But Darling, I'm Your Auntie Mame!: The Amazing History of the World's Favorite Aunt

I'm so thankful that Kensington has republished this wonderful, long out-of-print treasure and went several steps beyond by having the author UPDATE the book. We now have a fuller picture of the recent battles to bring AUNTIE MAME to the big and small screen with Richard Jordan detailing all the initial interest, demands for script changes, and collapse of various projects when scripts were written (and REWRITTEN) for actresses like Angela Lansbury, Goldie Hawn, Whoopi Goldberg, Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler and Cher. Jordan not only read many of the scripts--which range from misguided (Goldie Hawn's script would have been set in the 60s and present day) to the glorious. BUT DARLING... is filled with great B & W photos and whether you're a fan of the Rosalind Russell AUNTIE MAME or even the Lucille Ball musical MAME (did you know Madeline Kahn was fired from that film by Lucy?), there's plenty of gossip and deep affection for the creators (not only Patrick Dennis but Jerome Lawrence, Robert E. Lee and Jerry Herman). A fascinating, enlightening tale of the evolution of this eternal gay icon who told us to "Live! Live! Live! Life is a banquette and most poor suckers are starving to death!" The perfect gift for movie and theatre buffs.

Richard Tyler Jordan takes the saga of Patrick Dennis' now-world-famous character of Mame Dennis from the moment the producers of the original Broadway triumph latched onto the idea of making a book into a play and take it through every major incarnation -- book to play to movie to musical to movie. Jordan's telling of these delightful stories are more terrific for his superb sense of pacing and tact. He tells those details about Broadway productions and theatre history that will pleasure the best readers of this book -- the fans and theatre-philes of the world. I read this from cover to cover in one sitting, and found myself roaring with laughter or breathless with anticipation about the casting of Angela Lansbury as Mame. Obviously, I knew the ending, but it is a tribute to Jordan's writing and extraordinary research that makes such a story filled with the best kind of tension! I believe it is clear that the real Auntie Mame -- Patrick Dennis aka Edward Everett Tanner, III, himself -- would have loved this book. What a triumph of theatre history writing where you feel like you had a front-row seat for every important performance!

BUT DARLING, I'M YOUR AUNTIE MAME! brings together all the details of the world's favorite and most famous Aunt, Mame Dennis. From Patrick Dennis' best-selling novel to its incarnations of play to movie of the play to a musical of the play to the debacle of a movie of the musical, Richard Tyler Jordan gives you much to feast on at Auntie Mame's banquet. Jordan --heard recently on the syndicated talk show STRICTLY BOOKS hosted by Dan Vojir on the TALKAMERICA Radio Networks-- is clear, concise and detailed as well as entertaining on his subject and engages the reader to eat heartily into the amazing history of the world's favorite madcap Aunt. Rarely do I sit with a book and read it directly through... well, actually, I did have to sleep, as I picked the book up at 11:00 pm and found myself not able to pry myself away. When the clock chimed 3:00 am, I had to climb into bed, not starving, but still hungering to feast from Richard Tyler Jordan's chronicle.Upon waking, I devoured the rest of the novel and was reminded once more why I --and millions of others-- have fallen in love with this incredible woman. From when my mom --who in her youth bore a striking resemblence to Rosalind Russell-- first gave me the book to read in my teens to recently sharing the movie --again-- with family and friends, Auntie Mame has been an endearing and treasured member of my family. Richard Tyler Jordan illuminates this luminescent creature further and fills our appetites at this smorgasboard of Mame Dennis Burnside's history and it is highly recommended to anyone who has been captured by the charm, grace and whackiness of this truly elegant and lovely lady. Pick up a copy and keep yourself from starving from a deficiency of Mame in your literary diet... and in her immortal words, "Live!"Michael Ward aka [email protected]

Richard Tyler Jordan's book is a heartfelt valentine to a character that has inspired and touched the hearts of millions. In describing Angela Lansbury's last night in the Broadway run, however, he fails to note one crucial event which took place. This was about the time that one of Lansbury's children was battling a drug problem and that night she started the lead-in to "If He Walked Into My Life," froze, seemed to blank, and then walked off the stage without singing the show's hit song. There was a long pause, the set shifted to the next scene and everyone wondered what was happening backstage. When Lansbury made her next entrance at the top of the curved stairway, a tidal wave of love traveled over the footlights toward her from the audience. You could see it almost physically knock her over. It was one of those spectacularly heart-wrenching moments in live theater -- the kind that happens once in a lifetime. It happened for one of the most talen! ted and professional musical comedy performers ever to hit the Great White Way and encapsulated an audience's great love for a great actress, for the character of Auntie Mame, and the standards set by Lansbury in the role. It was a moment of theatrical history that I will never forget -- a coming together of love and magic in the theater that made her final curtain call that night much more emotional than anyone had anticipated.