Bo Goldman
Bo Goldman | |
---|---|
Born | Robert Spencer Goldman September 10, 1932 New York City, U.S. |
Died | July 25, 2023 Helendale, California, U.S. | (aged 90)
Education | Princeton University |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1958–2016 |
Spouse |
Mab Ashforth
(m. 1954; died 2017) |
Children | 6 |
Bo Goldman (born Robert Spencer Goldman; September 10, 1932 – July 25, 2023) was an American screenwriter and playwright. He received numerous accolades including two
Goldman received two Academy Awards for his screenplays of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and Melvin and Howard (1980). He also wrote The Rose (1979), Shoot the Moon (1982), Scent of a Woman (1992), and Meet Joe Black (1998).
Early life and education
Robert Spencer Goldman was born in 1932 to a Jewish family in New York City.
Eleanor Roosevelt admired the work of Helen Parkhurst and was in the midst of expanding the population and resources of the Dalton School by promoting a merger between the Todhunter School for girls (founded by Winifred Todhunter). Julian Goldman became an early backer, and it was this school where Bo would begin his education. He followed this by skipping his last year at Dalton in favor of fast tracking through Phillips Exeter Academy, an experience that informed a script he would write years later, Scent of a Woman.[3]
Goldman attended Princeton University where he wrote, produced, composed lyrics, and was president of the famed Princeton Triangle Club, a proving ground for F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Stewart, and director Joshua Logan.[2] His 1953 production, Ham 'n Legs, was presented on The Ed Sullivan Show – the first Triangle production ever to appear on National Television. In his early years, he went by the nickname Bob; however, when writing for The Daily Princetonian, his first name was misprinted in one article as "Bo". He adopted it as his pen name and later legally changed his name.[2]
Military service
Upon graduation from Princeton, Goldman had a three-year stint in the
Career
1959–1974: Broadway and television work
After leaving the service, Goldman found work on Broadway as the lyricist for First Impressions (1959), a musical based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.[2] Produced by composer Jule Styne, directed by Abe Burrows, and starring Hermione Gingold, Polly Bergen, and Farley Granger, the play received decent reviews but closed after a brief, 92-show run.[2] He would spend the next few years unsuccessfully trying to get his second show, Hurrah Boys Hurrah, produced.
Now married, and with four small children at home, he soon found a steady income working in the new world of live television at
1975–1990: Prominence and acclaim
After reading
Goldman next wrote
Shoot the Moon received international acclaim and was embraced by America's most respected film critics with
"The great Bo Goldman. He's the pre-eminent screenwriter – in my mind as good as it gets."[15]
Eric Roth, The New York Times, 1998.
For the next few years, Goldman contributed uncredited work to many scripts including Miloš Forman's Ragtime (1981) starring James Cagney and Donald O'Connor, The Flamingo Kid (1984) starring Matt Dillon, and Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy (1990).[8]
1992–2016: Later work
Goldman followed this with
Janet Maslin – The New York Times wrote "Mr. Pacino roars through this story with show-stopping intensity. Bo Goldman's screenplay provides him with a string of indelible wisecracks. Mr. Pacino's contribution, in the sort of role for which Oscar nominations were made, is to remind viewers that a great American actor is too seldom on the screen."[16] Roger Ebert – Chicago Sun-Times declared, "The screenplay is by Bo Goldman (Melvin and Howard), who is more interested in the people than the plot. By the end of "Scent of a Woman," we have arrived at the usual conclusion of the coming-of-age movie, and the usual conclusion of the prep school movie. But rarely have we been taken there with so much intelligence and skill."[17] The film has an 88% score on the critic site Rotten Tomatoes. Next up was Harold Becker's City Hall (1996) again starring Al Pacino and also John Cusack. Pacino played the corrupt Mayor of New York City. The film is peppered with musical theatre references, an homage to Goldman's father and his own Broadway days.[2]
After this was Meet Joe Black (1998) starring Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins.[2] Critics gave the film mixed reviews. Pitt and the director, Martin Brest, took the biggest thumping. The main complaint centered not on content, but pace. Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "Where Meet Joe Black runs into most of its trouble is that everything happens so terribly slowly. Martin Brest has felt the need to inflate the tale until it floats around like one of those ungainly balloons in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Not helping the time go faster is the way star Brad Pitt has ended up playing Death. Ordinarily the most charismatic of actors, with an eye-candy smile and a winning ease, Pitt approaches this role largely on a leash, hanging around more like the protagonist of I Walked With a Zombie than a flesh-and-blood leading man."[18]
Goldman did a rewrite of The Perfect Storm in 2000. The film went on to earn $329,000,000.[19]
Influence
In a 1998 interview with The New York Times screenwriter Eric Roth said, "The great Bo Goldman. He's the pre-eminent screenwriter – in my mind as good as it gets. He has the most varied and intelligent credits, from Cuckoo's Nest to Shoot the Moon, the best divorce movie ever made, to Scent of a Woman, to the great satire Melvin and Howard. He rarely makes mistakes, and he manages to maintain a distinctive American voice. And he manages to stay timely."[15]
