Williams,Tennessee, 1911-1983

American playwright.

From the description of Papers of Tennessee Williams [manuscript], 1927-1957. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 647809684

From the description of Typed letters signed (3) : Key West, Chicago and New York, to Seymour Peck, 1961 Jan. 19-1969 Apr. 18. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270875024

From the description of Tennessee Williams letter to Tim Moore [manuscript], 1976 September 13 or 14. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 276781342

From the description of Tennessee Williams Collection, 1880-1993 (bulk 1930s-1970s). (Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center (HRC); University of Texas at Austin). WorldCat record id: 145406436

From the description of Typed letters signed (5) : [n.p.], to Frank Corsaro, 1960 May 13-Aug. 17. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270875023

Tennessee Willaims, playwright.

From the description of The parade : one-act : typescript. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122532991

Thomas Lanier Williams was born on Mar. 26, 1911 in Columbus, MS; his first major success came with the 1945 Broadway premiere of The glass menagerie; won a Pulitzer Prize in 1948 for A streetcar named desire, and another in 1955 for Cat on a hot tin roof; adapted a number of his plays for the screen; his works include 24 major plays, 2 novels, several screenplays, and a volume of memoirs; died on Feb. 25, 1983 in NYC.

From the description of Papers, 1930-1970. (University of California, Los Angeles). WorldCat record id: 39215020

Thomas Lanier Williams III (1911-1983), who published as Tennessee Williams, has often been called America’s most prominent playwright. He was also a prolific author of essays, poetry, and short stories.

From the guide to the Tennessee Williams typescripts for, Battle of angels, and, The rose tattoo, 1939-1957., (Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University)

Tennessee Williams, playwright.

From the description of Dos ranchos, : or, The purification : typescript. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122430401

From the description of Sweet bird of youth : typescript, [1975]/ by Tennessee Williams. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 145020198

From the description of [Clothes for a summer hotel] : promptbook, [1979]/ by Tennessee Williams. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 145020195

From the description of Sweet bird of youth : typescript/ by Tennessee Williams. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122378524

From the description of Orpheus descending : typescript, 1989. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122517062

From the description of A streetcar named Desire : a play : typescript, 1947, October 6/ by Tennessee Williams. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122346053

From the description of Tiger tail : typescript, 1977, May. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122598119

From the description of Tiger tail : typescript. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122598114

From the description of Sweet bird of youth : typescript fragment, 1958 June-1961 March/ by Tennessee Williams. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122596044

From the description of Cat on a hot tin roof : typescript, 1974 / by Tennessee Williams. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122485419

From the description of The eccentricities of a nightingale typescript, 1976, September. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122485791

From the description of The rose tattoo : promptbook, 1951,1966/ [Tennessee Williams]. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122484814

From the description of The red devil battery sign : a work for the presentational theatre : typescript, 1974, November. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122484974

From the description of Kingdom of earth : typescript, 1974 September/ by Tennessee Williams. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122454689

From the description of One arm : screenplay, 1967, December. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122455055

From the description of Portrait of a madonna : typescript. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122640178

From the description of The eccentricities of a nightingale : or The sun that warms the dark (a very odd little play) : typescript. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122625698

From the description of Five by Tenn : typescript, 2004. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 79468112

From the description of The two-character play : typescript, 1971 January 11. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 86164137

From the description of Clothes for a summer hotel : a ghost play in four scenes : typescript, 1979 April-September/ by Tennessee Williams. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122378527

From the description of The red devil battery sign : a play : typescript, 1975 October/ by Tennessee Williams. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122378525

From the description of The two-character play : a play in three scenes : typescript, 1967, January 20. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122378785

From the description of [Camino Real] : promptbook, 1953/ Tennessee Williams. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122363896

From the description of This property is condemned : a short play in three scenes, typescript. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 86164334

From the description of Confessional : a play in two scenes : typescript. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122596051

From the description of The red devil battery sign : a play : typescript, 1976 May/ by Tennessee Williams. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122485422

From the description of The glass menagerie typescript. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 144652522

