Talk:Truman Capote

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Contents 1 Untitled 2 Openly Homosexual 3 Newly Discovered Truman Capote Book to be Published. 4 Interred, or ashed scattered, or both? 5 My edit - removal of the word "allegedly" 6 Death 7 80's TV Documentary 8 Affairs with heterosexuals 9 The film biography did NOT win in 2006 10 "Much-discussed" photo 11 Other Voices, Other Rooms 12 War Service? 13 Reversal of Fortune 14 Marriage of parents 15 the latest of the working-class boyfriends 16 Taught himself to read 17 TNR article on new films, witnesses to the executions 18 Own article for In Cold Blood? 19 Units conversion removed from "In Cold Blood" article quote 20 Randolph in a Mardi Gras Costume 21 Early Life Bio Issue 22 Published and other works 23 Breakfast at Tiffany's 24 Jack Dunphy 25 "unsatisfactory family history"?

[edit] Untitled

Is Capote2.jpg not loading for anyone else? --Kate 08:19, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

• It was deleted due to a copyright violation. See this page for more details. --71.111.209.194 20:51, 7 October 2005 (UTC)

Does anyone else think that the external link Abstract of Truman Capote is nothing more than a well-designed ad site? I don't trust my judgement on this myself... -- SeanO 23:34, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

Hmm, interesting. The Abstract of Truman Capote site does have a lot external links on it. About half of them seem to go to Amazon and the other half to other Capote related sites or news articles. There is also a bit of original content in the biography and time line section. That and there are no ads at all on the homepage. There are also some links to Google Ads, but that is pretty common these days. Is it updated regularly? I use that as criteria many times. If the content or news is updated, and not just ads, then it may just be a site that has ads on it to supplement time/materials.

[edit] Openly Homosexual

"Capote was... openly homosexual in a time when it was common among artists, but rarely talked about." This sentence could be misinterpreted as a generalization that artists tend to be homosexual, or that it was considered "trendy" at the time to declare onesself a homosexual, despite what ones true sexual orientation was. 24.167.199.91 (talk) 09:48, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Newly Discovered Truman Capote Book to be Published.

According to a BBC report, "Summer Crossing", for which the manuscript was first discovered last year, will be published in October 2005.

[edit] Interred, or ashed scattered, or both?

--jeff 01:54, 24 October 2005 (UTC) This article appears to have two contradictory claims about the disposition of Capote's body: that he's interred in a cemetery in Los Angeles (which appears to be true, because there is a crypt there with his name on it), and that he was cremated and his ashes were scattered off of Long Island. Are both of these true? If so, the article should probably say "a portion of his ashes" were scattered.

[edit] My edit - removal of the word "allegedly"

Truman Capote told me he was Dill in To Kill a Mockingbird when I was having lunch with him in the Cafe des Artiste in New York, (1978 or 1979).

[edit] Death

The film Capote (2005) states that his death was a result of complications with alcoholism. Can someone do some research and figure out the truth?? Robert Taylor 18:50, 29 January 2006 (UTC)

• In multiple areas of text it is widely discussed about how T.C. Died. Some say it was drug overdose (highly unlikely) and others say it was alcoholism (which would mean that he had liver failure or something like that). I believe the latter. -fkylw 4:03 PM July, 19 (CST)

[edit] 80's TV Documentary

In the late 1980s or in 1990 I saw a television documentary on Capote. The program featured footage of his television interviews. The soundtrack included music from New Order (specifically a song named "Elegia"). Can anyone verify or provide more information on this?

• In multiple areas of text it is widely discussed about how T.C. Died. Some say it was drug overdose (highly unlikely) and others say it was alcoholism (which would mean that he had liver failure or something like that). I believe the latter. -fkylw 4:03 PM July, 19 (CST)

[edit] Affairs with heterosexuals

Made change to acknowledge that some male actors (Rock Hudson for example) were not heterosexual despite their statements to contrary.

[edit] The film biography did NOT win in 2006

I removed the line about the film biography winning the 2006 Academy Award. It was misleading (Crash won in 2006). Philip Seymour Hoffman won for Best Actor, which is discussed in the next section and contains a link to the film. Thank you.

