Books - What are we reading?

[Fredric]

Thought that I'd let everyone know that my copy of Put Money in Thy Purse arrived Friday from merry old England. It only cost $14+ (10 pounds), it's a little warped, got a coffee stain on the cover, but it also turned out to be a FIRST EDITION. The binding is solid and all the pages are crisp, white and ledgible. Quite a find. I also found a folded newspaper article from 1959 in between the pages, also crisp and white. Seems like this little green book hasn't been read in a long time.

I started it this weekend, and just like Jaime said, it is sooo warm. I think I do need a fire and a glass of wine while I read. Mac gives me just enough to whet my appetite. How I wish I were a fly on the wall to hear the actual stories told by Orson and company.

[jaime marzol]

fredric:
yes, what a warm, wonderfull read it is. i loved every minute of it. jaunting across europe with mac. and wine certainly enhances the experince. i've read it twice, and will probably read it a few more times before i have to wear a turban and burn the book, if that ever happens.

mac has such a wonderfull way in PUT MONEY than he has on ALL FOR HERCUBA, HECUBA?? mac's writing voice only challanged by that of henry miller's. and mac does it without saying 'c*nt!'

[Jeff Wilson]

You certainly got a deal on Put Money..., Fredric. The cinema bookshop I visisted in London had a beat up first edition copy (belonging to Welles biographer Peter Noble, no less) that the owner was charging about $300 for. He tried to convince me it was great Welles relic that i had to have. I said my paperback copy would be fine. It's a great read, no question.

[jaime marzol]

fredric:
great deal on book. great book. i posted the welles chapter of mac's ALL FOR HECUBA book in T.O.E. THREAD 2.

if anyone is interested, at www.half.com, there are 2 copies of lillian ross' PICTURE, for 2-bucks each i think. a great document of how a great film gets whittled to a nub of it's original form, as it passes through the studio mill of the 50's.
a tremendous read. lillian ross' writing voice is most impressive. PICTURE is such a great read, that i ordered ross' HEMINGWAY.

[jaime marzol]

COOL WRITING BOOKS HIGHLY RECOMENDED.
the following 4 titles written by William Noble

STEAL THIS PLOT, a writer's guide to story structure and plagiarism.

MAKE THAT SCENE, a writer's guide to setting mood and atmosphere.

SHUT UP! HE EXPLAINED, uses and missuses of dialogue

SHOW DON'T TELL, a writer's guide.

these are medium sized 200 page volumes. get these 4 books, and over a month, read them 2 or 3 times each, it's like microwave learning, you walk away with 5 years experience. STEAL THIS PLOT is one of the most exciting, insightfull books i've found.

PLEASURE READING:
lately, when i have time for pleasure reading, it's been my second read of ross' book, PICTURE, and have been chipping away at RICHARD THE III.

GOOD READS:
william goldman's ADVENTURES OF THE SCREEN TRADE another good read. i saw a second william goldman book out, has anyone read it?

peter viertel's DANGEROUS FRIENDS, about hanging out with huston, hemingway, welles. has anyone read viertel's WHITE HUNTER BLACK HEART?

THE HUSTONS, lawrence grobal, a great read

AND OPEN BOOK, by huston, great read, it's huston telling you what ever the hell he wants to recount.

FOCUS ON D. W. GRIFFITH, excellent. of the same series that put out FOCUS ON OW, FOCUS ON CK, both are great reads.

andrew sarris' INTERVIEWS WITH FILM DIRECTORS, excellent, it's out of print, so i pirated myself a copy.

bogdanovich's WHO THE DEVIL MADE IT? excellent, excellent read. tremendous read.

MAFIA BOOKS:
the 2 most radical mafia books i've read are MURDER MACHINE, and THE WESTIES, both are radical.

LUCKY LUCIANO'S LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT, good read.

the jonh davis book MAFIA DYNASTY is a good overview of the mob.

GOOMBATA is good

DONNIE BRASCO is great.

BOSS OF BOSSES is good.

LITTLE MAN about meyer lansky is good.



ok, i've said enough.

[Dave]

Jaime, I recently picked up William Goldman's latest ramble on screenwriting, "Which Lie Did I tell?" Once again it has some great anecdotes, and possibly a few worthwhile tips. The problem with Goldman, in my opinion, is his unwillingness to drop the screenwriter as auteur stance. He'll get on a roll, and as reader you're really soaking the stuff up, and then BAM! off he goes into his attack on the Hollywood obsession with Directors (which is frankly laughable). Goldman really got my ire up with this passage "Hollywood is so full of short-time wonders. Welles and Sturges, and all these other great talents who got sucked up by their own egos, began to think they knew what they were doing. Welles worked for decades, but his great work lasted really two years, Kane and Ambersons. Sturges was around for close to twenty, but there is only real quality for five." You could probably say the same about Golman's career, but it would be just as arrogant and oblivious of other factors. I won't get into it any further, but since I'm on to the whole auteur arguement, I'd also like to give a plug to Sarris' Interviews With Film Directors. There are some great discussions with both Sturges and a particularily unguarded Orson. Hawkses Interview is also a standout.

[jaime marzol]

yes, some of the stuff goldman said in his first book you get the impression that he probably hurt himself more than others screwed him over, or at the least, that he brought a lot of his problems on himself. he has that whinning injured artist thing going, but that first book was a killer.

INTERVIEWS WITH FILM DIRECTORS by sarris kicks. expecially like the von stoheim, huston, renoir, welles, preminger interviews.

sarris has a controversial book called THE AMERICAN CINEMA, where he trashes every diretor. it's a pretty goor read also.

[Fredric]

I'll tell my mommy that she sure knows how to find books.

About Put Money... Anyone who has read it know the name of Well Known Actress? She sure blew that one. Just got to the end of the first part, which ended with Orson exploding at Michael. Man, he must have had some charisma to throw fits like that and still keep his friends so dear.

[jaime marzol]

i think we have different volumes of the book. i don't remember reading anything in it that i thought was outrageous on welles' part, and i remember welles not being too thrilled with the book. could i have a censored version? mac softened on welles and took stuff out for reprinting?

mine is marked catalogue number 3890/U, says first printed in 1958, but does not say what year this printing is from.

are you refering to page 43, where it says: explosion followed? in mine the worst part is : how did hilton get through life with such a moronic partner.

is there worse in yours?

[Fredric]

You got the part right, and that's the wort part of it. I guess, on the surface, it doesn't sound that bad, but I would never say that to anyone I didn't like, much less someone I did. All Mac did was ask an innocent question.

Me: Oh, I'm sorry, I must have not made that clear, you are going to Rome because . . . .

O: Oh, Heavens! How could you be such a cretin? I'm surprised you didn't figure it out.

Mac's a sensitive guy. He was depressed for the rest of the day. I felt that. Orson must have been awe-inspiring, but he seems to lack any humility from Mac's perspective.

[jaime marzol]

after norman lloyd claiming the welles worked up a big gob of saliva and spit right in a guy's face, and houseman saying welles threw 2 flaming dish warmers at him, being called a moron, and a cretin, is small stuff.

what about the guy who took welles' roll in cornel's romeo and juliet, welles had to play a lesser role. the guy claims that the part in the play where his character sword fights with welles' character, welles was really coming at him, swinging the sword with rage. this is hilarious stuff.

i've always liked welles' answer to him throwing flaming dish warmers at houseman, "i didn't throw them at him, i threw them in his direction."

[Fredric]

I have to admit, I did laugh, but then I thought, poor Mac. I think he's over dramatic in order to get those he attacks to respond dramatically, then he usually says, "Great! Great!"

Love those Peter Jason stories on Working With Orson