-
Official Name
-
En-US
INGE 233 - Festival Retrospective 1990
-
Description
-
En-US
1990 Inge Festival Retrospective
-
Internet Media Type
-
En-US
video/mp4
-
YYYY-MM-DD
-
En-US
1990-04-21
-
ISO or Range
-
En-US
1990-04-21
-
transcript of
-
0:01:02.880,0:01:10.320
Did you call Tim back yet? Yeah. What did he want?
He was just wondering how the project was going.
0:01:10.320,0:01:15.200
What did you tell him? That I'd been dubbing
videotape for the past week and that I still have
0:01:15.200,0:01:21.600
a lot of work to do. that we'd have something, but
that I wasn't sure how closely it would resemble
0:01:21.600,0:01:30.160
his original concept. How did he take that? Oh, he
said that was fine as long as it was Academy Award
0:01:30.160,0:01:37.760
quality. Well, no problem there. Oh, right. But
I need you to help me. You probably know as much
0:01:37.760,0:01:42.960
about the festival as anyone else. I mean, after
researching the articles you've written about it,
0:01:42.960,0:01:49.120
you're probably the best resource I could have.
Tough flattering. No, really. I mean it. Now come
0:01:49.120,0:01:56.000
on. Think. Ingee Festival. The William Award
for Outstanding Lifetime Achievement in the
0:01:56.000,0:02:04.080
American Theater. The first recipient in 1983.
Jerome Lawrence received the tribute. He was
0:02:04.080,0:02:11.520
co-author of Inherit the Wind, Auntie Maine, First
Monday in October, The Night Theo Spent in Jail,
0:02:11.520,0:02:21.040
and Maine. Okay. And in 1984, William Gibson,
author of The Miracle Worker, Two for the Seessaw,
0:02:21.040,0:02:27.280
and Monday After the Miracle. He was the honore.
Now that could be a problem. Not much footage
0:02:27.280,0:02:35.280
of Gibson among this stuff. Then in 1985, Robert
Anderson received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
0:02:35.280,0:02:41.120
Tea and Sympathy, Silent Night, Lonely Night, You
Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running,
0:02:41.120,0:02:47.600
and I Never Sang for My Father are listed among
his credits. You got to love this guy. This year,
0:02:47.600,0:02:56.160
he and Jerry Lawrence will be making
their sixth appearance at the festival.
0:02:56.160,0:03:02.000
1986 award winner John Patrick has returned
several times. He wrote the Pulitzer Prizewinning
0:03:02.000,0:03:07.680
play, The Tea House of the August Moon, as
well as The Hasty Heart, The Curious Savage,
0:03:07.680,0:03:14.240
and Everybody Loves Opal. He's also written many
successful screenplays. That's exactly what I
0:03:14.240,0:03:20.880
need a successful screenplay. Where is he when I
really need him? In 1987, playwright, director,
0:03:20.880,0:03:28.000
and author Garson Kanan, whose works include
Born Yesterday, Adams Rib and Pat and Mike,
0:03:28.000,0:03:34.240
came to the festival to accept the Ninja Award.
Well, don't stop now. We're on a roll. In 1988,
0:03:34.240,0:03:40.560
the festival honored two playrs. At the festival
in April, Sydney Kingsley accepted the award.
0:03:40.560,0:03:47.200
Kingsley's work includes Men in White,
Dead End, The Patriots, Detective Story,
0:03:47.200,0:03:54.000
and Darkness at Noon. Then in July, ING advisory
board members and some previous honores gathered
0:03:54.000,0:03:59.280
in Enino, California to present the ING award
to Jerome Lawrence's longtime collaborator,
0:03:59.280,0:04:05.200
Robert E. Lee. We're lucky Mike Wood was there
to tape it or I'd have no footage of that at all.
0:04:05.200,0:04:12.400
The 1989 William Award for Lifetime Achievement
in the American Theater went to Horton Foot.
