Steel Magnolias
is a 1989 comedy-drama film about the bond among a group of Southern women in northwest Louisiana. The movie is based on a 1987 off-Broadway play by Robert Harling and on the author's experience with the death of his sister.
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STEEL MAGNOLIAS - THE PLAY TICKETS
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Steel Magnolias - The Play Tickets 5/4 | May 04, 2024 Sat, 7:30 PM | | Steel Magnolias - The Play Tickets 5/5 | May 05, 2024 Sun, 2:00 PM | | Steel Magnolias - The Play Tickets 5/9 | May 09, 2024 Thu, 7:30 PM | | Steel Magnolias - The Play Tickets 5/10 | May 10, 2024 Fri, 7:30 PM | | Steel Magnolias - The Play Tickets 5/10 | May 10, 2024 Fri, 7:30 PM | |
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Synopsis
The action centers around Truvy's beauty parlour and some women who regularly gather there. The drama begins on the morning of Shelby's wedding to Jackson and covers events over the next three years, including Shelby's decision to have a child despite having
Type 1 diabetes and the complications that result from the decision. We also get a glimpse of the unlikely friendship between Clairee and Ouisa; Annelle's transformation from a shy, anxious newcomer in town, to a partying woman, then to a religious
fundamentalist; and Truvy's relationships with the men in her family. Although the main storyline involves Shelby, her mother, and Shelby's medical battles, the underlying group-friendship among all six women is prominent throughout the drama.
Background
As noted in the Special Features on the
Steel Magnolias
DVD, the story of
Steel Magnolias
is based on the death of Robert Harling's younger sister, a
diabetic. As her best friend and closest sibling, Harling found it very difficult to
cope with her death. He was advised by many of his friends to write about his feelings as a coping method. It began as a short story and evolved into a full length play due to the complexity of the relationships and emotions that existed within the characters. Harling felt it important to include the way the characters utilized humor and light hearted conversations to assist them in coping with the seriousness of the underlying situations. Harling wanted the moviegoers to have a true experience of what his family endured during his sister's hospitalization. One of the ways he did this was by employing the nurses, doctors, and other hospital staff that worked with his sister as characters in the movie portraying their real life roles. Because of the true to life situation, this movie is received by viewers in many different ways.
The setting for the movie is the fictional small town of Chinquapin, Louisiana which is located in the (also fictional) parish, or county, of Chinquapin. The movie was actually filmed in
Natchitoches, Louisiana which is located in
Natchitoches Parish. Not widely known is the fact that Natchitoches comes from a
Native American word meaning "chinquapin eaters", the chinquapin being a nut that is indigenous to that area. Thus, while the location itself is fictional, it does have a direct reference to the actual location of the setting. Natchitoches is also the oldest city in the
Louisiana Purchase, having been founded in 1714.
Stage play
The stage play, written by Robert Harling, is still popular today and has frequent productions mounted throughout the
United States. It was originally staged
Off-Broadway. All of the action of the play takes place solely on one set — Truvy's beauty salon, which is part of her house. There are only six characters (all female) that appear on stage. There is the voice of a DJ on the radio that is heard during the play. All the other characters (like the male characters) that appear in the film version are only referred to in the dialog. The original stage production opened at the
WPA Theatre, in
New York City, on
28 March 1987. It was directed by
Pamela Berlin, and featured
Margo Martindale as Truvy,
Constance Shulman as Annelle,
Kate Wilkinson as Clairee,
Mary Fogarty as Ouisa,
Blanche Baker as Shelby, and
Rosemary Prinz as M'Lynn. The production moved to the
Lucille Lortel Theatre on 19 June 1987, with
Betsy Aidem taking over the role of Shelby.
The premiere London production was produced in 1989 at the
Lyric Theatre. It was directed by
Julia McKenzie, and featured
Rosemary Harris as M’Lynn,
Jean Boht as Ouisa
Janine Duvitsky as Annelle,
Stephanie Cole as Clairee,
Maggie Steed as Truvy, and
Joely Richardson as Shelby.
In the spring of 2005, the play made its
Broadway debut at the
Lyceum Theatre. Previews of the production began
March 15,
2005 and officially opened on April 4. The cast included
Delta Burke as Truvy,
Christine Ebersole as M'Lynn,
Rebecca Gayheart as Shelby,
Marsha Mason as Ouisa,
Lily Rabe as Annelle and
Frances Sternhagen as Clairee. At the close of its run, the staging had played 23 previews and 136 regular performances. A touring production of
Steel Magnolias
was expected for the 2007-08 season. Many regional theaters also perform the play each year.
