Try Not to Hold It Against Me

Book excerpt: Veteran motion picture, television, and Broadway producer Julian Schlossberg grew up in New York City with an early love of entertainment. As a child, he was an avid fan of radio, film, and the new art of television, and harbored ambitions of meeting his favorite stars one day. Little did he know that in the course of his career, he would not only meet many of them, but also become their producer, representative, and friend. During his nearly 60 years in show business, Schlossberg has worked as a producer, director, distributor, exhibitor, radio and television host, and record executive. At 27 he was the youngest head film buyer of a national theater chain; after working at the ABC network, the Walter Reade Organization, and Paramount Pictures, he would start his own motion-picture company, Castle Hill Productions, which would become one of the largest independent film-distribution companies in the world with a library of over 500 films. Not willing to restrict his efforts to film and television, he has also produced award-winning plays and musicals for Broadway and off-Broadway, working closely with brilliant writers and directors like Mike Nichols, Larry Gelbart, Susan Stroman, Woody Allen, and David Mamet. Now, in his memoir Try Not to Hold It Against Me, Schlossberg shares stories from a lifetime in entertainment, from his childhood in the Bronx to his years as a producer for screen and stage. Schlossberg takes us through the trials and triumphs of work and play in every avenue of the business: negotiating with Al Pacino, Burt Reynolds, and Lillian Hellman; hosting the syndicated radio and television production Movie Talk, which introduced him to hundreds of stars; experiencing the paranormal with Shirley MacLaine and Betty Hill; running the Orson Welles estate and restoring Welles' masterly film adaptation of Othello; partying with Barbra Streisand and Liza Minelli; testifying in a lawsuit against The Beatles; and interviewing over 120 of the most influential figures of the 20th century for his series Witnesses to the 20th Century. Written with engaging humor and self-deprecation—and with a foreword by Academy Award winner Elaine May—Try Not to Hold It Against Me gives readers a behind-the-scenes pass to Cannes and Las Vegas, the lives and homes of the stars, and the rarely seen but crucial work of the producer in the midst of it all. It's a compelling read for film, television, and theater enthusiasts alike—and a one-of-a-kind autobiography by one of entertainment's true insiders.