MI6 previews the new autobiography of James Bond screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz, to be published posthumously in May 2012...

My Life as a Mankiewicz - Book Preview

28th December 2011

My Life as a Mankiewicz : An Insider’s Journey through Hollywood - Tom Mankiewicz and Robert Crane

The son of famed director and screenwriter Joseph L. Mankiewicz (All About Eve [1950], Guys and Dolls [1955], Cleopatra [1963]) and the nephew of Citizen Kane screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz, Tom Mankiewicz was genuine Hollywood royalty. He grew up in Beverly Hills and New York, spent summers on his dad’s film sets, had his first drink with Humphrey Bogart, dined with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, went to the theater with Ava Gardner, and traveled the world writing for Brando, Sinatra, and Connery. Although his family connections led him to show business, Tom “Mank” Mankiewicz forged a career of his own, becoming a renowned screenwriter, director, and producer of acclaimed films and television shows. He wrote screenplays for three James Bond films—Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Live and Let Die (1973), and The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)—and made his directorial debut with the hit TV series Hart to Hart (1979-1984). My Life as a Mankiewicz is a fascinating look at the life of an individual whose creativity and work ethic established him as a member of the Hollywood writing elite.

Mankiewicz details his journey through the inner world of the television and film industries, beginning with his first job as production assistant on The Comancheros (1961), starring John Wayne. My Life as a Mankiewicz: An Insider’s Journey through Hollywood illuminates his development as a writer and director, detailing his friendships and romantic relationships with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars as well as his struggle with alcohol and drugs. With the assistance of Robert Crane, Mankiewicz tells a story of personal achievement and offers an insider’s view of the glamorous world of Hollywood during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

 

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“Highly entertaining. . . . [Mankiewicz’s] tremendous respect for small and large collaborators, from grips to stars, is contagious.” - Clancy Sigal

About The Authors
Tom Mankiewicz (1942-2010) was a screenwriter, director, and producer of motion pictures and television series, perhaps best known for his work on the James Bond films, Superman (1978), Superman II (1980), and the television series Hart to Hart (1979-1984).

Robert Crane is coauthor of Bruce Dern: Things I’ve Said, but Probably Shouldn’t Have—An Unrepentant Memoir, Jack Nicholson: The Early Years, and SCTV: Behind the Scenes as well as a contributor to Hal Ashby: Interviews. He lives in Los Angeles.

Datastream
Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky (USA)
Format: Hardback
Pages: 368 (28 photos)
RRP: $39.95 / £34.95
ISBN: 0813136059
Released: May 21st 2012 (USA) / 15th June 2012 (UK)

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