0:04:12.400,0:04:17.920
Among his works are A Trip to Bountiful,
the Academy Award-winning screenplays for
0:04:17.920,0:04:28.560
To Kill a Mockingbird and Tender Mercy's, and
The Cycle of Plays entitled The Orphan's Home.
0:04:28.560,0:04:35.440
Now, Tim said he wants to use Moononglow under
the opening titles. What's Moonglow? That's from
0:04:35.440,0:04:41.040
the motion picture version of Picnic. In won the
Pulitzer Prize for the stage play, then adapted
0:04:41.040,0:05:01.560
it for the screen. That music's over 30 years
old. Where am I going to find that? [Music]
0:05:15.040,0:05:24.480
Well, where do we go now? Biographical background
on Oh, I've got just the thing. Where is it? Oh,
0:05:24.480,0:05:30.480
1985. Bill Curtis, CBS News journalist who
grew up in Independence, returns for the
0:05:30.480,0:05:37.760
festival. Is a little bit of Billing in all of
us, those of us who come from the Midwest in a
0:05:37.760,0:05:44.640
small town. See if you don't see yourself in this
pattern. Born in 1913 right here in Independence,
0:05:44.640,0:05:51.680
he was son of a salesman, Luther Clayton and Ma.
He was the youngest of five children. He became
0:05:51.680,0:05:59.040
interested in acting at the age of seven when he
recited a monologue that his sister Helen had been
0:05:59.040,0:06:07.520
memorizing. Over 12 years, an idea is born that
grows into a feeling that flourishes with talent
0:06:07.520,0:06:16.480
to become someone who affects all our lives.
That is William. Montgomery County Community
0:06:16.480,0:06:21.760
High School where the school bell now stands still
on a vacant lot is where William Ming graduated.
0:06:21.760,0:06:26.960
He went on to KU. He won a scholarship at George
Peabody College for Teachers in Nashville. He
0:06:26.960,0:06:34.640
received his Master of Arts in 1938. I believe he
decided to choose at that moment the Columbus High
0:06:34.640,0:06:41.200
School. That's here in southeast Kansas, not far
from here. He went to Stevens College in Missouri,
0:06:41.200,0:06:47.280
taught drama and English there, became drama
editor of the St. Lewis Star Times and in the
0:06:47.280,0:06:52.640
course of working as a journalist he interviewed
Tennessee Williams. Tennessee Williams was opening
0:06:52.640,0:07:01.840
the glass benagerie in Chicago and William went to
Chicago to see it. It changed his life. He saw on
0:07:01.840,0:07:12.400
the stage the power that drama can do and be. And
instead then of concentrating on acting he decided
0:07:12.400,0:07:18.960
he would concentrate on the words and he came back
and he began writing. Washington University in St.
0:07:18.960,0:07:26.800
Louis in the 30s. The first play was farther off
from heaven and then shily he showed a manuscript
0:07:26.800,0:07:34.960
to Tennessee Williams named Comeback Little
Sheepa and the rest I guess is history. This
0:07:51.680,0:07:57.120
You also should have something on the origins of
the festival itself from the executive director
0:07:57.120,0:08:03.200
of the women festival and current president of
Independence Community College, Dr. Joanne McDow.
0:08:03.200,0:08:10.240
In 1981, we opened the William collection. It was
a gift from uh William. It included his original
0:08:10.240,0:08:15.120
manuscripts and many other wonderful pieces. There
were some people in our community that had a dream
0:08:15.120,0:08:22.000
and the dream was that uh it would be a center for
a study of theater and the craft of playwriting.
