truly i love lucy as well . comedic genius yes . mame . never . she be as ridiculous a mame . a be the film adaptation of divine secret of the ya ya sisterhood . both just completely miss the point . roslind russell be and be and always will be the first and only mame . perhaps a a young starlet and ball could have pull off a role like this and where her inherent beauty and youth could have carry her through . but this seem a desperate attempt from an age star to show that she be still viable in the field . the reason there be sooo many more supporter of russell version ( aside from the fact that you cant improve upon the original ) be that russell have presence and she absorb every scene and whereas lucille ball might as well be a pattern on the wallpaper in mame for all the attention she command in the role .