My Life as a Mankiewicz

May 15, 2012
Screenwriter and director Mankiewicz, who died in 2010, came from one of the more famous Hollywood families. His father, Joseph, wrote and directed All about Eve and Guys and Dolls; his uncle Herman wrote Citizen Kane. The author was no slouch himself; he wrote a number of popular films (including three James Bond movies and the first two Supermans), and he did some directing, too, perhaps most notably on the television series Hart to Hart. This very interesting autobiography takes us through his Hollywood career, from his break-in job as a production assistant on a John Wayne movie, to his professional and personal relationships, to his work on some of his more notable projects (the behind-the-scenes story of the first two Superman movies, for example, is quite illuminating, especially to readers unfamiliar with the rather unusual circumstances surrounding their production). The book contains a number of surprisesWho knew Mankiewicz spent a year reading Columbo scripts at the request of Peter Falk?and is sure to appeal to fans of Hollywood autobiographies.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)