of the singing for Roz Russell in the movie version of GYPSY. She could have done some of the singing for Lucy because she matched Roz's husky voice very well ~ but, Lucy talk-sang her way through MAME fairly well and I think that by 1974 audiences were getting too sophisticated to accept "dubbing" anyway. Thanks for posting this - fun to see.
I liked her in Mame. Anyone who's a true fan of Lucy would like her in Mame.
No matter who had played MAME in the film in 1974 the film would have flop anyway it was just outdated back then in 1974.
I loved her in Mame, because she was like a 'real' aunt. She wasn't perfect and that's what I loved about her version of Mane. I loved Angela Lansbury's 'Mame' too, but they are very different performers and Lucy was a genuine comedienne...whech is what the film needed.
J: You mean she was a real ‘Grandma’ at age 62/63!
@@johnpickford4222 Nope, I definitely meant "Aunt". She's "Auntie Mame". She wasn't supposed to portray a Grandmother. One can refer to her as being a grandmotherly figure, but she's still an aunt.... And was a Great-Aunt to Patrick's child. Relating to an aunt is vastly different than relating to a grandmother. A completely different type of relationship.
Wow!!! Was Merv Griffin wrong. This movie bombed big time. It's why Lucy said she'd never do another film again. She was terribly miscast. If you say yourself that you are not a singer or dancer why would you pursue this role? Crazy.
I know Lucille was not the BEST singer, but she was actually rather good on Mame, I enjoyed watching her and Beatrice Arthur too ^_^ What a duo!!
I agree, she had a sexy voice. I LOVE deep voiced women, like her, Ethel Barrymore, and Bea Arthur. My mom and grandma had deep voices, mine is too. And probably, my great grandmother's was,too--It was too bad mom and I never got to meet her, Hattie Baker. When Grandma Bessie would answer her phone, the caller would ask for the lady of the house. :P
I am strictly going by what was presented on the Broadway stage and
later local productions, of which I have seen many. Auntie Mame is a
classy society woman, and I don't think Lucy ever brought that image
forward in the film, some of it seemed like The Lucy Show to me. Like
when she slides down the banister. That moment is supposed to be funny
because someone like Auntie Mame with all her class would never do that,
but with Lucy it was a normal thing, the memories of her television
show were still in everyone's memory. But the worst part was the musical
score. Just listed to the broadway cast CD on Columbia, it's pure Broadway gold.
This is my favorite Jerry Herman musical. Every single song is fantastic and fits beautifully. I don't think I have read anywhere a review or comment praising the songs in the film or Lucy singing them. Maybe if this were the play Auntie Mame it might have gone over more (I doubt it from what I said earlier), but this was simply a musical with a woman who couldn't sing at all. The songs were completely destroyed. Composer/Lyricist Jerry Herman commented in an interview I saw on You Tube when the DVD of Mame came out that he wouldn't even buy it for his collection. Beatrice Arthur was asked how she enjoyed making the film, and her one word response was "A Total Nightmare." Jerry, in his book Showtune, describes what he had to go through to get every song recorded. He had to have her sing a verse and add the last word later because it was in a minor key and Lucy couldn't change to a minor key in mid-song. An example is Open a New Window Open a New Door. He said he had to continue to re-record the word "door" and add it in separately because she couldn't understand the key transition.
I just love Lucy, I have all of her TV series on DVD in complete series sets (I love Lucy, Here's Lucy and The Lucy Show), and many of her TV specials. But this is one case I think it was one of the worst casting decisions ever, and she should have known better what her limits were, but she even invested 5 million dollars to the making of this film, knowing the would have to cast her, and as I said, she should have known better that this role was not for her. In her doing what she did, in hindsight it probably prevented Angela Lansbury from getting the movie role. Oh how incredible that would have been.
That "I Love Lucy" voice wasn't her voice. She pushed her more baritone voice to it's upper register for the "Lucy" voice. That's actually what damaged her vocal chords, decades of using it (improperly) for that characterization.
she's wonderful!
I agree! I saw this movie in its original Radio City release. The audience was cheering for the movie - and Lucy - at the end. Ball is brilliant throughout the picture but I think she tops herself as she sits between the Upsons watching Gloria in home movies. Watch her reactions. A wonderful actor, Lucy.
@pudgeuncle Just because Lansbury was great on stage doesn't mean it would have translated the same on the screen. It would have been around the same time as BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS and we all saw how dull that was.
Yes, the material was dead as a bedknob BUT Lansbury with the right material, like MAME would have been great. Still, the screenplay was dull, the direction so-so.