0:08:22.000,0:08:28.640
Uh many of those people gathered together and uh
with the help of the Atlantic Richorld Foundation,
0:08:28.640,0:08:33.600
we opened the collection and did I thought a
marvelous job of it. We have uh scholars from
0:08:33.600,0:08:38.800
around the world and from Los Angeles that come
to our community to study the life and the works
0:08:38.800,0:08:45.280
of William. After that time uh we felt uh many
of us and Margaret Gohane especially it was her
0:08:45.280,0:08:51.040
dream that we would hold a festival each year in
conjunction with a scholarly conference to bring
0:08:51.040,0:09:00.480
attention to our wonderful collection and then the
William Festival was born and something from the
0:09:00.480,0:09:07.520
artistic director of the festival Margaret Goheen
on and then he says independence lies in the very
0:09:07.520,0:09:13.760
heart of our country and so any maybe its people
have more heart in human affairs. Big people come
0:09:13.760,0:09:19.440
out of small towns. Well, we thought William was
the biggest to come out of small towns. And as
0:09:19.440,0:09:27.200
Jod has told you, we began this inch festival. But
our whole focus had to be to honor the playwright,
0:09:27.200,0:09:32.400
the men who write the written words. We couldn't
have theater without those wonderful playrs,
0:09:32.400,0:09:37.520
could we? And so through the years, we have
been so fortunate that they have been willing
0:09:37.520,0:09:44.080
to come to Independence and help us celebrate the
American theater. We honor in each spring in our
0:09:44.080,0:09:50.480
April festival. But we have four days in which
we have playwriting workshops, acting workshops,
0:09:50.480,0:09:54.880
and these wonderful people like Jerry Lawrence
and Bob Anderson, Shirley Knight, and Marian
0:09:54.880,0:10:01.360
Celis come and help us put on these workshops.
And so we continue to do what we think is best to
0:10:01.360,0:10:08.320
honor Mr. hinge to celebrate the American theater.
And then as a climax of each of these festivals,
0:10:08.320,0:10:13.680
we have a special evening of tribute to a
living American playwright who has contributed
0:10:13.680,0:10:25.040
so much. May 3rd, 1982 was the first festival.
It would have been 69th birthday. The multimedia
0:10:25.040,0:10:31.600
documentary Pen Avenue to Broadway was presented
by Mike Wood and a panel discussion was held.
0:10:31.600,0:10:38.320
Jackson Brier of the University of Maryland, who
has directed the William Conference since 1985,
0:10:38.320,0:10:44.000
participated in that first festival. This is the
fifth year I've been at the William Festival.
0:10:44.000,0:10:48.560
Uh it started believe it or not and there are
a few people in this audience who were here
0:10:48.560,0:10:56.160
at the very first festival with four people
Gene Degrusen Le uh Gary Mitchell myself and
0:10:56.160,0:11:00.960
Art Mccclure and at least three of us are
here today sitting on this stage at one of
0:11:00.960,0:11:07.360
these tables talking about the American theater
and that was the festival. That was it. Well,
0:11:07.360,0:11:12.960
it's obviously grown a bit since then. And
personally, this is the event that I like
0:11:12.960,0:11:18.720
the best of the whole three days because it's
an opportunity for students. I'm a teacher,
0:11:18.720,0:11:23.120
college teacher. It's a it's an opportunity
for high school students, college students,
0:11:23.120,0:11:27.840
students, we're all students of some kind to
listen to people who have actually written
0:11:27.840,0:11:35.120
plays and who are the members of the American
theater establishment to talk about that about
0:11:35.120,0:11:40.560
theater and to answer questions and we are going
to leave a generous amount of time for questions
0:11:40.560,0:11:46.240
from the audience after these gentlemen have to
make their remarks. Now the other thing I want to
0:11:46.240,0:11:52.880
say which I've said every year and uh some of you
are bored hearing me say this these three days in
0:11:52.880,0:12:00.000
independence you don't know how lucky you are well
maybe you do know how lucky you are but it's not
0:12:00.000,0:12:06.000
every place in this country where you can have
a leading drama critic two leading actresses of
0:12:06.000,0:12:13.120
the American stage four leading playwrights of
the American theater and endless other people
0:12:13.120,0:12:18.480
who contribute to the American American theater
all gathered in one place for three days talking
0:12:18.480,0:12:35.680
about theater. Anyhow, just short uh anyone in
you uh can become a writer. So try keep working.
0:12:35.680,0:12:46.160
Now it's your turn. Now about this question of the
relationship between a director and a playwright.
