Blow out your candles Laura

 

Blow out your candles Laura





    This quote is central to the joy we gained from appreciating the arts, in this case the great plays of Tennessee Williams. The interest was mostly created by cousin Michael who listened to the spoken word records made by Williams of plays and poetry on Caedmon records. Michael could recite the lesser known "the Yellow Bird" word for word with great emotion. The love of the delicate sensibility in "the Glass Menagerie" was begun from those spoken words but continued in listening to the full play with David Wayne, Jessica Tandy, Julie Harris and Montgomery Clift. This caused a fanatic reaction leading to watching the 1950 film version with Kirk Douglas as the gentleman caller, Gertrude Lawrence as Amanda, Jane Wyman as Laura and Arthur Kennedy as Tom. The dialogue is brilliant and each  version brings out the great qualities of the play. In the case of the David Wayne version the final scene is wistfully delivered and touches the heart deeply. It is the sad story of a dream deferred forever. When Michael spoke the words he conveyed the meaning and it was moving to we few stoned young fellas who learned the value of literature in the best way possible. Greg and I used to have conversations about the value of exposure to the arts that made college an important experience way beyond the obsession with getting a well-paying job. To carry the wisdom of Tennessee Williams around in a life is worth far more than any paycheck. All part of the tapestry.



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