That wasn't her normal tone, it was more baritone. She pushed it even higher for the "Lucy" character. Not to mention having to project her voice each week to a studio audience (as the mics then weren't as sophisticated as they are now). By the 60's she was having trouble pushing her voice to that higher octave. Probably after years and years of damage from using that artificial tone. I've also read that she developed polyps and had to have an operation (though I don't know how true that is).
well if you can't sing and can't dance…THEN WHY DID YOU DO MAME?
Why? Cause we need a little Lucy. Right this very minute!
Actors who cannot sing or dance are often asked to sing and dance in musicals whether it be on stage or in films. Executives feel that it is the name and personality of the leading character that will sell the movie or show, not the quality of the singing and dancing.
Smoking took a heavy toll on her voice over the years, 'cartridge'. In fact, Betty White once recalled that she phoned Lucy's house, and a deep voice answered: "Hello?"/"Oh, Gary {her husband}, this is Betty. Is Lucy home?"/"This IS Lucy!".
I was there. My father was the director and my mother was her costar. I WAS ON THE SET AND AT THE RECORDING SESSIONS! Think twice before you say people are full of BS
Daniel Saks it’s been 11 years since you left this comment. I loved this movie. It holds a lot of memories for me... I was a freshman in high school. One of my favorite parts was the Georgia plantation shoot ... I loved MAME song and dancing... I have been trying to find the name and location of that plantation here in Georgia. If you know it... will you reply and tell me? Thanks
Thanks for your comment and for setting the record straight on the recording! I think anyone other than Angela Lansbury in this role was going to get a lot of grief for doing it. Other things to consider: at this time musicals were not really making much money or generating interest. This musical was dated even for 1974. This character was already done extremely well by Rosalind Russell (Auntie Mame - classic film) and Angela Lansbury (triumphant stage version) thus many critics and fans were against Lucy doing it from the get-go. Add the fact that Lucille was getting older and was not a great singer. A lot of obstacles for any actress to overcome. And Lucy knew all of this. Add the fact that she broke her leg skiing just before they were to start the film and the whole thing was put on hold for a year while she healed. But I still enjoyed the film and think Lucy was good in it because she is a great actress. I saw Lucy's version first and was not comparing it to anything else. I was not aware of all the 'MAME' versions that came before so it was new to me (at age 15). Perhaps time will be more gentle to Lucy's MAME. Although her singing will not improve with time...lol.
man i love her
I LOVE *MAME* !! I HAVE SEEN IT SO MANY TIMES...AND EVERY TIME.. I JUST FALL IN LOVE ALL OVER AGAIN. MY FAVOURITE FUNNY SCENE OVER ALL HUMOUROUS SCENES IN ALL MOVIES.. IS WHEN BEA ARTHUR AND LU..ARE HAVING DRINKS AT A HOTEL BAR.. I MEAN...FROM THE MOMENT BEA SITS DOWN...AND STARTS ORDERING DRINKS...TO WHEN THEY SING TOGETHER...SO WITTY... AND SO WELLL DONE. I FALL OFF MY CHAIR LAUGHING EVERY TIME.
Lisa Kirk, a great Broadway musical performer, dubbed most of Rosalind Russell's singing in Gypsy.
Would love to hear Lisa's tracks if they survive. I enjoy MAME, but it would have been that much better with Lisa singing the score rather than Lucy, who just wasn't up to the demands of the score. She was fun in the role and the film did very well here in Australia. Love the title sequence. One of the best for any musical. Would love to have seen what Madeline Kahn would have done in the role of Agnes Gooch.
I wonder why and where did Merv Griffin tell Lucy he'd heard that MAME was one of the best musicals ever produced? Sad that it turned out to be the complete opposite. Well, maybe not THE worst but....well not good.
corfan99 funny..before i read your comment...i thought the xact same thing....the reviews were totally horrible and the movie flopped. lucy as the lead was totally miscast(but lucy had the money n power to buy her way into the lead)...lucille ball's gift and talent was comedy but she had a huge ego and did not want to accept her limitations.....while she liked variety numbers that called for singing n dancing she lacked the talent for both..and while she never had a great singing voice....by 1970....smoking and drinking had destroyed her speaking voice and the very little singing talent that she had...and it was not that lucy did not take direction well but the director of mame was too intimidated by lucy to giver her the directions she needed to carry off mame n lucy lacked the acting depth to pull it off on her own.
Chase Jackson Not all the reviews were bad.
