Truman Capote's SHOCKING Betrayal Of His Swans | FX 's FEUD Capote vs The Swans Explained
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- Опубліковано 25 січ 2024
- The Season 2 FX show FEUD Capote VS The Swans portrays the real life story of the complex dynamics between Truman Capote and Capote's swans.
In this explanation documentary video, we bring you the real and true history behind popular TV shows and movies, past and present. In this video we will look at historical account of who Truman Capote was, how his life events compelled him to betray the women he befriended and uncover exactly what happened that culminated in the vehement FEUD that ruin peoples lives and destroyed his career.
Let me know in the comments what you think about why Truman Capote became the Judas to his high society friends and whether you think they should have forgiven him.
#trumancapote #capotevstheswans #feudfx #feudcapotevstheswans #capotevstheswansfx
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So let me know what you think? WHy do you think Capote betrayed his swans? Will be be forgiven? Should he be forgiven? We're in for a ride with this FX mini series! Let me know how you like it! Thanks for watching.
I can only guess that he thought it would be amusing? He thought the ladies would just shake their fingers and say 'Oh, Truman, you're so naughty."
He did seem to have a reliance on denial to avoid taking any responsibility. Thanks for joining the conversation!
I think the swans loved him but they treated him like the court jester or a spoiled poodle. He wanted to be seen as an equal. He was furious at his mother for treating him like trash his whole life and took it out on the swans. Which was a shame. Babe pretty much adopted him.
Truman betrayed b/c he was a writer and a writer uses what he knows to create. However he should've taken the secrets and twisted them in a way that would not be recognized by those he wrote about. He loved gossip and they all knew it. They gossiped among themselves and then he said F*K it I'll write about it all. He thought they would all laugh it off but the crushed him completely.
He was a misogynistic narcissist
Truman's friendship and fallout with his swans is a proof that society has been toxic before social media came.
Good point! Thanks for joining the conversation!
The reason people talk about social media is because it makes it so easy and immediate for people to tear each other down. Obviously people have always been awful.
Social media gave the voice to create millions of Trumans.
But social media allows everyone to gossip about people of all levels of social standing. The swans wouldn’t have gossiped about Mrs Smith the butchers wife, because they wouldn’t have known her or have even met her. Now, it doesn’t matter if you know people or not, you can freely gossip about them on SM, hence constant threads on X about Kings, Queens, Princes, Princesses, Millionaires, Billionaires and Presidents that anyone can join in on. That’s what makes SM worse in my opinion.
Your use of society is what? You mean the old definition, meaning the top 1%?
And tell me what exactly “ social media “ consists of?
Only a raging Narcissist would commit a heinous betrayal and then fully expect those he/she betrayed to grant immediate forgiveness.
Agreed. His complete denial that they wouldn't be hurt by what he did speaks to his psycholgy. Thanks for joining the conversation!
I don’t know without “ le cote basque” Babe Paley Ann Woodward Slim Keith and company would have just faded into history. Capote Immortalized these ladies who lunched . Be honest would you know Who the F slim Keith or anyone of those women were without Truman Capote ?
I do think they would have made their mark without a man to highlight their lives.
@@fabulouswomeninhistory sorry no way in hell would Demi Moore, Cloe Sevgney, Diane Lane, Calista Flockhart Molly Ringwald , etc etc. would be playing these women had it not been for Truman Capotes story. He immortalized Babe and Slim, Princess Lee Radziwill (Jackie O's sister) the "swans""
would have evaporated into history, for example Everyone (even straight men!) know who Anna Wintour is. Only Parsons Grads know who Dianna Vreeland was and she dictated the fashion of that era as editor of Vogue Magazine. In the end ,There is no difference between Le Cote Basque and The Devil Wears Prada . Except perhaps that LCB is well written.
Lol They were all raging Narcissists.
Alcoholic and neurotic to boot. Capote was definitely in like company
Babe Paley, his #1 swan and I believe his one truest friend, understandably ditched him but on her deathbed apparently asked for him. Now THAT is sad. They were a great support to each other and he threw it away.
As I understand it Babe kind of discovered Capote and mentored him on how to blend with high society. He, in turn, became her confidant and friend....until he wasn't! Thanks for adding to the conversation!
If that’s true, how sad she asked for him … unless it was to tell him off.
Meh. These were rotten to the core women….who cares….wah wah wah poor wittle things. How sickening…..they’d be happy to be cruel to you no doubt, I’m gonna guess you haven’t dealt with the VERY rich much….or you’d feel little empathy. If they’re were such besties why’d he include HER? He didn’t have too.
@@TheDriftwoodloveryou must be young. Honey when you’re old and at the end of your life….you ain’t telling people off like that. If she’d wanted to do that she had time aplenty to do it.
@@6Haunted-Days Eh... people have ample time to convert or confess as well, yet still wait til their deathbeds.
With friends like Truman, who needs enemies.
Vanity. He thought he was untouchable.
I do believe you are right on. So sad for the women. Thanks for joining the conversation!
Vanity for narcissistic people in those times was an invitation to let him “change his protégé,” Capote was a flamboyant attention seeking narcissist. His manifestation of vocal indignity, made me sick- I as a young aspiring journalist, saw through this vile nonsense . His baby facedheld a filth of perversion that repulsed me and had I have gone into law enforcement. He would have been completely unable to expose the filth that he was desperate to share.
Vanity for narcissistic people in those times was an invitation to let him “change his protégé,” Capote was a flamboyant attention seeking narcissist. His manifestation of vocal indignity, made me sick- I as a young aspiring journalist, saw through this vile nonsense . His baby faced held a filth of perversion that repulsed me and had I have gone into law enforcement. He would have been completely unable to expose the filth that he was desperate to share.
