Pictures at a Revolution (76 page)

My sincere thanks to the people who agreed to be interviewed for this book, and who, in many cases, shared not only memories but telephone numbers, diaries, journals, private collections, letters, and contracts. They are (billed alphabetically) Mort Abrahams, Ray Aghayan, Angela Allen, Susan Anspach, Warren Beatty, Robert Benton, Alexandra Berlin, Eileen Brennan, David Brown, Warren Cowan, Mart Crowley, Brenda Currin, William Daniels, John C. Dutton, Samantha Eggar, Morgan Fairchild, Joel Freeman, Sid Ganis, Arthur Gelb, Lee Grant, Wynn Handman, William Hanley, Buck Henry, Arthur Hiller, Leonard Hirshan, Dustin Hoffman, Geoffrey Holder, Katharine Houghton, Anthony James, Norman Jewison, Elinor Jones, Robert C. Jones, Karen Kramer, Larry Kramer, John Phillip Law, Richard Lederer, Christopher Lofting, Sidney Lumet, Clifford Mason, Peter Masterson, William Mead, Elaine Michea, Walter Mirisch, Joseph Morgenstern, Terry Morse, Peter J. Nelson, Patricia Newcomb, Leslie Newman, Mike Nichols, Estelle Parsons, Arthur Penn, David Picker, Sydney Pollack, Michael J. Pollard, Stuart A. Reiss, Ronald Ribman, Andrew Sarris, William Schallert, Joel Schiller, Marshall Schlom, Elliot Silverstein, Robert Solo, Lynn Stalmaster, Harrison Starr, Alexandra Stewart, Dean Tavoularis, Michael Tolan, Robert Towne, Natalie Trundy, Lawrence Turman, Theadora Van Runkle, Charles Webb, Elizabeth Wilson, Scott Wilson, Irwin Winkler, Norton Wright, Susannah York, and Richard Zanuck. A number of people agreed to speak to me on the condition that their names not be used, and although I chose not to quote them directly in the book, they have my gratitude for their time, their candor, and the useful background information and context they provided.

Much of the information in
Pictures at a Revolution
comes directly from archival documents, which were invaluable to my research, all the more since the period this book covers was one in which so much of Hollywood's business was conducted by memo, cable, letter, and telegram. I thank the following people and institutions for the access they provided and for their ongoing efforts to preserve and catalogue film history: the dedicated and resourceful staff of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center; Ben Brewster and the staff of the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theatre Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Ned Comstock, Sandra Lee, and Steve Hanson at the USC Cinema-Television Library and Archives of Performing Arts; J. C. Johnson and Alexander Rankin at the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University; Neil Bethke and Cynthia Becht in the Archives & Special Collections Department of the Charles Von Der Ahe Library at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles; Jeff Rankin and the staff of the Charles E. Young Research Library Department of Special Collections at UCLA; Caroline Sisneros of the Louis B. Mayer Library at the American Film Institute; Brian Meacham of the Academy Film Archives at the Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study; Randy Haberkamp of the Academy Foundation in Los Angeles, and Barbara Hall and the staff of the Margaret Herrick Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at the Fairbanks Center for Motion Picture Study. (And a plea to all contemporary filmmakers: Archive your e-mail!)

For returning calls, answering my questions, offering good counsel, speaking up on my behalf, and/or pointing fingers in the right directions, thanks to Michael Abrams, Doug Aibel, Tino Balio, Bonnie Bartlett, Eyde Belasco, Michael Black, Paul Bloch, Leslee Dart, Claire Dippel, Carlo Eugster, Francesco Foggia, Martin Stephen Frommer, Selina Gomeau, Jeff Gardinier, Raja Gosnell, Lisa Gay Hamilton, John Lahr, Jeffrey Lane, Liz Mahoney, Camryn Manheim, Carri McClure, Wendy Morris, Sacha Newley, William B. Mann, Marion Rosenberg, Will Schwalbe, Chris Sherman, Michael Small, Steven Spielberg, and Bobby Zarem.