Chase Jackson Actually, Lucy was quite well aware of her limitations as a singer and when she performed musical numbers on her TV show (which she was in charge of) she almost always had her voice dubbed, usually by Carole Cook. Back in the '40s when she starred in musicals, her voice was dubbed as well. When she did Mame, she again wanted to have her voice dubbed but Warner Bros executives objected on the belief that 1970s moviegoers were too sophisticated for that. They insisted she had to sing with no dubbing, so that's what she did. But on those days on the set of Mame when she had to go perform (i.e., sing), she was terrified and would lock herself in her dressing room trying to work up the courage. She did it because she had to. This interview was taped months before Mame hit the theaters and she is pretty clear here that she is not a singer.
Miro101 the reviews did not need to be all bad...watch the original movie n then watch the version with lucille ball......she did not have the singing voice or acting shops to pull this off....her ego got in the way....that movie was made 40yrs ago and lucy is dead n long gone n folks are still talking about how bad she was in this movie.....when they played it for her dog tallulah...after 20mins the dog yelped and ran away!!!
lies lies lies, it was she that would not allow her voice to be dubbed. That is why she owned the picture.
It isn't true that Lucy "bought" the part; that's a myth. WB wanted her for the part; she was, at the time, hugely popular as a result of her huge television audience.
She “contributed” $2 million to the overall $14 million dollar budget, filming was held up when she broke her leg but she and the studio should have realized she was well past her prime when she was “singing” and had to be filmed in a soft focus.
RIP Lucille
Even her little laugh in the beginning makes me smile =)
Bea was married to the director, Gene Saks (who also directed the stage production). Bea was a professional, but I think you can tell her alliances lie with Ms Lansbury, who was and still is one of her closest friends.
It's from her smoking. Unfortunately she was a heavy smoker her whole life and by this time it had affected her voice. In fact in the original episodes of "I Love Lucy" many times she and Desi would light up, and those scenes were cut out when the show went into re-runs. In fact, the original sponser of the show was the Philip Morris cigarette company!
People thought she was DUBBED!?? And they picked THAT VOICE!?? There's so much BS in this video that I think i'm gonna get Hepatitis
"Mame" it's better than "Hello, Dolly!" for me. Isn't boring!
I agree even with Barbara Streisand's beautiful voice she is just a boring Dolly. Lucy was a fun Mame and who says funny can't be sophisticated. This was Lucille Ball not Lucy Ricardo.
I wish that in her career after I Love Lucy, we'd gotten a chance to see and hear Lucy just be herself more often, not just in the occasional movie, talk show, or game show appearance. She was a very charismatic and intelligent-speaking actor. Did she do a lecture circuit like Bette Davis, etc.? She wasted too much of the 1960s, and her 50s years, being ditzy in her 2nd show The Lucy Show.
I seem to remember someone telling me that Lucy bought the option rights for a period of time to make the movie Mame with the intention of producing the film with Angela Landsbury in the lead role, but Angela Lansbury wouldn't/ couldn't do it for some personal reasons (I want to say see was having family issues with her daughter (being sick?) or something), leaving Lucy on the hook to either perform the part herself or lose a hefty sum of $$$$ before the clock ran out on her option.
The film version of MAME was a goner before it was released because of the outrage of casting Lucy and not Lansbury. Broadway is worse when it comes to box office casting, and in this case MAME was actually written for Merman and then offered to Mary Martin. Both were too old and would have been grossly miscast. Lucy wasn't that bad and the film is very faithful to the stage version, contrary to some people's distorted memories.
Poor Lucy never knew when to quit. Even then she was way too old for Mame !
I am sorry Lucy was not Mame, Angela Lansbury was and always be the Broadway Play was awesome. To be honest I saw the revival in the 80's my Mom took me and it was one of my first plays, We had such a good time, sorry if I rambled on too much. Peace to you. Tom
and of course, the smoking didn't help.
Either way, she manage to not only have a career, but stay on top of her profession for over five decades. Very few people who can say that. :)
@ScrapNfight What "screaming"? Projecting for an audience is not "screaming."
the true queen of comedy. i adore her.
@pudgeuncle It was first offered to the Rosalind Russel who originalted the role on stage and repeated it in the film. She turned it down stating that someone else should have a chance at it. But in reality, she turned it down due to health issues that were start for her at that point in time.
whiskey baritone..
@DanDaSimmer Angela Lansbury never turned it down. She wanted to reprise her star-making role very much, but the studio thought that she wasn't big enough of movie star to carry a film (although she played leading roles in film before), but it got brutal reviews and bombed anyway.
she is the best EVER!!!!!
Wait, you’re getting paid to write that, correct. Boy do you have bad taste.
very honest person i am very happy 2 c this clip
@DanDaSimmer No, that's incorrect. Lansbury wanted it very badly and was terribly disappointed when she didn't get a chance to reprice her role after the studio chose Ball.
lovely! THANK YOU
Saw “Mame” at Radio City Music Hall, I believe one of the last movies to play
there before it went to strictly live performances. Alas, Lucy is out of her element in the first half of the film, but I do like her as the mature Mame - except when she tries to sing. So painful.
