Mame

The Acting Career of Bea Arthur-- (25 tv items)

"Vera Charles"

PopMatter's Essential Film Performances - 2013 (50 movies items)

"Beatrice Arthur Decked out in a severe, black pageboy wig, martini glass firmly in-hand, Bea Arthur utters a singular, monosyllabic “yes” as her first line as Vera Charles in Mame, setting the tone for a memorable performance in an otherwise cringe-worthy film. It’s not hard for Bea Arthur to shine, even when thrown into what she herself dubbed “a disaster”. Yet, Arthur managed to turn in a dynamo performance, reprising the role that earned her a 1966 Tony Award for Best Featured Actre"

Mame

“What a mess this is. Everything you’ve ever heard about what a disaster the film version of the Broadway smash Mame is, well, it’s all true, every word of it. There’s no amount of exaggeration that can quite explain just how inept and fascinatingly awful this is. There’s a few bright spots, but it’s mostly an indifferently directed affair with an awkward leading performance that harms to the point of making Mame almost unpalatable to the audience.   Mame was Angela Lansbury’s career-changing show, transitioning the talented actress from film into grand dame of the theater. She would have been a natural choice to reprise the role, and composer Jerry Herman begged the studio to consider her. Alas, the powers that be thought she didn’t have enough box office pull, and Lucille” read more