69.173.211.221 02:16, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] "Much-discussed" photo

It isn't really fair to tell us the photo from Other Voices, Other Rooms was much discussed without telling us what the discussion was about. Angr/talk 08:58, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

I agree with this comment, I looked throughout the article trying to find out why the photo was much discussed. Either the article should contain the discussion, or the caption shouldn't mention the discussion. SteveHopson 17:30, 9 March 2006 (UTC)

I'm shooting from the hip, but I believe the photo was felt to be very provocative and suggestive. I agree that the photo should be discussed, or the comment deleted. JJ 17:39, 9 March 2006 (UTC)

I wrote that caption, and I agree with all these comments. I'll try to do some research and provide an explanatory paragraph and a new caption. Have patience. The point is not something easily communicated in a caption, but in 1950-59, no one had ever seen anything like this on the back of a book. For many years, this was the single image people had in mind when thought about Capote. In that regard, this was, during the 1950s, THE most famous photo of Capote. College students owned the paperback with that photo on the back and they did debate Capote's personality and sexuality as they attempted to interpret the meaning behind the photo. Anyway, I'll give it a shot. Maybe I can find a quote somewhere instead of just relying on my memory. Pepso 18:57, 9 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Other Voices, Other Rooms

"The promotion and controversy surrounding this novel catapulted Capote to fame."

""The famous photograph: Harold Halma's picture on the dustjacket of Other Voices, Other Rooms (1948) caused as much comment and controversy as the prose inside."

A perspective from one who knew nothing about Capote prior to reading this article....

Yet more serious than the ambiguity concerning the photograph (the controversial nature of which I think I can just about glean, only bexause I can see the photograph) is the total lack of comment as to the nature of the work itself. It was controversial, and it catapulted him to fame.... could the article not at least tell me what the book (and the controversy) was about, please? I'm intrigued. TheMadBaron 15:00, 5 June 2006 (UTC)

Okay, will do. Pepso 21:39, 5 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] War Service?

Capote was of age to serve in WWII. Did he serve, or if not how did he avoid it? --GaeusOctavius 18:00, 7 June 2006 (UTC)

Discography? was he a musician, did he have a lot of records?

Why don't you actually read the content? It says read by. Meaning that Capote read his works aloud, and those recordings are available. Humph. Mak (talk) 04:06, 18 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Reversal of Fortune

Gotta remember to add some kind of reference to Sunny von Bülow (also see [1]) -HiFiGuy 16:51, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Marriage of parents

"Truman Capote was born Truman Streckfus Persons in New Orleans, Louisiana, to salesman Archulus "Arch" Persons and 17-year-old Lillie Mae Faulk. When he was four, his parents divorced" - This at least implies that his parents were unmarried when he was born in 1924. They divorced when he was four. When did they actually get married? -- 201.51.228.229 22:13, 2 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] the latest of the working-class boyfriends

Does the reference to "the manipulative John O'Shea" as "the latest of the working-class boyfriends" sound a bit dismissive? It suggests that those previous boyfriends were insignificants because they were working class, and that somehow O'Shea's manipulative ways stemmed from his class.

It would be better to identify him more closely, say why he was manipulative, and then maybe comment on his social identity. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Benjaminn (talk • contribs)

I agree. Go for it! Wikipedia:Be bold! Mak (talk) 22:35, 8 October 2006 (UTC)

I grew up in the working-class neighborhood of Wantagh, NY. Brian O'Shea, (son of the "manipulative" John O'Shea, father of "three", I made the correction), was one of my best friends. As a result, I got to know Truman personally. Brian and I dined with Truman on a few ocassions, accomanied him to parties and visited him at his apartment in UN Plaza. The last time I saw him, Brian and I tagged along in the Green Room while hid did an interview with ABC's Frank Reynolds. Gary Gilmore was being executed in Utah, and Truman, who had personally witnessed three executions while doing research for "In Cold Blood", was offering expert commentary.

I found your comment about being "dismissive" to be very perceptive. Truman was anything but! I sometimes get the impression that what I read about Truman, (and in this case, John O'Shea), is overly harsh. Perhaps I can offer my experiences to shed some light on this Bio. Let me also include a disclaimer: I am not homosexual or bi-sexual. I never have been. I am just a heterosexual working class guy from Wantagh.

