September 19, 1951: "A Streetcar Named Desire" Premieres

September 19, 1951: A film version of A Streetcar Named Desire premieres. Directed by Elia Kazan, it makes a star out of Marlon Brando.

Brando reprised his role of Stanley Kowalski from the play by Thomas "Tennessee" Williams, which premiered on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on December 3, 1947. He had gotten rave reviews, but starring on Broadway could only get a performer so far: In order to become nationally famous, that performer had to star in the film version of a play, or sing on the original soundtrack album. And Streetcar was not a musical. And, as Brando later proved in the film version of Guys and Dolls, he wasn't much of a singer.

Stanley is a factory parts salesman in New Orleans. He is married to Stella, played by Kim Hunter in both original play and film, receiving an Academy Award for the film. Stella is the younger sister of Blanche DuBois, once the pride of a wealthy Mississippi family, but now dependent upon Stanley and Stella, because her divorce, all her husband's fault, left her with nothing; and her subsequent affairs led her family to cut her off, before their squandering of the family fortune meant that they had nothing to leave her when they died.

Jessica Tandy played Blanche on Broadway, receiving a Tony Award. In the film, Blanche was played by Vivien Leigh, in her best-known role other than that of another damaged Southern belle, Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind. She won Oscars for both of those roles. The role, including the famed final line, "I have always depended upon the kindness of strangers," was based on Williams' own mother, although the name came from a friend, theater critic and former actress Blanche Marvin.

Stella is pregnant, not that this bothers the unfaithful Stanley. Blanche is prejudiced against the Polish Stanley (never mind that he's a fellow Catholic), and he doesn't much like her, either. Blanche soon starts dating one of Stanley's co-workers, Harold "Mitch" Mitchell, played in both the original production and the film by Karl Malden.

In the middle of the play and movie, there's a poker game involving Stanley, Mitch and some co-workers. A drunken Stanley gets angry at Stella, and hits her. She leaves, staying with their upstairs neighbors. Stanley runs out into the rain, yelling up to the neighbor's apartment. Brando's cry of "Stella!" while getting soaked in the rain became iconic, as did his T-shirt revealing his physique. As Brando got old and fat, a series of Baby Boomer jokes included: "1950s: Want to look like Marlon Brando; 1990s: Don't want to look like Marlon Brando."

Stella returns, but the tension between Stanley and Blanche mounts. Stanley starts asking around, and learns about Blanche's past, including her marriage. Her husband's infidelity is changed for the movie, due to the Hays Code: In the play, the husband was discovered to be gay, like author Williams. (The gay subtext of Williams' 1955 play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was also excised when it became a film, in 1958.)

Stanley tells Mitch all, and he breaks up with Blanche. At the same time, Stella goes into labor. It takes a long time, and Stanley goes home to get some sleep. He finds Blanche packing, though it's not clear where she's going. Stanley grabs her, but, again due to the Hays Code, the screen goes dark, implying rather than showing that he rapes her.

The final scene takes place weeks later, after the baby has been born. Blanche is being taken away to a mental hospital. In the original play, Stella stays with Stanley, and doesn't believe Blanche after she told him what he did to her. But for the movie, again because of the Hays Code, which says that evil must be punished, she finally takes Blanche's word for it as Blanche is being taken away, and leaves Stanley, taking the baby with her. That scene was filmed after an ending reflecting the play was filmed, and that version is sometimes shown on television.

Leigh died in 1967, Williams in 1983, Hunter in 2002, Kazan in 2003, Brando in 2004, and Malden in 2009.

The film was remade for ABC television in 1984. Treat Williams played Stanley, Beverly D'Angelo played Stella, Ann-Margret played Blanche, and Randy Quaid played Mitch. CBS aired a version in 1995, with Alec Baldwin, Diane Lane, Jessica Lange and John Goodman. Baldwin and Lange had recently appeared in a Broadway revival.

As for the title: The Desire Line ran from 1920 to 1948, at the height of streetcar use in New Orleans. The route ran down Royal Street, through the French Quarter, to Desire Street in the Bywater District, and back up to Canal Street. Blanche's route in the play -- "They told me to take a streetcar named Desire, transfer to one called Cemeteries, and ride six blocks and get off at... Elysian Fields!" is allegorical, taking advantage of New Orleans's colorful street names: The Desire line itself crossed Elysian Fields Avenue on its way to Canal Street. There, one could transfer to the Cemeteries line, which ran along Canal, blocks away from Elysian Fields.

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September 19, 1951 was a Wednesday. These baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox, 5-3 at Yankee Stadium. Yankee starter Tom Morgan had to leave the game after 2 innings, but Bob Kuzava went the rest of the way, and got the win. Rookies Mickey Mantle and Gil McDougald hit home runs. Mantle had a rough rookie season, but McDougald was named American League Rookie of the Year. Joe DiMaggio, in his last season, went 0-for-3 with a walk. Yogi Berra went 0-for-4.

* The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 3-0 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Jackie Robinson went 2-for-5. Preacher Roe pitched a 5-hit shutout.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Boston Red Sox, 15-2 at Fenway Park in Boston. Ray Boone (Bob's father, and Bret and Aaron's grandfather), Luke Easter and Bobby Avila hit home runs for the Tribe. Sam Chapman went 2-for-4 with 4 RBIs. Larry Doby went 0-for-0... with 5 walks, and scored 4 runs. All this was in support of Early Wynn. Billy Goodman went 3-for-4, but the rest of the Red Sox got only 4 hits, including Ted Williams going 0-for-4.

* The Philadelphia Athletics beat the Detroit Tigers, 8-1 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.

* The Washington Senators beat the St. Louis Browns, 4-3 at Griffith Stadium in Washington.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Boston Braves, 7-3 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Ralph Kiner went 1-for-2 with 2 walks and an RBI.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Chicago Cubs, 5-1 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

* And the New York Giants and the Cincinnati Reds were rained out at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. The game was made up the next day. The Reds won, 3-1. Rookie Willie Mays went 2-for-4.