Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (film)

This is an article about the movie adaptation. For the original play, see Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) is an Oscar-nominated MGM film directed by Richard Brooks based on the Tony-nominated play of the same name by Tennessee Williams. One of the top-ten box office hits of 1958, the film was adapted from the original play by Richard Brooks and James Poe, and stars Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor, and Burl Ives.

Cast

• Elizabeth Taylor as Margaret "Maggie/Maggie the Cat" Pollitt
• Paul Newman as Brick Pollitt
• Burl Ives as Harvey "Big Daddy" Pollitt
• Judith Anderson as Ida "Big Momma" Pollitt
• Jack Carson as Cooper "Gooper" Pollitt
• Madeleine Sherwood as Mae Flynn Pollitt
• Larry Gates as Dr. Baugh
• Vaughn Taylor as Deacon Davis

Plot

Wealthy Mississippian Big Daddy Pollitt celebrates his 65th birthday unaware that he's dying of cancer. Big Daddy's son Brick is in a childless marriage with Maggie, a beautiful woman who taunts Brick about his obsession with his deceased best friend. When the truth about Big Daddy's health is learned, Brick and his father resolve the issues that have created the tension between them.

Production notes

The original stage production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof opened on Broadway March 24, 1955, with Ives and Sherwood in the roles they subsequently played in the movie. Ben Gazzara played Brick in the stage production and rejected the film role as did Elvis Presley. Bowing to the tenor of the times, the suggestion of Brick's homosexuality was toned-down for the film, thus causing George Cukor to decline MGM's offer to direct the film. Lana Turner and Grace Kelly were both considered for the part of Maggie. Tennessee Williams so disliked the film adaptation of his play that he told people in the queue, "This movie will set the industry back 50 years. Go home!"

Academy Awards

Although the film did not win any Academy Awards, it received several nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor (Newman), Best Actress (Taylor), and Best Director (Brooks). The film also received nominations for Best Cinematography, Color (William Daniels), and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.

External links