(00:00:00) Just get me his name his address his banquet. Ensel's tell me what to report for (00:00:08) work. Yeah, he offered 12 million dollars and then you corrected him. You said you only needed two thirds of that and you only needed eight million. What is your thought on the excessively large budgets of movies these days? Well, I think (00:00:21) I I was over speaking myself when I said eight. I should think six would be enough for five of our for depends on. Depends on who's involved and what's involved the budgets of movies today as a rule have very little to do with the actual cost of the movie. By and large the enormous amounts of money that are spent. Our security guarantees that the people involved in the movie are not going to be cheated after the movie is finished in other words the setup of removing. Honest prophets and honest grosses of movies is by now. So complicatedly set up and almost an ounce a foolproof, but honest man proof. That you can't blame people like Redford Newman real stars will bring people to the box over some great numbers from getting enormous amounts of money as I say upfront. Simply because that will be in hand before the film starts. I that contributes almost more than anything that's half of it the other half of the enormous amount of money. goes into a curiosity of movie making it really didn't exist up to the last 10 years at same. Which is that almost as important as the production itself is the hype. literally millions of dollars almost in some cases as much if not more than the actual cost of the production is spent in pure synthetic hyping and advertising of all kinds which repair is enormously expensive and I'm for example, if you are involved with the film of that kind with the movie that costs a lot of money gets an enormous hype and you want to make a future deal the time to do it because that is the time at which most movies are at their most successful is just before they released my point was that if you were in let us say I haven't seen the movie. I think it's taking a pretty bum rap Michael Cimino movie if you were in that movie. And you wanted to make a deal for yourself time to make it was just before the movie was released. Now the same holds true for Apocalypse Now because that just before it was released is when it was most popular for the critics got out of it before people saw it before it was realized that all his doing a lot of hype but by that time of course, they released it in 11,000 theaters simultaneously usually over a weekend and they had their money back, but the hype Which has become a profession by itself is something I know nothing about exactly that terrified me. (00:03:54) Do you think this is different because there are no longer Studios controlling most phases of making and selling of movies that it's all independent Productions more or less. (00:04:04) Well, I think it's different because there's no more movie making these These are Gamble's on a big role and they couldn't care less whether it's a moving film video tape or any other form. There are for the hot book as fast as they can make it (00:04:26) in your movie The Barefoot Contessa. You have a character say this is a great art. We're doing business in or something to that effect as I was essentially you're feeling (00:04:32) still I know a lot of my innocence. I remember my very well a lot of Harry Dawes was me and the Barefoot Contessa and a lot of it was like I felt was going to come all the things that are now have I foretold in the book of unfortunately not so much released by random house is that was sort of pushed off the window ledge called more about All About Eve, which I talk about exactly what is happening. Now, we are adding movies or more or less have a limited time of existence. They're not going to be around much longer on film. They're going to be run on videotape and the movies are going to be part of grades and the mass entertainment complex which are going to have a hundred and fifty nine different channels ranging from the most rabid sort of sex, too. Yes is tarek material. It may be over my nephew Frank and I'm like to get on but other than that I think films more has had it movies have had as we knew them and it make much sense to talk about you think the old studio will come back or of our Productions many different. They're empty not remove the connected with what the way you move is used to (00:06:01) be through most of your career. You were known especially for your use of words, you're writing of word your direction of characters delivering those wonderful lines. Were you most comfortable when you were both writing and directing a film you were working on? (00:06:16) I don't know if that's Bouzouki to I was most comfortable about what I had written if I directed. Yes. I was extremely comfortable directing Julius Caesar. You're very little rewriting and Polished some of you know, obviously but I last film I did was call. Oh smooth. It was not my screenplay sure, maybe a line or two here and there with with Tony chivers permission because Tony was a very bright man who wrote a very good play and I it was essentially one of character and acting the play of acting and I had to Marvel's I could work with my relief as I said last night. It's the only film history which the entire cast was nominated by the academy for best performance. This was fun. But what is interesting is that have been offered a job since (00:07:08) Does that surprise you if you tried to work up projects to do other films since then (00:07:13) I don't try very hard by Frank. That's what am I drawbacks? I guess I left California about 32 years ago. I don't have an agent I have no certainly never had a press agent my own and as a result your name sort of. Get less you writing a film festival. You don't know what he thinks but I wonder if he's still around. I like very much to drag a particularly. I like to have to drink in the theater like to direct I like to work for the (00:07:49) Guthrie when you were writing scripts. Did you have any particular model