When I began this book four years ago, I was an editor at
Entertainment Weekly
. My work on
Pictures from a Revolution
spanned a period of multitasking, then a long leave of absence from the magazine, then a return in a different job, then my departure from
EW
, and finally another return as a columnist. I owe more of my colleagues there than I can possibly name an immense debt of gratitude for bearing with me along the way, and particular thanks to Rick Tetzeli for his remarkable support at every turn.

I'm grateful to Luke Janklow of Janklow & Nesbit for his passion, his perspective, and his willingness to take a chance on this project. Brian Siberell allowed me to interrupt many of his working days in order to draw upon his help and hospitality, and I feel fortunate to have had him in my corner. Michelle Kung provided resourceful and energetic research assistance down to the wire, both in New York and in Wisconsin. Michele Romero found and assembled the pictures for this book; she is a treasure of a photo editor, an original thinker about pop culture, and a great pal.

Without the wisdom, calmness, clarity, focus, and gentle hand on the wheel of my superb editor, Scott Moyers, I would not have been able to write this book. I will never be able to thank him sufficiently, or to express how meaningful Ann Godoff's vision and encouragement have been, from the first day we met to the finish line. My heartfelt thanks to the rest of the fantastic Penguin Press team as well, especially Laura Stickney, Tracy Locke, and Maggie Sivon.

The steadfastness and good wishes of Elly Eisenberg, Linda Emond, Oskar and Laurie Eustis, Dan Fierman, Owen Gleiberman, Betsy Gleick, Henry Goldblatt, Michael Mayer, Mary Kaye Schilling, Ben Svetkey, Ken Tucker, Roger Waltzman, and Jay Woodruff throughout this project have meant the world to me. And Lisa Schwarzbaum gets special billing—a title card of her own—for magnificence above and beyond the call of duty.

Finally, I thank my many families—the Harrises and Davises, the Wisniewskis, the Kushners, and the Deutschers—for their unconditional embrace, especially my brother David, one of the best guys I've ever known, and my husband, Tony, whose unfailing generosity with his eyes, his ears, his mind, and his heart sustains me every day.

Abbott, L.B.

Abrahams, Mort

Academy Awards

1963 overview

1965 overview

1967 complete list of nominees and winners

1967 nominations

1967 presentation

campaigning for nominations and awards

and death of Dr. King

handicapping

Poitier wins Best Actor

tradition of previous winners as presenters

Adler, Renata

The African Queen

After the Fall
(play)

Aghayan, Ray

Albee, Edward

Alda, Alan

Aldrich, Robert

Alfie

Alice Adams

All Fall Down

Allen, Dede

Allen, Lewis

Allen, Woody

Allied Artists

Alpert, Hollis

America, America

American International Pictures (AIP)

The Americanization of Emily

An American in Paris

Andersonville

Andrews, Julie

Ann-Margret

Anspach, Susan

Antonioni, Michelangelo

The Apple Tree
(play)

Arick, Larry

Arkin, Alan

Arkoff, Samuel

Ashby, Hal

after
In the Heat of the Night

background

and death of Dr. King

as detail man

as director of
The Landlord

as editor of
In the Heat of the Night

Ashley, Elizabeth

Asner, Ed

Attenborough, Richard

Aurthur, Robert Alan

Ball, John

Bancroft, Anne

as 1967 Academy Award nominee

in
The Miracle Worker

as Mrs. Robinson in
The Graduate

presents Sidney Poitier his Best Actor Oscar

and rehearsals for
The Graduate

in
The Slender Thread

Bardot, Brigitte

Barefoot in the Park
(movie)

Barefoot in the Park
(play)

Barrow, Buck (Clyde Barrow's brother)

