Auntie Mame (1958)

Review by All Movie Guide
Auntie Mame reunites star Rosalind Russell and her Broadway director Morton DaCosta in an enthusiastic film version of their long-running stage hit. While less polished than many stage-to-film adaptations, Auntie Mame has a vitality that allows the audience to share in the fun that the characters are having on the screen. The film's major flaw is its episodic nature and lack of narrative flow between sequences. Nonetheless, the good scenes are very, very good, and the story has a consistently upbeat tone. Tech credits are strong, with cinematographer Harry Stradling and set designers Malcolm C. Bert and George James Hopkins contributing splendid work. Indicating the production's overall high quality of production, it was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. A word of caution: when looking for this film at the video store, be careful not to confuse it with the inferior 1974 Lucille Ball musical remake. ~ Richard Gilliam, All Movie Guide