Roth once again expressed his admiration for Goldman in an October 2017
Personal life and death
Goldman married Mabel "Mab" Ashforth in 1954 and they remained married until her death in 2017.[2] They spent their later years in Rockport, Maine, with their daughter, Serena, and son-in-law, filmmaker Todd Field.[2][21] In April 2023, Goldman moved to Helendale, California, to live with his son Justin, until his death three months later on July 25, 2023, at the age of 90.[2][22]
Filmography
Films
Year | Film | Credit | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
1962 | The Paradine Case | Screenplay by | [23] | |
1972 | When the Legends Die | Soundtrack | Wrote lyrics to "When You Speak to the Kids", "The Riderless Wagon", and "Summer Storm" |
[24] |
1975 | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | Screenplay by | Co-written with Lawrence Hauben | [25] |
1979 | The Rose | Screenplay by | Originally written as Pearl in 1974 Co-written with Michael Cimino |
[25] |
1980 | Melvin and Howard | Written by | [8] | |
1981 | Ragtime | — | Uncredited script revision | [8] |
1982 | Shoot the Moon | Written by | [8] | |
1984 | Swing Shift | — | Uncredited script revision | [8] |
The Flamingo Kid | — | [8] | ||
1988 | Little Nikita | Screenplay by | Co-written with John Hill | [8] |
1990 | Dick Tracy | — | Uncredited script revision | [8] |
1992 | Scent of a Woman | Screenplay by | [25] | |
1996 | City Hall | Screenplay by | Co-written with Ken Lipper, Paul Schrader, and Nicholas Pileggi
|
[25] |
1998 | Meet Joe Black | Screenplay by | Co-written with Ron Osborn, Jeff Reno, and Kevin Wade | [25] |
2000 | The Perfect Storm | — | Uncredited script revision | [8] |
2006 | Goya's Ghosts | — | [8] | |
2016 | Rules Don't Apply | Story by | Story co-written with Warren Beatty | [8] |
Television
Year | TV Series | Credit | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
1948 | The Philco Television Playhouse | Associate Producer | [19] | |
1956–1959 | Playhouse 90 | Writer, Associate Producer | [8] | |
1957 | The Seven Lively Arts | Producer | [19] | |
1961 | ABC Close-Up! | Producer | 1 Episode | [citation needed] |
1961–1962 | Theatre '62 | Writer | 2 Episodes | [8] |
1963 | NBC Children's Theatre | Writer | 1 Episode | [citation needed] |
1964 | The Defenders | Writer | 1 Episode | [19] |
1974 | Great Performances | Producer | 2 Episodes | [19] |
Unmade scripts
Year | Project | Description | Ref |
---|---|---|---|
1975 | The Legend of King Kong | Unused King Kong remake script for Universal Pictures | [8][26] |
1978 | A Chorus Line | An adaptation of the musical to have been directed by Mike Nichols | [27] |
1979 | Starting Over | Unused early draft | [8] |
1980 | Black Sands | An original screenplay to have been directed by Bruno Barreto | [28] |
1982 | Final Payments | An adaptation of the novel to have starred Diane Keaton | [29] |
The Old Neighborhood | An adaptation of the novel Wrote with the intention of directing |
[29] | |
1989 | Monkeys | An adaptation of the novel to have starred Kevin Kline and Diane Keaton Wrote with the intention of directing |
[30] |
Time Steps | Script for Penny Marshall, based on her mother | [31][32] | |
1992 | First Knight | Script for the Zucker Brothers about the legend of King Arthur, Lancelot and Camelot | [33] |
1993 | Untitled psychological thriller | Described by Goldman as a "contemporary Third Man" about a CIA agent Wrote with the intention of directing |
[34] |
1995 | Wild Strawberries | A remake of the 1957 film to have starred Gregory Peck Wrote with the intention of directing |
[35][36] |
2003 | The Colonel and Me | Script for Barry Levinson about a young Jerry Weintraub's relationship with Col. Tom Parker | [37] |
2006 | Rififi | Script for a remake of the 1955 French film to have starred Al Pacino | [38] |
— | Sonny | Script about the younger life of Howard Hughes | [19] |
— | Sons and Fathers | Wrote with the intention of directing | [citation needed] |
— | Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye | [citation needed] |
Awards and nominations
Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1975 | Academy Award |
Best Adapted Screenplay | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | Won | [9] |
1977 | BAFTA Award |
Best Screenplay | Nominated | [9] | |
1975 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Screenplay | Won | [9] | |
1976 | Writers Guild of America Award |
Best Adapted Screenplay | Won | [9] | |
1980 | Academy Award |
Best Original Screenplay | Melvin and Howard | Won | [9] |
1980 | Writers Guild of America Award |
Best Original Screenplay | Won | [9] | |
1980 | Boston Society of Film Critics | Best Screenplay | Won | [39] | |
1980 | National Society of Film Critics | Best Screenplay | Won | [40] | |
1980 | New York Film Critics Circle | Best Screenplay | Won | [9] | |
1983 | Writers Guild of America Award |
Best Original Screenplay | Shoot the Moon | Nominated | [9] |
1992 | Academy Award |
Best Adapted Screenplay | Scent of a Woman | Nominated | [9] |
1994 | BAFTA Award |
Best Adapted Screenplay | Nominated | [9] | |
1993 | Golden Globe Award |
Best Screenplay | Won | [9] | |
1993 | Writers Guild of America Award |
Best Adapted Screenplay | Nominated | [9] | |
1998 | Writers Guild of America Award |
Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement | Received | [9] |
References
- ^ a b Weinraub, Bernard (February 25, 1993). "A Screenwriter Profits From His Years of Pain". The New York Times. p. C15. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Genzlinger, Neil (July 27, 2023). "Bo Goldman, 90, Who Adapted 'Cuckoo's Nest' for Film, Is Dead". The New York Times. p. A21. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ISBN 9780691058276.