From the description of Sixteen blocks on the Camino Real : a fantasy : typescript, [1953]/ by Tennessee Williams. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 145020201

From the description of A lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur : a play in two scenes : typescript, 1979 February/ by Tennessee Williams. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 145020210

From the description of Something unspoken ; Suddenly, last summer : typescript, [1958]/ by Tennessee Williams. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 145020203

From the description of Summer and smoke : typescript, 1948 March. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 145020208

From the description of The glass menagerie : typescript, [1965]/ by Tennessee Williams. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122517117

From the description of All Gaul is divided : (sketch for a television film-play) : typescript, [195?]. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122517800

From the description of The two-character play : typescript. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122517265

From the description of Old folks not at home : or, the frosted glass coffin : typescript. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122608241

From the description of Clothes for a summer hotel : a ghost play : typescript, 1980 Fall/ by Tennessee Williams. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122615044

From the description of The long goodbye : partial typescript, 1946. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122615040

From the description of The milk train doesn't stop here anymore : a play : typescript, 1963. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122616126

From the description of Slapstick tragedy :typescript, 1965 July 1/ by Tennessee Williams. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 79732486

From the description of Clothes for a summer hotel : a ghost play in four scenes : typescript, 1979 April / by Tennessee Williams. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122531229

From the description of Battle of angels : typescript. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122533000

From the description of The eccentricities of a nightingale typescript, 1976. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122534940

From the description of The notebook of Trigorin : a free adaptation of The Sea Gull by Anton Chekhov : typescript. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122531600

From the description of This is : an entertainment : typescript, 1974, January. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122532816

From the description of The mutilated : an occidental yes play : typescript. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122534620

From the description of Cat on a hot tin roof : typescript. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122532986

From the description of Confessional or small craft warnings typescript revisions, 1971 Feb. - 1972 Mar. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122346120

From the description of Tiger tail : typescript, 1977, September - 1979, July. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122346114

From the description of In masks outrageous and austere : a play in 3 scenes : typescript, 1970, May-August. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122346056

From the description of A second epiphany for my friend Maureen : a special for television : typescript. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122682791

From the description of The loss of a tear-drop diamond : sketch for a television or screen play: typescript. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122682788

From the description of A house not meant to stand : a Gothic comedy : typescript, 1981 April/ by Tennessee Williams. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122686655

From the description of Life boat drill : typescript/ by Tennessee Williams. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122570122

From the description of A cavalier for milady : a play in two scenes : typescript, [1979/1980]/ by Tennessee Williams. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122570127

From the description of The milk train doesn't stop here anymore : a play : typescript, 1962 October 25-1963 January. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122576205

From the description of The two-character play : typescript, 1970, May. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122571353

From the description of Kingdom of earth : a play in seven scenes : typescript, 1967, June/ by Tennessee Williams. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122579285

From the description of Creve Coeur : a play in two scenes : typescript, 1977 October/ by Tennessee Williams. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122570131

From the description of Stopped rocking : typescript. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122580813

From the description of Not about nightingales: typescript. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122576318

From the description of Battle of angels : play in two acts, 1939 November-1940 December 30. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122465038

From the description of This is the peaceable kingdom : or good luck God, a play in two scenes : typescript, 1978, spring and summer. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122466672

American dramatist.

From the description of Typewritten letters signed (3) : Key West and New York, to Claire Luce, 1963 Apr. 26-1964 Dec. 6. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270590016

Thomas Lanier Williams III (1911-1983), who published as Tennessee Williams, has often been called America's most prominent playwright. He was also a prolific author of essays, poetry, and short stories.