He insinuated himself into the intimate thoughts and lives and of nearly everyone involved in the murder and apprehension that formed the basis of In Cold Blood. The success of that book without repercussions or blow back must have convinced him that he could do the same to the high society "swans". Turned out that wasn't the case.
That a good analysis. #Thanks for joining the conversation!
And some people say In Cold Bood was basically written by Harper Lee
@@x3danimatosoh really? I didn’t know that!
@@carolbradley4845 yes, she was helping him with intreviews and throughout the whole process, then he made it look that he wrote all by himself. they were childhood friends, Dill from To Kill a Mockingbird was inspired by him, but after In Cold Blood they had a fall out.
I can’t find anything on Harper Lee mentioning the source of their falling out. I think she did a great deal to make that book what it is. She had an insight to people’s pain, that I do not think Capote could possibly grasp. He was a keen observer of society and its players but socially awkward in all other aspects.
Between the alcohol topped off with tranquilizers and the mother issues I’m willing to bet he had unresolved trauma.
I agree with you. Thanks for joining the conversation!
The quote "There are more tears shed over answered prayers than over unanswered prayers" was not by Truman Capote, as you presented.
It was by Saint Teresa of Avila.
He borrowed it from her, he did not write or say it.
Yes, you are correct. Thanks for joining the conversation!
Capote ALWAYS attributed the quote and always said the title is from a quote by St. Teresa of Avila.
He certainly said it in reference to the title, and he gave the credit where it was due.
oh Jeez there was no fucking Saint Teresa of Avila quote. He made it up just like F. Scott Fitzgerald attributed the quote that starts the Great Gatsby "then wear the gold hat if that will move her....." to Thomas parke d invilliers. Fitzgerald pseudonym from prep school That rubbish in the series is just that rubbish. It's caaaaalled creative license. Here is a quote to make it real to the Gullible" Two all beef patties, special sauce lettuce cheese pickles onions on a sesame seed bun - Adolph Hitler! He also said "Hold the pickles hold the lettuce special orders don't upset us all we ask is that we let us serve it your way!!! Yep he said it because I said he said it. LOL.
I'm literally reading the biography of Saint theresa of avila as we speak. I haven't come across that quote yet but it does sound like something she would've said. I wonder of Capote was a fan of the great saints? Somehow though I doubt it. It's impossible to read her writings and not be completely transformed by them
Excellent work on this! Very spot on in its portrayal of Capote's complex psychology and why women should be very cautious in trusting people with their secrets. Capote was many things, including a brilliant writer but he was also a user. He was never really friends with these women.
Well said and thanks for the feedback. Helps me keep going with this channel. Share the video around with your wise words. Women should be aware. Thanks!
It's also a lesson on controlling your ego before it sends you off the cliff into the rocks below.
@@geraldstephens6612 Well said.
Well, the title of the story he submitted to a contest as a child, “Old Mrs. Busybody,” certainly foreshadowed his life. He used the “swans” to further his social standing, just as Bill Paley used his wife for the same. And he sold them out after they entrusted their secrets to him. Many alcoholics are immature in my experience and Capote’s belief the “swans” would understand exhibits this. No, those women had no reason to continue any relationship with him.
Could you explain more why women should be careful about trusting people with their secrets.
It's amazing how the Swans opened up so willingly to someone like Capote, a writer. Part of it was mother issues that Capote had, after being abandoned my his mother as a child. The swans served as mother surrogates. However, just as the swans kept him in their orbit for so many years and not anticipating a future betrayal....Capote underestimated the wrath of the swans (and high society in general). As much as he wanted to be accepted by high society, he ultimately still remained an outsider.
Yes, you nailed it! Thanks for joining the conversation!
A lot of writers have friends, that logic would imply that one should never talk about private things to a writer friend for fear they would betray you.
Capote was profoundly jealous of these women. He wanted their fame, social position & especially their wealth!! He longed to be taken care of by a wealthy man. He knew that he would never be really accepted b/c of his homosexuality by them or society in general. His astonishment over not being forgiven is laughable!
Sounds like a modern musician… vile humans.
He was like a pet to them. He was around for entertainment and he wanted to be around them for status.
The richer the person, often the weirder the scandals
Seems so!
Genius writer but complacated human. Sad end.
Speaking of gossip; it’s discovered that Truman wrote under a pen name for literary magazines in the late 70s and early 80s (before death). Most were not exposés, but allowed him to go back to his roots before mingling with elite. A majority of the magazines were independent; the pay sucked, but Truman got published up til the end.
Did not know that. Thanks for the additional infomation!
All I can say is that these women way UNDERESTIMATED Truman Capote and he, in turn, way UNDERESTIMATED them! Great video! Thank you.
Well said, Thanksfor liking the video!
Exactly
“In Cold Blood” is one of the best of its genre. Every sentence is actually artful. It deserves the highest praise. I think it broke his mind. Great channel!
Hey, thanks for liking the channel!
In cold blood
A fantastic book
do you think he peeked to early?... I think thats part of his psychology.
Born and raised in Mobile Al and never knew about Capote living there. Proof you learn something new every day. He was a social climber and the betrayal of his friends was incredibly mean. Don’t blame them for cutting him loose.
That is surprising that you didn't know but then it goes to show that he wasn't that famous afterall! Thanks for joining the conversation!