“Mame” does have superb production values and wonderful attention to period detail, which “Auntie Mame” did not have.
This is misleading. I just watched a video about the reviews of this film. Sadly, the reviews were viciously negative.
Angela Lansbury didn't get the part that could've win her an Oscar and lead to better film roles. Lucille Ball did get the part, the film turned out to be a huge disappointment and instead of advance Ball's film career it ended it, since it became the last film in her career. The film version became a lose-lose situation to everybody involved, including public. Lansbury should've gotten the part and Ball was better off Mame.
I
She did know her limitations, which is obvious from her comments here. And in fact, she didn't initially want the role but Warners pursued her for YEARS, starting in the 1960s, and she kept saying no. But I guess when a big studio keeps telling you you're right for the role, even over your better instincts you eventually start to take them seriously, which is what happened.
God she's lovely. hilarious. amazing.
Why is Merv lying to Lucy? It was bomb then and now.
@Cramnella Ethel Merman did not get GYPSY because she could not act. She was allowed to recreate her Tony winning role in Call Me Madam and it was a major flop because of her over the top, phony acting. On stage you can get away with being a "personality" but the screen magnfies the acting lmitations. Any big Broadway musical star of the heydey of Broadway always had limited acting skills, otherwise MGM would have scooped them up.
She is lying. In Mame when she sings alone it is her voice. She could not sing in anyone else's key so they recorded other singers depending on who she was singing with. She also had stunt doubles for all of the physical comedy.
I’d love to hear more from you because I found this infuriating
She did the right thing. She was defending someone who didn't deserve to be criticized. Besides, if someone says they can't sing but did it anyway, I'd go see the movie just to hear how it turned out. LOL! I love Lucy!
Way to talk down your film lucille "cant sing cant dance ball".
I really hope that one of the TV networks does MAME because it is such a sad thing that the beautiful musical score of Jerry Herman was ruined by Lucy. I love Lucy, but she did not have the elegance top play the role and could not sing the score. We need a captured version to enjoy and I really hope it gets to be a movie or a TV Live show.
I wonder if some think the film version essentially buried the show in some minds. I know a Broadway revival in the '80s (with Lansbury) closed quickly, but that might have been because it seemed rather old-fashioned by then.
With live TV musicals making a comeback, I would say this deserves a resurrection. However, after Hello, Dolly & Mame both failed at the box office, Jerry has vowed never to let another show of his be filmed unless he is fully involved. Getting him to sign off would be crucial.
Did you read what Jerry Herman said in his book SHOWTUNE? He called the movie a nightmare, as did Bea Arthur in an interview I recently saw on UA-cam. I heard the Lansbury revival died because it was a way toned down version of the original, less orchestra, less dancers, less sets,less of everything. It is sad because this is one of my favorite musicals, and I just love the original cast CD on Columbia Records. I do agree that I think the film hurt the revival, and I am really surprised we have not had a big Broadway revival of this show, it is SO good!
Jerry Herman had talked about 10 years ago about doing Mame for television with Cher. Personally, I think that would have been a mistake. I feel one of the big reasons Mame the film failed was because Lucy did not have the high style of Rosalind Russell. That version was fantastic. The role, in my opinion, requires someone to come off as a high class woman of society, and Lucy usually plays a clown, and did so in much of the movie (the roller skate scene for example). I really hope they pick this for a TV musical but after the NBC presentation of The Sound of Music, almost all of the picks like The Wiz, Grease, ect...have been newer musicals. MAME would be a great Holiday TV event. I think with the right person playing Mame, Jerry would get involved. But who could that be? And I am unsure of how Jerry's health is.
Did you know that Jerry wanted Angela to play MAME for TV and she turned it down? He was starting to get sick from AIDS and Angela wanted to do something for him, and he begged her to do MAME, but she felt she was too old (this was around the 7th season of MURDER SHE WROTE). I don't think she was. Anyway, she turned it down and so he wrote MRS SANTA CLAUSE for her (which I also love). I still would have preferred she had done MAME to leave the public with a good version of the show documented on video.
Angela was in her late 60s-early 70s when Mrs. Santa Claus was done, so she could have pulled off Mame, even though Lucy was in her early 60s (however, her health was not nearly as robust as Angela's at the same age; and at 91, Angela is STILL kicking).
