Belated Congratulations To A Wonderful Dame (Hint: Mame)

Special congratulations are in order (although the actual event took place last month) for one of my favorite Dames ever!
The fabulous Angela Lansbury was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II on April 15th.
A more deserving lady I cannot imagine:

I decided to do this post today because it was on this date in 1966 that the First Preview performance took place at the Winter Garden Theatre, starring (Dame) Angela as "Mame" in the Jerome Lawrence/Robert E. Lee musical play with music and lyrics by the marvelous Jerry Herman.

 Oh, how I wish I could have been there in person to see her play this part on the Broadway stage!
I'm still upset that she was not the one cast in the film version.
 (Don't get me started on it, please....)
The photos shown on this post are from this great vintage issue of Life Magazine:

 "You coax the blues right out of the horn..."

 I love the music from this production. The original cast  album is one that I can listen to over and over again.

The Life Magazine pull-out cover:

With Frankie Michaels:

 Here she is with the late, great Bea Arthur - "We'll always be bosom buddies......"

"We Need A Little Christmas" is honestly one of my all-time favorite songs - whether it's Christmastime, or not.
And it has to be HER singing it; no one else will do for me!

 Congratulations, Dame Angela Lansbury.
 You are an one-of-a-kind, true and genuine superstar, and I completely and utterly adore you!

I have had the cassette version, CD, songbook, and the Life magazine for many years, but I only recently found this LP at a thrift store.
It was waiting there only for ME, don't you know.

One of the best soundtrack albums EVER.