There have been a number of Japanese language productions of the play. The most recent was staged by the Haiyuza Theatre Company from
14 November to
25 November 2007, in Tokyo. The production featured Mayuko Aoyama in the role of Truvy, Kaoru Inoue as Annelle, Mayumi Katayama as Clairee, Midori Ando as Shelby, Atsuko Kawaguchi as M'Lynn and Minae as Ouisa. The play was translated and directed by Hajime Mori.
A Swedish production premiered
16 November 2008 at Vasateatern in
Stockholm in presence of
Robert Harling. The cast included
Cecilia Nilsson as Truvy,
Pernilla August as M'Lynn,
Melinda Kinnaman as Shelby,
Suzanne Reuter as Ouisa,
Linda Ulveaus as Annelle and
Gunilla Nyroos as Clairee. The play, called Blommor av Stål in Swedish, was directed by
Emma Bucht and translated by
Klas Östergren and
Edward af Sillén.
Film
The film was released by
Tri-Star Pictures in the
United States on
November 15,
1989, and would go on to gross more than US$83.7 million at the
box office. Robert Harling adapted his own play, which was heavily rewritten to incorporate many more characters. It was his first produced screenplay, and he also appears in the film as the preacher. The film was directed by
Herbert Ross.
The film starred
Dolly Parton (Truvy Jones),
Olympia Dukakis (Clairee Belcher),
Shirley MacLaine (Louisa "Ouisa" Boudreaux),
Sally Field (M'Lynn Eatenton),
Julia Roberts (Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie) and
Daryl Hannah (Annelle Dupuy-Desoto). Julia Roberts received her first
Oscar nomination, for
Best Supporting Actress. The location for the filming was
Natchitoches, Louisiana.
Historian Robert DeBlieux, a former
mayor of Natchitoches, was the local advisor on the film.
The casting and sets of the film go far beyond the modest means of the original play to include male characters, ensembles, and outdoor scenes. The sequence of the action as well was more tightly linked with major holidays in the film than in the play. Much dialog was added, and several lines in the play were cut or assigned to other characters than originally intended. In addition, Truvy is given only one son instead of two.
Among the men added to the cast for the movie were
Tom Skerritt as Drum Eatenton (M'Lynn's husband),
Dylan McDermott as Jackson Latcherie (Shelby's husband) and
Sam Shepard as Spud Jones (Truvy's husband).
Film cast
* Sally Field .... M'Lynn Eatenton is the 50ish mother of Shelby, a socially prominent career woman
* Dolly Parton .... Truvy Jones is in her 40s and the owner of a beauty shop
* Shirley MacLaine .... Louisa "Ouisa" (pronounced 'Weeza') Boudreaux - 66ish, wealthy curmudgeon. Acerbic but loveable
* Daryl Hannah .... Annelle Dupuy Desoto -19. Beauty shop assistant. Very religious and strange.
* Olympia Dukakis .... Clairee Belcher - 66ish. Widow of former mayor. Grande dame. A bit posh.
* Julia Roberts .... Shelby Eatenton Latcherie - 25. Prettiest girl in town, M'Lynn's daughter.
* Tom Skerritt .... Drum Eatenton - M'Lynn's husband. Has an ongoing love-hate relationship with Ouisa.
* Sam Shepard .... Spud Jones - Truvy's husband. Tends to be unsociable and depressed.
* Dylan McDermott .... Jackson Latcherie - Shelby's husband, a lawyer.
* Kevin J. O'Connor .... Sammy Desoto - boyfriend and eventual husband to Annelle
* Bill McCutcheon .... Owen Jenkins - longtime admirer of Ouisa
* Ann Wedgeworth .... Aunt Fern - Jackson's aunt, specializes in animal-shaped cakes
* Knowl Johnson .... Tommy Eatenton - Drum & M'Lynn's son, Shelby's brother
* Jonathan Ward .... Jonathan Eatenton - Drum & M'Lynn's son, Shelby's brother
* Bibi Besch .... Belle Marmillion - socially prominent 50ish woman who prides herself on her "perfect" family
* Janine Turner .... Nancy-Beth Marmillion, daughter of Belle - local beauty queen who falls from grace
Television
CBS commissioned a television pilot in 1990 in hopes of continuing the story as a weekly half-hour sitcom. The story picked up where the film left off, and therefore the character of Shelby was not included in the show. The cast featured
Cindy Williams as M’Lynn,
Sally Kirkland as Truvy,
Elaine Stritch as Ouisa,
Polly Bergen as Clairee, and
Sheila McCarthy as Annelle. CBS declined to pick up the series for the 1990 fall season, although the pilot was broadcast on
August 17,
1990.
