They think I'm really cool. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Laura Robinson (8696788)? Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. A friend had advised Harling to write down the story as a way to come to terms with everything that had happened. 2013-06-21 01:09:47. Robert Harling reveals . He remains close to Shirley Maclaine, who is trying to get him to write a sequel to the Steel Magnolias. ', It was beyond a dream that Steel Magnolias would be turned into a Hollywood movie. "I remember Shirley [MacLaine] turning to me during one of those scenes and saying 'ya know, I think this could be important,'" Harling said. Softly spoken and with a Southern accent that still hints at his Louisiana upbringing, Robert Harling wrote the play Steel Magnolias shortly after the death of his beloved sister Susan Robinson aged just 33 in 1985. It was never like any of us thought we were doing jokes. She is an inspiration to me as a mother. Robert Harling reveals: 'Susan died in the fall of 1985. The magnolia specifically references . After a search through a family tree, Susan became Shelby, after one of his mothers cousins. [Roberts grew up in Smyrna, Georgia.] Anywhere you point the camera youre going to frame a good shot. She was one of the great goddesses of cinema [Hannah had already starred in, All that was left was Shelby. As you might recall, both the water heater and the refrigerator went out the day before my scheduled trip to Captains Weekend at Cabelas in Gonzales, LA. She was determined to have the family she'd always dream of. Learn more about merges. Shows the love he has for her. They failed. So Susans protecting him, its so clear to me. If there is one moment of joy to be gained out of this experience, you cannot deny them that. She never complained about anything. And now here was Susan having to turn back to her and say, Mama, you need to help me now. When she needed a kidney, we were all tested to see if we were matches, but my mom basically said the buck stops here, and thats how it was. It was a memorial to my daughter. ROBERT HARLING Tom Skerritt was two houses down from where my father lived, so I had my fake father, Drum, out picking up sticks from a storm in the yard with his khakis rolled up, and there was my real father in his yard doing the same thing. Because what is art other than taking the pieces around you and re-forming them into some vision that satisfies you and enriches others? Clairee came from a fabulous aunt in South Carolina, and his sisters best friend was named Ouiser. In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, Robert reveals: Susan died in the fall of 1985. So we sit down, and early on Truvy says, Were gonna be busier than a one-armed paperhanger. I looked over at my dad, and everybodys laughing and hes not laughing, but hes beaming because thats his expression. Please click on the images to see larger version and to read the original captions. If you dont tell them, I will.. Michael Dukakis [Olympias cousin] was running for president that summer, so Olympia was all involved and spoke at the Democratic convention. Weve updated the security on the site. He now lives in Austin and is happily engaged to a wonderful woman. Steel Magnolias has been his way, he says, of keeping Susan alive for her son, now 31, about to marry for a second time this summer and living in Texas. She in no way resembled the character, he says. I said, Okay, say, Oh, Im not crazy, Ive just been in a very bad mood for forty years. She wrote it on her hand. MARGO MARTINDALE I tried to quit several times during rehearsals because the actresses would piss me off, saying, Oh, youve got to roll my hair like this, dont do that. I said, I am playing a hairdresser. BW is cooking her way through La. Years later, his father would buy his mother a tear-shaped diamond necklace that she would never take off - and tell her this is the last tear. Add to your scrapbook. But I was mostly feeling good, proud. Twenty-five years ago, "Steel Magnolias" captivated moviegoers with the heartbreaking, yet laugh-filled story based on how playwright Robert Harling lost his sister, Susan Harling Robinson, in 1985, and how a group of women in a small southern town cope with their tragic loss.Harling wrote the play, and eventual screenplay, as both catharsis and as something that Harling could pass along to his ne. Susan Harling-Robinson was the inspiration for the play and movie "Steel Magnolias", written by her brother Robert Harling. She will jump at the chance to wear a bad wig and glasses., All that was left was Shelby. He must have been a special man if Susan loved him! Try again. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. I got to do the opening for Garys TV segment, plus he taught me how to use his video camera. Somebody had told Elizabeth Taylor that MLynn was the perfect role for her, and when word got out that she was coming, they had to shut the street. