Although she was not a major star when my mother introduced me to her work, I could tell that Angela Lansbury was a significant talent by the way Mom responded to her. Ours was a drive-in movie family. If there was a movie playing that featured Angela Lansbury, we went to see it. That's how I was introduced to her work -- while I sat in the backseat of a Plymouth, behind my parents, as ALL FALL DOWN and THE LONG, HOT SUMMER played on the big screen. On television, Lansbury held my interest in GASLIGHT, THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY, NATIONAL VELVET, THE COURT JESTER and THE WORLD OF HENRY ORIENT, When I was older and on summer vacation, Mom invited me to stay up with her and watch 1960's THE DARK AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS on the Late Show. Angela Lansbury's performance in that film as the earthy, independent, unmarried smalltown hairdresser in the 1920s is still one of my favorites -- among many. Of course, I marveled at Lansbury's two mom performances -- one as the wicked, politically corrupt and manipulative mother to Laurence Harvey's character in THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE and the other as the sweetly ditzy Southern mom to Elvis Presley's character in BLUE HAWAII. In both, she was no more than 10 years older than the actors playing her sons.
Young Angela Lansbury had the "mean girl" saloon singer role opposite good girl Judy Garland in the hit 1946 MGM musical, THE HARVEY GIRLS. For some reason, MGM dubbed her singing voice in that one, but the studio let her keep her voice when she did a number in its 1946 all-star musical revue, TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY.
Lansbury was a versatile, dependable talent. She got Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominations for MGM's GASLIGHT (her 1944 film debut) and 1945's THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY. She'd get a third for 1962's THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE. But Hollywood never made her a big star like a Katharine Hepburn, Barbara Stanwyck, Greer Garson or Judy Garland.
Then came Broadway. According to one national magazine, there was a long list of actresses under consideration to star in MAME, Jerry Hetman's musical version of the hit Broadway and film comedy, AUNTIE MAME. At the bottom of the list to play the glamorous, madcap, sophisticated aunt who shouted down bigotry and intolerance in her own way was Angela Lansbury. She got the part. The 1966 smash hit not only made her the Toast of Broadway, it put her on magazine covers, revitalized her career and made her the big star that Hollywood hadn't. My mother was ecstatic. She not only purchased a copy of the June 1966 LIFE magazine with Lansbury on the cover as Mame, Mom took her copy to the beauty shop and asked her hairdresser to give her the same haircut Lansbury had on the cover.
In tribute to Dame Angela Lansbury, here are cuts from the original MAME cast album with songs she introduced. First up, Mame Dennis sings with her best friend, veteran Broadway star Vera Charles, played by Bea Arthur.
Next is a tune that went on to become a holiday favorite.
Lansbury won a Tony Award for MAME, not the only one she'd win, and it did make you wonder why MGM -- the Tiffany of Hollywood Studios for Musicals -- did not funny utilize her musical talents. Did you see her in 1983's THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE? She steals that musical comedy from Kevin Kline and Linda Ronstadt.
Then came TV success on her very long-running CBS show MURDER, SHE WROTE. It ran for 12 seasons, starting in 1984. When Disney's animated BEAUTY AND THE BEAST opened in 1991 with Angela Lansbury singing the title tune and voicing one of the characters, there were probably lots of young TV viewers who saw the Disney feature and didn't know she could sing.
Films did give one opportunity to be sexy, sophisticated, glamorous and delightfully devious. She plays the widowed Countess in need of money in the twisted 1970 fairy tale satire, SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE. It co-starred Michael York as the ambitious new butler who's determined to live well in a castle.
In the 80s, I saw Angela Lansbury onstage as the wicked Mrs. Lovett in Stephen Sondheim's SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET. She was so magnificent that she made me gasp. She was magnificent for quite a long, long time. When I read that she'd passed away at age 96, I gasped again.
One more. Angela Lansbury racked up another triumph in a revival of GYPSY. Listen to "Rose's Turn" as she plays the mother of the now-famous Gypsy Rose Lee whom she selfishly pushed inro show business even though she felt her daughter had no talent.
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