I was seventeen when I first met Truman. He was at the O'Shea's home and I happened to be there, along with the entire O'Shea family, including Peggy O'Shea, (John's wife). I was introduced and it was explained to me that John O'Shea was Truman's business manager. While I am not challenging that John and Truman's relationship went beyond business, let me make clear that I never saw any evidence of anything beyond that.

Truman wanted to take the family out to dinner. We ended up out in Montauk. I showed some familiarlity with the area, so Truman offered to let me choose the restaurant. I chose a place called "Gossman's Dock", because it was a beautiful day and we could eat outside by the water. The service was really slow and nobody was coming to wait on us. Truman did not want to complain, because I had chosen the place, so he hussled up to the bar to get the seven of us drinks. To further put me at ease, when he returned with everyone's beverages, he joked that he overheard one of the patrons mention that, "this must be a good place, they've got Truman Capote working as a waiter!"

Point 1.) Truman was funny.

Point 2.) The Truman I knew was always generous and sensative to the needs of others.

On one occassion Brian and I accompanied Truman to a party in the Hamptons. It was a low key affair. The only things I remember about it were that I met and talked to John Mckendry, of the rock band Mckendry Spring, and that we were next door to Dick Cavett's house, (Truman knew I was a fan of his show). I didn't see any drugs or displays of homosexuality.

On another occassion, Brian and I met Truman at his apartment in UN Plaza. He had a bookcase full of volumes of "In Cold Blood" in over 80 different languages. Brian pointed it out to me, (Truman would not have mentioned it).

Point 3.) The Truman I knew was not boastful of his success or his celebrity.

I noticed some glass paperweights on the coffee table and picked one particularly attractive one up to examine it more closely. I commented on its beauty, and asked Truman where he got it. He toddled, (as Truman did, Phillip Seymore Hoffman definitely had the walk down), over to the bookshelf and opened a catalog of Louis XVI, (or XIV, it was one of those Louis!), paperweights and showed me that the one I was holding was called the "Amber Flash". It was valued at the time at over $ 11,000, (a lot of money in the late seventies). I gingerly set it down. He reassured me that he didn't mind me handling it. He went on to show me a cheap imitation paperwieght and how you could tell the difference. The cheap paperwieght had air bubbles and other flaws in it that could not be found in the "Amber Flash".

Point 4.) The Truman I knew was patient and kind.

Brian saw a painting in brown paper standing in the hallway. He pulled it out and asked Truman why he hadn't hung it up. Truman explained that it was a Chagal, and that it would cost over $200 a month to insure it, so he just left it sitting there.

Point 5.) Truman was no money manager. That's why he hired the "manipulative" John O'Shea.

I later asked Brian why Truman took the time to "hang-out" with us. He said Truman just liked us.

On another occassion Brian and I dined with Truman at the Cafe Des Artiste. I was not at all dressed for the occassion, (jeans, denim jacket, turtle neck ski sweater and boots). Some of the male patrons had tuxedos on. The waiter tried to seat us discretely, but Truman insisted we be seated at the best, (and a highly visible), table.

Point 6.) The Truman I knew was no elitest or snob.

We talked about many things that day. While Brian would always try to impress me with the important and influential people that Truman knew, Truman never did. He asked me if I had read any good books lately, and I said I hadn't, but that I had enjoyed the movie, "To Kill a Mockingbird", with Gregory Peck. At the time I didn't know about Truman's childhood or his relationship with Harper Lee. He patiently and carefuly explained to me that the character "Dill" was based on him. He also laughed with Brian as he said, something to the effect of, "some of the other characters were me too", and Brian responded "like Boo Radley". It made me wonder how much input Truman may have offered to Harper Lee's only novel. Truman could have easily made me feel like an ignorant idiot on many occassions. He never did. He always explained things that I didn't understand or know about in the simplest and least condescending way. I asked what he was reading and he talked about Proust being a favorite. He also talked about writing a novel similar to one of his.

Truman later helped Kerry O'Shea, (daughter of the "manipulative" John), to launch a modeling career by arranging a photo-shoot for her with Richard Avedon. At one point she appeared on the cover of "Teen Magazine".

Point 7.) Truman easily and readily shared his knowledge and his celebrity.