0:12:46.160,0:12:54.720
Should a playwright direct his own plays or
should he find a competent director such as
0:12:54.720,0:13:03.760
uh or or or is it best if he directs his own
plays? Well, there's no answer to that question.
0:13:03.760,0:13:07.120
Tyrone Guthrie used to say, a great director,
used to say, "Don't ask the player out what
0:13:07.120,0:13:11.680
his play is about. He has no idea what it's
about." I think that's impertinent. But very
0:13:11.680,0:13:16.800
often a director will shape in the production. I
don't think he rewrites this whole mystery about
0:13:16.800,0:13:23.440
directors rewriting your play is is nonsense. Uh
but he will shape a play in a certain way with you
0:13:23.440,0:13:29.120
behind him and agreeing and being illuminated,
which I could not do for myself. But let's look
0:13:29.120,0:13:34.000
at some of the performances that have been
included at the festival. Presentations,
0:13:34.000,0:13:39.120
including fulllength plays and readings of
scenes by amateurs and seasoned professionals,
0:13:39.120,0:13:50.560
have always delighted festival audiences. Miss
Richard's residence. Who is it? Who is it?
0:13:50.560,0:13:54.160
Well, who was it? Tell me. Well, it wasn't your
0:13:54.160,0:14:01.120
agent. Then who? I'm afraid it
was another one of those calls.
0:14:02.320,0:14:06.160
How did he get my number? I mean,
0:14:06.160,0:14:13.680
how did he get my number? Who knows? We sat
down to talk to catch up and he I asked him,
0:14:13.680,0:14:19.200
"Well, have you had any adventures since
we saw you last?" "Yes," he said. "I
0:14:19.200,0:14:29.120
died." The final word had a slightly delayed
and partial stammer, adding to the shock effect.
0:14:29.120,0:14:34.320
He looked us over unabashedly pleased
with the bullseye dramatic effect of
0:14:34.320,0:14:40.000
this revelation. Had it come later in the
visit, I might have handled it more easily
0:14:40.000,0:14:51.920
since we were old friends and conversed on
an anything goes level in a bantering way.
0:14:51.920,0:14:58.453
[Music]
0:14:58.453,0:15:05.920
[Music]
0:15:05.920,0:15:06.320
Do you
0:15:06.320,0:15:21.120
mind talking?
0:15:21.120,0:15:27.040
Watch my finger.
0:15:27.040,0:15:35.760
I can see it better if you held it still.
0:15:35.760,0:15:41.280
Now to uh fill out the application
form. How about a nice cup of tea
0:15:41.280,0:15:47.440
first? I'm allergic to tea. Thank
you. Uh to get on with the form.
0:15:48.640,0:15:55.280
You got a stiff neck, Donkey. I have a cold
that's settled in my shoulders. Listen,
0:15:55.280,0:16:02.960
if you'd let me give your neck just a little
jerk, I can take that kink out of there for you.
0:16:02.960,0:16:12.400
I have no desire to be named permanently. Well, I
just I hate to see you suffer. Your name is Opal
0:16:12.400,0:16:21.760
Cranky. [Music] Opal Cranky. How do you spell
it? One little jerk. You wouldn't even see it.
0:16:21.760,0:16:28.160
Can you spell your name, please? K R O N K
I E. I do it all the time for this butcher
0:16:28.160,0:16:34.320
friend of mine. Oh, he's so nice. He's
real genuine. He had a boy that stuttered.
0:16:34.320,0:16:41.760
They hanged him. He murdered somebody. I I
guess the poor Gus gets kinks to his neck.
0:16:41.760,0:16:49.920
Every time he thinks about his boy, it doesn't
seem right to hang a boy that stutters.
0:16:49.920,0:16:57.680
Missy, do you want its insurance policy?
Sure. I I I want him for my friends,
0:16:57.680,0:17:03.040
but you can't hardly turn your
head either. Do you have a son?
0:17:05.120,0:17:10.720
In 1989, Ray Strickland brought
Tennessee Williams to life and the
0:17:10.720,0:17:19.680
audience to its feet with his one-man
show, Confessions of a Nightingale.
