My mother is a very accomplished, intelligent, & serious woman, but she always has had a sly interest in show biz & celebrity gossip. She told me the details & intricate ins & outs of the Elizabeth Taylor + Eddie Fisher + Debbie Reynolds divorces & marriages when I was just 5 years old. I appreciated that she explained that one to me. I remember well, being 12 years old & my mother giving me the low down on the infamous “party of the century”- Truman Capote's Black & White Ball.
The now legendary Black & White Masked Ball was a bash that Truman Capote threw at Manhattan's Plaza Hotel on Nov. 28, 1966. The guest of honor was Katharine Graham, president of the Washington Post, but no one had any illusions; the purpose of this gala was to celebrate the host, a serious writer, but also a serious celebrity. There had never been much doubt about the celebrity part, from the moment that he styled himself as a male nymphet for his 1st novel's jacket photo; Capote had shown a rare talent for self promotion.
Frank & Mia arrive at the Black & White Ball
What had been in doubt were his literary accomplishments. As he entered his forties, the once promising young writer had produced only a few slim volumes of exquisitely written fiction & journalism. But recently In Cold Blood, a masterpiece in a new genre- the non-fiction novel & a milestone in popular culture, had buried his skeptics, & it was time to celebrate. Capote's plan was to mix & match people: titled aristocrats with intellectuals with ordinary folk from the rural Kansas county where the In Cold Blood murders had occurred. But in this respect, the party seems to have failed. Jack Dunphy, Capotes lover: "I've never seen such ghettoizing in all my life. No group mixed with another group." As for the excluded, on the cover of the next Esquire, under the title "We wouldn't have come even if you had invited us, Truman Capote" was a photo of a surly looking group comprising Kim Novak, Tony Curtis, Pat Brown, Ed Sullivan, Pierre Salinger, Lynn Redgrave & Casey Stengel.
Capote by Mapplethorpe
Capote by Irving Penn
From the moment my mother told me about the Black & White Ball, I became fascinated by Truman Capote (at 5’3’’ he was dubbed the Tiny Terror) & I went on to read everything by & about him. I was fascinated by his distinctive, high-pitched voice & odd vocal mannerisms, his offbeat manner of dress & his fabulous stories when he would appear on TV talk shows. I have everything he has written, plus biographies, diaries & books of letters. He is a member of a handful of authors that make up the club: Stephen’s Favorite Writers. He had a long standing rivalry with another of my favorites- Gore Vidal. Their rivalry prompted another member of my club- Tennessee Williams to complain: "You would think they were running neck &neck for some fabulous gold prize." I own a first edition paperback of Breakfast At Tiffany’s. I love all his work, but my very favorite is A Christmas Memory. During the holidays I always re-read it, & I set a copy out, as part of a Christmas tableau, on a table as a holiday ritual.
Capote died in LA in1984. He was 59 years old when he died of Liver Cancer & multiple drug intoxication". He died at the home of his old friend Joanne Carson, ex-wife of Johnny Carson, on whose program Capote had been a frequent guest. He was interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in LA, leaving behind his longtime companion, writer- Jack Dunphy. Dunphy died in 1992, & in 1994 both his & Capote's ashes were scattered at Crooked Pond, on Long Island, where the couple had maintained a property with individual houses for many years. Capote also had a home in Palm Springs, a condo in Switzerland that was mostly occupied by Dunphy seasonally, and a primary residence at the UN Plaza in NYC. Capote's will provided that after Dunphy's death a literary trust would be established, sustained by revenues from Capote's works, to fund various literary prizes and grants including the Truman Capote Award for Literary Criticism in Memory of Newton Arvin, commemorating not only Capote but also his friend good friend Newton Arvin, a Smith College professor & critic, who lost his job after his homosexuality was exposed.
If you are not familiar with Capote try Capote: A Biography by Gerald Clarke, or Bennett Miller's 2005 film- Capote, which was nominated for 5 Academy Awards. Philip Seymore Hoffman's performance as Capote earned him many awards, including: a BAFT, a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, an Independent Spirit Award & the Oscar for Best Actor. Covering much of the same story is the film- Infamous (2006), with Toby Jones as Capote & the Harper Lee, of Miss Sandra Bullock & is an adaptation o Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career (1997) by George Plimpton.
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