The Sons of Tennessee Williams (2010)

THE SONS OF TENNESSEE WILLIAMS, tells the story of the gay men of New Orleans who created a vast and fantastic culture of wildly popular 'drag balls' starting in the late 1950s. These men ... See full summary »

Director:

Tim Wolff

Stars:

Charles Maddox, Tommy Dietsch, Ed Herlihy

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charles Maddox	...	Himself / King Armeinius the 40th
Tommy Dietsch	...	Himself / Queen Armeinius the 40th (as Tommy Dietsch) (as Thomas Dietsch)
Ed Herlihy	...	Himself
George Roth	...	Himself / Queen Celeste the 9th
Don Stratton	...	Himself / Queen Armeinius the 2nd
Jimmy Keyes	...	Himself / Queen Petronius XV
Mike Moreau	...	Himself
John Henry Bogie	...	Himself
Albert Carey	...	Himself / 'The Volcano' / Queen Armeinius VI
Tracy Hendrix	...	Himself
Steve Labranche	...	Himself
Freddie Guess	...	Himself
Bill Woolley	...	Himself
Wendell Stipelcovich	...	Himself / 'The Shrimp Cocktail'
George Patterson	...	Himself

Storyline

THE SONS OF TENNESSEE WILLIAMS, tells the story of the gay men of New Orleans who created a vast and fantastic culture of wildly popular 'drag balls' starting in the late 1950s. These men worked with the traditions of Mardi Gras to bring gay culture into public settings in the early 1960s. By 1969, there were four gay Mardi Gras clubs legally chartered by the state of Louisiana, throwing yearly extravaganzas at civic venues around the city. 'Society matrons begged for ball tickets from their hairdressers'. They succeeded in bringing down the 'Jim Crow' type laws that targeted gay people during this period, staging a flamboyant, costumed revolution without politics and won freedoms during a time, as now, when laws and people fought against them.

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Plot Keywords:

gay | ball | club | drag ball | drag | 

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Taglines:

They did it without bricks, they did it without anger. They did it in drag.

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | History

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official distributor's page for the film. [United States] Official Facebook page for the film. [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 June 2010 (USA)

Filming Locations:

French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$533, 14 October 2011, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$2,852, 16 October 2011

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wolffhouse

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Color:

Color Black and White (film clips and archive photographs: Universal Newsreels)

Did You Know?

Trivia

Krewe {kroo} -noun (especially in New Orleans) a social club comprised of members who celebrate the annual Mardi Gras festivities together. --generalized from The Mistick Krewe of Comus, the first such club, founded in New Orleans in 1857.

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Quotes

Albert Carey: Is it really a civil rights accomplishment for a man to wear a dress at the municipal auditorium?

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Crazy Credits

The reigning captain of the Krewe of Petronius finishes the last minute decorations on his Armeinius 40th ball costume.

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Connections

References The Six Million Dollar Man (1973)

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Soundtracks

Petit Suite for Solo Cello
written by Jon Appleton
from the album "The Russian Music"
Performed by Alexander Zagorinski.

User Reviews

Excellent film!

As someone who grew up in the Big Easy, watching The Sons of Tennessee Williams, was exciting and emotional. The film captures what the carnival season means for so many of us who lived the magic of Mardi Gras every year. I loved how the film shows the extreme importance of family and culture from the time we were small children through adulthood. My friends will now understand how our carnival season is just as important to us as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter or any other major holiday is important to them. The film accurately goes back in time to an era of injustice and discrimination. Go see this film with friends for a bit of New Orleans history that has been rarely portrayed in such a caring and loving way.