From the description of Tennessee Williams typescripts, 1952-1974. (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 612253520

From the description of Tennessee Williams additional papers, 1964-1967. (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 612838474

From the description of Tennessee Williams family photographs and other materials, 1885-1964. (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 663988883

From the description of Tennessee Williams letters to Andrew Lyndon and other material, 1943-1978. (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 612253444

From the description of Tennessee Williams correspondence and other papers, 1918-1980. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 612253594

From the guide to the Tennessee Williams papers, 1932-1983., (Harvard Theatre Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University)

From the guide to the Tennessee Williams additional papers, 1946-1963., (Harvard Theatre Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University)

From the guide to the Tennessee Williams typescripts, 1952-1974., (Harvard Theatre Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University)

From the guide to the Tennessee Williams compositions, 1940-1960., (Harvard Theatre Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University)

From the guide to the Additional papers, 1964-1967., (Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University)

From the guide to the Tennessee Williams additional papers, 1945-1984., (Harvard Theatre Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University)

From the guide to the Tennessee Williams typescripts of, Slapstick tragedy, 1964-1965., (Harvard Theatre Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University)

From the guide to the Tennessee Williams correspondence and other papers, 1918-1980., (Harvard Theatre Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University)

From the description of Tennessee Williams compositions, 1940-1960. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 612808147

From the description of Tennessee Williams additional papers, 1945-1984. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 612814289

From the description of Tennessee Williams papers, 1932-1983. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 612795400

From the description of Tennessee Williams typescripts of Slapstick tragedy, 1964-1965. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 612768502

American author.

From the description of Photograph of Tennessee Williams [manuscript], n.d. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 647900878

From the description of Papers of Tennessee Williams [manuscript], 1944-1961. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 647900833

From the description of Photographs for MGM motion picture, "Sweet Bird of Youth" [manuscript], ca. 1962. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 647900885

From the description of Papers of Tennessee Williams [manuscript], n.d. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 647900847

Playwright.

From the description of Tennessee Williams manuscripts, 1972-1974. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122486616

From the guide to the Tennessee Williams manuscripts, 1972-1974, (The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.)

From the description of Plays of Tennessee Williams, 1939-1961. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 78135428

The playwright Tennessee Williams was born Thomas Lanier Williams, III, on March 26, 1911, in Columbus, Mississippi, to Cornelius Coffin and Edwina Dakin Williams. He spent his early childhood in Mississippi and Tennessee before his family moved to St. Louis, Missouri, in 1918. Williams started writing at an early age, and he showed early artistic ability. He briefly attended the University of Missouri and Washington University before graduating from the University of Iowa in 1938. A few months after graduation, he moved to New Orleans, where he soon became friends with a clarinetist, Jim Parrott. In early 1939, Williams went with Parrott to Los Angeles and briefly worked at a shoe store and on Parrott's uncle's pigeon farm. During this time he also received art lessons from Adelaide Parrott, a WPA art instructor, who was impressed by Williams' artistic talent.

In March of 1939, Williams won a Group Theatre award with American Blues, and gained greater success with The Glass Menagerie in 1944. His plays A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955) won Pulitzer Prizes. Other successful plays included Suddenly Last Summer (1958), Sweet Bird of Youth (1959), and Night of the Iguana (1961). Williams also wrote two novels, film scripts, poetry, essays, short stories, and his autobiography, Memoirs (1975). He died February 25, 1983, in New York City.

From the guide to the Tennessee Williams Art Collection TXRC99-A14., ca. 1928-1980, bulk 1930s-1970s, (Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas at Austin)

Tennessee Williams, born Thomas Lanier Williams on March 26, 1911, in Columbus, Mississippi, began his literary career at the age of 16 with the publication of his essay, "Can a Good Wife Be a Good Sport?" in Smart Set (May 1927).

After graduating in 1929 from University City High School, St. Louis, Missouri, Williams enrolled at the University of Missouri. His first play, Beauty Is the Word was produced at the University in 1930 and won honorable mention in a campus contest.

Because of the difficulties of the Depression, Tennessee Williams was forced to take a job at the St. Louis Shoe Company in 1931 and by 1932 left the University. During the years that followed Williams continued to write and in 1935 he won first prize in the St. Louis Writers Guild contest for his story, "Stella for Star." Between 1935 and 1938, when he received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Iowa, over thirty of his poems and short stories were published and several of his plays produced. Some of these early plays included Cairo Shanghai, Bombay!, The Magic Grove, Candles to the Sun, and The Fugitive Kind .