from literary history and he playwrights you liked as a (00:07:56) group. No, I like to go. I mean the restoration jobs is of course, but they're modern counterpart the writers of high comedy that I truly admire like feel buried Bob Sherwood. I tried Sam Burma times. We had a rather wonderful time in the theater back. Then when I was just out of finished College, you know, you could look forward to season 10 or 12 First Bite High comedies and I comedy is my 40th. And again, even the theater today. We have no high comedians acting. Like writing is something that everybody thinks they can do you waste because he's tears silly silly girls on TV with mops her hair as being actresses. They call them stars. There are more stars right now in terms of billing then in the entire history of the motion picture. Now that is a statement. I can make unequivocally I'll prove it. I'll go algo add up the number of people being start today in sitcoms and and bike otherwise knowing this should be knowing columnists and white newspaper writers who I mean friends the word Superstar. I came along with the With AOL instant coffee and it's genius and all the other instant products synthetic that we use today as Gable was never called the Superstar. He took my teddy bear in the nose called him that Tracy was the Superstar God will certainly wasn't ever called that (00:09:48) couldn't I just be an example of how language declines and how now we're using words more commonly than we used to well for (00:09:53) the word language was that's up to taste and standards, but I think it's been a serious decline in standards and taste and I don't mean just so superficial declining a real basic decline. I don't think the young men and women today who call themselves right as know what writing means I only act as know what acting means I certainly know the directors don't know what directing means because the preoccupy themselves with lenses either must be terrified of the actors that lie behind them and They are safeguarded by the fact that the actors when I do get them have something very superficial to act was writing isn't particularly deep or meaningful today the content by and large of television and film is almost completely devoted to physical action jumping off buildings crashing cars that are you I don't know where they get all the automobiles that that they (00:10:56) destroy your father was a professor of literature and you and your brother Herman who was also a screenwriter both studied literature before you both set out on your careers. What was your home life? Like did you indulge in mankiewicz repartee at (00:11:10) home? Well, yes red part A of a Kind. It was a very vocal household as you can imagine if I had a sister who was equivocal but we're strange household in the fact that I was a full generation younger and my brother. I was 12 years younger than Herman I am and at the age of eight. I was a very small little boy with these Giants hurling his verbal Thunderbolts of each other and it was it was quite exciting and you grew up learning The Defenders of orally first of all, you had to possess the knowledge where of you spoke because statistics and facts with no phone around our house like like raisins (00:12:05) the real intellectual combat in other (00:12:06) words. Well, yes political literary and non-literary voice. Political social and on anything and everything was not a subject of discussion in the banquet household. (00:12:21) How did you learn to write screenplays? Did anybody give you pointers or did you just start (00:12:25) inventing? Well that would lead to a much longer and of you because I don't know where the idea came up that the screenplay is somehow something that has to be learned apart from playwriting Apartment short story writing. It's a medium. It is a spoke to me of the spoken word. That's why men like Sinclair Lewis and Ian Fitzgerald and others couldn't write for actors. They never wrote plays Scott Fitzgerald first. Everything is Scott Fitzgerald wrote for actors was either Rewritten or not produced. I was committed treason. I spat upon the flag by rewriting his screenplay for three comrades which procured for him the only screen by got three in Contracting ever received a salary of $1,000 a week. He never wrote another word for the screen and I gave Only secured is only credit form which he took very badly indeed but screenplay writing is a form of writing you're writing a play for the screen which means that not you're not writing it not the opening the action to the stage takes the action away from the stage which means physical as a great deal of physical. Explanation physical dramatization of what you would otherwise dramatized by? Dialogue on a stage but it's not a technical thing as such it's are writing down. I don't know what all I would be able to write a novel prose is an entirely different form of writing and that for the four actors who speak one is ingested through the eye and the Brain froze. The other is ingested through the ear and has to evoke an immediate an emotional response because actually saying it to you, you don't you don't have the luxury the reader to establish your own setting in your own. Ambiance for what you reading? So my advice to anybody wants to write screenplays is Right period right right, whatever you can write if you're a dramatist start writing some plays and if you want to visualize a squeal plate put it down on (00:14:55) paper on the other hand being a person with a literary background. How did you when you started directing? How did you come by a visual sense to direct movies to move characters around in a camera around (00:15:05) them because I think that any writer who writes either for the theater all for the screen. As he writes, I'm talking about dramatic writing movies off of the theater. I'm not talking about Pros. All I might just holds true for prose writers to but not to this extent. I don't think you can really write a play or a screenplay without visualizing what you're writing other words seeing a character come into