Nora Ephron and the Screenplay She Almost Never Finished

The sad news that writer-filmmaker Nora Ephron passed away yesterday at the age of 71 reminded me of one of my favorite stories about her that I read in an essay she wrote in The New Yorker. (Nora Ephron, “My Life As An Heiress,” The New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2010: 54-57.)

when harry met sally

In 1987, Ephron was struggling with trying to write a screenplay to make some money. She did not think her work was very good, but she continued working on it because she needed the money.

Then, she got a call that a rich uncle had died. Because he was a widow and did not have children, Ephron and her three sisters began talking about how they would spend the millions of dollars they would inherit. During this time, Ephron put away her screenplay, planning to never work on it again. She no longer needed the money and did not enjoy writing the screenplay she saw as worthless.

In the next few weeks, though, Ephron and her sisters discoverd that the uncle was not as rich as they thought. He had lost a lot of money in bad investments, and he left half his money to his housekeeper. Ultimately, Ephron and her sisters each received $40,000.

For Ephron, the money was not enough to retire, of course. So, she went back to working on her screenplay. She eventually finished the screenplay that became When Harry Met Sally… (1989), one of the greatest romantic comedies of all time. While she had already written screenplays for successful movies like Silkwood (1983), the success of When Harry Met Sally changed her life. She went on to work on other films as a screenwriter and/or director such as Sleepless in Seattle (1993), You’ve Got Mail (1998), Michael (1996), and Julia & Julia (2009).

Her uncle never knew the gift he left to us by not making Nora Ephron a wealthy heiress.

Check out our previous post on why When Harry Met Sally with Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan has one of the greatest New Year’s Eve kisses in movie history. What is your favorite Nora Ephron film as screenwriter or director? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Best New Year’s Eve Scene in a Film

    • (Some Related Chimesfreedom Posts)

    Nils Lofgren Helped Write A Classic 1970s Rod Stewart Ballad

    Nils Lofgren added some lyrics to help Danny Whitten finish what became a classic love song, “I Don’t Want to Talk About It.”

    Rod Stewart I Don't Want To Talk About It Nils Lofgren is a great talent who has had a spectacular career, often as a band member in the shadows of other stars like Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen. One piece of information I recently discovered is that he contributed to the classic ballad “I Don’t Want to Talk About It,” even though he is not in the song’s credits.

    The song is by Danny Whitten and was originally recorded by Crazy Horse. Whitten struggled with finishing the song and Lofgren liked the song and encouraged him to finish it. Eventually Lofgren took the initiative to write a few more lines to finish the song. Crazy Horse released the song in 1971, and then in 1975 Rod Stewart had a hit in both the U.S. and the U.K. with the song, which appeared on his album Atlantic Crossing.

    The song has a typical broken-heart theme, with the singer lamenting lost love. But “I Don’t Want to Talk About It” is one of the great heartbreak ballads of the twentieth century. The melody and the contradictions of the lyrics raise the song to another level, with the singer asking a lover to listen while at the same time saying he does not want to talk about it.

    I don’t want to talk about it, how you broke my heart.
    If I stay here just a little bit longer,
    If I stay here, won’t you listen to my heart, whoa, heart?
    I don’t want to talk about it, how you broke this old heart.

    Stewart rerecorded the song in 1989, and later he performed the song with Amy Belle. Other artists have covered the song too. The Indigo Girls did a nice cover for the soundtrack to the film Philadelphia (1993), and Everything But the Girl had a hit with the song in 1985 when they released it as a single in the UK.

    YouTube used to have a video of Lofgren talking about the song, but it has disappeared. But here is the audio of a live version of Lofgren playing the song with a short introduction.

    What do you think of “I Don’t Want to Talk About It”? Ballad classic? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band: “Purple Rain”
  • It’s “Rock & Roll Time” When Jerry Lee Lewis Releases New Music
  • You Can Get Killed Just for Living in Your American Skin
  • Sexy and I Know It: Neil & Bruce Cover
  • Bruce Springsteen on Jimmy Fallon: Wrecking Ball
  • Whip My Hair: Neil Young & Bruce Springsteen Cover

    • (Some Related Chimesfreedom Posts)

    How Does Moonrise Kingdom Rank Among Wes Anderson’s Films? (Short Review)

    moonrise kingdom Movie fans probably already know if they will like the new film Moonrise Kingdom (2012). If you like director Wes Anderson‘s other films, you will probably like Moonrise Kingdom. It has a similar look to his other films and his usual quirky characters. So the most helpful question for a review is: Where does Moonrise Kingdom fall on the scale of Wes Anderson films?

    Moonrise Kingdom follows the exploits of a boy and girl who run away together while parents, a sheriff, and a scout troop search for the two. The colorful movie stars Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as the two runaways, along with Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, and Anderson-movie-regular Bill Murray. There are smaller appearances by Harvey Keitel, another Anderson regular Jason Schwartzman, and a funny narrating role by Bob Balaban dressed in red. The movie has the usual Anderson touch of using classic songs to provide mood, and he uses some Hank Williams recordings like “Kaw-Liga.”

