STORY STUDY - MEDIUM: FILM/THEATER - “Driving Miss Daisy”

After so many years of being able to live life independently, it’s hard for anyone to accept otherwise. You have a system that works for you, and any change to that is alien and threatening. However, over time, sometimes a little change can be the best thing that could ever happen.

Written by Alfred Uhry, Driving Miss Daisy explores the relationship between the elderly Daisy Werthan and her chauffeur Hoke Colburn whom her son, Boolie has hired for her after she has accidently crashed her car (mainly due to her age). The story is set in Atlanta, Georgia from 1948 to 1973.

Dana Ivey as Daisy and Morgan Freeman as Hoke - Original 1987 production

Daisy is a Jewish lady and Hoke is African-American. She doesn’t open up to him not necessarily because of his ethnicity, but the fact that he is specifically her driver, which she’s embarrassed about since she wants to be independent.

Jessica Tandy as Daisy and Morgan Freeman as Hoke - 1989 film

They both experience prejudice of their own (never seen played out in the story), which is something they have in common with each other.

The story is a very simple one, and a very quick read if you only have a chance to read the play. Even if you can’t relate with the prejudicial issues shown in the story, anyone can relate to losing their independence; if not now, then certainly later. No matter what decade, it’s a story that will resonate with audiences. Whether that’s a fortunate thing or tragic, well…

Driving Miss Daisy has been immortalized as an Academy Award winning film released in 1989, including Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay for Uhry himself, who adapted his own play for the screen. The play itself has also been immortalized when it won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1988.

I was unable to watch a live production of Driving Miss Daisy, but PBS did broadcast a production of it when it was filmed, and I watched that. This production was directed for the stage by David Esbjornson, and was recorded in Australia at the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne. As of this posting, it is available to be streamed to the public until July 16, 2018 (link will be posted below)

Angela Lansbury as Daisy and James Earl Jones as Hoke - 2013 (filmed) Austrailan tour cast

Driving Miss Daisy is a charming, simply told story filled with humor and drama. It shows that the best relationships, especially ones that build over time, are the most important.