Suddenly, Last Summer 1959

What happened Suddenly, Last Summer? An aging southern socialite wasn’t able to accompany her son on their travels, so he took his beautiful young cousin instead. The poet son died under mysterious circumstances, and the girl has suffered a mental breakdown. The rich aunt now wants extreme measures to quiet her niece. A doctor, at the institution where the young woman is held, fights to find out the truth. That’s the short take on the over-the-top 1959 film, taken from Tennessee Williams’ one-act play, which is still riveting as hell.

"Truth is the bottom of a bottomless well."

Of the many facets of Suddenly, Last Summer that fascinate, it’s Tennessee Williams’ subliminal self reflection on his life and career that resonates for me. The film and its source material have been criticized for gay self-loathing. True, but it was reflective of what many gays experienced during his era, and shouldn’t be forgotten. The playwright also addresses his eternal struggle, to write about often painful things, countered with anesthetic but counterproductive partying with booze, boys, and drugs. Fading youth is a frequent Williams’ lament. The civilized world versus the more base elements of life is another. Williams’ commentary comes through in some of my favorite lines in Suddenly, Last Summer.   

As I get older, this has become my favorite line from 'Suddenly, Last Summer.'

Wealthy New Orleans matron Violet Venable was the lone unsympathetic role in Katharine Hepburn's long career—and she hated playing the part. Why? Speculation ran the gamut. A few naïve souls said that Kate didn’t realize this was gay material—this seems absurd, as Hepburn worked with gays her whole career, and was most likely a lesbian herself. Others said that while Hepburn strongly wanted to work with Williams, but regretted playing the villain, and she preferred to be the headstrong but likeable heroine.

Still, some thought it was simply ego. Hepburn, accustomed to being the star attraction, was now playing second lead to a younger actress, Elizabeth Taylor. Adding insult was the film’s climax, when Elizabeth is shown in flashback in all her sexy swimsuit glory, contrasted with cruel close-ups of Hepburn’s unfiltered face and wrinkled hands, to emphasize that Aunt Violet’s illusions are shattered.

Hepburn was furious after seeing these shots.

Mankiewicz shot Kate unfiltered at 'Summer's' end.

Hepburn was famous for spitting at director Joseph Mankiewicz on the last day of shooting Summer, allegedly over his treatment of troubled co-star Montgomery Clift. For many years, this was the story told by Hepburn and others. Much later, Kate said it was over the director’s above-described treatment of her. It’s noteworthy that Joe was Kate’s producer on two of her biggest MGM hits, The Philadelphia Story and Woman of the Year. Given their history, Kate was unpleasantly surprised that he favored 27-year-old Elizabeth over her 52-year-old self.

For most of the movie, Hepburn was photographed as a mature beauty, easy to accomplish with her slim figure and still-striking bone structure. But Kate, who liked to give the impression that she had no time for Hollywood glamour, was just as fussy as Joan Crawford or Lana Turner over how she appeared onscreen.

Thankfully, Hepburn, with her distinctive staccato vocals, does not attempt a southern accent. The dragon dowager who wants to shut up a “babbling” young woman with a new “operation” is basically Williams’ mother and his emotionally fragile sister, Rose, who was given a lobotomy to control her outbursts. Hepburn’s natural authority as Violet is combined with a cool charm that barely conceals her rage at a niece whom she blames for her son’s death. Hepburn blazes through Williams’ long monologues as though she wants the promising doctor to bear witness to her pain. As Violet, Hepburn gets to lament life’s unfairness, charm the young doctor, insult her greedy family and most of all, confront her young niece, played by Taylor.

Director Joe Mankiewicz with his star. Notice "Mank" is wearing gloves, due to a skin condition exacerbated by stress!

On Hepburn, Joe Mankiewicz later opined in the early ‘70s that Hepburn was “the most experienced amateur actress in the world…whose performances, though remarkably effective, are fake.” Interestingly, critic Pauline Kael echoed the same sentiments later, on Kate’s TV version of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie. I think there’s truth in that statement, regarding Hepburn’s latter day performances, but here, Kate’s larger-than-life persona fits Violet Venable perfectly. And for the record, “Mank” thought Kate was “damn good” in Suddenly, Last Summer.

With Tennessee Williams, it's a thin line between love and hate!

