Book description
" Freddie Maas's revealing memoir offers a unique perspective on
the film industry and Hollywood culture in their early days and
illuminates the plight of Hollywood writers working within the studio
system. An ambitious twenty-three-year-old, Maas moved to Hollywood
and launched her own writing career by drafting a screenplay of the
bestselling novel The Plastic Age for ""It"" girl
Clara Bow. On the basis of that script, she landed a staff position at
powerhouse MGM studios. In the years to come, she worked with and
befriended numerous actors and directors, including Norma Shearer,
Joan Crawford, and Eric von Stroheim, as well as such writers and
producers as Thomas Mann and Louis B. Mayer. As a professional
screenwriter, Fredderica quickly learned that scripts and story ideas
were frequently rewritten and that screen credit was regularly given
to the wrong person. Studio executives wanted well-worn plots, but it
was the writer's job to develop the innovative situations and
scintillating dialogue that would bring to picture to life. For over
twenty years, Freddie and her friends struggled to survive in this
incredibly competitive environment. Through it all, Freddie remained a
passionate, outspoken woman in an industry run by powerful men, and
her provocative, nonconformist ways brought her success, failure,
wisdom, and a wealth of stories, opinions, and insight into a
fascinating period in screen history.
"An excellent history of what it was to be a writer in the
film industry then." -- Southern Pines (NC) Pilot
