Infamous Players: A Tale of Movies, the Mob (and Sex)

Description

In 1967, Peter Bart, then a young reporter for the New York Times , decided to upend his life and enter the dizzying world of motion pictures. Infamous Players is the story of Bart's remarkable journey at Paramount, his role in its triumphs and failures, and how a new kind of filmmaking emerged during that time. When Bart was lured to Paramount by his friend and fellow newcomer, the legendary Robert Evans, the studio languished, its slate riddled with movies that were out of touch with the dynamic '60s. By the time Bart left Paramount, in 1975, the studio had completed an extraordinary run with such films as The Godfather , Rosemary's Baby , Harold and Maude , Love Story , Chinatown , Paper Moon , and True Grit . But this new golden era at Paramount was also fraught with chaos and company turmoil. Drugs, sex, runaway budgets, management infighting, and even the Mafia started finding their way onto the Paramount back lot, making it surely one of the worst-run studios in the history of the movie industry. As Peter reflects on the New Hollywood era at Paramount with insider details and insightful analysis, here too are his fascinating recollections of the icons from that era: Warren Beatty, Steve McQueen, Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood, Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Francis Ford Coppola, Roman Polanski, and Frank Sinatra, among others. For over five decades, Peter Bart has viewed Hollywood from an incomparable vantage point. The stories he tells and the lessons we learn from Infamous Players are essential for anyone who loves movies.

Peter Bart started his career in journalism, then spent 17 years as a film executive (at Paramount, MGM, and Lorimar Film Co.), until he returned to print as editor in chief of Variety. Along the way, he was responsible for seven books, including Shoot Out, written with Peter Guber (the basis for their current weekly television show).

Janet Maslin, New York Times "A fast, funny,, no-nonsense and graphic account of Paramount's most dizzyingly high times. [Bart] may have been a studio executive, but he started out reporting. He's a sharp-eyed reporter still." Edward J. Epstein, Wall Street Journal "Readers are fortunate to have such a well-placed guide. He is not only an insightful journalist but an insider" He immersed himself in Hollywood's curious culture of that era." Liz Smith, Wowowow.coma "Perhaps the only truthful account of moviemaking in the sixties, and it is so frank and full of detail and history-as-gossip, I just couldn't resist it."