You did a fine job of encapsulating Capote’s background and motivation. I would only include a few small points: the quote from which Capote derived his title, “Answered Prayers”, is generally attributed to St. Teresa of Avila; C.Z. Guest remained friendly with Capote even after the publication of “ La Cote Basque: 1965”; Swan Marcella Agnelli NEVER trusted Capote and actually warned Babe Paley not to confide in the writer-a warning which she sadly ignored and Lee Radziwill also remained friends with Capote until he became angry with her for testifying on behalf of writer Gore Vidal in his defamation lawsuit against Capote which Vidal won. These are just minor clarifications. Overall your video was good. Well done you 👍🏾
Thanks and thanks for the extra information. Love it when people can share and add to the knowledge!
In her memoir, Slim Keith claimed she also warned Babe Paley not to tell Truman everything. Carole Matthau stated, "He told me some of his secrets. I told him all of mine." Carole gets off lightly in "La Cote Basque." He didn't betray her and she stuck by him.
Actually he was angry with Lee because she refused to testify on HIS behalf. Lee never testified for either.
@@vanessaa7602 You are correct and I am incorrect. Lee Radziwill refused to testify for Capote as he requested and then made disparaging remarks about both men’s sexuality. I was relying on my memory and did not refresh myself on the facts of this aspect, so thanks for the apt correction.
A therapist would probably say he sabotaged the relationships-before they could abandon him-Mommy issues.
I think so. Def mommey issues. Thanks for joining the conversation!
It's a case of 'How dare such a low creature look down his nose at US??' He was like a pet to them - but their pet bit them.
It's good to have both sides of the story. Thanks for joining the conversation!
Exactly and he was a pet because they knew he was a genius and he brought his intellect and wit into their lives. If they thought he wasn’t going to write about them when writing has literally been in his blood since he was a child, they were being pretty dim. (sorry about all the previous errors, I was voice texting on the run)
@@pamorama Yep😃
@@pamoramaHe was not a genius, he was a jealous self obsessed man
Are we sure he didn’t look down on them? Sometimes when people come from more “humble” backgrounds, one can develop their own sense of moral superiority over others born in more privileged circumstances. After all “we worked to get where we are”. Add to that an underlying factor of misogyny that people miss because the guy is not cis heterosexual. He was still a man from a certain time period taught to view women in a certain aspect. I do not think he treated Harper Lee well for all of her help in the book.
There was real pain in the form of physical and mental abuse in many of these women’s lives. Capote, like much of the public, just saw them as lucky women who got to look pretty all day. He thought they should consider themselves lucky because of their comfy lives. Either way it was overlooking someone’s pain and turning it into gossip. He was a friend. He was also jealous and miserable asf. 😂
Really interesting piece! Thank you for creating and posting it.
One note: Capote never wrote on a typewriter; his tools were a yellow legal pad and a pencil. He wrote entire books that way. Fascinating.
Thanks for the info and your feedback. Appreciate it.
...so did F Scott Fitzgerald
Before word processors.
When I was very young, I can remember some of the women in my family, discussing them in part. I will say my great Aunt was a domestic in Ms. Guest home. She served most of her parties when she was in Palm Beach or North Florida, if I can recall this correctly.(also during Polo season) My freshman year in college (SMITH) one of the women that lived on my floor was distantly related to Barbara Hutton. Her stories were just wild and very sad. No one should ever be treated in print bad. May they all Rest In Peace and even him... It is just wrong!! Thank you for posting !!
Thank you for commenting and joining the conversation and for liking the video!
Dill from To Kill a Mockingbird was supposed to be based on Capote as a child.
Yes I did read that. Thanks for joining the conversation!
Yes an him an Harper Lee had a issue because he said he helped write the book or something to that nature ...
Amazing that his small hometown had two such great writers.
Jealous is toxic.
I want to point out that I think Ward McAllistar (of The Gilded Age fame) was the Capote of his time. Because he actually wrote a tell all of all his socialite friends. And lost them all. Just like Capote.
A TGA fan! Good point! Thanks for joining the conversation!
Demonstrates those who don't learn from the past are destined to repeat it.
Despite what people say about him being a writer, I think what he did was reprehensible. Maybe he was their pet as some people have said, but it’s not he didn’t benefit from their friendship. Maybe they were shallow women who led scandalous lives, and apparently they weren’t good mothers but that doesn’t earn him the right to tear them down like that, even calling them too dumb to recognize themselves. He was a writer it’s true, but it had been many years since the publication of In Cold Blood and they introduced him to the rarefied world of high society. And regardless of what one thinks of the upper class, it was a world he wanted to be a part of. Imho there are just some things a true friend shouldn’t do. He wrote other books before In Cold Blood, then when he had a writer’s block and poached his friends’ secrets for profit.
I think there is definiely am ethics issue in the whole story. I like the way the show is - so far - portraying the deep hurt that Babe felt. The Slim charcter is tough but Babe is so fragile. I like that they are focusing on that. Thanks for joining the conversation!
Exactly! I totally agree with you. The price a confident pays to play is silence. 🤐 If you can’t do that then why shouldn’t you be shunned? Who wouldn’t shun a supposed friend who publicly and maliciously exposed you? Capote was a nasty little man who thought that he was smarter than those shallow but wealthy people. He was their pet? He called them swans 🦢 like they were his pets. The swans 🦢 were foolish but what he did was awful.😣
Agreed. WORD. FOR. WORD .@@phalynwilliams4119
Apparently, Capote was both narcissistic and amoral. It's a sign of the times that morality is ever considered in our toxic culture.
He violated personal boundaries then tried to blame them? What a sick man. How would he have felt if they did it to him? It was ok because he was a snake and they let him in? He knew better.
He was envious of there money and high society life style.