- ^ Harris, Michael. The Atomic Times: My H-Bomb Year at the Pacific Proving Ground.
- ^ a b "Legendary Screenwriter Bo Goldman discusses his craft". Archived from the original on April 24, 2008. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
- ^ Weinraub, Bernard (February 25, 1993). "A Screenwriter Profits From His Years of Pain". The New York Times.
- ^ Jessica, Nobleza (February 1, 2023). "10 Movies that Almost Won the "Big Five" at the Oscars". Collider. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Barnes, Mike (July 26, 2023). "Bo Goldman, Oscar-Winning Screenwriter on 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' and 'Melvin and Howard,' Dies at 90". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Bo Goldman | Movie and Film Awards". AllMovie. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ISBN 9780743246583.
- ^ "Detail view of Movies Page". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
- ^ Kael, Pauline (January 18, 1982). "The Current Cinema". The New Yorker.
- New York Magazine.
- ^ Edelstein, David (January 1982). "Shoot the Moon". New York Post.
- ^ a b Willens, Michele (September 13, 1998). "The New Season/Film: Looking Ahead; Awaiting Kubrick, Malick, 'Mail'". The New York Times.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (December 23, 1992). "A Lust For Life". The New York Times.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (December 23, 1992). "Scent of a Woman". Chicago Sun-Times.
- ^ Turan, Kenneth (November 13, 1998). "Dead Man Goes a-Courtin = Los Angeles Times".
- ^ a b c d e f Dagan, Carmel (July 26, 2023). "Bo Goldman, Oscar-Winning Writer of 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' Script, Dies at 90". Variety. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- New York Magazine. October 2, 2017. Archived from the originalon January 3, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
- ^ Marc Maron (January 16, 2023). "Episode 1401 – Todd Field". wtfpod.com (Podcast). Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ Smith, Harrison. "Bo Goldman, screenwriter with a humanistic touch, dies at 90". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
- ^ "The Paradine Case (1962)". BFI. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Bo Goldman - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ "THE LEGEND OF KING KONG 1975 ORIGINAL MOVIE SCRIPT SCREENPLAY BY BO GOLDMAN". WorthPoint. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
- ^ Freedman, Samuel G. (November 11, 1984). "'CHORUS LINE' VS. HOLLYWOOD-A SAGA". The New York Times. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
- ISBN 978-0813139197.
- ^ a b Hinson, Hal (July 11, 1982). "Cry of the Screenwriter". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
- ^ "Kevin Klein and Diane Keaton will star..." Los Angeles Times. November 26, 1989. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
- ^ "TIME STEPS FIRST DRAFT SCRIPT DECEMBER 15, 1989, UNPRODUCED SCREENPLAY BY BO GOLDMAN!". WorthPoint. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
- ^ "TIME STEPS FIRST DRAFT SCRIPT JULY 16, 1990, UNPRODUCED SCREENPLAY BY BO GOLDMAN!". WorthPoint. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
- ^ Frook, John Evan (October 7, 1992). "Col, Zucker may journey into 'Knight'". Variety. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ Weintraub, Bernard (March 4, 1993). "CREATIVE TENSION". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
- ^ "FORD TO STAR IN 'SABRINA' AFTER TAKING YEAR OFF". Orlando Sentinel. February 10, 1995. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ "Bo Goldman, screenwriter who won Oscars for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Melvin and Howard – obituary". The Telegraph. August 8, 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
- ^ Fleming, Michael (May 20, 2003). "WB, Levinson will salute 'The Colonel'". Variety. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
- ^ "Ron Bass Adapting True Believer; Bo Goldman Penning Rififi". MovieWeb. March 31, 2006. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
- ^ "BSFC Winners: 1980s". Boston Society of Film Critics. July 27, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ "Past Awards". National Society of Film Critics. December 19, 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
External links
- Bo Goldman at IMDb
- Interview with Goldman – 17 February 2008 Archived April 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- Bo Goldman discography at Discogs
- Bo Goldman at the Internet Broadway Database