On this Day, 1947

[Devil Doc]

It was on this day in 1947 that Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire premiered in New York City. Williams spent months writing and revising the play, and he had three different working titles for it: The Moth, Blanche's Chair on the Moon, and The Poker Night. Then he moved to an apartment in the French Quarter of New Orleans, where he could hear two streetcars rattling by, one named Desire and one named Cemeteries. He changed the setting of his play to New Orleans, and he changed the title to A Streetcar Named Desire. The play is about a southern belle named Blanche DuBois who comes to live with her sister, Stella, and Stella's working-class husband, Stanley. Stanley thinks Blanche is trying to swindle the couple, and his anger and physical aggression eventually drive her to insanity. At one point, Blanche says, "I don't want realism. I want magic! Yes, yes, magic! I try to give that to people. I misrepresent things to them. I don't tell truth, I tell what ought to be truth. And if that is sinful, then let me be damned for it!"

The play got a 30-minute standing ovation on opening night, and it ran for more than 800 performances. Stella was originally played by Kim Hunter, Blanche by Jessica Tandy, and Stanley by a 23-year-old Marlon Brando. The play was made into a movie in 1951 with most of the original cast, and it was nominated for 12 Academy Awards.


Doc

 

[AVB]

Kim Hunter won the Best supporting Actress oscar that year but was later blacklisted for her "socialistic" views during the McCarthy era. She also married a Marine Captain :thumbs:

 

[sack]

You sure know how to squeeze juicy tidbits from varied subjects. Thanks Doc! :thumbs:

 

[Infinity]

Good stuff Doc.

Interesting postscript AVB.

Brian