Review of Mame (1974) by Chris O — 01 Jul 2011

With all due respect to the great Lucille Ball, this film was nothing special or really worth viewing. The plot seemed contrived and yet had holes on an unacceptable character. The scenes jumped around with little or no explanation. The music was poorly executed for the most part. Perhaps the biggest unjustice, however, was that Miss Ball felt shoehorned into this movie. She was the big name that the movie hoped to ride on, but it didn't give her enough of a chance to really show what she can do. The sole amusement to be found in this movie was the screentime Mame shared with Vera, played by the incomparable Bea Arthur. These two played off each other in a humorous manner that, in some very small part, made up for the lack of laughs in the rest of the film.

In fact, I think that this may have gotten at the heart of the serious lack of humor: Lucille Ball had no one to play off. For the most part, the supporting cast had absolutely no funny bone in their bodies. Lucille was a comedy genius, but her best work was always playing against a great comedy cast, such as Vivian Vance, William Frawly, and Desi Arnaz in "I Love Lucy." Here, Lucille found no hope in her supporting cast with the exception of Bea Arthur in her over the top snob performance.

Lucille Ball and Bea Arthur would have made a great comedy duo outside of this movie. Inside the movie, not even they could save this doomed shadow of a musical.