Auntie Mame is one of my favorite films of all time so this blog was probably just an excuse to watch it again. This 1958 film isn’t entirely about being a writer, but the subject does take up the entire third act of the plot. Auntie Mame the movie is based on a book by Patrick Dennis and then a popular play. The stories are mostly fictional, but he wanted to make them sound true so he used the character’s name as a pen name (the author’s real name was Edward Everett Tanner III and Auntie Mame was loosely based on an actual aunt he had). Just to show how this was a runaway hit, the book was written in 1955 and by 1958 they already had a major motion picture.
First, the main story: Patrick Dennis (played by Jan Handzlik, then Roger Smith as older Patrick) is sent to live with his Bohemian Auntie Mame (Rosalind Russell the fabulous) after his uptight alcoholic father dies. The nine year old is exposed to new words, bootleggers, fancy parties, New York actors, Asian culture, modern art and philosophy, how to make a good martini, and other ideals considered eccentric in the late 1920s. However, despite it being an odd environment for a child, his aunt adores him, lavishing attention and time on the youngster.
This surprises all of Mame’s friends who have never seen her ever-changing interests so focused with so much love. That is, until her deceased brother’s lawyer demands Patrick be sent to boarding school. Mame is forced to agree and cannot fight against the lawyer when the stock market crashes. In the midst of the Great Depression, the fun-loving Mame gets a job and from there more antics ensue. I’m not going to give away the whole middle part of the story, so let’s just skip to the part where she become a writer.
Because this is the last part of the film, there will be some SPOILERS! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
After the accidental death of her husband, an oil tycoon with a heart of gold (one way you know this is fiction), college-aged Patrick wants to keep Mame distracted with a new project. With the help of family friends Lindsay (a publisher played by Patric Knowles) and Vera (an actress played by Coral Browne) they set-up Mame with a Dictaphone, typewriter, and personal secretary, the frumpy and naive Agnes Gooch (Peggy Cass). Agnes is at first at a loss to be thrust into the eccentricities of the Mame Dennis life, begrudgingly calling herself the “sponge”, but eventually grows envious of all the excitement she has never experienced herself. Lindsay declares the book will be a bestseller, however Vera is an immediate skeptic, pointing out that Mama has “never finished a postcard” so how could she finish her own autobiography.
This brings up my first “writer observation” in this film. Patrick wants his aunt distracted from her loss (and probably a bit from his social life) therefore he sets up everything he thinks she will need from the get-go, including hired help to keep her on-task. Personally, I would feel weird having a woman following me around, writing down my every word, but maybe it’s different for rich people. Either way, he tries to keep her excited for her new project and not make it seem like a chore to just keep her from being a mourning widow. There is also the check-ins from Lindsay to keep Mame on track. I love writing check-ins, the guilt of when I haven’t met my goals makes me work harder.
Joining Mame and Ages is a collaborator, which is really a fancy word for in-house editor in this case. Enter poet Brian O'Bannion (Robin Hughes), an attractive Bohemian in his own right. O’Bannion’s pretentious style of creativity is really more of an excuse for him to hang around Mame’s apartment drinking her fancy alcohol and eating her fine food (among other activities hinted at, but not stated out-right; must keep to the Hays Code you know).
O’Bannion is THAT GUY - all creative circles have one. Fellow artists, you know what I’m talking about. THAT GUY is the one who says things like “court the muse” with complete seriousness. THAT GUY is one who finds any writing style not his own to be “drab”. THAT GUY who criticizes anyone who uses a specific style of notebook or band of pen. Even as a child watching this movie, I did not like Brian O’Bannion. As an adult, I can only tolerate this real-like counterparts in short doses.
Eventually, Mame also gets tired of O’Bannion, realizing that he isn’t doing much to help her work and pouts when he doesn’t get his way. I never really understood the idea of having hired him since Mame’s character is well-read and cultured. They could have had one of Lindsay’s editors looked over the book with her. This is what they probably ended up doing after Brian disappears following a night on the town with a drunk Agnes - a plot line which is better for you to see in the movie than have me relate to you.
The final observation I want to make on the process of Mame writing her book is how proud everyone is when it is finally published. When Lindsay show up with the first copy, Mame announces, “Look everyone! I’m in print just like Edna Ferber!” This is a good joke on being excited about publication as Ferber was a famous screenwriter, member of the Algonquin Round Table humor group, and a PULITZER PRIZE WINNING AUTHOR. Sometimes just being published makes you feel like an instant success.
Image belongs to Warner Bros. Here’s Mame (Rosalind Russell), Agnes (Peggy Cass), and Brian (Robin Hughes) in the writing process.