I believe Jerry's health did take an upturn around the turn of the millennium when Mel Brooks wanted him to write the score for The Producers. But Jerry thought Mel was better suited for the job. Plus, I think after La Cage was his first hit since Mame, Jerry felt it was best to go out on top. Legacy secure, he did not really have to work again.
Before anyone could do a TV or movie version, it would require essentially reintroducing the show in the public eye. Except for "We Need A Little Christmas" being played without fail each year, I am sure hardly anyone outside of the theater knows Mame exists now. "Hello, Dolly? Oh, yeah, I remember that one."
mntwister the movie on first look seems pretty bad..but it has grown to be better than history has led us to believe ..that horrible Vaseline smeared lens has been improved to show more clarity to Lucille's image!!
@Beejjjjjj Yes, there were body mics in use in the theater at the beginning of the 60's. They weren't even close to what EVERYBODY wears now ( sometimes less is better but the sound boards are very good too) but they used them.
Lovely lady
Lucy was the best she was a great actress I miss her
Greatest diva EVER, along with Rita Hayworth.
Regardless...Ms. Ball was professional enough to know she couldn't do justice to the score. I appreciate her gifts and many loyal fans, but a wise person, considering her age and experience, should know their own limitations. Sinatra knew he wasn't vocally up to Rodgers and Hammerstein's Billy Bigelo in "Carousel" and didn't try to do it.
I went back and Googled reviews from Mame and they were actually very favorable to Lucy... believe it or not...I didnt think it was very good myself.. she was TOO old for the role.. I remember seeing it on a key weekend night and it was mostly empty... guess no one cared about seeing Lucy in Mame..
Brent Edwards Actually, "Mame" had a perfectly respectable box-office performance in most venues. In fact, it broke box-office records during its run at NYC's Radio City Music Hall.
Rosalind was fabulous in this role
She's awesome:)
little trivia - can't remember which episode it was but the credits once read Dezi not Desi after an episode of I Love Lucy, pretty funny!
The movie was so disappointing. I loved Lucy in her TV show but it seems that this type of genre escapes her. She just didn't have that musical ear. Not everyone can just go up there and carry a show as big as this. I would have loved to see Angela Lansbury in the role. Especially since she had the musical chops and experience. Poor Lucy. Totally miscast.
I am not going to try to explain the film industry to you. Or film making or editing. Since obviously you want to believe what you want to believe. The movie was a huge mistake it was too late in her carrier for her to play the role. Ten years earlier it could have been a great movie. Watch the movie "Auntie Mame" which the musical play was based on some time. It is a far superior film. Dezi was right she shouldn't have made the movie.
Well said
Lucille did her best, but how can anyone say that her singing was "good" in this movie. Hearing her sing "If He Walked Into My Life", was almost tragic. Her acting was on par, but the singing (if you can call it that) was downright terrible.
I think Mame could still be saved- edit out the tedious, over-done musical numbers epeciaaly the interminable dance parts,, dub, or autotune lucy's voice- edit edit edit- and you might get a watchable movie out of it
Mame is a fantastic film everytime I see it, it makes me laugh funny, funny funny.
its sad to see her so excited by this mess of a film....she was bored and bought the film for herslf....ended her career
Not true, uofjim. Lucy did not buy the film rightst to "Mame"; Warner Brothers did.
@pudgeuncle Lansbury might have been better suited in the acting department, but her singing voice wasn't that much better than Lucy's. It's easy to think someone who was great on stage would translate the same on film, but that is rarely the case. Just look at the film version of THE PRODUCERS where the actors where no longer fresh in there roles once the film was made. MAME needed someone who had never performed it before.
Ms. Ball didn't "get" the part of Mame in the movie version, she "bought" it by putting up most of the money for the production. During the filming she would jokingly tell the cast and crew to be careful with the props since if the movie bombed, all she'd have left out of her investment was the furnishings. I hope they looked good in her house since the movie certainly tanked. She ought to have known better than attempt this. Herman's score demands quality musicality.
Or dance.
Mjji because she was a star all the way around!!!!
It's really sad that her performance in Mame was the straw that broke the back of her career... She never recovered from it...she was hard to work with, she ran Madeline Khan (potential Agnes) out of the first cold read, came to her first dance rehearsal in a leg brace, and to make herself appear younger she required so much gauze on the camera that the background blurred on every closeup of her..The movie was an EPIC fail.. :-( I love the OLD Lucy.
Yeah, they really need to remake Mame the musical.
Excise me, but what was the first Mame the musical? If you don't know what you're talking about keep quiet.
Lucy did not "buy the film for herself." This is a widespread misunderstanding. She may have *contributed* to the budget of "Mame" (though there is no absolute proof of this, either), but that isn't the same thing as what you (and so many others in cyberspace) are claiming.