Introduction
Welcome to my corner! This week, I'm sharing my thoughts on the movie Steel Magnolias in honor of Dolly Parton who died on Tuesday, August 25, 2026 at the age of 80. She was a legendary icon. Enjoy!
Steel Magnolias
Steel Magnolias is a 1989 American comedy drama film directed by Herbert Ross and starring Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Duakakis, and Julia Roberts. The screenplay by Robert Harling is based on his 1987 play of the same name about the bond a group of women share in a small-town Southern community, and how they cope with the death of one of their own. The supporting cast features Tom Skerritt, Dylan McDermott, Kevin J. O'Connor, and Sam Shepard. Harling based the story in part on his sister, Susan Harling Robinson, who died in 1985 of complications from type 1 diabetes. In the film, Roberts plays Shelby, the character based on Susan.
The film was released by Tri-Star Pictures on November 15, 1989, and received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the humor and performances but criticized its portrayal of the South. Roberts, Field and MacLaine earned nominations for their performances; Roberts (who won Best Supporting Actress) and Field at the 47th Golden Globe Awards and MacLaine at the 44th British Academy Film Awards. At the 62nd Academy Awards, Roberts earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actress (her career-first nomination).
Plot: M'Lynn (Sally Field) is the mother of bride-to-be Shelby Eatenton (Julia Roberts), and as friend Truvy Jones (Dolly Parton) fixes the women's hair for the ceremony, they welcome a helping hand from aspiring beautician Annelle Dupuy DeSoto (Daryl Hannah). Diabetic Shelby has a health scare, which is averted but doesn't bode well for her hopes of having children. Time passes, and the women and their friends encounter tragedy and good fortune, growing stronger and closer in the process.
Acting: My favorite title is Steel Magnolias for the following actors, if not stated otherwise.
Sally Field played Mary Lynn "M'Lynn" Eatenton. Sally Field also received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama. Her four most notable titles currently include Lincoln, Forrest Gump, Steel Magnolias, and Smokey and the Bandit. My favorite is Mrs. Doubtfire.
Dolly Parton played Truvy Jones. Her four most notable titles are 9 to 5, and television series, Dolly (1976-77), Dolly (1987-88), and The Porter Wagner Show. My favorite is 9 to 5.
Shirley MacLaine played Louisa "Ousier" Boudreaux. Her four most notable titles currently include Terms of Endearment, Steel Magnolias, The Apartment, and The Trouble with Harry. My favorite is Noelle.
Daryl Hannah played Annelle Dupuy-DeSoto. Her four most notable titles currently are Wall Street, Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Splash, and Kill Bill: Vol. 2. My favorite is the Grumpy Old Men film series.
Olympia Dukakis played Clairee Belcher. Her four most notable titles include Moonstruck, Steel Magnolias, In the Land of Women, and Cloudburst. My favorite is Look Who's Talking.
Julia Roberts played Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie. Meg Ryan was initially cast as Shelby, but dropped out to make When Harry Met Sally. Julia Roberts received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture. Her four most notable titles currently are Pretty Woman, Closer, August: Osage County, and My Best Friend's Wedding.
Minor roles were played by Tom Skerritt as Drum Eatenton; Sam Shepard as Spud Jones; Dylan McDermott as Jackson Latcherie; Kevin J. O'Connor as Sammy DeSoto; Bill McCutcheon as Owen Jenkins; Ann Wedgeworth as Fern Thornton; Knowl Johnson as Tommy Eatenton; Jonathan Ward as Jonathan Eatenton; Bibi Besch as Belle Marmillion; Janine Turner as Nancy Beth Marmillion; James Wlcek as Marshall Marmillion; and Tom Hodges as Louie Jones.
Background information from American Film Institute (AFI): The following dedication also appears in end credits: "For Susan, from Bob." The dedication refers to writer Robert Harling's sister, Susan Harling Robinson, who inspired the character "Shelby Eatenton Latcherie." According to a Sep 27, 1988 Los Angeles Times (LAT) article, Robert Harling's stage play, Steel Magnolias, began as a short story playing tribute to his sister, Susan, a diabetic whose kidneys failed after childbirth. Although Susan and Robert's mother had donated a kidney to Susan, the transplant was unsuccessful and she passed away in late 1985, leaving behind a two-year-old son she had against her doctors' advice. Robert Harling, an actor who did not consider himself a writer, turned the short story into a play, set "in a beauty parlor on four Saturday mornings over the course of 2½ years," which he finished in just ten days. In late Mar 1987, WPA Theatre, a non-profit organization, mounted the play off Broadway. Soon after, film producer Ray Stark optioned film rights for a reported $350,000 "plus escalation clauses" based on the length of the play's run and the film's box-office earnings, as noted in a Oct 2 1987 Daily Variety (DV) news item. Harling was hired to write the screen adaptation.
A Nov 23 1989 LAT article stated that dialect coach David Alan Stern was hired to work with Olympia Dukakis and Daryl Hannah on their Southern accents. Stern taught Dukakis an affluent, "plantation style" accent for her turn as "Clairee Belcher," while Hannah's "Annelle Dupuy Desoto" spoke in a rural Southern twang that more closely matched Dolly Parton's. Stern's name does not appear in onscreen credits.
Filming began Jul 12 1988 in Harling's hometown of Natchitoches, LA, the oldest settlement in the Louisiana Purchase territory, and was slated to end early Sep 1988 LAT, prior to Steel Magnolias, the only Hollywood production to shoot in Natchitoches was the John Wayne picture, The Horse Soldiers.
According to a Nov 17 1989 Hollywood Reporter (HR) item, the production fed $4 million into the state's economy. A makeshift soundstage was set up at a gymnasium on the campus of Northwestern Sate University of Louisiana (NSU), where many students were recruited to be extras and crewmembers. NSU journalism professor Tom Whitehead served as a liaison between the filmmakers and the Natchitoches community, and receives an onscreen credit as "Production location consultant." According to the Nov 14 1989 LAT, locals rented furniture and props to the filmmakers, while several well-to-do citizens vacated their homes to rent them to cast members. A Apr 14 2000 WSJ item published a real-estate listing for one of the homes used in the film, a four-story colonial house built in 1840, which served as the location for several scenes including Shelby's wedding reception. Another of the nineteenth-century homes where filming took place was converted into a bed-and-breakfast named The Steel Magnolia House, as noted in a Oct 22 2012 People item. The bed-and-breakfast featured rooms named after characters in the film.
Critical reception was mixed, although a positive review in the Nov 15 1989 Variety correctly predicted Steel Magnolias would be a box-office success. Three months into its release, the film still held a top ten spot in box-office charts, according to a Feb 23 1990 HR column, grossing $71.3 million to that time.
Final Thoughts: Steel Magnolias is a surprisingly hilarious movie about real life and real problems. This is certainly a movie that everyone should use. While I'm sure women will resonate with this movie more than men, I think everyone can enjoy and learn from it. Please go watch it if you haven't yet.
My favorite scene was the locker room scene with Clairee and Miss Ouiser where they were surrounded by half-naked athletes but were seemingly unphased by it.
My favorite quote is "He's a boil on the butt of humanity!" —Miss Ouiser. There's a LOT of good quotes in this movie. It was hard to pick just one.
Rated: PG
Where to watch it: According to Google, Steel Magnolias is currently available on Tubi for free or Netflix with a subscription. You can also purchase or rent a digital copy for a few dollars. I've also donated a DVD copy of the film to the Emil M. Larson Public Library in Clark for you all to enjoy if you choose to.