0:17:19.680,0:17:23.680
There's also lots of music here.
Actress Shirley Knight and her
0:17:23.680,0:17:39.040
daughter Kate Hopkins serenade John Patrick
[Music] plan to give to me. Love forever.
0:17:39.040,0:17:55.342
True. Love forever. [Music]
0:17:55.342,0:17:59.520
[Applause] Walter Willis, who's currently
appearing in Grand Hotel on Broadway,
0:17:59.520,0:18:11.920
has performed at several festivals.
0:18:22.040,0:18:23.040
[Music]
0:18:23.040,0:18:27.920
The tribute program is always an opportunity
for the honore to be saluted by his friends,
0:18:27.920,0:18:37.920
family, fans, and peers. John Patrick
has written 50 plays and 30 screen plays.
0:18:37.920,0:18:43.440
William Shakespeare wrote
37 plays had no screenplay
0:18:43.440,0:18:54.560
whatsoever. Your fellow playrights,
contemporaries of the great way it is,
0:18:54.560,0:19:06.240
salute your wit, your wisdom, your craft,
your artistry, and we love you back.
0:19:18.680,0:19:19.680
[Music]
0:19:19.680,0:19:23.680
Others are wired from people
all over the world and read by
0:19:23.680,0:19:30.720
such festival friends as Sherry Man,
Robert Anderson, and William Gibson.
0:19:30.720,0:19:37.200
Another telegram with fond
memories of our association
0:19:37.200,0:19:40.560
together. We congratulate you
on receiving the winner award
0:19:40.560,0:19:45.840
which is welld deserved as Bobby Frier
who is the producer at the office of
0:19:45.840,0:19:58.320
theater. This message is from David Wayne. Dear
Pat, congratulations on receiving the William
0:19:58.320,0:20:05.120
Award. You richly deserve it than any other kudos
left lying around. The world is richer for your
0:20:05.120,0:20:14.880
plan and grateful. The ultimate gratitude is
left for me because of Saki. Long may you wave
0:20:14.880,0:20:23.360
or Garson Kanan and Marian Seldis.
Quite a few years ago when I was
0:20:23.360,0:20:39.200
16, I worked for the Western Union Company
as a messenger. And now some years later,
0:20:39.200,0:20:44.960
I seem to be working for Western Union
again tonight. And you never can tell
0:20:44.960,0:20:51.280
who will show up via videotape. I just want
to thank you for the privilege, all right,
0:20:51.280,0:20:56.880
of being able to say those words that
you wrote and also of being able to say
0:20:56.880,0:21:02.560
somebody else's words with you telling me
how I should really say them. And I love
0:21:02.560,0:21:09.840
you. Let's face it, the kid's a husband.
0:21:09.840,0:21:14.720
One of the biggest thrills of being in New York
last year with the play was getting to know you
0:21:14.720,0:21:21.200
and being friends with you and getting from you
and seeing you backstage and seeing you at Sardies
0:21:21.200,0:21:28.000
and just knowing that you're my friend and talking
to you on the phone. Hi Garson, I tried clicking
0:21:28.000,0:21:33.040
my heels three times to get to where you were,
but unfortunately MGM wasn't having any part of
0:21:33.040,0:21:42.160
it. So I'm coming at you live on tape has enriched
the American theater in the course of his career.
0:21:42.160,0:21:48.320
He's also provided me and my wife with three
marvelous parts, two of them in detective
0:21:48.320,0:21:56.240
story which uh Lydia was it was my wife's first
Broadway role, first Broadway lead and I did it
0:21:56.240,0:22:03.840
later with her and then more recently in Los
Angeles and it was an extraordinary play. was
0:22:03.840,0:22:13.680
uh again a pioneering effort in the police genre
long before never mind Miami Vice and police story
0:22:13.680,0:22:20.720
and Hell Street Blues long before even Dragman he
invented the police story you could say this one
0:22:20.720,0:22:27.360
time movie actor will always be grateful for you
giving him work at a role that he's long cherished
0:22:27.360,0:22:31.920
your audiences I know will always be grateful
to you for lighting their lives with happiness
0:22:32.960,0:22:39.360
No one more richly deserves the award you'll be
honored with this evening. Congratulations and God
0:22:39.360,0:22:45.920
bless you all. Horton, in the 40 years you've been
writing for the stage, screen, and television. You
0:22:45.920,0:22:52.320
have uniquely captured the spirit of the American
family. Your Academy Award-winning scripts,
0:22:52.320,0:22:57.680
To Kill a Mockingbird, and Tender Mercy's have
clearly established you as one of the leading
0:22:57.680,0:23:04.800
writers of our time. Horton is a fellow Texan.
