Video analysis: Miscast Mame — Angela Lansbury vs. Lucille Ball

[henrikegerman]

His point is that while Lansbury made strong, specific and effective choices, Ball did not. HIs point is not that Ball's choices should have been the same as Lansbury's.

[emo_geek]

So, like, ummmm...how would someone get their hands on this revival tape?

[Musical Master]

MAME is such a bad movie that it's become a cult film to some. Ball is indeed miscast but at least Lansbury would've brought a good performance out of a bad film (with a director who I don't believe did a movie before).

At least I think about the really good things Ball did in her career. I remember her as one of the three girls that the Stooges were after in THREE LITTLE PIGSKINS.

[Auggie27]

This is enjoyable, but does anyone really think this guy's commentary reveals much? All of his strained discourse about specificity of movement and gesture ignores both choreography and direction, (size of ) stage vs. screen. And the real problem with the Ball "It's Today!" doesn't have bupkus to do with gesticulation. She can't sing it, period. What she does with body placement and focus becomes irrelevant. This is presented as some sort of musical theater/casting thesis, but these two woman have little in common, and the final revelation, that personality doesn't translate into character work is not exactly fresh. Still, nice to see the 83 Lansbury Mame (which I saw, lost in a cave called the Gershwin.)

[Brick]

I agree it's great to watch the footage of Lansbury, and even the two side by side, but I found his criticisms to be juvenile and superficial. Lucy does 3 double takes instead of 2 - who cares! I think Lucy has some funny moments, but we all agree she was too old to play the part. (Some think she never could have and I disagree.) And specifically, her voice had gone from years of smoking and had to hide behind yards of camera filters.

Anyhow, picking apart choices is interesting, but if they are looking at interpretation, but merely looking at effect, then they're useless.

[NewSynchopation]

I agree with him kind of on this one (though I can never forgive him for hating HELLO, DOLLY!) but I think that in order to find criticism he only watched 2 scenes from both the movie and the musical and found his meager criticisms in those, instead of properly watching both (but can you blame him? The Mame movie is terrible!) and making his criticisms from that.

[madlibrarian]

Who is this guy anyway? He posts only as "Musical Theatre Mash". (Note: I've no wish to violate his anonymity if he chooses to maintain it, but remain curious.)

[lovebwy]

Yeah, watching this kid's other videos I don't think he's nearly as insightful and clever as he thinks he is. He will look back on these videos one day and cringe.

I used to host a show tunes radio show in Boston when I was in college. I thought every opinion to come out of my mouth was a gem. When I hear the tapes now I'm rather mortified.

[Brick]

^Bingo.

I feel like it's any theatre teen queen critiquing the girl who got the lead in the Spring Musical.

[Broadway Bob*]

I agree. his ANNIE video is filled with ridiculous things all stemming from the fact that he hates ANNIE. Which he admits right up front. So then WHY make a video about it?!? And then he never really delves in deep to explain why. Just makes pithy little comments along the way that he thinks are funny. They're not. And his HELLO, DOLLY video proves he's kind of an idiot... His first two main points (that Dolly didn't have luggage so couldn't have changed clothes and that Horace didn't hear the singing on the train) are bull-crap as he obviously paid NO attention to the movie or he would have had his answers to these questions. (I left a comment on it to enlighten him.) He could be funny, if he didn't think he was so funny and was desperately trying to prove it like in his INTO THE WOODS Minute Musical. At that point I had to quit watching.

[mjohnson2]

Yes, and the fact that he hates that HELLO, DOLLY! has too happy of an ending is utterly ridiculous. HELLO, DOLLY! is the one musical that can actively put me in a deliriously happy mood just from watching it, and it is precisely because everything works out so well.

[MusicalMash]

I've never done a video on a musical I didn't like.

Don't worry, I don't think I'm "nearly as insightful and clever as I think I am" either. :)

[Musical Master]

^Welcome to the boards.

[broadwaybabywannabe2]

brilliantly done i thought...but we all knew that ANGELA was waaaaaay better than LUCY...

[madlibrarian]

Well, whoever you are, MM, your video posts are entertaining, reasonably insightful, and funny. And you're cute. Looking forward to more posts.

[lovebwy]

OH, *cough cough* well. I'm sorry Mash, I should have considered you might see that. It was impolite of me to put it that way.

I love that you have an appreciation of musicals. You definitely have some great insights that I never would have thought of. And you are funny. And cute in a Bam Margera sort of way. But I think some of your observations show a misunderstanding of the genre. The whole "why are they dancing?" thing is a bit strange to me.

That said, keep doin' 'em. I think you'll get better and better. And, as I said, when I was your age my opinions were broadcast to thousands of Bostonians on Saturday mornings and I'm pretty mortified looking back.

Again, I do apologize.

[mjohnson2]

Oh, hello. I didn't mean to personally attack you, but I still think that you should talk a lot more about the musicals that you like instead of the musicals that you don't like. Even posters like After Eight (you might meet him later) talk more about shows like MARY, MARY or DEAR WORLD than Sondheim, so I would recommend that you talk more about shows that you love, while at the same time with your musicals of the week you should mix it up with shows that you don't like as much. I do think you have the technical capabilities and the charisma to work it, but these are just some suggestions.

[MusicalMash]

No worries!

I really do mean it when I say I've never done a video on a musical I didn't like (yes, even Annie). I'm very excited to have spurred such lively discussion about a movie made forty years ago. It's always exciting to discover other people who care as much about these things as I do.

Also, I'm of the philosophy that "critique" and "dislike" are two very separate things. Often, the things we like the most, are the things we critique the harshest.

P.S. I am Bam Margera. For the record.

[madlibrarian]

Annie was released in 1982, a mere 32 years ago.

[Musical Master]

^And the musical version opened in 1977.

[Mr. Nowack]

I think he was referring to MAME, the subject of this thread??

[madlibrarian]

Aha. That was unclear.

[Gothampc]

"Aha. That was unclear."

It was so clear even Helen Keller understood it.

[Musical Master]

^LOL

[madlibrarian]

Helen Keller never had to put up with the snark on this board!