In 1939 his story, "The Field of Blue Children," was the first published under his newly assumed name, Tennessee Williams. By 1939 Williams had also begun to travel extensively. His destinations included New York, New Orleans, Acapulco, Provincetown, Macon (Georgia), Key West (Florida), and Taos (New Mexico). During his travels Williams worked at odd jobs, including a period as a scriptwriter for Hollywood. He continued to write and had several of his plays produced.

In 1944 the production of his play, The Glass Menagerie, initiated a period of financial success and critical and popular acclaim for Williams. The Glass Menagerie ran for 561 performances in New York and won the Drama Critics' Circle Award. Followed by several plays of lesser success, in 1947 Williams again scored a hit with A Streetcar Named Desire, which had a run of 855 performances. A Streetcar Named Desire not only won a second Drama Critic's Circle Award for Williams, but a Pulitzer Prize as well.

In the following years Tennessee Williams continued to create numerous plays, including Summer and Smoke (1948), The Rose Tattoo (1951), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955, won a second Pulitzer Prize), Sweet Bird of Youth (1959), Period of Adjustment (1960), The Night of the Iguana (1961), and Small Craft Warnings (1972).

Fifteen of Tennessee Williams's plays or stories were also adapted to film and became classics. Some of the better known films are The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and The Night of the Iguana .

In addition to his plays, Williams wrote short stories which were included in the collections One Arm (1948) and Hard Candy (1954); essays, some of which were collected in Where I Live (1978); novels, including The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1950) and Moise and the World of Reason (1975); a collection of poems titled Androgyne, Mon Amour (1977); and his autobiographical Memoirs (1975).

Although Tennessee Williams died on February 25, 1983, his work continues to be widely performed and he is recognized as one of America's foremost playwrights of the twentieth century.

Gunn, Drewey Wayne. Tennessee Williams: a Bibliography. Second edition. Metuchen, New Jersey: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1991. pp. ix-xviii. Johns, Sally. "Tennessee Williams," Twentieth-Century American Dramatists. Dictionary of Literary Biography. Part II, Volume 7. Detroit: Gale Research, 1981. pp. 320-350.

From the guide to the Tennessee Williams collection, 1939-2011, (University of Delaware Library - Special Collections)

"Williams, Tennessee (26 Mar. 1911-24 Feb. 1983), playwright, poet, and writer of fiction, was born Thomas Lanier Williams in Columbus, Mississippi, the son of Cornelius Coffin Williams and Edwina Dakin... After receiving his degree in 1938, Williams began the itinerant life he was to continue to his death and that he would project onto many of his characters... After years of wanderings and a brief stint as a contract writer for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Williams achieved artistic and commercial success with his dramatization of his St. Louis years, The Glass Menagerie (1945)." -- "Tennessee Williams." American National Biography Online. http://www.anb.org/articles (Retrieved May 7, 2009)

Donald Windham, an author, was born in Atlanta, Georgia, but resided mainly in New York (N.Y.).

Fred Melton moved to New York from Atlanta in 1939 with Donald Windham.

From the description of Windham--Williams--Melton correspondence, 1979, August 6,13, September 1, 18. (University of Georgia). WorldCat record id: 321078656

Tennessee Williams (1911-1983), born Thomas Lanier Williams in Columbus, Mississippi, was an American playwright, poet, and novelist.

Being from an old Tennessee family, he adopted his first name while in New Orleans in 1939. After graduating from the State University of Iowa in 1938, he traveled around the country while working at odd jobs and writing short plays and getting occasional productions in community theaters. He worked briefly as a scriptwriter for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1943.

He achieved sudden success with the New York production of The Glass Menagerie (1945). His subsequent success came with A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), which won a Pulitzer Prize.

Although Williams' life was marked by personal disarray, mental stress, and drug ddiction, he enjoyed long-term relationships with male companions and continued o be productive. In 1968 he converted to Catholicism.