Truman Capote’s short stories from his early years are absolutely genius, especially “Christmas “Memory. The movie “The Grass Harpis my favorite, it trumps “Breakfast at Tiffany’s by miles. I have read every word published by the man, and I believe by the time of Le Cote Basque, his astonishing😊 talent had left him and he wrote the article in desperation to stave off the demands of his publishers compounded by the effects of the booze and pills clouding everything in his world.
Sometimes the people we trust the most are the ones who betray us. Vanity Fair
Sadly it is all too often true.
@@fabulouswomeninhistory There’s a reason why Nell didn’t speak to him anymore; even though they had been friends since childhood.
So very true. Touché.
I have been waiting with much anticipation for this series. The cast is stellar; I'm curious how close the essence of Truman is captured. I was once at a social setting with Truman & Lee. It is unforgettable to this day and now to see a series about him with the swans should be very interesting. Ryan Murphy has created some captivated series, I have no doubt this will be one of his best....hope so!
I don't know if Tom Hollander can beat Toby Jones for his betrayal. Or Philip Seymour Hoffman for that matter. They were right on. Thanks for joining the conversation!
He would have been dangerous with UA-cam. Thank you for the break down
OMG you are so right!
@@fabulouswomeninhistory😊
Error: The picture of Audrey Hepburn with an Oscar is for her win for Roman Holiday in 1954. In 1962, she was nominated but lost.
I know but it is meant to represent Hollywood. Thanks for joining the conversation!
I remember seeing Robert Morse play him in Tru, and one of the most memorable lines in the play was something like, "Well, they all knew I'm a writer! What did they expect?"
And I concur. What DID they expect?
Nowdays people get sued for doing what he did. Granted he did use their names but ... Thanks for joining the conversation!
His way of saying he wasn’t a safe trustworthy person or he was a snake and they let him in. Way to justify cruel treatment.
People are friends with authors all the time without having their secrets published
Great show! Robert Morse was brilliant. I urge anyone interested to seek it out.(It can be found out here)
As an actor I long to play that role but at 5'11 I'm too dang tall!
So it’s basically season 6 of Gossip Girl.
xoxo, Truman Capote
I found Capote a fascinating character. I suppose because he was such a good writer. The jet set still exists and the secrets of the rich and famous will continue aswell.
Yes, reality tv is just such an example. Thanks for joining the conversation!
This is going to make for a great show. I love these drama shows that are told as a story but not as a reality show. I hate reality shows. Truman Capote's betrayal of his the swans, is fascinating yet tragic and I look forward to how the woman are going to respond. I like your suggestions on why he did it. I will be watching out for how your theories play out. Thanks for this timely video!
Thanks for joining the conversation!
So much has changed in the decades since Capote was a child, and a grown man in New York. Being gay simply wasn’t something that you broadcast in those days, which is why so many men (and women) were closeted for their entire lives. But with Truman, his small size, baby voice, and effeminate mannerisms made it impossible to hide the fact that he was gay. I believe that his bold, brash, outrageous ways were often the only defense he had against being ostracized and bullied for being gay; because he couldn’t hide it, why not make it his signature and the very basis of his identity? That doesn’t come without deep-rooted pain and insecurities.
As much as Capote was the life of the party and the conversationalist everyone wanted at their dinner parties, he was still that little boy whose father left, and whose mother ached to exist among the higher echelons of society; she married a man, Joe Capote, who enabled her to move to New York and attempt her climb to the same circles that Truman himself eventually inhabited. It’s as if he was searching for his mother, intent on landing in the very circles that eluded her. His mother never accepted him as a gay child, or a gay man, and what better way to chase that approval than to succeed in a way that she never really did. Sadly, they both became bitter alcoholics who basically died alone, and without the loving care of family around them.
All this being said, Capote has been my favorite writer since I was assigned to read In Cold Blood in 11th grade, in 1989. I’ve read everything he’s written: all the biographies; seen every documentary; every interview; all the movies. He was absolutely brilliant and understood the human condition about as well as anyone ever has. But he was terribly wounded and damaged from a young age and never was able to escape his own demons.
Very nice addition to our discussion. Thanks for joining the conversation!
A nasty little fox is not redeemed by his genius...more likely condemned by it. O the sharp teeth of even the most dwarfed of little foxes.
Capote was truly nasty. He took the egotistic male role of believing that his swans were dumb and wouldn't know that he was writing about them. This show is going to be fun to watch for all the drama but still, sad for the pain he caused to the woman who had trusted him. Thanks for joining the converSation!
I would like to know more about his friendship with Harper Lee. She seems like the antithesis of the swans! Did he keep in steady contact with her during his high society years? Was she there for him when high society dumped him?
Good suggestion for a video. THanks!
I always heard that they stopped talking in their later years
@nutauf7587 It’s sad when you read about little "Dill" in To Kill a Mockingbird. It seems like Harper knew the innocent little boy that Truman used to be-- good at spinning tales even then, but sweet and neglected by his family. When you think of all the rejection and homophobia he must have endured back then, you have to have at least a little empathy for the guy. I love his autobiographical short story, "A Christmas Memory, " about his childhood. That shows a really different side of him.
I thought Harper Lee and Truman were cousins, which may be one reason he spared her.
In the movie about him, Harper Lee helped him when he went on location for In Cold Blood.
I thought I had befriended a poorly closeted gay man. He was never my friend. Two cis gender males told me in separate conversations that he secretly hated me because I was a woman. He wanted to be like me but he could never be me.
I was deeply sad for him and it wasn’t difficult to cut him out of my life because he began to act out towards me.
