THE play begins in New Orleans, on a dark evening in early in May. Stanley Kowalksi and his friend Mitch stop by the Kowalski apartment to drop off a slab of meat and let Stanley's wife, Stella, know that they are going to go bowling. Stella decides to join them, and as soon as the apartment is vacant, Blanche DuBois, Stella's sister, arrives carrying a valise and looking quite lost. Eunice, one of the Kowalski's neighbors, lets Blance into the apartment to wait. Blanche is very nervous and, finding a whiskey bottle in a closet, takes a few sips to calm her nerves. Stella soon returns and is delighted to find her sister there waiting. She listens patiently as Blanche rants about the deplorable conditions in which Stella is living. Blanche claims that she has taken a leave of absence from the school at which she teaches in order to come visit her baby sister.
Portrait of Marlon Brando, "Streetcar Named Desire...
Blanche - chassis
Cropped screenshot of Vivien Leigh from the traile...She also admits that they have lost Belle Reve, the family estate. She criticizes Stella for having left her alone to try to save the plantation. In a little while, Stanley returns from bowling. Blanche is frightened by Stanley's rough appearance and common talk, however she finds herself engaging in a flirtatious conversation with her sister's husband nonetheless.
The following evening, Blanche bathes while Stella explains to Stanley that Belle Reve has been lost. He is distrustful of Blance and wants to see the paperwork, but Stella begs Stanley not to upset Blanche because of the ordeal that she has been through. Stanley then goes through Blanche's wardrobe trunk and jerks out an armful of dresses. He suggests that she has purchased all of these feathers and furs by stealing their half of the estate. Stella angrily reprimands Stanley for making such accusations...