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Jul 28, 2017 · The Heartbreaking Real-Life Story Behind 'Steel Magnolias'. We caught up with writer Robert Harling for a look back at his iconic play, which debuted off-Broadway 30 years ago. It's been 30 years since Steel Magnolias, the play that inspired the iconic film by the same name, opened off-Broadway.
Mar 28, 2014 · 'Stubborn and wonderful': Robert Harling said he wrote all the qualities his sister Susan Robinson - on the left on her wedding day - possessed into the character of Shelby, played by...
- 1 min
- The title was inspired by real life. Harling said the title, "Steel Magnolias," is the perfect description for the women it profiles: They're both delicate like a flower, but also hard as steel.
- Harling wrote the play in 10 days. Many writers take months or years to write a play. But Harling wrote "Steel Magnolias" in only 10 days. "Ten days later, that's all it took because I had lived the story."
- It was originally going to be a short story. Harling said when he began putting his sister's story down in writing, it began as a short story. "But I was missing the sound of the wonderful vernacular," he said.
- Harling at first thought his story was a drama. When the play was first in rehearsal, Harling says they thought it was strictly a drama, since they were performing a dark, emotional story.
- Steel Magnolias' Real-Life Characters
- From The Stage to The Silver screen
- Finding The Perfect Cast
- The Legacy Ofsteel Magnolias
But, since so much of it was factual to life, this caused Harling to worry as the people of his tiny town flocked to New York to see his play. After all, he aimed to capture the essence of the women of Natchitoches, Louisiana. Still, he worried that imitation could be considered unflattering for one resident. To this day, Harling has never revealed...
The play was a success with more than just the ladies of Natchitoches. It transformed from a theater play to the classic film we all know and love. The film expanded the play's storyline. For example, the play takes place entirely in the beauty shop, and in the movie, you get to go to the Christmas festival and the Easter egg hunt. But nothing was ...
We may be biased, but we think what the producers and directors did was just enhance an already exquisite masterpiece. To this day, this film feels as magical and greets you like an old friend every time you watch it. The actors cast to portray these powerhouse Southern women could not have been better. But this cast almost wasn't the final result....
Harling admits that the film and the play are still hard for him to watch, as it is so personal to him. But he recently had a chance at the TCM Film Festivalto watch it on the big screen for the first time since it premiered, and he loved it. "To see it on the big screen was so awesome. You really sense it and feel it and feel the south. What the S...
- 40 sec
May 17, 2023 · Robert Harling, the author and creator of Steel Magnolias, lost his sister Susan Harling-Robinson, from diabetic complications. A friend had advised Harling to write down the story as a way to come to terms with everything that had happened.
- Jane Kenney
- 3 min
Apr 26, 2018 · The story of Steel Magnolias is entirely true, inspired by family tragedy. My sister, Susan, had recently died of complications of diabetes, and I desperately needed to celebrate her, my mother, and the loving community of neighborhood ladies that had supported them through good times and bad.
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Steel Magnolias is a stage play by American writer Robert Harling, based on his experience with his sister's death. The play is a comedy-drama about the bond among a group of Southern women in northwest Louisiana.
