Talley and Son by Lanford Wilson
"Talley and Son" is a play by Lanford Wilson that explores complex family dynamics and the impact of war on personal relationships. Set against the backdrop of Lebanon, Missouri, during the Fourth of July in 1944, the narrative centers around the Talley family as they navigate profound secrets and tensions. The story is framed by the ghost of Timmy Talley, a Marine who returns home for his grandfather's funeral, only to discover that he will never make it back after being killed in action. The plot intricately weaves together the lives of Timmy's family members, including his father Eldon and grandfather Calvin, who grapple with issues of legacy, business pressures, and familial obligations.
The play not only delves into the personal struggles of the Talley family but also reflects on broader themes such as the effects of war, intergenerational conflict, and the challenges faced by individuals in a competitive economic landscape. Wilson's work illustrates the nuances of small-town life and the often fraught relationships that exist within families, particularly during times of turmoil. As the narrative unfolds, it reveals a rich tapestry of emotional stakes and ethical dilemmas that resonate with audiences, prompting reflections on the nature of family, power, and resilience.
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Talley and Son by Lanford Wilson
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition
First produced: 1985 (first published, 1986)
Type of work: Play
The Work
This play, produced relatively late in Lanford Wilson’s Talley cycle, actually had its first Broadway airing in 1981, when it was produced as A Tale Told. This early version of the play was not a notable success, although it received some encouraging critical attention. After it closed on Broadway, it enjoyed a continued run Off-Broadway.
Wilson has a habit of working and reworking plays that do not please him, and he reworked A Tale Told for four years, bringing it to Broadway with the new title Talley and Son. The play has a complicated plot, but Wilson provides one character, the ghost of Timmy Talley, to serve the function of the chorus in Greek plays, that of giving the audience the details that they need to follow the action.
The play opens at sunset on the fourth of July, 1944. Timmy Talley’s ghost returns to his home on a rise overlooking Lebanon, Missouri, Wilson’s birthplace. Timmy, a member of the United States Marine Corps, was granted a furlough to come home from the South Pacific, where he was stationed, to attend the funeral of his grandfather, Calvin. Ironically, the old man has rallied to the point that he sneaks out in his son’s Packard automobile for a drive. Timmy was killed before he was able to leave the battle area. His brother, Buddy, who is serving in the armed forces in Italy, having received a similar furlough, arrived home a day earlier.
The play’s first act juggles four separate lines of narrative. Most of the characters have appeared earlier in other Wilson plays relating to the Talleys, and Wilson uses Timmy, in his role as chorus, to fill in needed details.
The Talley family has secrets that are gradually revealed as the play evolves. The grandfather, Calvin, is aware that his son Eldon impregnated the family’s washerwoman, Viola Pratt, eighteen years earlier. Avalaine Pratt, the child born of Eldon’s union with Viola, is now seventeen. Calvin tries to bribe her to marry Emmet Young, a handyman whom he employs.
Avalaine realizes her parentage and demands her part of the family fortune. Eldon, who has been running Talley & Sons, is under pressure from Delaware Industries to sell the company. Calvin is in favor of selling, but Eldon is stalwartly opposed to doing so. Calvin thinks he can prevent the impending sale, but Eldon has his father’s power of attorney, and, by using it in accordance with his own preferences rather than his father’s, he can thwart the takeover.
In this play, Wilson deals effectively with crucial intergenerational relationships as well as with the dog-eat-dog environment of big business. He also shows the effect of a prolonged war on a family whose sons are involved directly in it. The play seethes with the small-mindedness of a midwestern town. It deals also with the manipulation of the little people by those in power.
Bibliography
Barnett, Gene A. Lanford Wilson. Boston: Twayne, 1987.
Bryer, Jackson R., ed. Lanford Wilson: A Casebook. New York: Garland, 1994.
Busby, Mark. Lanford Wilson. Boise, Idaho: Boise State University, 1987.
Dasgupta, Gautam. “Lanford Wilson.” In American Playwrights: A Critical Survey, edited by Bonnie Marranca and Gautam Dasgupta. New York: Drama Book Specialists, 1981.
Dean, Anne M. Discovery and Invention: The Urban Plays of Lanford Wilson. Rutherford, N.J.: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1994.
Gussow, Mel. “A Playwright at Home with Life’s Outsiders.” The New York Times, September 15, 2002, p. AR1.
Herman, William. Understanding Contemporary American Drama. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1987.
Hornsby, Richard Mark. “Miscarriages of Justice.” The Hudson Review 56 (Spring, 2003): 161-167.
Schvey, Henry I. “Images of the Past in the Plays of Lanford Wilson.” In Essays on Contemporary American Drama. Edited by Hedwig Bok and Albert Wertheim. Munich: Max Huber Verlag, 1981.
Williams, Philip Middleton. A Comfortable House: Lanford Wilson, Marshall W. Mason, and the Circle Repertory Theatre. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1993.