BABY DOLL & TIGER TAIL. (1941 & 1979). Tennessee Williams. ***.“Baby Doll” was a screenplay written by Williams. The film itself was released in 1956, and featured Caroll Baker, as Baby Doll, with Eli Wallach and Karl Malden as the other principal players. It was directed by Elia Kazan. I remember going to see the film when it was released and not thinking very much of it. It was highly criticized by the press at the time because of its lewd and lascivious content. In today’s world, it wouldn’t bother anyone except those critics who took exception to the quality of the story. It’s not a very good story line. Williams later wrote a stage play adapted from the film, titled “Tiger Tail,” but it was never produced during his lifetime. It pretty well followed the plot of the film, with only a few minor changes. I think that if the critics had simply ignored the film, it would have raced into obscurity. It was their uproar that made it an issue. Williams wrote many excellent plays, many of them turned into good films; this was not one of them.
