#217: Truman Capote's Black And White Ball

The Bowery Boys: New York City History

Tom Meyers

Society & Culture, History, Documentary, Places & Travel

4.8 • 3.6K Ratings

🗓️ 24 November 2016

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Truman Capote is a true New York character, a Southern boy who wielded his immense writing talents to secure a place within Manhattan high society. Elegant, witty, compact, gay -- Capote was a fixture of swanky nightclubs and arm candy to wealthy, well-connected women. One project would entirely change his life -- the completion of the classic In Cold Blood, a 'non-fiction novel' about a brutal mass murder in Kansas. Retreating from his many years of research, Truman decided to throw a party. But this wasn't ANY party. This soiree -- a masquerade ball at the Plaza Hotel -- would have the greatest assemblage of famous folks ever gathered for something so entirely frivolous. An invite to the ball was the true golden ticket, coveted by every celebrity and social climber in America. Come with us as we give you a tour of the planning of the Black and White Ball and a few glamorous details from that strange, glorious evening. FEATURING: Harper Lee, Lauren Bacall, Frank Sinatra, Robert Frost, Lillian Hellman, Halston, Katherine Graham and a cast of thousands (well, or just 540) www.boweryboyshistory.com Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/boweryboys

Transcript

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0:00.0	Episode 217 of The Bowry Boys. Truman Capote's Black and White Ball.
0:05.5	Hey, it's The Bowry Boys.
0:07.0	Hey.
0:08.3	Support for The Bowry Boys is provided by our listeners.
0:11.8	Join us for as little as a dollar a month by visiting patreon.com slash Bowry Boys.
0:22.2	Hi there, welcome to The Bowry Boys. This is Greg Young.
0:24.8	And this is Tom Myers.
0:26.3	And tonight we're talking a legendary evening of glamour and mystery, which took place 50 years ago
0:34.0	on November 28th 1966. Perhaps the greatest assemblage of famous people to ever take place in New
0:41.7	York City in the 20th century. The Black and White Ball hosted by famed writer and social butterfly, Truman Capote.
0:49.8	That's right, 50 years ago, almost to the exact dates on that night of November 28th.
0:56.9	New York and much of the nation turned their attention to Fifth Avenue in 59th Street.
1:02.7	That rainy night, a long line of limousine stretched up Fifth Avenue, slowly making their way through
1:09.0	the crowds to the main entrance of the Plaza Hotel. Those celebrities who had stepped out on the red carpet
1:15.8	were wearing incredible costumes, custom-made gowns and tuxedos all in black and white,
1:22.2	and wearing masks. They pushed their way through reporters, TV crews, and crowds of
1:28.4	wild curiosity seekers who'd been drawn to the hotel to watch this entire spectacle unfold.
1:34.3	Every one of them, every costume detainee who climbed the steps of the Plaza had one big thing
1:40.8	in common. Perhaps the most sought after accessory of the season. Each one came clutching an
1:46.8	invitation to, quote, Mr. Capote's dance. It isn't like they were all just high society, or they were
1:54.3	actors or they were politicians. This was a mix of really the who's who in the United States and
2:01.5	some of the most celebrated people abroad. But this party is taking place with an unusual backdrop
	...

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