Much has been written about Truman being "openly gay". As a strait seventeen to twenty three year old, I never heard Truman use the term gay, nor did I ever hear him make even an oblique reference to homosexuality. He also never acted in any manner toward me that would imply that he was gay. One time Brian and I went to an apartment, (it was in New York, I forget where), to accompany Truman to the taping of the special I mentioned above with Frank Reynolds. At Truman's request, Brian asked me to wait in the lobby. He explained that "Jack" was there. I inferred that Truman did not feel it was approriate for me to see them together.

We went on an errand for Truman to get fresh oranges. Nine screwdrivers later, Truman emerged and we were off to ABC Studios. While we were sitting in the Green Room, Brian started talking to a gentlemen he was sitting next to, who turned out to be the Dean of Saint John's Law School. I wasn't listening too carefully, but the Dean asked Brian something about if he was attending school. Something about his tone prompted Brian to give him a somewhat sarcastic answer. The next thing I knew, a production assistant was "escorting us out". Not wanting to embarass Truman, we started to leave. Truman spotted us from the stage and called out to us. We explained briefly that we were being asked to leave. Truman stood up in the middle of the interview and told Frank Reynolds he would not continue unless we were allowed to stay. A somewhat flabergasted Frank Reynolds acquiesced and we sat on the set for the rest of the segment. Niether the production assistant, nor the Dean of Saint John's Law School were visible for the rest of the time we were there.

Point 8.) Truman was loyal to and protective of those who offered him true friendship.

I have also never seen or heard an adequate explanation of Truman's manner of speech. I once asked Brian why Truman spoke the way he did, and he told me that Truman had "flipped a Jaguar" when he was young and caved in his sinus cavities. It was not something Truman openly shared or discussed.

Point 9.) Truman's manner of speech was not an affectation. It was the result of the time he spent around women as a child and an accident. Truman never acted in a "phoney" manner around me.

I graduated from SUNY Farmingdale in 1975 with an AS degree in Criminal Justice. In 1978, I got bored with working in a bank. I bought a motorcycle and headed for California. Truman wanted me to go see his friend Joseph Wambaugh when I got there. Though I always felt perfectly comfortable with Truman, I somehow didn't feel comfortable going to see Joe Wambaugh, whom I'd never met. Once in California, I lost touch with Truman.

The next thing I heard from Brian a few years later was that Truman had "died of complications of alcoholism". I regret not having kept in touch with him.

I always got the impression that Truman hung out with working class kids like Brian and I because we offered a refreshing, (and more pedestrian, if not normal), alternative to the celebrity life he led. His roots were humble and he always seemed at ease in our presence.

Point 10.) I never asked him for anything and he never asked anything of me. He always offered good company, good conversation and a free meal. He also freely offered his help and support. I'm glad I met him. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.190.199.190 (talk) 16:13, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

I appreciate your insights and experiences and found it very interesting. I just wanted to be sure you know that the discussion you responded to was two years ago and the article has been changed in the interim to better define the relationship between Capote and O'Shea as one of "jealousy and manipulation" between the two of them, and the way in which they related to one another. Thanks again for your note. Wildhartlivie (talk) 22:25, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Taught himself to read

This article states that Capote 'taught himself to read'. I'm pretty sure that this is impossible, and that one has to have reading explained to you by one who can already read. I'm therefore removing this unreferenced claim. mgekelly 01:25, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Here's the reference from Capote's obit in New York Times:

After his mother's divorce from Mr. Persons and her marriage to Joe Capote, she brought her son to live with them in New York. He was sent to several private schools, including Trinity School and St. John's Academy in New York, but he disliked schools and did poorly in his courses, including English, although he had taught himself to read and write when he was 5 years old. Having been told by many teachers that the precocious child was probably mentally backward, the Capotes sent him to a psychiatrist who, Truman Capote said triumphantly some years later, "naturally classified me as a genius."

