November 5, 1989: “Steel Magnolias” Premiered in New York City
On this day in 1989, “Steel Magnolias” premiered at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York City. Set in a small, Southern town and starring an ensemble cast of the hottest Hollywood actresses of the day, the film still hits that perfect sweet spot where comedy and drama beautifully meet. It was also Julia Roberts’ first major film, earning her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
“Steel Magnolias,” was based on the off-Broadway play by Robert Harling. After the playwright’s sister died, he was deeply moved by the strong women in his Natchitoches, LA community who supported his grieving family. He wrote the play in 10 days to work through his own loss, without imagining that his moving story would become such a commercial success.
When the film was released, moviegoers immediately fell in love with the sassy yet sweet ladies who regularly congregate at the local beauty parlor for gossip, giggles, and support: M’Lynn (Sally Field), Ouiser (Shirley MacLaine), Clairee (Olympia Dukakis), Truvy (Dolly Parton), Annelle (Daryl Hannah), and Shelby (Roberts). Epitomizing the qualities of many small-town Southern women, the ladies are there for each other no matter what, especially when a devastating tragedy hits one of their own. While requiring at least one tissue box to endure the devastatingly tragic moments, there is also a healthy heaping of light-hearted scenes and sassy one-liners throughout the film.
Although there was a concern that gathering so many famous leading ladies together on one movie set would lead to major drama, the starlets all got along swimmingly. As Parton explains in her autobiography, “From Day One people were predicting trouble on the set because the cast included so many strong actresses with distinct and different personalities. That trouble never developed. We got along fine.”
However, getting along with the film’s director, Herbert Ross, caused the most trouble for the actresses. He harshly suggested to Parton that she needed acting lessons, and was reportedly even tougher on Roberts. Claiming it was all well-intended to maximize Roberts’ performance, Ross tried to micromanage everything from Roberts’ hair color to her food intake. But, according to her celebrity costars, Roberts held her own against his criticism. The part of Shelby became a career-changing role for her, making Roberts one of the biggest stars in the 1990s.
Today, fans still make trips to tour the “Steel Magnolias” town of Natchitoches, where the movie was set and filmed. In 2012, Lifetime’s remake starring an all African American cast became the network’s third most-watched telecast ever.
