In 1989, audiences were treated to an all-star cast in the film "Steel Magnolias", which follows the lives of several women who are all friends in a small Louisiana town.  The film was directed by Herbert Ross (1927-2001), who directed "The Goodbye Girl" (1977) and "The Turning Point" (1977, for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Director).  It was written by Robert Harding, who had originally written "Steel Magnolias" as a play and also adapted Olivia Goldsmith's novel into the screenplay for "The First Wives Club" (1996).