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Edward Everett Tanner III(18May 1921 – 6November 1976), known by the pseudonymPatrick Dennis, was an American author. His novelAuntie Mame: An irreverent escapade(1955) was one of the bestselling American books of the 20thcentury.[1]In chronological vignettes, the narrator — also named Patrick — recalls his adventures growing up under the wing of his madcap aunt, Mame Dennis. Tanner wrote a sequel, titledAround the World with Auntie Mame, in 1958. He based the character of Mame Dennis on his father\'s sister, Marion Tanner.[2]Tanner also wrote several novels under the pseudonym Virginia Rowans.
\"I write in the first person, but it is all fictional. The public assumes that what seems fictional is fact; so the way for me to be inventive is to seem factual but be fictional.\"[3]All of Tanner\'s novels employ to some degree the traditional comic devices of masks, subterfuge and deception.
Early life
Edward Everett Tanner III was born in Chicago, Illinois[4]toEdward Everett Tanner IIand Florence (née Thacker) Tanner, and grew up in Evanston, Illinois. He had one sister, Barbara, later Mrs. Hastings. His father nicknamed him Pat before he was born after the Irish heavyweight boxer Pat Sweeney, \"a dirty fighter known for kicking his opponents.\" When he was old enough to say so, he let it be known that he liked Pat better than Edward, and so Pat he became.[5]He attendedEvanston Township High School, where he was popular and excelled in writing and theater.[5]
Career
In 1942, he joined theAmerican Field Service, working as an ambulance driver in North Africa and the Middle East.
He worked as an administrative assistant forEileen J. Garrettand he told her Auntie Mame was based in part on her, according to her granddaughter.[6]
The first edition ofAuntie Mamespent 112 weeks on the bestseller list, selling more than 2 million copies in five languages. The manuscript was turned down by 15 publishers before being accepted by theVanguard Press.[5]At the height of its popularity, it was selling more than 1,000 copies per day; throughout 1955 and 1956, it sold between 1,000 and 5,000 per week.[1]In 1956, withAuntie Mame,The Loving Couple: His (and Her) Story, andGuestward Ho!, Tanner became the first writer to have three books on theNew York Timesbestseller list at the same time.[7]
Working with longtime friend, actor and photographerCris Alexander, Tanner created two parody memoirs, complete with elaborate photographs. The first, titledLittle Me, recounts the escapades through life and love of glamour girl Belle Poitrine \"as told to Patrick Dennis.\" His wife, Louise, appeared as Pixie Portnoy in the book\'s photographic illustrations, which included their children, their friends, and their housekeeper as well. The second \"bio,\" titledFirst Lady(1964), is the life story of Martha Dinwiddie Butterfield, oblivious wife of arobber baronwho \"steals\" the U.S. presidency for 30 days at the turn of the century.
