Spaz Loves: Rosalind Russell

A movie that I loved when I was growing up was Auntie Mame with the great goddess Rosalind Russell. I watched that movie over and over again on our Betamax machine, I was just absolutely enamored with her performance as Auntie Mame. Her expressions, charisma, line delivery, beauty, intelligence, confidence and quick banter; the entire package is there. She was a true movie screen enigma. This time of the year is usually when Auntie Mame comes on the boob tube for the Holiday season, and it's on my mind again. And once it pops up in my mind, of course I have to rewatch the movie and re-enact some of her greatest lines for anyone who will watch "Life is a banquet! ... and most poor suckers are starving to death!"

The movie is from 1958 so here are not a whole lot of youtube videos of the movie but I was able to find good ones below!

Patrick has been orphaned and has just been dropped off with his aunt to live with her. He is brought to her while she is in the middle of throwing a typical party. How can you not love her? (above)

Mr Babcock comes to check on Patrick frequently, convinced Auntie Mame is not fit to raise him, and she plays with him so well. (below)

Then, I discovered a second movie that I loved watching repeatedly and that was The Trouble With Angels. The Trouble with Angels takes place in a Catholic boarding-school run by nuns. Rosalind plays the superior mother, as it follows two trouble-making friends through their high school years. When I was a little girl it was so funny to me and I loved the relationships the three of these women build and the situations they go through together.

It was seriously impossible find any clips from this film, but here is a tiny clip I found of of scene that gives you a great example of how good the film is and the dynamics between the three of the characters:

But before Rosalind became the famous Auntie Mame on both screen and stage, she was already known for her beauty and flawless comedic timing.

I was

SO excited to learn of this documentary,

Life Is a Banquet: The Rosalind Russell Story! The documentary

pays respects to the 70th anniversary of her breakthrough role as Sylvia Fowler in

The Women (1939, with Norma Shearer & Joan Crawford)

and as Hildy Johnson in

His Girl Friday (1940, with Cary Grant)

.

I have already added The Women

and His Girl Friday

to my Netflix queue. If anyone else has any suggestions for movies they love with Rosalind Russell, let me know!