I determined from that day forwarded that men like him are dealing with something only God can heal. It’s presumptive to call them purely evil… their true pain and suffering is self inflicted.
I found it interesting that the tv show touched upon the topic of gay men secretly or unconsciously hating womenin a scene when they were trying to fathom what made him betray them in print. I think your statement, "He wanted to be like me but he could never be me," captures what may have been at the heart of his actions. Thanks for sharing your experience.
The Greeks had a word for it - hubris. I love the story about what Anne Woodward's mother-in-law was supposed to have said upon hearing that Anne was no more. It was something like "Well, Anne killed Billy and Truman killed Anne and that's that!"
Had not come across that tidbit. Thanks for joining the conversation!
To make a long story short, Capote was jealous! However, this was already said. He had an inferiority complex and instead of just being friends, accepting their short-comings as well as his own, he tried to tear them down in order to build himself up. He was a "little man," and this does not refer to his stature. In regard to forgiveness, one can be forgiven, but that doesn't mean that the betrayed person must be friends with the narcissist who betrayed him or her and "give another chance" to the hateful person!
I think that narcissist pretty much nails it! Thanks for joining the conversation!
turns out he was not really a friend at all and was known to spread stories and make fun of his swans to everyone around him.
That pretty much sums it up. Thanks for joining the conversation!
Truman Capote was a brilliant writer in a genre that combined journalism and self exploration through one's personal experience- either his protagonists or his own. JD Salinger, Hunter Thompson, and Sylvia Plath were other writers in this genre during that period. Truman's friends (Swans) were fully aware that he was a writer, that is also why they prized his companionship. Scrap the armchair psychoanalysis, the man never denied who he was or what he was.
I value all my commentors. Thanks for adding to the conversation.
@@fabulouswomeninhistory yea tbh a lot of your "analysis" plays on homophobic tropes. Do better.
@@wmgflute My thoughts exactly...."He was an insecure gay man, needing motherly love and attention while having a deeply hidden jealousy of the charm, beauty and grace of the women"...what a proper GOLLUM, LOL
All of these women were in need of a sounding board confessional. Truman seemed a benign shadow in their circle. He took in all that they offered and shuffled from one to another as they gossiped about one another and their unhappy marriages. Truman seemed no threat as he was not trying to steal any of these ladies from their spouses. As a thoughtful wordsmith, he gave them all the compliments and catty quips in daily discussions that drew them in for more. He became their addiction as they did his. Each relationship filled a void that money could not! Everyone got what was coming to them. No such thing as a perfect life.
Well said. Thanks for joining the conversation!
Another of your great videos. I really appreciate the effort you make to research these tv shows and give some insight to the real history behind them. I have been subed to your channel since your first video on The Dig. Really enjoyed it and look forward to more!
Thank you very much!
It’s ironic that the women were owned by their husbands and claimed as “his” by Capote. Scratch, claw, climb, what a life.
Good catch on that. Thanks for joining the conversation!
You can't really forgive someone who isnt remorseful. And he wasn't sorry or asking for forgiveness... just to be let back into their lives.
You cant have back whole what you brake into pieces.
People can't forget even if they can forgive.
Well said. Thanks for joining the conversation!
I truly enjoy your vlogs. Please don't stop!
Hey thanks so much. Always good to hear postive feeback. I don't plan on stopping and have more to come! Thanks again!
Considering his fear of abandonment, I have to wonder if this was not simply a case of hurting them before they hurt him. I'm aware that two of them did not abandon him but still, I feel like in a way, a childish one (but are we surprised considering his background), he was testing them. To me the saddest story was Ann's.
I agree. Look for my vidoe on Ann tomorrow. Thanks for joining the conversation!
I love your videos! The pictures mixed with the illustrations are so effective & engaging.👏🏼❤
Wow! Thank you so much! Nice to be appreciated and it helps keep me motivated! Thanks again.
The situation is twofold, Capote was never their friend as the Swans saw him as a fun pet project to keep around as long as he was a good lap dog while at the same time, Capote saw the high society as a means of security during his heyday. Both parties used the other where it does get disingenuous to state poor Mr. Capote was dumped by a bunch of entitle wealthy women for saying the truth. They came to him with secrets which could have caused damage to someone if publishing it to the world. Even if he published the Swans were all sweethearts, the girls would still have felt violated because they instilled their confidence in him and he abuses it without their consent.
I agree with you entirely. Consent is an issue here. Thanks for joining the conversation!
This is freaking amazing ❤
I hope you mean my video 😃 but I am sure the tv show will be amazing as well !
Malignant narcissist!!!
You got it! Thanks for joining the conversation!
I really do like the videos that you make. I am a big fan of facts vs fiction and these videos hit the spot. I can't wait for the show. When does it air and where? I hope I can catch it somewhere.
Airs Jan 31, 2024 10 p.m. EST on FX. I think it will stream on Hulu so I heard. The Swans' will also be accessible on Disney+ (via Star) starting Feb 1st (I think) and the series will be available on Star+ in Latin America.
Thank you for allowing me to hear his real voice. The actors portrayal of his voice seemed comically exaggerated and equally chalkboard grating. Except for the scene of him talking to The Random house agent in his home. Loved it.
Glad you liked it!
Just a part of the life cycle 🕊️ He was a Brilliant yet tortured Artist 💙
📝 Welcome to NY 📝
Thanks for joining the conversation!
I think he forgot the number one rule that every woman knows: don't piss them off. It will come back to bite you in the butt. I think, being friends with these women, he should have known that you don't bite the hand that feeds you. Snd he didn't just bite one, he cut the hands off and expected to be forgiven. some betrayals just are unforgivable.
