Tennesse Williams: A Southern Life

In 1948, Williams entered into a long-term relationship with Frank Merlo and dedicated “The Rose Tattoo” to him, one of his rare attempts at comedy. For the decade they lived together life was calm, for once, in his notable turbulent life.

By the 60’s the Williams' style were quickly falling out of favor with New York critics.

Williams, who had started psychoanalysis after the death of his grandfather in 1957, now propelled himself into isolation with the 1963 passing of Merlo.

Drowning himself in drugs and alcohol, Williams he refers this period as his "stoned age" while searching for meaning, he converted to Catholicism. It was a mere 2 years and recanted his beliefs.

His greatest success before his death was publication of “Memoirs” in 1975. That revealed a complexity of such a fantastic life. Thus it was necessary that he die notably: he choked on a bottle cap alone in a New York hotel in the winter of 1983. The hotel he was staying in was the Elysee, a fitting final destination for a writer who, like his characters, was always grasping for paradise.

Over the next 3 weeks I will review Tennessee Williams’ most noted films; “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, ” “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “This Property is Condemned.”

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