His later plays include Summer and Smoke (1948), The Rose Tattoo (1950), Caton a Hot Tin Roof (1955, Pulitzer Prize), Sweet Bird of Youth (1959), and Night of the Iguana (1961).

He also published two novels and several poems. Many of his plays were made into successful movies, but his later works were not well received and he became disaffected from the New York professional theater. He died by choking on the cap of a bottle of pills.

From the description of Tennessee Williams collection of noncommercial recordings [sound recording], 1948. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122363990

Biography

Thomas Lanier Williams was born on March 26, 1911 in Columbus, Missouri; his first major success came with the 1945 Broadway premiere of The Glass Menagerie ; won a Pulitzer Prize in 1948 for A Streetcar Named Desire, and another in 1955 for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ; adapted a number of his plays for the screen; his works include 24 major plays, 2 novels, several screenplays, and a volume of memoirs; died on February 25, 1983 in New York City.

From the guide to the Tennessee Williams Papers, 1930-1970, (University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Department of Special Collections.)

Tennessee Williams (1911-1983), born Thomas Lanier Williams in Columbus, Mississippi, was an American playwright, poet, and novelist. Being from an old Tennessee family, he adopted his first name while in New Orleans in 1939. After graduating from the State University of Iowa in 1938, he traveled around the country while working at odd jobs and writing short plays and getting occasional productions in community theaters. He worked briefly as a scriptwriter for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1943.

He achieved sudden success with the New York production of The Glass Menagerie (1945). His subsequent success came with A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), which won a Pulitzer Prize.

Although Williams' life was marked by personal disarray, mental stress, and drug addiction, he enjoyed long-term relationships with male companions and continued to be productive. In 1968 he converted to Catholicism.

His later plays include Summer and Smoke (1948), The Rose Tattoo (1950), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955, Pulitzer Prize), Sweet Bird of Youth (1959), and Night of the Iguana (1961).

He also published two novels and several poems. Many of his plays were made into successful movies, but his later works were not well received and he became disaffected from the New York professional theater. He died by choking on the cap of a bottle of pills.

From the guide to the Tennessee Williams collection of noncommercial recordings, 1948, (The New York Public Library. Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound.)

Thomas Lanier Williams III (1911-1983), who published as Tennessee Williams, has often been called America's most prominent playwright. He was also a prolific author of essays, poetry, and short stories.

From the guide to the Tennessee Williams family photographs and other materials, 1885-1964., (Harvard Theatre Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University)

Thomas Lanier Williams was born on March 26, 1911 in Columbus, Mississippi. His father, Cornelius, a salesman who was largely absent had a bad relationship with Tennessee, the second of his three children. Consequently, Tennessee was raised predominantly by his mother, Edwina, and maternal grandparents.

His often strained and disturbed family life became the fodder for many of his plays.

After moving to New Orleans in his late 20s, and adopting the name Tennessee, Williams began to write prolifically. His major break came when he won a writing contest and landed an agent, Audrey Wood.

Between 1945 to 1947 two plays by Williams establish his place as a major American playwright: The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire . The latter won him a Drama Critics' Award and a Pulitzer Prize. He was awarded a second Pulitzer Prize in 1955 for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof .

Williams went on to produce such critical and popular hits as Summer and Smoke (1948), The Rose Tattoo (1951), Camino Real (1953), Sweet Bird of Youth (1959), and The Night of the Iguana (1961). The many works that followed were not understood by the critics of his day and are only now beginning to find and audience. In addition to his two Pulitzers, Williams was nominated four times for the Tony Award for Best Play. He won the Tony only once for The Rose Tattoo (1951).

Sometime before 1975 Williams produced a frank memoir in which he openly wrote of his homosexuality, alcoholism/drug addiction, and mental illness. This was published in a very modified form as Memoirs (1975).

Williams died in New York City on February 25, 1983. His plays continue to be produced and enjoyed, a testament to his status as one of the greatest of American playwrights.

From the guide to the Tennesse Williams Papers, 1920-1983, (Columbia University, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, )