Tag Archives: Tennessee Williams

“Why Do They Strike Us? What Is Our Offense?”

Tennessee Williams’s Notebooks are incredible on multiple layers. It has a lot of information not before published, the footnotes are as extensive as the text itself – beautifully connected to the text, adding depth and shadings to what Williams shares … Continue reading

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“a fatally mistaken premise”

Now I like Thornton Wilder a lot (not only because of Our Town and all the others, but because of this anecdote – which should be memorized by every actor/director planning on doing Our Town, because THAT is the key … Continue reading

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Annotated Hart Crane

Hart Crane (along with D. H. Lawrence) were Tennessee Williams’ main inspirations. It was lifelong love affair. In the empty front page of a collection of Hart Crane’s poems, Tennessee Williams wrote: State of the World and Myself I remember … Continue reading

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“As Time Goes By”: Tennessee Williams As An Usher

Excerpt from Tennessee Williams’ Memoirs: A friend was employed in 1943 to the old Strand Theatre on Broadway as an usher, and, knowing that I was between profitable engagements, he told me that the Strand was in need of a … Continue reading

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Tennessee Williams, Journal Entries, 1937

I am finally getting around to reading the spectacular unedited edition of Tennessee Williams’ Notebooks, the journal he kept for his entire life (well, there is a 20 year gap in there). I have flipped through it – it’s a … Continue reading

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Movie Marathon on Block Island

While I had tons of time to read, and walk, and have visitors, and write, and dream, I also had an orgy of movie-watching out on the Island. I brought some movies with me, but for the most part, I … Continue reading

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Today in history: December 3, 1947

A Streetcar Named Desire opened in New York at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. Scene 5, Streetcar Named Desire BLANCHE: Young man! Young, young, young man! Has anyone ever told you that you look like a young Prince out of the … Continue reading

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“a new theatre is coming”

“We must remember that a new theatre is coming after the war with a completely new criticism, thank God. The singular figures always stand a good chance when there are sweeping changes. Keep your ear to the ground and concentrate … Continue reading

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“what is right”

“Just keep on writing. It is remarkable how one begins to know what is right.” — Editor John Rood to Tennessee Williams, March 22, 1935

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Blanche Dubois and the Code

Wonderful post from Jose about Blanche’s monologue about her husband (“he was a boy”) in Streetcar, and how it had to be made much less explicit (meaning: not explicit at all) in the film version, due to the Production Code. … Continue reading

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