That's right! Women are tough - or as I like to say, fierce and feisty! Thanks for joining the conversation!
No excuse for what he did, but I actually feel sorry for him for the abandoned and so sad childhood he went through.
I do like to look behind the mask but, in the end, we are all responsible for our choice. He made his choice and he suffered for it. Thanks for joining the conversation!
I find all of this so fascinating!!!!!
As do I and so many others watching the show! Do be shy and share with others and like too! Thanks for joining the conversation!
I am so looking forward to this show. I bet it will be as hot as The Gilded Age. More catty women. Lots of scandal. High society exposed! I do think there there is any reason to forgive even if he had mommy issues. Great video!
Hey thank for commenting! Let's get the discussion going!
Costing the entire society ladies downfall...no thanks to Capote who ruined their lives which cost him his downfall.
They had it coming. And who ever did the make up, one of the best eyeliner hand I've ever seen.
I think he got writer’s block and the fact that he had taken all that upfront money from the publisher made him panic. He used what he had…and that was extremely poor judgement. I think he either convinced himself that he’d disguised the characters…or…he was acting on a subconscious self-fulfilling prophecy that he’d eventually be abandoned by his ladies due to the trauma of his mother’s abandonment of him early on. It was probably a combination of both though. His substance abuse probably didn’t help his judgement much either and by the time he published this it had been a while since he’d had a big seller…so he was getting desperate.
That pretty much sums it up. Thanks for joining the conversation!
I've always had CZ Guest as my fave swan
Ditto! She was most elegant, I thought.
She was born to it! I like that she has a heart and feels for Truman.
Didn't she come from old money? They tend to be much more sophisticated and wise of the way of the world.
I guess Truman is back in fashion thanks to Murphy's mini series.
Yep, this will bring attention back for sure.
I don't think he was lost in fashion to those interested in writers and writing. Has Williams also been forgotten? Unbelievable.
He was neglected and betrayed by his mother, who was a beautiful woman who aspired to be a social presence, like his swans. When wrote In Cold Blood he became the close friend and confidant of the murderer Perry Smith -- some say they became lovers -- but there is no proof. This friendship with Perry was instrumental in creating a brilliant book, but Capote lied to him and betrayed him, knowing the death penalty would give his book the ending he desired. Betrayal became a part of his nature.
Just watched the 2005 movie Capoty starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman free on TUBI free streaming service. Also on TUBI is the 1979 documentary Capote Tells All with David Susskind
Thanks. Will check that out!
Thanks for your sharing of this story. It’s very fascinating and I love a great story. What I see in Capote is a gay man who, in his mind, is a genius storyteller and writer. He loved glamorous things and women. His small apartment is covered in intriguing designs. His writing was his art and although he adored the women, he was an artist which trumped everything. He had to write about them, they were his bread and butter and they are exciting and interesting to everyday people. The women loved being around him because he was passionate and caring and they loved to hear his stories. He had a way of telling stories that entertained them. So they knew who he was and what he does so they share in the blame of sharing secrets with him. I think his humanity really tore him apart. He doesn’t want to hurt them but it was who he was. That pain of having to tell the stories of his friends lead him to depression hence the drinking and the pills.
Thanks for you sharing your thoughts as well!
Well, you asked. It's been my experience that men who wish they were women, seek out the best.
But their jealousy of such women is stronger than the friendships.
He wanted to destroy what he couldn't have....couldn't be.
Thanks for that insight. I too believe he was jealous of them. Thanks for joining the conversation!
According to Capote he, from time to time, would tell the "swans" that he was going to write a book about them. He found their lives fascinating and he gave them warning after warning. Lesson: never tell a famous and talented writer your deep and dark secrets. RIP Truman Capote
You have a point. Thanks for joining the conversation!
Thanks 😲👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
You're welcome!
I liked TC on TV talk shows. The only book of his I read was Music for Chameleons. Enjoyed it. Haven’t seen any of the movies associated with him. Later I found a nonfiction book by Dominick Dunne, a sort of West Coast Capote. He claimed TC stole the Black and White Ball idea from him. I had a doc The Capote Files on a Kanopy watch list, finally got around to watching it. A month later I see an ad for the Swans movie. I thought, did I get this ball rolling?
“Lady Ina Coolbirth”? Giving that name to one of his characters was already a giveaway that Capote’s talent was in a death spiral.
Odd name isn't it? Since every write puts a little of themselves into their character, I am betting that Lady Coolbirth was as much a representation of him as Slim Keith. Thanks for joining the conversation!
@@fabulouswomeninhistory It's funny because when I first heard the name I thought it was a nod to Ina CoolBRITH. Her life was crazy! She was a niece/stepdaughter to Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism, who became a librarian and California's first poet laureate. She hosted literary salons in San Francisco introducing writers to publishers and building connections between all these people. She even became an honorary member of the Bohemian Club, a men's only "artists" club, the second of four women ever.
I wouldn't be surprised if Capote knew of her and her work, liked her name and reworked it to be more obvious. Slim Keith was just so cool from birth, obviously. Also, Slim Keith was from California. She was of the West in a way the others weren't. And to add to your point, Truman probably viewed himself as a collector of people and their stories, a literary connoisseur building connections between reader and his subjects. Maybe he even believed himself to be a male Coolbrith, invited to dine and bear the ear of the elite for art's sake.
Or maybe it's just a stretch on my part.
@christinepaige2575: I always thought that 'Lady Ina Coolbirth' referred to Pamela Digby Churchill Hayward Harriman, the much-married British aristocrat.
