The Tragic Story of Rose Williams – Tennessee Williams’ Schizophrenic Sister

The Tragic Story of Rose Williams – Tennessee Williams’ Schizophrenic Sister In the tragic stories of famous families, few are as quietly heartbreaking as that of Rose Williams, the older sister of playwright Tennessee Williams and the real girl behind Laura in The Glass Menagerie. Diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1937, Rose spent the rest of her life in institutions. In January 1943, while her brother was still a struggling writer far from home, a prefrontal lobotomy took away the lively girl who once loved parties and dancing. Two years later, Tennessee turned her story into the play that made him famous. This is the story of the woman the world cried for without ever knowing her name. A sister who was never asked. A brother who spent his life writing about what it cost. And a woman who outlived everyone who made decisions for her. Before today, had you ever heard of Rose Williams? Tell us in the comments. Undertold brings you the tragic stories of real people whose lives were told wrong, told halfway, or never told at all. Subscribe for the next story. Full Series:    • Tragic Stories | Undertold   Timestamp: 0:00 A Childhood Before the Storm 6:31 Raised to Be a Wife, Diagnosed with Schizophrenia 13:33 The Farmington Years and the Knife 20:42 The Glass Menagerie and a Brother's Guilt 28:11 The Last One Left Sources: Tennessee Williams, Memoirs (1975) Margaret Bradham Thornton (ed.), Tennessee Williams: Notebooks (2006) #tragicstories #LuciaJoyce #biographydocumentary #historydocumentary #Undertold