Baby Doll/27 Wagons Full Of Cotton (multiple scenes/multiple versions)

Three moments from Tennessee Williams' "27 Wagons Full Of Cotton" which was later made into the film "Baby Doll".

A few weeks ago, I posted a thread about Harold Pinter's "The Birthday Party" Here we have another classic play by a legendary playwright. Once again, the variations of how this scene can be played is pretty impressive. To make it even better, the movie version - which Tennessee Williams himself wrote - is different, and has a whole other tickle scene not in the play.I have at least 10-15 clips to post for this thread, so let's just get into it!

The situation(s): Flora is a young wife, about to turn 20, married to a much older man. In the first scene, he tickles her. Later, she is seduced by the superintendent of a cotton gin (this is a very famous scene that is often used in acting classes). Twice, she talks of feeling ticklish as he plays around with her.

But that's the play. First up, let's start with the film version, with gorgeous Carroll Baker. In the film version, she doesn't get that first tickle from her husband (played by Karl Malden). But the second scene, where she gets seduced by Mr. Vaccarro (played by Eli Wallach) is often described as one of the sexiest in all of cinema. I don't know if I agree with that, but it IS a hot scene. Anyways that's the first clip attached. (the whole scene goes on for about ten minutes, and she's giggly throughout as he plays with her neck)

In the second clip, which is not in the play, Wallach chases her around, catches her, and tickles her hysterical by grinding the heel of his boot into her belly.

This second clip has floated around (possibly the first one too) but these are upgrades. More to come, don't comment yet!

In the 1990, Lesley Ann Warren version of the play, the three scenes are intact. In the husband scene, she gets a nice tickling from Peter Boyle who practically devours her belly (which is one way to play the scene, as you'll see at least one more time). Then, in the second "head-games/seduction" scene she gets ticklish while Ray Stark plays with her and his riding crop. Interestingly, the dialog has been changed to "you're tickling me, quit tickling!".

View attachment 27 Wagons Full of Cotton (1990) Lesley Ann Warren-Peter Boyle.mp4
View attachment 27 Wagons Full of Cotton (1990) Lesley Ann Warren-Ray Stark 01.mp4
View attachment 27 Wagons Full of Cotton (1990) Lesley Ann Warren-Ray Stark 02.mp4

The second clip has been posted before in not great quality; the first and third have not, as far as I know.

As I said, this is a famous play. Here's a Chinese production that has the husband mouthing her belly to incredible shrieking laughter.

View attachment 27 Wagons Full of Cotton (chinese production).mp4

Obviously I don't speak Chinese, but here are the parts of what I think are the tickling sections in the second "swing seduction" scene. Hard to tell since the actress doesn't play this scene as giggly as she does in the first scene, but more breathless and "gasp-y"
View attachment 27 Wagons Full of Cotton (chinese production) second scene1.mp4
View attachment 27 Wagons Full of Cotton (chinese production) second scene2.mp4

More to come!

Keeping it international, two adorable giggly actresses, one French production, the other Spanish (I think)

View attachment 27 Wagons Full Of Cotton (spanish language production).mp4
View attachment 27 Wagons Full Of Cotton-Baby Doll (french).mp4

Sometimes this play is performed as "Baby Doll" and seems to be more adapted from the film script (which differs from the play). That last clip is actually from the "Baby Doll" version.

Here's another version of the first husband scene which has a great chase, complete with hysterical squealing:
View attachment 27 Wagons Full of Cotton (acting class with Isreal Scott and Venise Webb ).mp4

Another version of the husband scene, again Spanish; pretty fake, but it goes on for longer than some of the other versions.
View attachment 27 Wagons Full Of Cotton (husband scene - spanish).mp4

Often theatre companies put up little "commercials" for their productions; here's one such example that seems to show a flash of the husband scene:
View attachment 27 Wagons Full of Cotton (commercial for MUSE Theatre Collective production).mp4

Interestingly, Meryl Streep's first major play after graduating Yale Drama School was....this play! She even got nominated for a Tony, the first in a long list of nominations and awards. I would do ANYTHING to see a video of that production (the NY Public Library may have it in their archives but I wouldn't be able to take it out of the building). Anyways, here's what Meryl looked like in that production. All the contemporary reviews of her performance rave about it, and mention how giggly she is throughout.



More to come!

Amazing collection!

Here's more of that swing scene from a student production. The ticklings are spaced apart within the scene, so they're in two separate clips. Very quick, in this version.
View attachment 27 Wagons Full Of Cotton (student production 1).mp4
View attachment 27 Wagons Full Of Cotton (student production 2).mp4

Sometimes this play is done with actresses that are a little long in the tooth to be playing a character called "Baby Doll". Here, perhaps the actress is a little too old for the role, but she still has nice little reactions. This appears to be a sort of "home-made" version, and the dialog is changed a bit. Here's both the husband scene, and the swing seduction scene, which is played far-less menacing (and more romantic) than these other versions.

View attachment 27 Wagons Full of Cotton (homemade version 1).mp4
View attachment 27 Wagons Full of Cotton (homemade version 2).mp4

Here's another example, from a Spanish production (I think). This is a full-figured actress, and one might think that's a long way from Carroll Baker; in fact, when Tennessee Williams saw Baker audition, he said thought she was wrong for the part, and that she should gain 20 pounds. There are lines in the play that remark on her being a "big" woman.

View attachment 27 Wagons full of Cotton, Scene 1 (spanish production).mp4

Earlier in the "seduction" scene, he asks her why she's smiling and she replies that he's making her feel "hysterical". In this 1989 version, they play this moment as a full-blown tickling. The "switch" part of the scene comes next; alas the actress blows the line in the last "tickle" mention (not included here as it's not played giggly but as if she's in pain).

View attachment 27 Wagons Full Of Cotton (1989 production)-a.mp4
View attachment 27 Wagons Full Of Cotton (1989 production)-b.mp4

From a college radio production, here's the full seduction scene, with two tickle mentions:
View attachment 27 Wagons Full of Cotton (radio production HUB).mp3

And lastly from a rehearsal video of the husband scene, the idea of getting tickled apparently drawing the character closer to her tickler.
View attachment 27 Wagons Of Cotton (rehearsal).mp4

And I guess that's all for now. This play - along with the previously-mentioned/posted "The Birthday Party" - is done often, and both scenes are used frequently in acting classes. So look out for it! It's performed under both titles: "27 Wagons Full Of Cotton" and "Baby Doll".

good scenes but there's no comparison to carol baker's boot scene. I don't think any scene similar to that has ever been repeated.

Quite a collection of scenes! Thanks for sharing them all here.