@@cathryncampbell8555 You may be right. I don't know whether anyone knows for certain that Slim Keith thought she was "Ina Coolbirth", or if she was just angry at Capote for doing this to his friends.
@@jackierosas9593 What interesting information! It certainly suggests that it is highly unlikely for the two names' similarities to be mere coincidence.
Poor ol Babe. Imagine being so emotionally desperate that you let a narcissist like Truman become your most trusted friend. He was such an opportunistic creep. All his advice was steeped in childish pettiness. Yuck.
I think Truman’s sense of intellectual superiority over his swans drove him to believe they were too dumb to connect the dots. His ego got in the way of true friendships because he could not love himself or anyone else. He was an alcoholic, vain, jealous man with great literary talent who desired devotion & destroyed the people who gave it to him and in the end destroyed himself.
He is said to have commented that they were to dumb to know that he was writing aboout them. I think it was Jack who relayed that info. Thanks for joining the conversatiOn!
I believe Capote might have said to his literary agent and others concerning his betrayal of his swans that first (and unbelievably , given that his swans were bright women)that his women “friends” were “too dumb “ to see themselves in the “Answered Prayers” excerpt. published in Esquire magazine! Also, as I recall, he noted that his swans and critics of the excerpt should have known that a writers always have used their life experience as material in their works, and that it was unfair to criticize him for doing so. I think that we should also consider that Capote felt he couldn’t complete and publish what is now considered his best work, “In Cold Blood” until the two men who murdered the Clutter family were themselves executed by the state of Kansas, and the executions did not take place until 1965, over five years after the horrific crime was committed. In the meantime, his childhood friend Nell Harper Lee’s novel. “To Kill A Mockingbird” had been published, had become an instant best seller and had even won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Capote was very jealous and became estranged from his old friend, despite her considerable help in completing interviews for “In Cold Blood.” I believe Capote had visions that given his genius for writing that his nonfiction book would be a strong candidate for a nonfiction Pulitzer and had the book’s publication not been delayed for so long that he would have no won a Pulitzer before his friend. After all, the “Tiny Terror” was widely viewed as a literary genius. It’s also been said that Capote’s becoming close to the murderers Smith and Hickok and witnessing their execution was emotionally devastating to him, and thus he began using drugs and drinking heavily. I would think that such substance abuse would dampen his creative powers in creating new fiction. Perhaps using ohis swans’ often sad lives with little disguise was a lazy and quick way to fulfill his obligation to his publisher as he was under pressure to produce as he was months behind in fulfilling his commitment. Perhaps the drug and alcohol also dulled his sensitivity to his swans’ feelings - assuming that he was normally an empathetic person , and it’s not clear that he was.
Very well said and thanks for adding some more info to the conversation!
@@fabulouswomeninhistory Thank you for a fascinating report! Well done!
Only just saw your comment. Thanks so much!
He really was a back stabbing acquaintance.,this is before social media . I think many in their circle knew but having it in printed for all to see was a real betrayal. He was talented but didn't have a clue about friendship
He was always a gossip so you would think they would have known better. You make a good point. It was more real when they saw it in print. Thanks for joining the conversation!
Good, bad, or awful, one could not take their eyes off him during his plethora of television interviews. He captivated, despite his despicable behavior, and in some cases, because of it.
That was his charm but also, an act to satisfy his need for attention. I did a video on how his childhood made him who he was. ua-cam.com/video/x-d0kbQZDvE/v-deo.htmlsi=wLX4N65Kq5ZjLYwV
@@fabulouswomeninhistory Thank you very much for your reply and link to the video. Excellent.
It makes a good title but it isn't accurate. They ghosted him . He was dropped end of story.. Sure it was a big scandal but they erased him from their world and moved on, except for the Woodward dame. A big mistake on Capote's part ( in hindsight)
Capote's ego knew no bounds. Thanks for joining the conversation!
I found the article on Esquire.
Thanks for reminding me. I posted the links for the original article "La Côte Basque, 1965” and the Mojave article in the community section of my channel for all to read. www.youtube.com/@fabulouswomeninhistory/community
Minor commment about the AI art. One piece has Truma typing sideways on the typewriter. It distactred my attention from the article.
I don't ordinarily look for details like this to pick apart, but it was disracting in the middle of a great video article. Your work deserves better visual support.
That is good and helpful critique. As AI art improves, so will I! Thanks
I decided to listen to this after reading Cult of We.
Yes, another disturbed person who lived in a perptual state of denial. Thanks for joining the conversation!
Betrayal is reason for the instant dissolution of a friendship. Cruelty is always untenable.
What he did was unforgivable. Yet, as a great writer he has passed down the story of a time, place and people who mattered when they were alive, the first "influencers," if you will. Our own scandal-ridden social media is no better, and happens constantly. Capote exposed the fact that, though rich, famous and influential, you can have a tormented life. He took "society" down a peg, and it's never been the same since. We don't have "swans" any longer; we having working runway models and their designers, the "top tier" of beauty and style, and movie stars who come and go depending on where/how/when and and with whom they get knocked off the red carpet. Still - nothing can compare today with the style and fascination (thanks largely to Tru) of Lee, Jackie, Babe, CZ and Anne. The moral of the story (and the excuse Tru used for "Answered Prayers") - "Don't trust a writer."
Well said! Thanks for joining the conversation!
Milking his friends for their deepest secrets & then publishing them is one of the worst betrayals . His friends were his victims.
He couldn't resist using their stories when he was under pressure to write his novel. Understandable but the stories were too close to the bone for these Women. Shame on him. He was so creative that he should have realized how terribly the impact of his book would be on these real people.
