"I always thought the women in my community were so witty and clever," he says. Later, when he told a friend who worked as a receptionist at a talent agency what he'd been up to, she passed it on to an agent. "He knew she was so special that it took the biggest star in the world to play her," says Harling. “I always thought the women in my community were so witty and clever… It was like a witty one-upmanship [between them]. Nothing to stop her: Susan Harling Robinson was so determined to be a majorette, despite her diabetes diagnosis aged 12 - that she made her mother sew pockets into her uniform for candy.
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She died during minor surgery in 1985, at the age of 33. “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, Harling apparently felt that it was important for the characters in the play to use humor to cope with hard times and difficult situations. When Susan learned she was a diabetic at age twelve, one of the first things she said was that her illness was “not going to get in the way of anything.” She then died during surgery in 1985 at the young age of 33. During casting for the film, when director Herbert Ross offered Shirley MacLaine first choice of any part except M'Lynn or Shelby, she immediately wanted "the really bitchy one." You think of this flower that is so delicate and has to be handled with care, but is actually made of much stronger stuff." Harling ended up writing the play truly because “all he wanted to do was have somebody remember her,” particularly her two-year-old son who may have no recollection of her in the future.The play wasn’t even originally supposed to be a comedy. "My mother would always say to handle magnolia blossoms carefully because they bruise so easily. That's part of their mystique and their allure, the fact that [Southern women] are completely unpredictable and undefinable." If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. In a lot of ways, they talked in bumper stickers,” he recalls.The True Story Behind ‘Steel Magnolias’ That Will Break Your HeartThe True Story Behind ‘Steel Magnolias’ That Will Break Your Heart The extended family was careful not to push that story on Susan's son, now in his mid-30s, leaving it, instead, for him to discover on his own time. He worried that the real-life Ouiser, a character defined by her cranky and brutally honest nature, would recognize herself and take offense, but as women from his hometown began to see the play, "They all said they were Ouiser." Robert Harling wrote Steel Magnolias - celebrating its 25th anniversary - after his beloved sister Susan died from diabetes complications Susan left behind her two-year-old son Robert In many ways, Harling has done for his hometown But what about Harling's ultimate goal, to help his sister leave an impact on her son? We caught up with writer Robert Harling for a look back at his iconic play, which debuted off-Broadway 30 years ago.Harling grew up in Natchitoches, Louisiana, the oldest settlement from the Louisiana Purchase, with two younger siblings. He wrote the play after his sister, Susan, died from complications of type 1 diabetes. A Family’s Catharsis. "I don't think anybody can be. You may be able to find more information on their web site. "It took Julia Roberts to interpret the personality of his mother." Harling wrote the story as a play just after the passing of his sister Susan, who really did die from complications related to diabetes when her son was a toddler. A friend had advised Harling to write down the story as a way to come to terms with everything that had happened. "All I wanted to do was have somebody remember her," he says. The wildly successful play gave way to a movie deal, and even then Harling retained the story’s tight ties to his sister’s legacy. Country Living editors select each product featured. It chronicles the lives of Susan Harling, her mother Margaret Harling and the community of witty, strong and loving women that supported them through good times and bad. "The metaphor of "steel magnolia" isn't expounded upon in the play or film, though Harling says the juxtaposition of strength and fragility is apt for Southern women. Shortly after giving birth to a baby boy in 1983, Susan's circulatory system and kidneys began to fail. To get more in-depth on the story, Susan had been wanting to have children, but doctors told her that she could potentially jeopardize her health as she was She underwent a kidney transplant from her mother, which did little to help her case. He'd been in New York for eight years at that point, a period during which Susan had married and decided to start a family, despite doctors' concerns that doing so could seriously jeopardize her health. Harling's longtime friend Shirley MacLaine believes the play was channeled by Susan, and he tends to agree. "People would like to feel they were the person who always had the snappy comeback and would always speak the truth," says Harling. Harling modeled the women in the play after his mom’s friends that he knew from his childhood. He wanted to have the audience really know what his family endured during that time.Speaking of the characters, the play features an all-female cast in comparison to the film, which is not all-female. The photos shows Susan and her son, as well as Julia Roberts and her movie son. "Speaking over the phone from his Louisiana property, Harling comments on the large magnolia tree in his yard: there's a single blossom left, despite it being the middle of July. This commenting section is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the original Steel Magnolias movie release. He wrote the play after his sister, Susan, died from complications of type 1 diabetes. "I always thought the women in my community were so witty and clever," he says. Country Living participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.
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