Auntie Mame

by Jerome Lawrence, Robert E. Lee

This fabulously successful hit hardly needs introduction. Besides being the source for one of America's most popular musicals, AUNTIE MAME set a standard for Broadway comedy that's been sought after ever since. "Auntie Mame was a handsome, sparkling, scatterbrained and warm-hearted lady who brightened the American landscape from 1928 to the immediate past by her whimsical gaiety, her slightly madcap adventures and her devotion to her young nephew, who grew up to be Patrick Dennis. Through fortunes that rose and fell and a pleasant but brief marriage to a likable Southerner, who had the bad luck to tumble down from the Matterhorn, Auntie Mame's chief concern was that nephew, whom she raised [the play's] central figure is a woman of spirit, innate kindness and undefeatable courage " NY Post.

Genres: Plays, Classics, Fiction, Theatre, Humor, Drama, Comedy

72 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

Reviews

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dearly wish that my high school was able to record their productions because one of my classmate's portrayal of Gooch was so funny that I thought I would die laughing. It is truly a shame that I can't share it with you, but let me reassure you that it was not a performance any of us will ever forget. It was (at the time) also the most scandalous musical our drama department had ever performed. I nearly died of shock when I left the auditorium and realized I had actually enjoyed the show for once.

Since I can't share our performance with you, I am just going to link the particular song below. Please listen and enjoy. If you ever get the chance to see or read Auntie Mame, I highly recommend it. It is a delightful musical romp, and your sides will hurt from laughing. There is also a film version if you don't have the chance to see it live.

Gooch's Song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAn4N...

Auntie Mame trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZXi_...

[C. C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Live, live, live! life's a banquet! And most poor sons of bitches are starving to death!" ~ Auntie Mame

An inspiring character!

[Neil Schleifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This classic stage adaptatation of Patrick Dennis' novel is filled with eccentric characters, led by Mame Dennis -- a boozy sophisticate fighting desperately against a sea of normalcy. Covering the the eras from the late 1920's through the 1950's, we get to see the loving nature of a maddeningly madcap woman who never intended to be a mother as she nurtures and nourishes her unexpectedly orphaned nephew into young adulthood. This is as much a rite of passage for her as it is for him, and it is a delightful read.

[Paula Dembeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mame Dennis is wild and fashionable. She ends up with her brother’s orphaned boy Patrick and turns his life into one escapade after another in this comedy.
The story describes an affectionate and wacky friendship between young Patrick and his one of a kind guardian.
A fun and entertaining read.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely adaptation of the novel. Patrick, unfortunately, is a bit flatter than in the novel, but overall, this is a play that pulls the spirit of the novel into a different format while becoming its own creative work in the process. It’s an excellent example of how a book can be successfully adapted into a play. Recommended.

[Lisa James · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my favorite musicals :) I will admit, I liked the on screen/on stage version MUCH more than the play. Somehow she just doesn't seem as vibrantly ALIVE & bigger than life in word as she does on stage.

[Mindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in middle school, I really liked it at the time. I'd love to give it a second read to see if I'd still think it's good.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very witty & fun! I was "Agnes Gooch". 1998

[Martha Bode · Rating 4 out of 5]

great book, great play!

[Mark Woodland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skip the musical version, "Mame", this play is far more entertaining on the whole.

[Chambers Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the musical better.

[Violet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Auntie Mame and as quirky as she was I wish I had an Auntie Mame!

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are 2 stories that I really liked in particular: Auntie Mame On A Mission of Mercy and Auntie Mame And The Southern Belle. These are the summaries of them:

Auntie Mame On A Mission of Mercy:
A while after the elopement of Agnes Gooch and Brian O’Bannion, news came that Agnes needed help to deliver the child. Auntie Mame immediately called Patrick to meet her when he was in class at St. Boniface Private School. Patrick risked his academic life to escape the school and meet his aunt just to hear the news that he now had the responsibility of taking care of Agnes because Brian dumped her when she got pregnant. At first, Patrick did not want to accept another responsibility that will risk him getting expelled from school, but when Auntie Mame promised him that she will take him to Europe in exchange for taking care of Agnes, he reluctantly approved of risking his academic life. From then on, he had to sneak out of his boarding school to take Agnes on a 4-mile walk at night after lights out. To not get found out, he had to disguise as a grown man and climb up using a rope attached to Auntie Mame’s room, and climb down again after his task is done to get back to school and change back into his uniform just when the sun is rising. Although his grades started slipping, he did a good job trying to hide the fact that he was sneaking out every night. In spite of the fact that he was so talented at acting like nothing happened at night in school, he got found out one night by Mr Pugh, who also wasn’t allowed to leave school, claimed that he was coming to watch a flower that blooms at night. In order to not get into trouble, they do not tell anyone about what happened. Surprisingly, Mr Pugh started walking Agnes every night by himself. However, they get found out during the night of Father and Son Day. Father and Son Day is when the students’ fathers would wear their old, worn-out uniforms and come to visit the school. Mr Pugh and Patrick were exposed by the accident of climbing up the wrong rope to Mrs Babcock’s room when they wanted to go to Auntie Mame’s room to see how Agnes was doing. The whole St. Boniface School was then chasing after them, which then resulted in them running away from school— one expelled and the other fired, but married to Agnes.

