Old Slyboots

Trawling through Leith Library I plucked a copy of Classic American Films: Conversations with the Screenwriters by William Baer. A good read — Baer’s choice of classics is v. middlebrow, but using the word “classics” is often going to get you there, and anyway, his choice was kind of limited by who’s alive. I certainly wouldn’t object in any way to his selection of Comden & Green, Budd Schulberg or Ernest Lehman as interviewees. But there’s gold in all of the interviews, even the one with Sylvester Stallone.

Some of this comes from Stallone’s unintentional silliness and self-revelation when he’s being pompously dramatic ~

“Since I was obsessed with the idea of personal redemption, I kept saying to myself, ‘Redemption, redemption, redemption… but whose redemption?’ So I considered a gangster, then a cowboy, then an actor, all kinds of people, until I finally came back to the Wepner fight. Why not a loser, an over-the-hill boxer? I loved the visuals, and the warrior aspect, and the grand symbolism, so, bang! It all crystallized. I said, ‘That’s it!’ and went to work immediately. A door had opened, and my youthful ambition was cresting.”

Grand symbolism. Yep.

There’s also his Oscar’s story, which involved Paddy Chayefsky, a fellow Best Screenplay nominee for NETWORK, coming up to Sly and saying, cockily, “You’re not going to win.” This story is, I think, meant to make us see Stallone as Rocky, the underdog who loses but still wins. But it really made me love and respect Chayefsky even more than I already do.

There’s also the revelation that the first draft of ROCKY, written in three days, wasn’t actually very good and was substantially changed before and during production — Stallone’s remarks on the process of improvement are actually wise and modest. And then he won my sympathy here (although note how the anecdote is worked out to reflect well on him) —

“Yes, it was a terribly painful process. John [Avildsen, director] was great with the film, but that was the one aspect of the process that I found very unsettling. He’d make all these legendary actors actually read for the part. Originally, I’d written the role of Mickey with Lee J. Cobb in mind, and when he came in to meet us, he brought along some props, and said, “I guess I should wear a mustache?” and he had all kinds of other ideas about the role. Then, after ten minutes, John says, “OK, let’s turn to page sixteen,” and Lee J. Cobb says, “Why?” And John says, “Because I want you to read.” So Cobb gets furious, and he says, “Look, I’ve only read for one other bastard in this business, years ago, and I’m not about to read for another one.” Then he turned around to me and said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Stallone, but I can’t do that, and if I could write like you I wouldn’t have to work for people like that.” Then he left. I was astonished, and I looked over at John, and I said, “I think he knows how to act.” But John was adamant, “Everyone’s going to read. No exceptions.” Then he made Lee Strasberg, who’d recently been nominated for an Oscar, read for the part. Then Lew Ayres, the Victor Jory–who’d done 230 films–then Broderick Crawford. Finally, Burgess, who’d been nominated the year before for DAY OF THE LOCUST, came in, and he was great, and he put an end to the whole painful process.”

Reminds me of two anecdotes —

(1) Young movie executive in the 70s to Fred Zinnemann, in his 70s: “So, what’ve you done?”

Fred Z: “You first.”

(2) Shelley Winters was asked to read for the role of Robert DeNiro’s mother in something or other, a few years before her death. She came in with a big handbag. Set it down. Pulled out an Oscar. Slammed it on the desk. Pulled out another Oscar. Slammed it on the desk.

“Some people think I can act.”

Producers, and some directors, favour readings because they lack imagination or are afraid of being surprised on the day. But surprises are good. The one obvious case where readings might be useful is between stars, especially in romantic scenarios, where you want to check there’s “chemistry” — something which simply can’t be assessed by looking at their other work — and of course, this is where it’s going to be hardest to arrange a reading, since why should two hot young stars submit to such an indignity?

Buy Bill Baer’s book —

UK: Classic American Films: Conversations with the Screenwriters
US: Classic American Films: Conversations with the Screenwriters