Capote’s ‘In Cold Blood’ Reception, Lecture and Screening Sponsored by UA, will Thrill Audiences

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library on The University of Alabama campus will sponsor a reception, lecture and screening of Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” at the historic Bama Theater, 600 Greensboro Ave., beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 30, 2002.

This classic 1967 film is based on the work by the same name by Alabama author Truman Capote. The film stars Robert Blake and Scott Wilson. “In Cold Blood” was directed by Richard Brooks and features a chilling jazz score by Quincy Jones.

On Wednesday, Oct. 30, the evening will begin with a reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by brief introductions by Dr. Louis Pitschmann, dean of Libraries and Jessica Lacher-Feldman, public and outreach services coordinator for the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library.

There will be two short introductory talks by Dr. Fred Whiting, assistant professor of English, and Dr. Stanley L. Brodsky, professor of psychology. They will offer interesting perspectives on the film and book and the events that surround it.

Whiting is a scholar who writes about “monsters” in literature. Brodsky is a forensic and criminal psychologist who has interviewed hundreds of death row inmates throughout the United States. The screening will begin at 7:30 pm.

Both the book and the film, “In Cold Blood,” caused a great sensation throughout the United States. The book is a treatment of a most brutal crime, written in Capote’s brilliant and eloquent prose. Adding to the interest, Alabama author and Pulitzer Prize winner Harper Lee, a longtime friend of Capote, accompanied him to Kansas to conduct the research on this groundbreaking work.

Tickets for the event are $5 for general admission and $4 for students and seniors. Joyce Lamont, assistant dean of UA libraries and professor emerita, and anonymous donors underwrite this event. The film will be screened again on Oct. 31, at 7:30 p.m. at the Bama Theater.

For more information about the screening contact the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library at 205/348-0500 or e-mail Jessica Lacher-Feldman, event coordinator at jfeldma@bama.ua.edu.

A small exhibit relating to Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” will be on display in the lobby of the Hoole Special Collections Library through Nov. 1, 2002. The exhibit features two signed first editions of “In Cold Blood,” photographs and other related items. The Hoole Library is located on the second floor of Mary Harmon Bryant Hall, 500 Hackberry Lane on the University of Alabama campus.