Presents a collection of essays by such screenwriters as Eric Bogosian, T.S. Cook, Larry Gelbart, Lawrence Kasdan, and Carl Reiner, on their first writing jobs and what it takes to succeed in Hollywood. Showbiz mavens ought to like the inside poop this gathering of script scribblers' testimonies serves up. Cop show master Steven Bochco remembers his first writing job, which involved stretching "unsold one-hour pilots and anthological [ sic ] dramas into two-hour movies" for a "cigar-chomping veteran producer" who pronounced his given name "Stiff." Youth culture chronicler supreme Cameron Crowe registers his memories of discovering that his first movie, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, was a hit in the sticks, though it had tanked at an L.A. preview. M*A*S*H TV veterans Larry Gelbart and Alan Alda expound, though only Alda talks about the long-lasting hit series: he cites Schnitzler's La Ronde as the inspiration for the episode he wrote about a pair of long johns being passed around during the frigid Korean winter. Other contributors include Eric Bogosian, Gary David Goldberg, and Carl Reiner. Great vocational reading for scripting wanna-bes. Mike Tribby Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved "An enjoyable read for anyone fascinated with entertainment media." -- Library Journal October 1, 2000 "provides a remarkable cross-section of the industry . . . it just may soften the hearts of a producer or two when the two sides meet across the bargaining table." --Variety, September, 25-October 1, 2000 Peter Lefcourt is a screenwriter and the author of numerous novels including The Woody and The Dreyfus Affair. Screenwriting legend William Goldman is also the author of the megabestselling book Adventures in the Screen Trade. Used Book in Good Condition