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Authors: David McClintick
Tags: Non-Fiction
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MCA-Univcrsal. Bill Paley at CBS. Kirk Kcrkorian at MOM. Herb Allen. Jr., of the Allen investment banking family, at Columbia Pictures. The power of ownership was not often exercised overtly, however, and the top hired executives like Hirschfield and Begelman wielded a great deal of authority.
Having been in the business longer, David Begelman 's understanding of these truths perhaps was greater than Alan Hirschfield's. But Hirschfield presumably was learning.
No one questioned that David Begelman was Columbia Pictures' principal initiator and overseer of film projects. But Alan Hirschfield, more than some corporate presidents, felt it was his right as well as his responsibility to question his studio head's judgment. While Hirschfield normally went along with Begelman's wishes in the end, he occasionally vetoed him and the two men tangled frequently over the structure and dollar value of particular film deals, and even over the merits of scripts. Begelman wanted to make the movie version of The Sunshine Boys at Columbia but Hirschfield didn't. The producer took it to MGM. Begelman wanted to make a movie out of That Championship Season, the Pulitzer-prize-winning play by Jason Miller. Hirschfield felt strongly that the play would not convert well to film. Begelman gave up and it was not made. Begelman wanted to make Shampoo. Even though the script was offbeat and somewhat provincial, he had great faith in Warren Be atty, the produ cer and coauthor of the script.* Hirschfield hated the script and did not like the structu re of the financial deal with Beat ty. But he eventually relented and the film was made. Begelman had to talk hard to get Hirschfield to go along with the rock musical film Tommy until Hirschfield saw a rough cut and became the film's most enthusiastic proponent.
*Asked a fe w years later why he had been so enthusiastic about Shamp oo . David Be gelman said. "Warren's one of the best produce rs ever. Warren doesn't come to love, he comes to win. Fo r instance, that line in the pict ure that Julie Christie gets off was not in the script . . . the party In the Bistro where she's a little bit tipsy because she's being neglected by h er friend and his wife is putting her down, so a man in the restaurant asks her what she would like, thinking her answer might he "a cup of coffee." or 'a martini." or something, and she says. "I 'd like to suck your cock." Now, that wasn't in the script, but Warren knew that if he could get a majo r actress to say that line in a major film. ... He called that his twenty-million-dollar line. When I heard it f or the first time. I almost fell off my chair. I had to listen to it a co uple of times and convince myself that it should st ay in. So I knew that Warren was g oing to make a terrific film." (Actually, the Julie Christie character, Jackie, said to the man. "I'd like to suck his c ock." referring to the Warren Beatt y character. George.)
Hirschfield didn't mind his tussles with Begelman . He enjoyed being involved in the selection of movie projects. And he felt Begelman needed to be challenged. Hirschfield, at age forty-one, was coming to the conclusion by the summer of 1977 that Begelman, at age fifty-six, would soon be too old—if he wasn't already—to possess all of the vision required to guide the studio in the new era of video cassettes and discs, and cable and satellite television. Although Begelman still had few equals at the primary art of assembling and guiding particular movie and television projects—and still had a bright future at Columbia in that role—Hirschfield had begun to think of him as a member of the Hollywood old guard. Hirschfield felt that it would take men like himself—men whose careers encompassed Hollywood but were not enveloped by it—to lead Columbia and the industry at large into the new age.
So, while he was certainly willing to give Begelman his due. Hirschfield didn't object to the implication of his press clippings that he, more than
Having been in the business longer, David Begelman 's understanding of these truths perhaps was greater than Alan Hirschfield's. But Hirschfield presumably was learning.
No one questioned that David Begelman was Columbia Pictures' principal initiator and overseer of film projects. But Alan Hirschfield, more than some corporate presidents, felt it was his right as well as his responsibility to question his studio head's judgment. While Hirschfield normally went along with Begelman's wishes in the end, he occasionally vetoed him and the two men tangled frequently over the structure and dollar value of particular film deals, and even over the merits of scripts. Begelman wanted to make the movie version of The Sunshine Boys at Columbia but Hirschfield didn't. The producer took it to MGM. Begelman wanted to make a movie out of That Championship Season, the Pulitzer-prize-winning play by Jason Miller. Hirschfield felt strongly that the play would not convert well to film. Begelman gave up and it was not made. Begelman wanted to make Shampoo. Even though the script was offbeat and somewhat provincial, he had great faith in Warren Be atty, the produ cer and coauthor of the script.* Hirschfield hated the script and did not like the structu re of the financial deal with Beat ty. But he eventually relented and the film was made. Begelman had to talk hard to get Hirschfield to go along with the rock musical film Tommy until Hirschfield saw a rough cut and became the film's most enthusiastic proponent.
*Asked a fe w years later why he had been so enthusiastic about Shamp oo . David Be gelman said. "Warren's one of the best produce rs ever. Warren doesn't come to love, he comes to win. Fo r instance, that line in the pict ure that Julie Christie gets off was not in the script . . . the party In the Bistro where she's a little bit tipsy because she's being neglected by h er friend and his wife is putting her down, so a man in the restaurant asks her what she would like, thinking her answer might he "a cup of coffee." or 'a martini." or something, and she says. "I 'd like to suck your cock." Now, that wasn't in the script, but Warren knew that if he could get a majo r actress to say that line in a major film. ... He called that his twenty-million-dollar line. When I heard it f or the first time. I almost fell off my chair. I had to listen to it a co uple of times and convince myself that it should st ay in. So I knew that Warren was g oing to make a terrific film." (Actually, the Julie Christie character, Jackie, said to the man. "I'd like to suck his c ock." referring to the Warren Beatt y character. George.)
Hirschfield didn't mind his tussles with Begelman . He enjoyed being involved in the selection of movie projects. And he felt Begelman needed to be challenged. Hirschfield, at age forty-one, was coming to the conclusion by the summer of 1977 that Begelman, at age fifty-six, would soon be too old—if he wasn't already—to possess all of the vision required to guide the studio in the new era of video cassettes and discs, and cable and satellite television. Although Begelman still had few equals at the primary art of assembling and guiding particular movie and television projects—and still had a bright future at Columbia in that role—Hirschfield had begun to think of him as a member of the Hollywood old guard. Hirschfield felt that it would take men like himself—men whose careers encompassed Hollywood but were not enveloped by it—to lead Columbia and the industry at large into the new age.
So, while he was certainly willing to give Begelman his due. Hirschfield didn't object to the implication of his press clippings that he, more than
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