I Do, I Do

Years ago when there were still some things worth watching on television, a man named David Susskind hosted a discussion program that was among the best. I remember one show that dealt with the work of Tennessee Williams. Joining a theatre critic, a couple of academic types, and two respected directors on the panel was the brilliant actress Maureen Stapleton, who had starred on Broadway in Williams's "The Rose Tattoo." After a lot of very lofty intellectual rambling about deeper meanings, Susskind turned to Miss Stapleton, who had remained mostly silent. "Maureen," he said, "you haven't said very much, but since you've played many of Williams's most memorable heroines we'd all be interested to hear your opinion." "Well, David," she answered, "I don't know what everyone is going on about. As far as I'm concerned, Tennessee's characters are just folks." And that's the reality, my friends, we're all just folks, who love and need to be loved. We all hurt and grieve and laugh and celebrate, and want to do those things with someone else, and in the end more than anything else we're terrified of ending our days on earth alone. That's all it's about, finding someone we want to join us on this journey. All the rest is political posturing that has nothing to do with loving, and that's just terribly sad.