I don't know how he could have been forgiven after the murder- suicide ( in affect).😢😢😢
Those women thought that he was their friend...and friends are supposed to do things in confidence...its a bond that holds groups and friends together Obviously, they felt he used them.
Well said. Thanks for joining the conversation!
Capote based the title on a quote he attributed to St. Theresa of Avila, "more tears are shed on answered prayers than unanswered ones". That was true for both Capote and his swans. Swans, after all, are the most beautiful and elegant of birds. What woman wouldn't want to be called a swan? Capote was both charming and had a biting wit with many barbs. I don't we will ever understand what motivated him to betray his " friends". I doubt that there were any true friendship s among them except, perhaps, Carson and Capote. Carson may have believed that genius should be forgiven anything and everything.
I did just do a video that digs deeper into his childhood about the influences that affected his betrayal.You might find that of interst: ua-cam.com/video/x-d0kbQZDvE/v-deo.html
Thanks.
In Lawrence Leamer's book upon which the current series Feud is based, he said the affair Bill Paley has with the NY Governor in which the wife leaves menstrual blood on the sheets was Harriman.
In the series it's Nelson and Happy Rockefeller.
Quite a leap.
Also, in LL book Barbara Paley never speaks to Truman again so that scene on the street where they meet and hug, is pure fiction.
Reading articles and listening to interview from Capote in the 70s and 80s, very little can be found which is positive, except from hangers on and sycophants. There were friends who spoke kindly of him, such as biographer, George Plimpton, who documented his spiralling lifestyle and how is alcoholism and drug addiction made him a joke. I can't help but think he was self destructive as soon as he reached the craved success from In Cold Blood and from his social standing and celebrity. Maybe he thought all it was all vapid or that he would be known as a one trick pony, or that perhaps he was jealous of others' success. There are several biographies of Capote as well as his feud with the Swans. I've only read the Plimpton biography, does anyone know better ones?
A well-informed comment. Thanks for joining the conversation!
Gerald Clarke wrote a definitive bio of Capote.
Yes. I read it when it first came out. It's excellent.
Back in the day, the antics of the very wealthy were protected, sometimes to a horrible degree. The wealthy and illustrious want to be noticed and written about and to receive all the benefits of publicity and fame. Sadly, with that come scrutiny, and the fact that others find your lives interesting. I am with some of the other commenters who said that without Truman Capote inside stories, their names would not be as remembered today. They were interesting, because people were interested in the details of their lives, and if those were sordid, is it the person who’s writing about it to blame?
I am glad to hear your take on this. Thanks for joining the conversation!
I think that those women did the only thing they could do after such a betrayal. He was a wolf in sheep’s clothing and would have never been trusted again even if forgiveness could have been obtained. Certainly no one else could have ever wanted to get close to him again after seeing how callously he betrayed the Swans.
One would think yet Joannne Carson still stuck by his side and CZ knew him, accepted him and knew better than tell him her innermost thoughts and feelings. I don't blame Babe for never forgiving him. Thanks for joining the conversation!
"Friendship" as most people probably define it does not apply in those circles. Any and everything you do to get there, is about who can do what for you to get you there and vice versa. It's more like politics or high school on steroids.
You had a great analysis, most sociopaths like him, I believe he was. As sociopath’s get older they become resentful of others, and they start to attack people they have been the closest to. I believe with this type of disorder get worse as they get older because they are incredibly vain, and jealousy and resentment take over as they become less attractive and they begin to attack, which is what he did. He behaved as an aging sociopath.
I agree with you. Sociopaths have the ability to believe their own lies and in doing so, they are more believable. Triuman even resented Nell Harper for the success of her book. Resentment is always seething and I agree....it gets worse the longer they live. Thanks for joining the conversation!
Capote repeatedly was quite clear: he planned to write a novel equal to, if not superior to, the works of Marcel Proust. He simply didn't have it in him. This was a vain, and in vain, endeavour.
I noticed in last night's 3rd episode covering the Black/White Ball in the FX mini-series. The Ann Woodward character quotes Tennessee Williams line regarding deliberate cruelty being the only unforgivable sin and misattributes it to Capote as he throws her out of the B/W Ball, and Capote doesn't correct her. I wonder if that REALLY happened.
I wondered as well and a quick search resulted in this article in which Gus Vazant admits to a large part of that espisode as fictionalized. www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/feud-capote-vs-the-swans-black-and-white-ball-episode-real-story-1235817223/
That should be corrected before they put it out on video or streaming for consumption. It is one of the most famous lines from Streetcar Named Desire from its most famous character Blanche Dubois. I really miss the plays of Tennessee Williams. I think he was a much nicer person than Truman Capote. @@fabulouswomeninhistory
😢😢😢sad story! Check history! Had done before! High society's drama!
SNAP!!!!
What Capote did in writing his dear friends secrets was the altimate betrayal. And No they should not have forgiven him, he made his bed now he must lie in his betrayal.
Yep, that's what a lot of us think as well. Thanks for joining the conversation!
I think it's a case of "kill the cheerleader". As a closeted gay boy living in poverty, Truman probably saw women like Babe Paley as an ideal that could never relate to his origins. So, while he was ecstatic to be accepted by them, he deeply resented their privilege. He thought they were stupid, vapid and gullible. In his subconscious, he wanted them to experience shame and vulnerability out in the open, the way he had done in his life prior.
This is interesting
I don’t think he was ever friends with them, I think he resented them!
Seems that way... Thanks for joining the conversation!
idk how they are going to make an entire series about this. It's just a book and they didn't even start from the beginning.
We'll all be watching to see for sure!