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Laura Susan Harling Robinson I found on Findagrave.com. ROBERT HARLING Joan Rivers came, Lucille Ball came, Cher, Bette Davis, all of the Golden Girls. By Julia Roberts was only 22 years old when the film was . Written as a tribute to the strength of his sister, his mother, and the coterie of women who supported them, the work broke records at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in Manhattan, where it ran almost three years. But first a lot of stuff had to happen. ", 4. The 32 year old Susan left behind her husband Dr Pat Robinson and their two-year-old son Robert after years of battling diabetes. I took my few minutes to do just that, and I hope she was pleased. She said, Good luck, and they rolled her down to the operating room. My first was a ride out to the edge of the Gulf of Mexico on a fifty-foot crew-boat run by a suntanned crew, Read More Chapter 8 Crew Boat RideContinue, Your email address will not be published. We launched at Grand Ecore and fished the Red River and the Clarence Oxbow. This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of, I had two dear friends, Kathy and Michael Weller. Robert Harling, the author and creator of Steel Magnolias, lost his sister Susan Harling-Robinson, from diabetic complications. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Writer Robert Harling at Oaklawn Plantation, his farm near Natchez, Louisiana. Susan Harling-Robinson was the inspiration for the play and movie "Steel Magnolias", written by her brother Robert Harling. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). Robert admits he had no idea there was any comedy in the play until audiences started laughing. Try again later. Try again later. She would be so pleased if those visiting this tranquil spot would take a moment to think of those neighbors, friends, and family who love and support and inspire you. Robert Harling. But when you put it in a theatrical situation, people respond to the honesty of it. Yes, he dearly loved her. There was Dolly with a waist cincher no more than sixteen inches around and heels about two feet high and a wig that must have weighed twenty-three pounds. Then Paramount bought the movie rights and Harling wrote the script, transforming the play into a movie. If its going to air, Ill let you know. Pat, my ex-brother-in-law, he remarried five or six months after her death and the first time I heard my nephew call this other woman mama was when I said No Susan cant disappear' Robert Harling. The feedback was Its not commercial because its a bunch of women and it takes place in a beauty parlor, but well send it out. Well, all these people wanted to do it. ROBERT HARLING As we were going into production, Michael and Kathy Weller asked me what my parents thought about the play, and I said I hadnt told them. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Michael is a wonderful playwright [, York to see it, I was really worried because Ouisers such a crotchety old curmudgeon. Plus, long lasting at night. Were there to help. We were in previews, and the actress who played Ouiser, Mary Fogarty, God bless her, came to me and said, I need to say something. Harling said the title, "Steel Magnolias," is the perfect description for the women it profiles: They're both delicate like a flower, but also hard as steel. And I went of course, he had no idea how would he know what her voice sounded like, said Robert. ROBERT HARLING So I put these ten characters in a beauty shop, and it only took me ten days to write it. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. The story is always with me, but its a time just to stop and remember Susan and us as kids, what the town meant to her, to touch base.. Well, by the time she got to Shreveport, I was already gone! Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. "And, you know, Shirleys never wrong. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. It was the only time Id ever seen Kathy get riled at me. 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 . Susan was diagnosed with diabetes when she 12 and said well, this isnt going to stop me, according to Robert. Id go to the ice cream store and the magazine place and the video store. Susan Harling-Robinson was the inspiration for the play and movie "Steel Magnolias", written by her brother Robert Harling. But she never let her disease inhibit or alter her life in any way. SHIRLEY MACLAINE It was really hot. "We were completely thrown back because we thought we were doing a drama. ROBERT HARLING Susan was incredibly supportive after I came to New York. It became a nightly thing to see who was the huge star in the audience. It made the nightly news. She was one of the great goddesses of cinema [Hannah had already starred in Splash and Roxanne]. She never complained about anything. Andit was a Christmas in August for the film, The Christmas festival scene was shot during the summer, with everyone wearing sweaters, fur and ski parkas in 100-degree heat. Stark not only understood strong women, he also had a long working relationship with Herbert Ross, with whom hed done eight films, including Funny Lady. This is a carousel with slides. Even more difficult was the fact that his nephew began calling his stepmother Mama. Harling was afraid Susan would be forgotten. We moved the play to the Lucille Lortel. I tried to quit several times during rehearsals because the actresses would piss me off, saying, Oh, youve got to roll my hair like this, dont do that. I said, I am playing a hairdresser. 1. The women are getting it done and the guys cannot function. And then one of the men walked into the kitchen, and I saw how the womens body language completely changed. Herbert said, Its a wonderful Hollywood move. Score: 4.2/5 (2 votes) . The women in my town talked in bumper stickers, they were funny, funny people. We all thought it was a drama, and then the first night it was in front of an audience, we were shocked. 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