NATCHITOCHES, La. – It has been 35 years since the film “Steel Magnolias” debuted and quickly became one of the most beloved films set in the south.
Based on a play by Robert Harling of Natchitoches, the movie was largely filmed in the small Louisiana city. The film starred Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Julia Roberts, Olympia Dukakis and Daryl Hannah.Today, visitors can still see many of the filming locations, and there’s one where you can actually spend the night — the Steel Magnolias House. The home of the Eatenton family in the film is now a quaint bed-and-breakfast inn with rooms named for characters in the movie, such as Shelby, Clairee, Ouiser,and Annelle.When Hollywood came to Natchitoches, everything changed. The town was in an economic slump, so when 200 some cast and crew members came to town to film the movie, they were welcomed with open arms.
The film left such an impact that decades later the town still revels in the movie.
When the movie was filmed, the area used for the Easter egg hunt scene at the end of the movie was a wide open patch of grass. Today, the area has been converted to a site for festivals, concerts and big events that bring in thousands of tourists each year.The City of Natchitoches also dedicated a new park to Steel Magnolias, and more importantly to the people behind the characters like Susan Harling-Robinson. She was Harling’s sister who died from diabetic complications. She was Harling’s inspiration for the original play. Her character in the film is Shelby, played by Julia Roberts.
“She was the only person that had been with me for forever,” Harling told Southern Living. “When we lost her, when she died in 1985, I was really in a very bad state with her loss.”
He began writing the play after learning his brother-in-law remarried months after his sister’s death.According to the Steel Magnolia House website, the home was originally located on the river.
“The first mention of this home was found in the Courthouse records in 1841 but it was built prior to this date,” the website states. “Built by two Italian architects, Trizini and Soldini, the owner Louis Dupleix had bricks imported from France to use in the construction of the building. He intended to use the structure as a store since it was in a prime location on the Cane River.”The home was moved, brick-by-brick, to its current location in the early 1900s. For reservations, call 318-238-2585.