Diabetic awareness
The film portrays the seriousness of Type 1 diabetes, and this portrayal of one woman's experience with being pregnant and having diabetes has created an awareness in diabetic women to be more cautious in regards to pregnancy. However, it is possible and quite common for women with diabetes to have a child without the deadly consequences that the film shows. Endocrinologists have expressed dismay that the film does not portray diabetes and diabetes management in an accurate light
[1]. Additional disability websites recommend
Steel Magnolias
as realistic portrayal of diabetes in women
[2]. The movie is endorsed by The Juvenile Diabetes Foundation
[3] and The Joslin Diabetes Center
[4].
Title significance
"The film’s title suggests the female characters are 'as delicate as magnolias but as tough as steel' and this represents what a 'Steel Magnolia' is." (Scanlon, 2007)
Trivia
One of the film's stars,
Dolly Parton, included lyrics similar to the film's title in her 1991 song
Eagle When She Flies. The lyrics go: "Gentle as the sweet magnolia, strong as steel her faith and pride..."
Winona Ryder was originally offered the role of Shelby.
When Robert Harling last spoke to his sister, he was telling her how hard it was to be a writer in New York and have people consider his work. His sister commented on how she wished she could help him somehow but she didn't know what she could do. When she died after surgery, Harling wrote the play that this movie is based on in her honor, thereby making him an established and respected writer.
Daryl Hannah was originally turned down for the role of Annelle, as Ross thought that she was too attractive to play the part. She asked if she could come in and read for the part anyway. She arrived at the studio the next day dressed as Annelle and was so unrecognisable that security refused to let her in.
Meg Ryan was initially under contract to play Shelby, the Julia Roberts role, but the producers let her out of it to play Sally in When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
The film is shot in the small Louisiana town of Natchitoches. Reportedly, the filmmakers placed such a great strain on the locals, particularly those who volunteered to be extras, that several years later, when the film The Man in the Moon (1991) was shot in the same town, extras were difficult to find, as so many townspeople had been burned by the Steel Magnolias crew.
M'Lynn's home is actually two different houses. The Cook-Taylor House, owned by the Henry Taylor family and now a Bed and Breakfast in Natchitoches, was used for the outside front of the house, and most of the scenes inside the home and in the back yard. It is on Front Street by the river and can be easily located, as it is now known as "The Steel Magnolias Bed and Breakfast." During filming, the Taylors moved out and rented an apartment.
There is no parish or town in Louisiana known as Chinquapin. "Chinquapin" is the name for a type of fish and a particular breed of oak tree. The town of Natchitoches in the parish of the same name served as the backdrop for the film. The town was named after the "NAKTOSH" Indians whose names means "chinquapin eaters". Natchitoches actually does have a large Christmas Light Festival annually. Natchitoches was also the first settlement in the Louisiana Territory.
Ross wanted an authentic feel to the hospital scenes so he hired the doctors and nurses who tended to the writer's sister (on whom the movie and play are based) during her last days in hospital to play themselves during Julia Robert's scenes on life support
After a poor take, Ross reprimanded Dolly Parton and asked her if she could act. She replied "No, but it's your job to make me look like I can!"
On the DVD's commentary track, Herbert Ross describes how
Georges Delerue was not his first choice as a composer for this film. Another "well known" composer's music was rejected but he fails to say who.
There was some initial resistance to casting Field as M'Lynn, because the producers thought no one would believe her as the mother of a 22-year-old until she pointed out that, in real life, she had a 22-year-old son.
Parton and Hannah studied hair stylists so their scenes where they are doing hair would be real and authentic.
When
Bette Davis saw the off-Broadway play, she thought it would be a great film for her, envisioning herself as Ouisa,
Katharine Hepburn as Clairee, and
Elizabeth Taylor as Truvy. However, when she contacted the rights holders for the movie adaptation, she found out that they intended to cast much younger actresses.
The play opened on Broadway on April 4, 2005, at the Lyceum Theater and ran for 136 performances.
Ouisa mentions that she and her friends used to dress up like nuns and go barhopping when they were young. Shirley MacLaine played a woman who dressed up as a whiskey-drinking nun in Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970).
Robert Harling, the man who wrote the play
Steel Magnolias
in honor of his sister, plays the pastor who performs Shelby's wedding and then again her funeral.
Harling's mother was on the set during the filming of the scenes while Shelby was in the hospital. During the scene when Shelby is taken off
life support, she was asked if she wanted to leave. She declined, saying that once the scene was over she wanted to see Shelby — Julia Roberts — get up and walk away.
Notes
References
- [1]
- Welcome to disabilityfilms
- http://www.jdfcure.org
- Joslin Diabetes Center