    In the interest of full disclosure, I have enjoyed all of Wes Anderson’s movies. I think Rushmore (1998) is a wonderful film, and I also thoroughly enjoyed The Royal Tennenbaums (2001). I also enjoyed his one foray so far into animation and using another author’s story in Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009). I liked his debut movie, Bottle Rocket (1996), although he has surpassed that work. For me, Moonrise Kingdom did not exceed Rushmore or The Royal Tennenbaums, but I enjoyed it much more than The Darjeeling Limited (2007) and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2001).

    Moonrise Kingdom has a more linear story than some of his movies, like the intertwining The Royal Tennenbaums. So in some ways it may seem like a smaller film than his other works. But it has genuine laugh-out-loud moments while also being a lyrical memory of early 1960s childhood innocence. Overall, it is thoroughly enjoyable.

    Conclusion? Moonrise Kingdom may not blow you away, but it is a welcome entertaining escape from the summer blockbusters. In the following video, Bill Murray takes you on a tour of the film.

    Other Reviews Because Why Should You Trust Me? Rotten Tomatoes currently has Moonrise Kingdom with an excellent 95% critics rating and a 92% audience rating. Joe Williams at the St. Louis Dispatch argues that it is the best movie of the year so far. Boo Allen at the Denton Record Chronicle (TX) is one of the few dissenters, claiming that the attempts at charming dialogue passages “end up sounding quaint, forced and often ridiculous.”

  • Rocket Science (Missed Movies)
  • What if Wes Anderson Made a Horror Movie?
  • Bruce Willis Was in “The Verdict”?
  • Sam Williams: “Can’t Fool Your Own Blood” (Song of the Day)
  • Hank Williams Live Show from July 1952 (Audio)
  • Picture Show Online Tribute to John Prine

    • (Some Related Chimesfreedom Posts)

    40th Anniversary of “Deliverance” Celebrated

    deliverance This weekend, the mountain region of Georgia and South Carolina along the Chattooga River is recognizing the fortieth anniversary of the release of the movie Deliverance (1972). The Chattooga served as the fictional Cahulawassee River in the film about four businessmen canoeing the river and camping on a vacation when they encounter some trouble.

    Understandably, some locals opposed celebrating the movie in an area unfairly stereotyped by the film, which does not portray the local residents in a very flattering light. For example, one of the most iconic scenes in the film features rapists telling one of the men to “squeal like a pig.” But organizers reasoned that Deliverance, which was nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award, helped draw other filmmakers as well as people interested in outdoor activities to the area.

    Organizers plan to continue this new Chattooga River Festival after this year’s Deliverance-themed festival. This weekend, they will feature a screening of the film and a concert by singer-actor Ronnie Cox, who played the banjo on “Dueling Banjos” in this iconic scene from the film.

    Ronnie Cox also will be signing copies of his new book about the making of Deliverance, entitled Dueling Banjos: The Deliverance of Drew. The movie, based on a novel by James Dickey and directed by John Boorman, also starred Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, and Angelina Jolie’s father Jon Voight.

  • Cover of the Day: Mo Pitney Sings “If Hollywood Don’t Need You”
  • Runaway Train (Missed Movies)
  • Total Recall, Total Waste (Short Review)
  • Rating the Lonesome Dove Series, Part 2: The Sequels

    • (Some Related Chimesfreedom Posts)

    The Byrds Release “Mr. Tambourine Man”

    On June 21, 1965, the Byrds helped launch the folk-rock movement with their release of their debut album with the title track of a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man.” Below, The Byrds perform the song on television in the 1960s.

    The Byrds — with Roger McGuinn singing lead as Gene Clark and David Crosby provided the harmony — recorded “Mr. Tambourine Man” in January for their debut album even before Dylan had a chance to record it himself. When Dylan heard what the Byrds did to his song, he reportedly exclaimed, “Wow, man, you can even dance to that!” By the time the Byrds released their album on June 21, 1965, Dylan was in the studio finishing up “Like a Rolling Stone.”

    In this video below from a 2009 webcast, Chris Hillman of The Byrds tells how the band came to reinterpret “Mr. Tambourine Man” and how jazz great Miles Davis helped the band get its first record contract. Check it out.

    “Mr. Tambourine Man” also has been covered by Arlo Guthrie, Judy Collins, Teenage Fan Club, William Shatner, and Kevin Costner. For another performance of “Mr. Tambourine Man” by The Byrds, check out their second television performance in May 1965 before their first album was officially released.

    What is your favorite version of “Mr. Tambourine Man”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • October 1992: They Were So Much Older Then
  • Best Gospel Songs by Pop Stars (Part 5): Cash & Byrds
  • Gene Clark in Concert: 1985
  • The Ending of “Judgment at Nuremberg” And the Film’s Lesson for Today
  • One Degree of Separation Between Bob Dylan & Twilight Zone: Bonnie Beecher & “Come Wander With Me”
  • “Horizon: An American Saga” Trailer

    • (Some Related Chimesfreedom Posts)