Tennessee Williams wrote in Life magazine that he thought Elizabeth Taylor was too mature and worldly as Catherine Holly, though he did say her acting was a triumph over miscasting. Williams’ take was understandable. Starting with his Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Taylor was on the tsunami ride of her femme fatale image. Patricia Neal, who played the role on stage in London, wrote in her memoirs that she desperately wanted the movie role. Neal was six years older than Taylor, and if you wanna talk about mature and worldly, Pat was your gal. Like Lansbury and Bacall, Neal always seemed older and world weary before her time. And just two years later, Patricia Neal was playing the aging housekeeper in Hud. Age-wise, I think newcomer Lee Remick would have looked the part—Catherine Holly’s age isn’t given, but I always assumed that she was in her early ’20s. Remick was sly that same year in Anatomy of a Murder, but I don't think she was ready yet for such a demanding role. 

Yes, please!

Though Hepburn and Taylors's first monologues are terrific, the film comes to life when Mankiewicz stops treating the movie like a filmed play. The climactic scene, where Catherine is induced with ‘truth serum’ to recall what happened last summer, is visually brilliant. Some unkind souls at the time felt the recreation of events were designed to bolster Elizabeth’s emoting. Later, a few film buffs have sneered that her performance is simply over-acting. I think Taylor’s performance is the right balance between naturalistic and theatrical, which is perfect for Tennessee Williams. Taylor’s exchanges with Montgomery Clift’s doctor are sly and subtle. Later, Catherine’s sedated by the blonde male nurse, as Taylor sleepily recalls her and Sebastian’s next destination—“We’ll fly north, little bird.” Elizabeth is understated, yet powerful here. The camera goes in for a gradual huge close-up of her face, and it is mesmerizing.

Katharine Hepburn & Elizabeth Taylor square off as the the forbidding aunt & the fiery niece, debating Sebastian's memory.

It’s been condescendingly said that Elizabeth Taylor is only good when she has a great director. My response is that’s true with pretty much ALL actors. Hepburn, Davis, and Crawford all benefited from directors who didn’t let them steamroll through movies with their diva personas. Even Meryl Streep is a better actor when she has a great director and material. Plus, Elizabeth Taylor demonstrated that she was able to carry inferior vehicles, like BUtterfield 8.

Hepburn’s cool, steely demeanor and Taylor’s fiery emotionalism makes a fascinating acting counterpoint and is the foundation of Suddenly, Last Summer.

Elizabeth Taylor and best friend Montgomery Clift on the set of 'Suddenly, Last Summer.'

Montgomery Clift was nearly replaced with newcomer Peter O' Toole, by producer Sam Spiegel, due to Monty’s drug and alcohol problems that accelerated after his famous car accident two years prior. Best pal Elizabeth Taylor's response to Spiegel and Mankiewicz, who both wanted him replaced: “Over my dead body.”

While Monty seemed sedated, his intelligence and intensity still shines through. Especially when compared to Rob Lowe's single dumbfounded expression in his amateurish performance as the doctor in the 1993 BBC remake. I’ll never forget when Rob was on Live! With Regis & Kathy Lee, promoting his version of Suddenly, Last Summer. Kathy Lee, like Catherine Holly, was given to “babbling,” and kept interrupting to talk about the Elizabeth Taylor version. Lowe pompously commented that the BBC version, with Maggie Smith as Aunt Violet and Natasha Richardson as Catherine, wasn’t like “the glossy Hollywood version.” And Kathy Lee just went right on talking about how haunting the original version was!

Monty, Mank, Kate & Liz prove there's no problem on this set!

 I’ve seen the ‘93 version again recently, and it is indeed a faithful adaptation of Williams’ one-act play. Yet, the Rob Lowe remake is also dull as dishwater. The wonderful Maggie Smith is dotty right from the get-go as Violet, in a surprisingly one-note, shrill performance. While Richardson is naturalistic and appealing as Catherine, she is often whiny and dull. The dramatic tension between the two women here is zilch. It reminded me a great deal of the TV remake of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? The ‘91 TV version had two great actresses who were actually sisters, Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave, and yet the more “natural” version had absolutely zero tension.

The 1959 version of Suddenly, Last Summer has been praised, condemned, deemed dated, called camp, and everything in between. The two hour expansion of a one-act play, filmed during the last gasp of Hollywood censorship, is not perfect. Yet, it was groundbreaking and a sign of things to come in ‘60s cinema. Watching Hepburn and Taylor share the screen, speaking some of Tennessee Williams’ most memorable lines, guided by one of Hollywood’s most literate directors, is something to behold.

Catherine finally remembers what happened to Cousin Sebastian last summer.