I know the Lone Star State is very proud of you
0:23:04.800,0:23:13.040
this evening. Congratulations again and God bless
you all. Now, that's what I'd call quidd proquo,
0:23:13.040,0:23:18.480
which leads us to the award presentations
themselves. Governor John Carlin presented
0:23:18.480,0:23:23.920
the award three times. my third year in
a row to have this pleasure and it's a
0:23:23.920,0:23:31.840
particularly significant night to once again have
a chance to see William Gibson, Robert Anderson,
0:23:31.840,0:23:41.520
and tonight be joined with John Patrick. This is a
a special week for independence southeast Kansas,
0:23:41.520,0:23:49.840
but really the entire state for all of us to have
the opportunity to to once again pay tribute to a
0:23:49.840,0:23:56.400
great individual who has contributed so much.
United States Senator Nancy Landon Cassab has
0:23:56.400,0:24:06.000
presented the award twice and will attend the 1990
festival. I truly think it's a magic moment and I
0:24:06.000,0:24:14.080
think it's a very well-kept secret in Kansas about
what an extraordinary event this is. I would just
0:24:14.080,0:24:21.040
like to say thanks to Margaret Goheen who had
the vision and who has worked to sustain it and
0:24:21.040,0:24:28.640
make this the very special event it's become.
To Dr. Dr. Jody McDow and to Mike Wood from
0:24:28.640,0:24:35.120
Witchah State University who is the professor
uh who is the producer uh of this event and I
0:24:35.120,0:24:45.920
think has done a wonderful job in the production
and of course there are the acceptance speeches
0:24:45.920,0:24:58.160
and I have received this day plentiful
indications of that natural affection
0:24:58.160,0:25:12.880
which I saw in in that special quality of love
and graciousness and I see it reflected in
0:25:12.880,0:25:23.480
this town in all the people I've met
and for this I thank you. [Applause]
0:25:26.480,0:25:33.440
Someone once told me that long time ago
in England when you were given any honor,
0:25:33.440,0:25:41.920
you got on your knees and said to your patron,
"Sire and behold." Now I can't get on my knees
0:25:41.920,0:25:48.560
because a couple years ago I went out to
Mayo Clinic and they gave me two kneecaps.
0:25:48.560,0:25:58.800
Truly, truly for the first time, I am
without words. I I I don't know where
0:25:58.800,0:26:06.960
to begin. Margaret Gohane said it best. But our
whole focus had to be to honor the playwright,
0:26:06.960,0:26:12.240
the men who write the written words. We couldn't
have theater without those wonderful playrs,
0:26:12.240,0:26:17.600
could we? And so through the years we have been
so fortunate that they have been willing to
0:26:17.600,0:26:26.720
come to Independence and help us celebrate the
American theater, Lawrence, Gibson, Anderson,
0:26:26.720,0:26:35.600
Patrick, Kanan, Kingsley, Lee, and Foot.
Margaret Gohim's dream has been realized
0:26:35.600,0:26:43.040
with the support of the community, corporate
sponsors, scholars, the advisory board members,
0:26:43.040,0:26:55.840
distinguished visitors, and especially the
playrs themselves. This will continue to be
0:27:18.280,0:27:19.280
[Music]
0:27:19.280,0:27:26.771
Well, that just about covers it.
Almost. What? [Music] [Applause] [Music]
-
Language
-
En-US
en-US
