Greta Scacchi and Tim Robbins in The Player (Sandcastle 5 Productions)
Robert Altman and Tess Gallagher on the set of Short Cuts (Photofest)
Julianne Moore in Short Cuts (Photofest)
Chris Penn and Jennifer Jason Leigh in Short Cuts (Sandcastle 5 Productions) 436 Lily Tomlin and Tom Waits in Short Cuts (Sandcastle 5 Productions)
Robert Altman, Marcello Mastroianni, and Sophia Lauren, on the set of Prêt-à-Porter (Kathryn Reed Altman)
Robert Altman’s handwritten acceptance speech for the Legion of Honor (Kathryn Reed Altman)
Harry Belafonte in Kansas City (Sandcastle 5 Productions)
Robert Altman surrounded by jazz musicians on the set of Kansas City (Photofest)
Three weeks after his heart transplant (Kathryn Reed Altman)
Liv Tyler and Charles Dutton in Cookie’s Fortune (Photofest)
Bob Balaban, Jeremy Northam, Natasha Wightman, and Tom Hollander in Gosford Park (Sandcastle 5 Productions)
Robert Altman directing Emily Watson in Gosford Park (Sandcastle 5 Productions)
Neve Campbell and Malcolm McDowell in The Company (Photofest)
With son and favorite camera operator Robert (Bobby) Reed Altman (Kathryn Reed Altman)
Kathryn and Robert Altman (Kathryn Reed Altman)
With Lindsay Lohan and Meryl Streep on the set of A Prairie Home Companion (Melinda Sue Gordon/Sandcastle 5 Productions)
Robert Altman and director Paul Thomas Anderson during A Prairie Home Companion (Melinda Sue Gordon/Sandcastle 5 Productions)
With Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin, receiving his Oscar (Photofest)
Portrait of Robert Altman on the set of A Prairie Home Companion (Melinda Sue
Gordon/Sandcastle 5 Productions) 509 “Giggle and give in.” (Photo series by Danielle Weil)
PERMISSIONS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Grateful acknowledgment is made to the following for permission to reprint previously published material:
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: Excerpt from the Oscar for Lifetime Achievement presentation speech by Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin at the 78th Academy Awards, March 5, 2006. Reprinted by permission of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The Associated Press: Excerpt from “Movie Snub Spotlights Politics of Oscar Campaigns; Robert Altman’s Kansas City Left Out of Race by Distributor” by Lynn Elber (The Associated Press, January 31, 1997). Reprinted by permission of The Associated Press.
The Boston Globe: Excerpt from review of Kansas City by Jay Carr, copyright © 2008 by Globe Newspaper Company (The Boston Globe, August 16, 1996). Reprinted by permission of The Boston Globe.
The Christian Science Monitor: Excerpt from “Robert Altman’s Sudden—and Auspicious—Stage Venture” by David Sterritt, copyright © 1981 by The Christian Science Monitor (The Christian Science Monitor, October 27, 1981). Reprinted by permission of The Christian Science Monitor.
Roger Ebert: Excerpt from review of California Split by Roger Ebert (Chicago Sun-Times, January 1, 1974) and excerpt from review of The Company by Roger Ebert (Chicago Sun-Times, December 24, 2003). Reprinted by permission of Roger Ebert.
Fox Movie Channel: Excerpts from the script from Altman: On His Own Terms (Fox Movie Channel, 2000). Reprinted by permission of Fox Movie Channel.
Los Angeles Times: Excerpt from “Losers on the Loose in Thieves” by Kevin Thomas, copyright © 1974 by Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles Times, April 4, 1974); and excerpt from “Robert Altman Finds His Way to Carverville” by Kenneth Turan, copyright © 1993 by Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles Times, October 8, 1993). Reprinted by permission of Los Angeles Times.
The New York Observer: Excerpt from “When a Man Loves Too Many Women” by Andrew Sarris (The New York Observer, November 19, 2000). Reprinted by permission of The New York Observer.
The New York Times: Excerpt from “Brewster McCloud—Movie Review” by Vincent Canby, copyright © 1970 by The New York Times (The New York Times, December 24, 1970); excerpt from “The James Dean Story—Movie Review” by Bosley Crowther, copyright © 1957 by The New York Times (The New York Times, October 19, 1957); excerpt from “De Laurentiis Dismisses Altman from Ragtime,” copyright © 1972 by The New York Times (The New York Times, October 9, 1972); excerpt from “TV: An Hour of Ugliness” by Jack Gould, copyright © 1961 by The New York Times (The New York Times, December 4, 1961); excerpt from “Robert Altman Sells Studio for $2.3 Million” by Aljean Harmetz, copyright © 1981 by The New York Times (The New York Times, July 11, 1981); excerpt from “A.B.C. Head Backs ‘Bus Stop’ Episode” by Marjorie Hunter, copyright © 1962 by The New York Times (The New York Times, July 25, 1962); excerpt from “McCabe and Mrs. Miller: A Sneaky-Great Movie” by Peter Schjedahl, copyright © 1971 by The New York Times (The New York Times, July 25, 1971); excerpt from “Countdown—Movie Review” by Howard Thompson, copyright © 1968 by The New York Times (The New York Times, May 2, 1968); and excerpt from “Images—Movie Review” by Howard Thompson, copyright © 1972 by The New York Times (The New York Times, October 9, 1972). All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of PARS International Corp., on behalf of The New York Times and protected by the copyright laws of the United States. The printing, copying, redistribution, or retransmission of the material without express written permission is prohibited.
Newsweek: Excerpt from “Desert Song” by Jack Kroll, copyright © 1977 by Newsweek, Inc. (Newsweek, April 18, 1977); and excerpt from “Popeye without Spinach” by David Ansen, copyright © 1980 by Newsweek, Inc. (Newsweek, December 22, 1980). All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of PARS International Corp., on behalf of Newsweek and protected by the copyright laws of the United States. The printing, copying, redistribution, or retransmission of the material without express written permission is prohibited.
The Village Voice: Excerpt from “Review in Focus: McCabe and Mrs. Miller—Carnal Knowledge” by Andrew Sarris, copyright © 2007 by Village Voice Media (The Village Voice, July 8, 1971). Reprinted by permission of The Village Voice.
A NOTE ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MITCHELL ZUCKOFF is a professor of journalism at Boston University. He is the author of three previous books, most recently Ponzi’s Scheme: The True Story of A Financial Legend. As a reporter with The Boston Globe, he was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize and the recipient of numerous national writing awards.
THIS IS A BORZOI BOOK
PUBLISHED BY ALFRED A. KNOPF
Copyright © 2009 by the Estate of Robert B. Altman and Mitchell Zuckoff
All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.aaknopf.com
Knopf, Borzoi Books, and the colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Due to limitations of space, permissions to reprint previously published material can be found following the index.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Zuckoff, Mitchell.
Robert Altman : the oral biography / by Mitchell Zuckoff.—
1st American ed.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-307-27335-2
1. Altman, Robert, 1925–2006. 2. Motion picture producers and
directors—United States—Biography. I. Title.
PN1998.3.A48Z83 2009
791.4302′33092—dc22
[B] 2009019847
v3.0
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