Tennessee Williams on the David Frost Show, excerpts

Some bits of David Frost's interview with Tennessee Williams in January 1970.

Regarding the "I've covered the waterfront" comment, the interview went as follows:
Frost: What about the homosexuality and so on, does everybody live with that, too?
Williams: I think that everybody has some elements of homosexuality in him, even the most heterosexual of us.
Frost: That no one is all man or all woman, you mean?
Williams: Oh, in my experience, no. I don't want to be part of some sort of a scandal, but I've covered the waterfront.

I believe David Frost was pressuring Tennessee Williams on something that had been something like an open secret at the time.

This segment is from the (less than fantastic) A&E biography of Tennessee Williams.

There are hardly any available interviews or videos with Tennessee Williams online, or even transcripts, so if anybody else has got some out there, here's your call.

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• tennessee williams
• interview
• david frost

[joeles123]

I don't like the way Frost manipulates this. Does anyone agree. Who give a fuck what your weakness's are. He is still gifted and talented.

[TreasureOne]

He HAS covered the waterfront. It is amazing how well he knows women. Better than any male writer I have ever read.

[LostGemsFinland]

Does anyone have the full interview of this one. There is almost none of Tennessee videos online. we need to keep his memory and works alive. i love him.

[punishalltrolls]

@AnaKosta doubt it. gays were very oppressed pre-stonewall.

[FakeMusicSnob]

he sounds like charlie sheen in this interview lol

[pinmeup123]

"I allow myself one drink a day" sounds curiously like Blanche DuBois....

[whatanightmare1]

I don't know...someone as brilliant as he, he could pull the drunken artist persona off very well. I just see an incredibly gifted man here, trying to have as good a time as possible in an uncomfortable interview. I have always felt that Williams took life's lemons and made lemonade...or some damn fine gimlets :~)

[NewMediaRep]

maybe instead of frost asking williams about his sexuality, frost should ask him about his artistic genius. that would make more sense right? considering the fact that the only talent frost had was asking questions.

[Gilligan346]

"To cover the waterfront" means that he spent time driving around the wharf looking for sailors. That was one of his favorite past times, according to Williams scholars.

[AnaKosta]

@BirthofCharlie "To cover the waterfront" means to deal with every detail concerning a specific topic, in this case homosexuality. At the same time Williams used it in a double entendre way, perhaps meaning that he had sex with a lot of sailors or that he was acquainted with every kind of homosexual practices.

[writer2victor]

This video was a classic, that is after he got out of Barnes Hospital for recovery from alchol and drug addition - caused by the loss of Frank Merlo. Thanks... his last lover, Victor.

[alexalex3131]

It wasn't the booze that killed him, nor the pills. It was the childproof cap. He tried opening the pill bottle with his teeth and wound up swallowing the cap. It stuck in his throat and he suffiocated to death. I believe the dramatist in him would have appreciated that enormously.