Forever Mame: The Life of Rosalind Russell (Hollywood Legends)

By: Bernard F. Dick

Narrated by: Stephen Bowlby

When it comes to living life to its fullest, Rosalind Russell's character Auntie Mame is still the silver screen's exemplar. And Mame, the role Russell (1907-1976) will always be remembered for, embodies the rich and rewarding life Bernard F. Dick reveals in his biography, Forever Mame: The Life of Rosalind Russell.

Drawing on personal interviews and information from the archives of Russell and her producer-husband Frederick Brisson, Dick begins with Russell's childhood in Waterbury, Connecticut, and chronicles her early attempts to achieve recognition after graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Frustrated by her inability to land a lead in a Broadway show, she headed for Hollywood in 1934 and two years later played her first starring role, the title character in Craig's Wife.

Dick discusses all of her films along with her triumphal return to Broadway, first in the musical Wonderful Town and later in Auntie Mame. Forever Mame details Russell's social circle of such stars as Loretta Young, Cary Grant, and Frank Sinatra. It traces an extraordinary career, ending with Russell's courageous battle against the two diseases that eventually caused her death: rheumatoid arthritis and cancer. Russell devoted her last years to campaigning for arthritis research. So successful was she in her efforts to alert lawmakers to this crippling disease that a leading San Francisco research center is named after her.

©2006 University Press of Mississippi (P)2012 Redwood Audiobooks

For Fans of Bibliographies and Movie Reviews. 🤔

I agree with all of the previous reviews stating this “book” is basically a catalog of Roz’s movies. If you’re a fan of movie trivia and facts, it’s for you. If you’re looking for insight into her life and background, keep looking.

The narrator had a pleasant voice. Some odd pronunciations here and there but nothing off putting. ALL Dates are read Day & Month such as 27 October, for October 27th, or 5 May for May 5th. Small quibble, but for me worse than the odd pronunciations. Especially since this is literally a chronological list of her movies.

TBH - I wish I had saved my money and just looked for it at my local library. Ah Well.

This was nothing but a data dump of dates

I was so looking forward to a good biography and this book was a huge disappointment.

so dull.

I spent hours of reading this and know next to nothing about Rosalind Russell. It's mostly just very basic and uninsightful rambling about her plays and films. a crashing bore. nobody expects to read a "biography" that consists largely of exhaustive synopses of her work. I guess I know how all of her movies end now, even the ones I've never seen.

The narrator is okay, he just has a habit of mispronouncing things.

Excellent filmography, nonexistent biography.

I now know every subtle element of every plot of every movie Rosalind Russell made. The scant details about Rosalind Russell herself would barely constitute a Wikipedia entry. Mr. Dick's love of film shines through. Unfortunately, in his fervor to share his wealth of film knowledge, he forgot that he was writing an autobiography.