A Rare Screening
He had been slated to appear for the screening of "Wind Across The Everglades," which he had produced with his brother Stuart in 1958.
The film had not been shown in more than 30 years. It had a rather colorful history.
Warner Bros. had furnished us with a brand new print.
Just Briefly
The film starred Christopher Plummer and the late Burl Ives in a story about an early 20th century game warden in Florida and his fights with poachers. You can see the famous clown Emmett Kelly, stripper Gypsy Rose Lee and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist MacKinley Kantor in cameos in the film.
In the last two weeks of filming, Schulberg fired director Nicholas Ray and finished directing it himself.
Schulberg, who will be 93 next month, was tired.
Making Room
Nevertheless, after making two appearances at the festival and being interviewed for a television special and invited me to his room at the landmark hotel in the early afternoon.
When I arrived, he was closing out an interview with William Estrada, the curator of the History Department at the Natural History Museum. Estrada informed me that he was researching a project on the Olympics.
One for Everybody
Schulberg gave me a signed copy of his new book, "Ringside -— A Treasury of Boxing Reportage." He also signed copies to be given to award winners at the Backlot Film Festival. He apologized for not being up to making an appearance at the theatre. One thing about Schulberg I wasn’t aware of was that in 1965, after the Watts Riots, he helped to found the Watts Writers’ Workshop. Alumni from the workshop who came to the Awards Ceremony included Jimmy Sherman, Cliff McClain and Eric Priestly.
Days of Fitzgerald
I told Budd I had enjoyed reading "The Disenchanted," his 1950 novel loosely based on his experiences as a young screenwriter working with F. Scott Fitzgerald on a film titled "Winter Carnival."
I told him the story was a great illustration of the difference between the Lost Generation of the 1920s and the idealistic writers of the Great Depression era in the 1930s.
During World War II, Schulberg served in the United States Navy, rising to the rank of lieutenant junior grade. He was a member of John Ford’s documentary unit, and he wrote new narration for Ford’s Academy Award-winning documentary, "December 7th."
War Stories
He assisted in rewrites of Ford’s 1945 classic "They Were Expendable," with John Wayne and Donna Reed. During our talk, Schulberg recounted his experiences with Ford during his Navy years.
According to Schulberg, he was always kept off guard by Ford. "When I first went into his office, he demanded full military decorum, including a proper salute,” Schulberg said. “He was an admiral, I was a junior officer.
Detecting a Change
“The next time I went to see him, I saluted. He looked back at me and said, "Oh, for pete’s sake. Budd. We don’t need that. Sit down.
After World War II, Schulberg was in charge of photographic evidence for the Nuremburg war crimes trials. He told me two German film editors took him and director George Stevens to witness the ghastly film evidence of Nazi war crimes.
Wait Until Next Year
At the close of our meeting, we shook hands. He told me how proud he was of his award. He said he would try and be here for the next ceremony in 2008.