Barrow, Clyde

Barrow family

Baum, Martin

Beach Red

Beatles

Beatty, Warren

as 1967 first-time Academy Award nominee

and Abe Lastfogel

at Academy Awards

after
Bonnie and Clyde

asks Arthur Penn to direct
Bonnie and Clyde

background

early screenings of
Bonnie and Clyde

and
Fahrenheit

and
The Graduate

his view of casting

introduction to
Bonnie and Clyde

and Jack Warner

at Jane Fonda's 1985 Fourth of July party

and
Kaleidoscope

and Leslie Caron

and
Lilith

meets Robert Towne

meets with Godard about
Bonnie and Clyde

and
Mickey One

at Montreal premiere of
Bonnie and Clyde

obtains Benton and Newman's
Bonnie and Clyde
script

as producer of
Bonnie and Clyde

and
Promise Her Anything

promotes
Bonnie and Clyde

question of Clyde Barrow's sexuality

relationship with Penn regarding
Bonnie and Clyde

search for director for
Bonnie and Clyde

and
Splendor in the Grass

and
What's New, Pussycat?

The Bedford Incident

Belafonte, Harry

Benjamin, Robert

Benton, Robert, and David Newman

at 1967 Academy Awards

after
Bonnie and Clyde

and…
It's a Bird…It's a Plane…It's Superman
(play)

awarded Best Screenplay by New York Film Critics Circle

background

Benton's visit from Warren Beatty

and Bosley Crowther

drafted by Beatty to work on ad campaign for

Bonnie and Clyde

efforts to find director and studio for
Bonnie and Clyde

at
Esquire

gain opportunity to secure production deal for

Bonnie and Clyde

and Godard

initial
Bonnie and Clyde
screenplay effort

leave
Bonnie and Clyde
production

and Pauline Kael

question of Clyde Barrow's sexuality

response to Sarris review of
Bonnie and Clyde

sell
Bonnie and Clyde
script to Beatty

and success of
Bonnie and Clyde

and Truffaut

Berbert, Marcel

Bergen, Candice

Bergman, Ingmar

Berman, Pandro

The Bible

Birdman of Alcatraz

black and white
vs.
color cinematography

The Blackboard Jungle

blacklist

Blake, Robert

Bloom, Claire

Blow-Up

Bogart, Humphrey

Bogdanovich, Peter

Bond (James) movies

Bonnie and Clyde

Beatty obtains Benton and Newman's script

budget and financing

casting

critical reaction

film critic award considerations

filming final scene

final weeks of filming in Burbank

and François Truffaut

The Graduate
as companion piece

initial Benton and Newman treatment

as Oscar contender

popularity

postproduction

premiere

preproduction

promotion

search for director and studio

significance of
Time
magazine cover

as success

Texas filming

wrap party

The Bonnie Parker Story

Brackman, Jacob

Brando, Marlon

Breathless

Bricusse, Leslie

after
Doctor Dolittle

and Anthony Newley

background

and
Doctor Dolittle

first approached about writing
Doctor Dolittle

previewing
Doctor Dolittle

Brinkley, David

Broccoli, Albert R. “Cubby,”

Brook, Peter

Brooks, Mel

Brooks, Richard

Brown, David

Brown, H. Rap

Brown, Jim

Bruce, Lenny

Buñuel, Luis

Burton, Richard

and
Cleopatra

plays host to Rex Harrison and his wife

sought after

and
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Byrds

Byrne, Anne

Caine, Michael

Camelot

Capote, Truman

Carey, Timothy

Carmichael, Stokely

Caron, Leslie

at 1967 Academy Awards

and Truffaut

and Warren Beatty

Carroll, Diahann

Carroll, Kathleen

Casino Royale

Cat Ballou

The Catcher in the Rye
(book)

Catledge, Turner

Champlin, Charles

Changas, Estelle

Channing, Carol

Chaplin, Charlie

The Chase

Chayefsky, Paddy

The Children's Hour

Chimes at Midnight

Christie, Julie

The Cincinnati Kid

cinematography, black and white
vs.
color

Cleopatra

Clift, Montgomery

Cohn, Roy

Coles, Robert