Auntie Mame And The Southern Belle:
After meeting the generous man, Mr Burnside, Auntie Mame finally found her “man” and married him. Thus, Auntie Mame and Patrick went on a little trip to Mr Burnside’s home country. Sally Cato, Mr Burnside’s former girlfriend was jealous of Auntie Mame, so she tried to defeat her and be loved by Mr Burnside once again. This included the event of Sally Cato questioning whether if Auntie Mame can ride a horse. Not noticing what was going to happen, Auntie Mame claimed that she was really good at horse-riding back when she was living in New York. Sally Cato, obviously doubting that this has happened, prepared a hunting event inviting everyone and the most insane horse for Auntie Mame to show how “great” she is. Unfortunately, her plan was ruined by Auntie Mame’s luck. Somehow, Auntie Mame had controlled the horse finely, and hopped off the horse without a scar on her body. Being caught that Sally was unfair and purposely planning to destroy Auntie Mame’s reputation beforehand, she was despised by the Burnside family.

I really liked Auntie Mame's personality. She had an open personality, although sometimes she was a little too impulsed and emotional. However, I have to admit that she is indeed an eccentric woman that does not mind what others think of her. She does not hesitate to climb back up after she falls down. This could be shown by the example of how she keeps on finding a new job in order to support Patrick’s education and their monthly spendings. From working as an interior designer to a book writer, she has never given up trying to find a job that she likes to support the family. She is a woman to be admired because even though she has eccentric ideas, she has values that people should learn from. One of the examples of this is how she always displays love to someone even if they are now as ince to her. This could be shown when she was still helping Patrick even when he gets easily irritated by her weird personality showcased in front of the Upsons.

[Michael Ritchie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've seen the movie of Auntie Mame countless times, struggled through the dreadful movie musical version Mame, and read the original novel by Patrick Dennis. Now I'm pleased to have read the play which was a big hit in the 50s with Rosalind Russell (who also starred in the movie). I had assumed that the movie was a big expansion of the play which I imagined was set solely in Mame's luxurious apartment, but it turns out that the Comden & Green screenplay is a very faithful reproduction of the play, which does indeed have several scenes set outside the apartment (Macy's, the Upsons patio, the Peckerwood plantation, the Matterhorn) mostly played at the front of the stage with backing scrims. Obviously the movie was able to open these scenes up, but almost all the situations and dialogue are taken right from the play (which is able to use the unexpurgated line "Life is a banquet and most poor sons-of-bitches are starving to death"; the movie used the word "suckers").

[Brian McCann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I forgot how excellent this play is: epic, funny, fast-moving.

[Eugenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute, but dated. The movie was funnier.

[Ray Coshow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am familiar with every version of this delightful story, and this one is by far my favorite. Lawrence and Lee took Patrick Dennis’s wild sprawling novel about his eccentric aunt and made it tighter, sharper, and funnier. The movie of this play, as wonderful as it is, is somewhat hobbled by Hollywood Puritanism but it’s a close second. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve taken this book off my shelf and reread it.

[June Moriarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you don’t wish you’d had an Auntie Mame or been an Auntie Mame yourself, than you must be a “sucker who is starving to death.” One of the greatest theatrical creations of all time, I can only hope the woman she’s actually based on is 1/10th as wonderful as she is portrayed in this play. If you’re too young to know who Auntie Mame is, look her up on Turner Classic Movies and see Rosalind Russell run wild in this role as she must have done on Broadway and for heaven’s sake, don’t allow yourself to turn into a person with braces on their brains.

[Kate Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dated and delightful. A great example of the pure, energetic fun of American comedy.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great adaption of the book.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better than the movie -- I could hear Rosalind Russell saying every line :)

[Suzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Acted in it. (Mame)