a room a certain mood a certain Tempo crossed from somebody standing by a window emotionally dramatically move yourself into a close shot having because the intimacy the dialogue you right and in a very true sense a well-written play is directed and well-written screenplay is directed. Mr. Shakespeare's plays didn't have stage directions to Sheridan came up with was the first one to come along with stage directions because the can't he was he was visualizing his place which is certain suddenly started saying hey, wait a minute when this line is red. I want people to go up stage or cross the stage. He was directly wasn't he so that sense a walrus. Like ice cream by that matter has already been directed with (00:16:28) the ending of All About Eve is fairly famous in that visual sense. The young upstart Eve is visited by a young student named Phoebe who then tries on Yves cloak and looks in the mirror and sees many different Phoebe's looking back at her was that your original concept of how to end that (00:16:43) story. Of course. You see, I like to put the rest if I may. You're some of his nonsense about oh joy, who doesn't know what to do with the camera. I happen to I have great respect for the camera. There are certain aspects of any film of mine that could only have been told visually and who read the screenplay wall About Eve. It's the the there is a certain irony in the last line in which the girl Phoebe boughs to millions of he being as young as it will multitude that it being a universality of Phoebe was just you could express with the camera infinitely better than with a line of dialogue, even though in the my introduction of the book I go into the faculty these I said last night Evie's are all there in secretarial pool is all over the place in Suddenly Last Summer. I used I haven't won the girls that ties to remember There's a as a frame of her and then she loses it, but I could only do that with the Cameron. I did I did it long before anyone else did it? I mean Iris Iris rights of truthful freezing Julie. I froze even 19 1949 is was I just I don't rely on the camera to the to the extent of belittling the tall guy. I think the talk should have almost as much significance as the lens but when the lens should take over by God I let it take over. I think I do it fairly well (00:18:31) for the sake of listening audience. Maybe I had a list a few of the names of the people you worked with some of the people, who are we now consider the Great's of Hollywood people like Spencer Tracy William Powell and Myrna Loy (00:18:46) And Jack, okay, then Turf and Chester Conklin. Those were the ones that really started me. (00:18:54) Well the point in listing the names of people like Marlon Brando Sidney Poitier Laurence Olivier. I was wondering if any of these personalities there are myths resting around about them that you would like to dispel that people seem to think persist in thinking about these people that you think are wrongly held what sort of myth. Oh the real character of Marilyn Monroe the real character of Judy Garland those kinds of stories. (00:19:21) Well, there be so many myths about read about these people. I'm one of course is the idiotic. Then the most idiotic row is the most popular because they're the easiest to exploit and get the most flaring headlines. The ACT belief that we be mayor is to shove Benzedrine pills down Judy Garland Judy Garland's throat who will be mayor whatever his faults and they were many was an incredible executive. He could run General Motors just as he ran him Jim whatever however dissolutions personal secret life was outwardly. He was a calvinist of the work of the most severe car. He would have fired anybody who came approach to regard with a little tea cup of Sherry much less dexedrine Benzedrine. The weather of the perp cos pep bills were made. This was horrified. Nobody's done it. He didn't jewelry pick him up because all the kids were doing it exactly who I was pregnant Jackie Cooper manuscript, which he described this. No. No way around shoving. He's built down anybody's throat anymore and they are showing cocaine up anybody's nose at the present moment. And I do not restrict the shoving of cocaine up noses in the stuffing of bills down throws to movie people. It's happens in the among the industrialized. We know happens everywhere people get together more kicks and like then to say God is movie people really carry on. There's a lot I think would happen in even in Minneapolis. (00:21:14) Yeah, the reminds me also of how in the McCarthy era the easy targets were the most visible targets the movie people the television performers. What were your experiences of that day? (00:21:25) Well that's gone for months, sir. Including my own battles Cecil B Demille, who was the the he conscience? I was sort of either gauleiter a common side choose your own name of loyalty to this country, but I had my battle in one and I'm not going to go into it but film people while I film movies movie people, especially those who grew up in the movies in the Studio's. They learned their soldiers social bad learn their social beliefs and political beliefs from the pronoun screenplays that they read this is they because the speed was a by and large they're only contacts without a life. In other words a girl like Elizabeth Taylor who happens to be one of the least promiscuous beautiful women I've ever known in my life and I've known nor Elizabeth well, Elizabeth learned about life from the screen place you bet. I did John the Judy as did a lot of these girls grew up and boys. As a result you find them essentially liberal in their thinking their for the underdog because that's what screenplays always work. And unfortunately, that's good Unfortunately. They were taught about dressing by they had dresses and their wardrobe pieces are moored of designers who were designing for the screen. Well, I forgive you desire for the screen, John Corbett said, well those broad shoulders that Adrienne does I guess that's what a shop girl wears. No, and also you must remember to