Auntie Mame

Introduced via Zoom by George Feltenstein, Library Historian at Warner Bros. Discovery

“Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!” So says Mame Dennis (Rosalind Russell), the eccentric and exuberant aunt to whom the young and impressionable Patrick Dennis (Jan Handzlik, and then Roger Smith) is assigned following the death of his father. Adapted from the hit Broadway play and best-selling novel of the same name, Auntie Mame depicts episodes in the life of a bon vivant and her charge, all rendered in glorious Technirama, a high-resolution widescreen format similar to VistaVision. A box office smash upon its release, Mame went on to acquire six Academy Award nominations, including ones for Best Picture and Best Actress for Russell’s vivacious performance.

Restoration Credits
New 4K restoration by Warner Bros. Discovery sourced from the Technirama 35mm Original Camera Negative scanned in 13K 16bit on a Lasergraphics Director film scanner. The newly scanned frames underwent a complete digital restoration process, removing any dirt, scratches, etc. These restored images were then color graded in a High Dynamic Range color volume by WB MPI’s Senior Colorist, Sheri Eisenberg, referencing an IB print as well as previous masters of the film, ensuring that the finished look was creatively accurate.