Robert Hofler Libros

Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of "The Way We Were," this meticulously researched book offers the first comprehensive account of the classic film starring Barbara Streisand and Robert Redford. It delves into the film's genesis, controversies, deleted scenes, and the unrealized sequel, as well as the real-life romance that inspired this iconic love story. The chemistry between Streisand's Jewish working-class character, Katie Worosky, and Redford's all-American Hubbell Gardiner remains compelling even after five decades. However, the friction surrounding the film nearly prevented its production. Screenwriter Arthur Laurents envisioned Katie specifically for Streisand, while Redford, a superstar at the time, hesitated to play a role he viewed as secondary. Despite Laurents's insistence that the story should focus on Katie, ten writers, including Francis Ford Coppola, were brought in to revise the script. Initial previews were disastrous, prompting significant cuts that upset both Streisand and Laurents, but ultimately led to the film's success. Redford showed interest in a sequel, though Laurents's script was never approved. Some of the deleted scenes are now being restored for the anniversary. The book also explores the deep love story behind the film, drawing on Laurents's and Pollack's unpublished writings and interviews with key figures, making it a definitive account of a film that transformed moviemaking and romance.

Henry Willson started off as a talent scout under Gone with the Wind's powerhouse mogul, David O. Selznick. The starmaker-to-be was on the lookout for promising newcomers when he received an unsolicited photograph from a movie star hopeful named Roy Fitzgerald. The photograph of the handsome young man with bad teeth not only had a career defining impact for Willson but, more importantly, it redefined Hollywood's concept of the male heartthrob. Roy Fitzgerald became Rock Hudson and, for the next twenty-five years, Henry Willson became the man behind movie "beefcake." The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson delves into Willson's life in explicit, unsparing detail. Variety reporter Robert Hofler deftly chronicles Willson's maneuvers to sidestep the FBI's investigation into Hudson's sex life; the agent's use of off-duty L.A.P.D. cops and Mob ties to scare off Hudson's blackmailers; Hudson's "arranged" marriage to Willson's secretary, Phyllis Gates; as well as Hudson's affair with a Universal Pictures vice-president to help secure starring roles. Additionally, the book discusses Willson's other star clients, including Robert Wagner, Troy Donahue, Tab Hunter, John Derek, James Darren, Chad Everett, Mike Connors, and many others.