When Blanche Met Brando: The Scandalous Story of "A ... (ISBN 0312321643)

Reads like confessions of a culture vulture, volume 3.:
I don't want to be harsh, but here goes. 'Exhaustively researched' is accurate, given the bibliography he consulted and referenced whatever he could mine from a daunting pile of works. One is grateful it all seems to be compiled in one volume but in the end was it necessary? Staggs can't help but butt in with his personal opinions and unfounded speculation every now and again and you know he is scraping the bottom of the barrel when he starts obssesively listing every actress who ever played Blanche, tried on her costume or even contemplated playing Blanche, any headline that was ever printed that used the phrase 'kindness of strangers' and perhaps the most pitiful excuse ever to keep going with the topic, going so far as to invent backstage gossip. I don't know if this amounts to a whole pile of beans or not, but you do feel that he took the lazy tabloid route and picked the film to pieces looking for scandal that wasn't really there. The author sheepishly admits as much. There have been brilliant assessments of Streetcar that have appraised the play, the social undercurrents and madness which inspired it, and it's impact to the public. Don't look for it here. This book doesn't have this solid foundation of academic scholarship or critique. It's thesis is mere curiosity. It's more of a complete idiots guide that goes in all directions rather than an studied annotation. Maybe it is simply that the story of putting Streetcar out on film isn't as fascinating as Gone With the Wind (see the excellent 'Scarlett, Rhett and a Cast of Thousands) but still there is good stuff there, only it might have come off better had the material been given more thought and placed in context. With regards to Vivien Leigh, not much is actually said. Of course she did have a mental breakdown afterwards but Staggs completely misses how dangerously close she came into the psyche of Blanche in real life, or why. Likewise no assessment of Brando, and his interpretation of Stanley other than he might have wanted to bed Leigh (but then, what man wouldn't?) . The book seems to run out of steam after the intial foray into the shooting schedule. Even Tenessee Williams creative role is glossed over. It seems inevitable the reader will, by the end, finish by sighing 'so what?' I know I did. It's an exhausting and dare I say it, in the end, pointless read. I kind of prefer my stories to have at least a moral to them. In then end it's All About Staggs Desire To Know Everything About Streetcar than anything else. This is the third of an apparent series. Perhaps Staggs will keep going on a fourth? What next.. Lolita?

Still think about it sometimes:
Having been in love with Tennessee Williams works, particularly a Streetcar Named Desire, this book was a thrill to read. A man who has obviously done his research covers every nuance of the play and film. I am now proud to know how everything was produced, the stories behind everyone from the costumer to the producer to actors, and continue to recognize them in other films. He gives you a view of many many different Blanches and productions, as well as a through view of the most famous ones. And unlike the Tennessee Williams bio. by Donald Spoto, it rejoices the play rather than tries to find the negative. It is everything you wanted to know about the play and more. And all in all the author clearly demonstrates a love for the play, and all it's beautiful details.

a good ride:
i enjoy sam staggs retelling of history. it is so obvious that he loves the films he researches. and it's just as obvious that he's a gay as a bunch of purple tulips! i read through this book a good three times because the amount of research and interaction with the information is so dense that you just don't catch all of it the first time. which film is next in his lexicon--'the women'--of course!

What about the other Stanleys?:
I enjoyed Sam Staggs' book about "Streetcar!" However, I didn't find it as thorough as his other books about "All About Eve" and "Sunset Boulevard." There were plenty of details about the Brando-Tandy & Brando-Leigh versions of "Streetcar," but hardly a mention of the Ralph Meeker and Anthony Quinn/Uta Hagen productions of "Streetcar...!" There was one humourous mention of Judith Evelyn as Blanche, but I would have been more interested in hearing about these two versions rather than all the other operatic and various foreign productions of "Streetcar"!

I Have Always Depended on the Kindness of Good Writing:
I was thrilled to discover a book dedicated entirely to the history of this seminal piece of theatre. Imagine my disappointment when I found the author constantly injecting himself into the proceedings and peppering his prose with cheesy "insights," mainly about Brando's sex appeal or catty tangents that don't further one's understanding of the play/film. The editors must have been asleep at the wheel on this one as the book hopscotches around and, sadly, gives short shrift to the actual writing of the play. Ultimately the title's promise of something "Scandalous" is never really delivered, aside from some scandalously bad writing. The upside to this book is that it is meticulously researched and does contain some revelatory moments, especially interviews with long-forgotten actors, designers and behind-the-scenes players that helped shape the legend of "Streetcar."