AN ELEPHANT NEVER FORGETS: EPISODE 15: “KNOCK KNOCK.” “WHO'S THERE?” UNIVERSAL, PARAMOUNT AND AMBLIN

At the cast and crew screening of LADY IN WHITE, at The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences theater during the summer of 1987, I was approached by any number of people who had just seen the film for the first time as everyone spilled into the lobby from the auditorium at the film's conclusion. It was a 700 seat house and we pretty much filled it. Among the well wishers were Mick Garris and Donald P. Borchers. I don't remember having invited either one of them, personally. Garris (a filmmaker in his own right) shook my hand and said “I hate you!” I understood where he was coming from. In fact, in that cut-throat jungle, it was the highest compliment indeed, coming from another Director.

Borchers, the Executive at Avco Embassy Pictures who was assigned to re-cut FEAR NO EVIL with me and supervise its post-production, was probably invited by my cousin Charlie, Lady's Executive Producer. I knew that Charlie had remained in touch with him after the debacle of FEAR. As for me, I hated his guts and refused to have anything to do with him after that. But here he was! Ready to give me that fake, Hollywood charm and let me know what he thought. “So, what did you think, Don?”, I asked. “I think I'm looking at the hottest Director in Hollywood! That's what I think!”, he replied.

Typical.

That old adage “everyone has their 15 minutes of fame”, I suppose, might very well have applied to me in the ensuing months.One day, the phone rings at my office and my “right arm”, Lorie Zerweck, comes to my inner sanctum to announce that TOM POLLOCK, The President of Universal Pictures, wants to speak with me: “Frank, Tom Pollock here. I saw your picture and I loved it! Great job. When can we get together?!”

A meeting is arranged for me at his office on the lot. I walk in and sit down. He goes on a bit about how much the film impressed him and wants to know what I have in mind to do next. I tell him about THE GIANT, the screenplay I intend to go to Italy to write. “It's an historical thriller about the three years spent while Michelangelo was creating his David and...” “Hold on,” he says, “you're not going to pitch me some malarkey about Michelangelo and his gay lovers like Zeffirelli has told me he wants to make?” “No, it's not like that at all, Tom...” “And another thing,” interrupting me yet again, “If you make a picture for us, you're NOT going to be doing EVERYTHING yourself like you did last time. You know, directing, writing, producing...writing the music. Other people will be working with you.”

Never heard from him again.

Next up, Paramount! Lindsay Doran (also an ex Avco Embassy exec.) currently V.P. in charge of production at the studio, sends me a script titled “GHOST.” I read it and like it tremendously. When I go in to meet with her at the studio, I tell her that I have one major concern regarding story. You see, at that stage in the script's development, the Whoopi Goldberg character was killed at the film's climax. The script had her floating around next to Swayze, dead and ghostly. I told Lindsay that it would be a fatal mistake to have her floating around with Swayze and that the audience would likely laugh at this ,especially considering Whoopi's comedic character throughout the rest of the film and spoil the dramatic intensity of the finale. (I'm referring to Whoopi and Swayze here simply because I can't remember the character names. The film had not been cast at this point.)

Lindsay agreed with me wholeheartedly and decided that I was the man to direct the film. She sets up a meeting for me with LISA WEINSTEIN, the film's Producer. I walk into Weinstein's office to find her 12 months pregnant (at least she looked that way to me) screaming into the phone at the top of her lungs. “I'm THROUGH with this fucking studio! That's it! I'm taking the picture with me in turnaround! Paramount can go fuck themselves!”

She hangs up and turns to me. “Hi Frank. 'Loved “Lady in White” but I'm not making this picture at Paramount. Sorry to have wasted your time coming here.” Seems that Frank Oz had been attached to “Ghost” to direct but Paramount was not willing to OK him. Instead, they wanted me. But Weinstein felt that they had jerked her around long enough and decided to leave and take “Ghost” with her. (The film wound up going into production a few months later at Paramount with Jerry Zucker directing.)

I left.

And last but (certainly not least) KATHLEEN KENNEDY, famed producing partner of Spielberg, calls to request a screening of “LADY”. She brings with her, another woman whose name I can't recall. I'm present at the screening as my policy was, if the screening is arranged through my office, either myself or an associate must be in attendance. (This “condition” was meant to assure that the attendee wasn't sleeping, chatting incessantly with an invited guest throughout or hadn't walked out of the screening room 10 minutes in.)

The moment those two saw me there, they turned ice cold. How dare I be present! They did, however, stay to watch the entire film. There was a cursory handshake and “goodbye” when the film had finished and I thought “Well, that's the end of that.” But NO! I was invited to Amblin' and Kennedy's office the next day to discuss! So, I go.

Only to find that Kennedy is nowhere to be seen but the “associate” (who had been with her at the screening) is there. She sits me down and says “So...what do you have in mind to do next?”

“Well, it's called THE GIANT! It's an historical thriller about the three years spent while Michelangelo was creating his David and...”

Need I say more?

AN ELEPHANT NEVER FORGETS: IF THE SHOE DOESN'T FIT...

Tom Pollack

Lindsay Doran

Lisa Weinstein

Kathleen Kennedy