When it comes to classic Southern movies, there’s no denying that “Steel Magnolias” is one of the all-time greats. With a cast full of powerhouse women, it’s no surprise the film became such a hit. Shot in Natchitoches, Louisiana – the hometown of writer Robert Harling — the film follows the lives, loves, and losses of a group of local women. There’s big-hearted Truvy Jones (Dolly Parton), out-of-towner Annelle (Daryl Hannah), grumpy Ouiser (Shirley MacLaine), soon-to-be-married Shelby (Julia Roberts), and her protective mom, M’Lynn (Sally Field) — women who occasionally clash but ultimately all support each other.
“Steel Magnolias” could certainly be called a melodrama, but it’s the heart-wrenching blend of comedy and tragedy that makes the film work. In his (mostly) positive review of the film, Roger Ebert wrote wrote, “‘Steel Magnolias’ is essentially a series of comic one-liners leading up to a teary tragedy, but let it be said that the one-liners are mostly funny and the tragedy deserves most, but not all, of the tears.” (Allow us to disagree slightly and say it does indeed deserve all the tears.) Considering the ample talents of its cast, it’s no wonder the film’s leading ladies were able to pull off both its playful and poignant moments.
You may think you know the story of “Steel Magnolias,” but do you, really? Keep reading to discover the secrets behind the making of the beloved film.
The original play was written in 10 days
For “Steel Magnolias” writer Robert Harling, he didn’t have to go far to find inspiration for the script. The film version of “Steel Magnolias” was based on Harling’s play, which in turn was based on the events of Harling’s real life. In 1985, Harling’s sister, Susan, died from complications of type 1 diabetes, shortly after the birth of her first child. Because the play was based on his own life, Harling told Today it only took him 10 days to write. “10 days later, that’s all it took because I had lived the story,” he explained.
Initially, the play was meant to be a short story. Harling was intent on preserving his sister’s memory, both for himself and for his nephew, who was only 2 at the time. “All I wanted to do was have somebody remember her,” he told Country Living. But as he began working on the short story, he realized it was missing something essential — the voices of these women, the titular “steel magnolias.” As Harling told Today, “I missing the sound of the wonderful vernacular.” Turning the story into a play was the perfect solution. “It became a play because I wanted to hear the dialogue. And that was it.”
Steel Magnolias wasn’t written as a comedy
Though “Steel Magnolias” ends with tragedy, there are plenty of funny moments sprinkled throughout. However, despite the many one-liners, Robert Harling actually didn’t set out to write a comedy. Margo Martindale, who originated the role of Truvy on the stage, recalled the experience of doing the play in front of an audience for the first time. “We played it like a drama,” she told Garden & Gun. “We all thought it was a drama, and then the first night it was in front of an audience, we were shocked. It was riotously funny and played straight as an arrow.” She went on to say that the actors never thought they were delivering jokes, they were just talking like a group of women from Louisiana would.
Robert Harling remembers the opening of the play similarly. He’d originally thought of the play as a tragedy, but things changed when audiences got a hold of it. “It wasn’t until audiences came in and started responding to the way the women talked and how wonderful the actresses were that we realized, I guess this is funny — until it’s not,” he told Country Living.
Though Harling and Martindale may not have meant it that way, it’s this precise blend of humor and tragedy that makes the film such a success. You’re laughing and having a good time until, to paraphrase Harling, you’re not. It’s a gut punch made all the more impactful by the levity that’s preceded it.
The role of Truvy was written for Margo Martindale
Margo Martindale was exactly who writer Robert Harling had in mind when we wrote the role of Truvy, which is why she originated the character in the play. Martindale’s East Texas hometown of Jacksonville isn’t that far from Natchitoches, Louisiana, Harling’s own hometown and the inspiration for the play’s setting.
Harling told Garden & Gun that he loved Martindale’s voice, so he came up with the name “Truvy” to fit her. “Bobby and I were introduced by our commercial agent, and it was instant love” Martindale said. “From the moment we met, he tailor-made the part for me.” As for the film adaptation, Martindale said that they did let her audition for a part, but it was basically just a courtesy gesture. However, she wasn’t angry that Parton wound up with the role. “Truvy’s all about heart, and Dolly Parton has a big heart,” she said.
Though the role of Truvy may have been written for Martindale, she returned to the play for a very different character in celebration of its 25th anniversary. In 2012, Martindale graced the stage once more, only this time as Ouiser, Shirley MacLaine’s role in the film. Martindale spoke with Entertainment Tonight about what it was like to play the part, saying Ouiser is really just the “flip side” of Truvy. “I think I’m more like Ouiser now than I was like Truvy. So it’s kind of perfect,” she explained.
Shirley MacLaine got to choose the character she played
While many of Hollywood’s top actresses were vying for roles in “Steel Magnolias,” Shirley MacLaine didn’t have to fight anyone for her part. MacLaine told Garden & Gun that director Herbert Ross called her up and told her she could choose any role she wanted, apart from M’Lynn and Shelby. MacLaine looked over the script and said, “I want to play the really b****y one.” Looking back on the decision, MacLaine said, “I think I was rehearsing for my old age. I was seeing if I could get away with saying what I negatively felt and still be funny. And it’s kind of turned out that way, actually.”
It did indeed turn out that way, as MacLaine -– who got her start playing, sweet, if somewhat weird characters in films like “The Apartment” and “Sweet Charity” in the 1960s –- is now known for playing troublesome, often cranky characters like Ouiser. Three years later, MacLaine went on to play Meryl Streep’s mother in “Postcards from the Edge,” a film partially based on Carrie Fisher’s struggles with drugs and alcohol and her complicated relationship with her mother, Debbie Reynolds.
The idea for Soapdish was created on the set of Steel Magnolias
While the idea for “Steel Magnolias” came straight from screenwriter Robert Harling’s life, the idea for his next film came in a much more casual manner. According to the Chicago Tribune, Field and Harling majorly connected over their love of soap operas, and during the filming of “Steel Magnolias,” the two began discussing a potential new project together. As Field put it, “We were thinking of a character I hadn’t done, and he suggested your basic b***. And I said, ‘Yeah, that would be great.”
Harling’s version of events are pretty much the same. Speaking with Garden & Gun, Harling explained that Field told him, “I’ve always wanted to play a b*** who gets to wear nice clothes.” In addition to playing so far against type, Field also wanted to make a project about the craziness of acting and show business. All these discussions eventually inspired Harling to write “Soapdish,” the 1991 film starring Field, Kevin Kline, Robert Downey Jr., Elisabeth Shue, and Whoopi Goldberg, among others. The film tells the behind-the-scenes story of a popular American sitcom, of which Field’s character is the star.