hook speaking of don't qualify these broad shoulders and impossible closes you Her millions of fans who are shop girls who worked for the old and the shops. They did not want they still don't want as witnessed by the Triumph of this crap on television. They don't want The Girl Next Door that's not just and they shop girl who brings back so tired feet to the movies at night. She didn't want to see a shop girl. It looks like she did she wants to see a shop girl of her dreams. She's oh my God, look at that goes behind a counter. He's wearing his marvelous best. What's of course six or $700 but just like, oh, she go to bed at night dreaming of a better life of a of a of the ferry shop girl. She wanted to be since they didn't want the bit what movies really brought if it what anything to the soul of people was Fairyland Escape your fantasy but a very rough time in this country's history that you put in the 30s (00:24:28) one of the many different ways you broke ground was to give Sidney pottier his first screen role. What struck you about him when you auditioned him and decided he should In your film (00:24:37) see if we're radio station is good as this one. You know, it was just Scratch Out certain phrases like breaking ground. This is mrs. Directed right to the president of the network because no directors break ground. That's what I was after the fact things. I wanted very much to do this story less assignments that I had written and done the screenplay about black in very early on is what this is the first real black movie all black movie The Black household and I wanted to move the blacks at that time. It was a 1951. I think 50 51 back shouldn't have the Repertory Theatre's at least some of them do now they didn't have the chance to develop young actors. And Cindy have been wandering all over New York trying to get work. You have some work. I think he was working a pantry the pantry boy something when he tested. I went back East. I went back to New York and tested I should say hundreds of young black actors and Backgrounds for the part of the wife and Along Came Sydney except for this West Indian accent which we both knew we had to get rid of not because it was more effective more attractive. Most of the black accents that are white accents for that Merit. I love it has mom's group to it, but it wasn't it just didn't suit the character and off we went and about half about three-quarters of the way through the film. I heard that Zoltan quarter was going to do crime by the Beloved Country and I sent him a cable saying look we hadn't set anybody who's like I knew he was having problems casting I said, I've got somebody is very good indeed and he cable back to very anxious to see Sydney stuff, which I sent him and said he got the second part and he was as I say often running through go there's no breaking of ground. There it is. Batman got (00:26:56) lucky. When you see your old films on the screen. Do you ever have any regrets about redoing scenes a different way (00:27:02) cause I don't think the film I've ever made. I hope there isn't that I wouldn't want to remake and its entirety. I'm same hold true of anybody the written and/or and or directed a (00:27:14) film like I should point out. You said through All About Eve the other night in the audience applauded at all the great lines in succession and seem to enjoy it as if it had just come out the last (00:27:23) week. I would like to point out also the great many of the ones with were missing the very bad print indeed and I want to apologize to the fans of Minneapolis. It did see it for the print Festival management could not have done any better. I'm afraid the fox does not hold all about either the same way God that this audience did it wasn't very big money maker made some money, but not big enough to really protect and I don't know what's going to happen to All About It. Because the negative it's up to funks. We're talking about it last night. Something has to be done about the sound. For example, this the poor projectionists at the theater. He had his sound right up to its limit. So the people could hear the dialogues and she hasn't been important like the people here in dialogue because people haven't been listening to dialogue. Do I have in writing any doubt (00:28:21) one last question. I'd seem to see the name mankiewicz in a lot of places these days. Maybe you ought to describe the members of your Dynasty who are now in many different areas of writing and (00:28:31) filmmaking. Yeah. Well, it turns out were like Guppies says I have ever been asked to do it, but because it was Harmon and as me my son Tom I have hopes for his recovery, but he seems to have planted his roots in TV Land. We'll get him out of it. He's still young but he's He has a very successful TV show the right side occasionally directs. He has directed he has written and directed a couple of features. I think and and Chris who's now involved with the Monty Python and his group share trying to put together a production over England and then there's my daughter Alexandra that Brooks but she's only a sophomore and we will got to wait for her first Venture. And of course Francis mankiewicz who is a remote cousin his father and my father were cousins. I need a french-canadian and extremely talented young man. Whose film opened in New York the other night and it's the first French Canadian film to be given a release this country that we believe that oh, well, I forgotten Frank Frank mankiewicz, of course the president of National Public Radio his brother Don my nephew who originated Ironsides on TV and I think dr. Welby and Dawn's daughter Jane who writes very well for the New Yorker magazine Frank's others and Josh. Who's connected with ABC in Washington? He's about to have his own program. I've become sort of a patriarch without doing it. There was a terrible (00:30:34) feeling to give them any words of (00:30:36) advice. They don't ask for any that microwatts (00:30:39) has and if they did, what would you (00:30:41) tell them? Go do it go do it do it, right?