Oaklawn Jockeys + Tennessee Williams

Thanks to everyone who made our visit with Oaklawn jockeys Calvin Borel, Terry Thompson and JoeJohnson so memorable -- especially to the jockeys themselves. Next Tuesday at noon, we'll visit with Rolly Hoyt. Rowland "Rolly" Hoyt, a Massachusetts native, became interested in racing while attending college in Boston and eventually secured a job on the publicity staff at Suffolk Downs. He became involved in broadcasting at Suffolk and Rockingham Park before moving to Philadelphia Park as a host on the Racing Network. He has written for the Daily Racing Form and currently writes the Morning Line column for the Sentinel Record. Register now for a seat.

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The Garland County Library will celebrate the 100^th birthday of Tennessee Williams with a program called “Ten by Ten,” featuring an event which will include a discussion of the playwright’s life and works, prize giveaways, and a screening of “A Streetcar Named Desire” on March 12^th at 1 p.m. , followed by screenings of nine more film adaptations of his plays throughout March.

Williams (1911-1983), known as “Ten” to his friends, wrote numerous novels and short stories, but is best remembered for his plays depicting the transition from the Old South to the modern era, including the Pulitzer Prize winners “A Streetcar Named Desire” (1948) and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (1955).

Greg Gibson, a faculty member of the English Department at Henderson State University, will lead a discussion about Williams’ life and works, including “A Streetcar Named Desire.”

“Williams does such a magnificent job of capturing the human experience,” Gibson said. “Although he sets most of his plays in the South, I think they have a broad appeal that speaks to us across both time and culture.”

“As for ‘Streetcar’, I'd say that it's probably his most famous work, although people often misread the dark undercurrents that run throughout the play. I think readers have the tendency to make Blanche DuBois a caricature, when it fact she is a deeply tragic character. The movie, particularly Marlon Brando’s performance as Stanley Kowalski, really changed the acting style in American movies to a new kind of realism.”

Other films in the series will include “The Rose Tattoo” (1955), “Baby Doll” (1956), “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (1958), “Suddenly, Last Summer” (1959), “The Fugitive Kind” (1960), “The Roman Summer of Mrs. Stone” (1961), “Sweet Bird of Youth” (1962), “The Night of the Iguana” (1964), and “The Glass Menagerie” (1973).

“This will be a great series of movies,” Karen Covey, Circulation Supervisor at the library said. “They have all-star casts, including Paul Newman, Liz Taylor, Richard Burton, Burt Lancaster, Joanne Woodward, Katharine Hepburn, and so many others. If you like gritty southern stories with some sizzle to them, full of intrigue and atmosphere, then this series is for you.”

Registration is required for the March 12^th discussion. Call the library at 623-4161 or 922-4483 for more information or to register. For a complete list of films and show times, visit the library’s website at http://www.garland.lib.ar.us/.