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 Scenes from 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 Gordinier, Raja Gosnell, Lisa Gay Hamilton, John Lahr, Jeffrey Lane, Liz Mahoney, Camryn Manheim, Carri Mc- Clure, 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 Scenes 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.