In the Gerald Clarke biography, a paragraph describes how Capote was usually seen at age five carrying around his dictionary and notepad. Conversations with Truman Capote has a passage telling how Capote taught himself to read (in a town with no library) by collecting old farm magazines and each day at six pm meeting the bus which dropped off the two newspapers from Mobile and Montgomery. Hadley Bond was a gifted child in Australia who taught himself to read by the age of one-and-a-half, had a library at age two and taught himself math at age three. There are hundreds of accounts of people who taught themselves to read, by comparing street signs or Biblical passages to speech, and many mentions of Lincoln teaching himself. The novelist Nicholas Delbanco taught himself to read at age six by studying a book about boats during a transatlantic crossing. Pepso 12:56, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

I taught myself to read at about age 3. A neighbour overheard me reading to her baby and mentioned it to my mother who had no idea. She promptly tested me with various books and discovered I could even read from the encyclopedia (though of course I didn't understand what I was reading). I don't recall any of this, but do remember that I was already reading by the time I went to kindergarten at 4 years old. No one ever sat down and taught me how. I must have just picked it up.--Ibis3 20:25, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

"Truman Capote said of himself: 'I was born in New Orleans in 1924... I learned to read at pre-school age. ... My education has been rather do-it-yourself. To this day I cannot recite the alphabet or the multiplication tables. I had already started writing short stories when I was 14 and some of them were published." --- Excerpt taken from a page about the author (by the author) preluding his novel "The Grass Harp" --anawkwardstroll 04:05, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] TNR article on new films, witnesses to the executions

Please see: [2]--Gkklein 20:07, 30 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Own article for In Cold Blood?

Should we split all the info related to In Cold Blood to a new article?--Gkklein 20:10, 30 October 2006 (UTC)

No, it's already been split: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Cold_Blood Pepso 20:49, 30 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Units conversion removed from "In Cold Blood" article quote

I have removed the units conversion (1,000 acres [4 km²]) from the New York Times article quoted in the In Cold Blood section and reinserted it as a footnote below the quote. While a metric conversion is appropriate, doing so inline within the body of a verbatim quote from a primary source is improper conversion style and mis-use of the source material. Georgewilliamherbert 19:19, 1 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Randolph in a Mardi Gras Costume

I have read the book Other Voices Other Rooms and nowhere is it mentioned that Randolph is in a Mardi Gras costume nor is it mentioned that the lady in the window is actually Randolph (that's implied). —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.202.83.167 (talk) 22:48, 19 February 2007 (UTC).

Change to "implication" was made. Thanks. Pepso 02:34, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Early Life Bio Issue

This sentence in the Early Life bio section doesn't make sense; "In 1933, he moved to Texarkana,TX to live with his boyfriend Drew Tank and his second husband, Dop Jones, a Cuban-born textile broker, who adopted his stepson and renamed him Truman García Capote."

Unless an eleven year old Capote actually moved to Texas to live with his boyfriend and his second husband, something here is incorrect. Obviously the intended text involves moving somewhere with his mother, but I can't figure out what is supposed to go here. Needs fixing. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by [[User:Sipfan 18:08, 28 February 2007 (UTC)|Sipfan 18:08, 28 February 2007 (UTC)]] ([[User talk:Sipfan 18:08, 28 February 2007 (UTC)|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Sipfan 18:08, 28 February 2007 (UTC)|contribs]]).

Actually, this sentence seems to have gotten worse as it now claims he was born in Arkansas. Could someone with knowledge of the event dive in? Sipfan 18:02, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Published and other works

This table is missing the 1950 book of travel essays titled Local Color, which is the author's first published non-fiction writing. --chacal la chaise 18:39, 5 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Breakfast at Tiffany's

I fixed the formatting on the most recent addition to this section, but the text itself (the part beginning with "Although Breakfast at Tiffany's...") is very strange and oddly disjointed. I don't know enough about either TC or the movie to edit it, if someone else could take a look, that'd be good. Delius1967 22:46, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Yes, it is strange... just nonsensical rambling, so I deleted it. Pepso 00:42, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Jack Dunphy

I wonder why neither this article or the Jack Dunphy article come right out and say what the nature of their "relationship" was? I mean obviously it was "personal" but both articles use that "safe" and nebulous language "a relationship". Platonic? Sexual? Where they lovers? The article doesn't say... WiccaWeb 22:06, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] "unsatisfactory family history"?

"Dill is creative, bold and had an unsatisfactory family history." -- What the hell is an "unsatisfactory family history"? WP:SPADE, please. -- 201.37.229.117 (talk) 06:19, 2 March 2008 (UTC)