Mad as Hell

An anecdotal biography of Paddy Chayefsky follows the life, film career, and personal relationships of the legendary screenwriter, from his humble beginnings in the Bronx through his three Academy Awards for Marty, Network, and Hospital.

A worthwhile biography of a worthy subject: Paddy Chayefsky, probably the finest writer to emerge from television. The author of gossipy books about Barbra Streisand and the Bette DavisJoan Crawford feud (Bette and Joan, 1989, etc.) would seem to be an odd author to chronicle the life of a serious writer, but Considine's admiration for Chayefsky's work shines through every page of this absorbing book. Clearly bored with some of the traditional baggage of biography, Considine hustles through Chayefsky's early life in a few brief, awkward chapters. However, from the moment Chayefsky turned his hand to writing, Considine stretches out to provide richly detailed accounts of each of his productions. Chayefsky's first great success came in 1953 with his original television drama Marty, a pioneering work in the naturalistic style whose film version, two years later, brought Chayefsky the first of three Academy Awards. Considine reveals that Chayefsky had a brief affair with leading lady Kim Novak during the filming of Middle of the Night (a revelation that is too coyly teased at in the book's introduction). Career setbacks plagued Chayefsky in the '60s as he attempted to widen the scope of his work, but he staged a remarkable comeback in the '70s with the films The Hospital and Network. If Considine's book seems to cover five parts career to one part life, it quickly becomes evident that this was how Chayefsky lived. A psychological portrait emerges of a deeply divided man with an unhappy wife and a troubled son. Only after a horrible experience with what would be his last film, Altered States, did Chayefsky finally began to integrate his personality and find some peace, only to die as he turned to new work. An exceptional book that, it is hoped, will prompt a reappraisal of the entire range of Paddy Chayefsky's writing. (16 pages b&w photos, not seen) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Chayefsky is probably best remembered for his OscarR-winning script for the film Network (1976). He also won Academy AwardsR for two other scripts, The Hospital (1971) and Marty (1955), wrote two successful Broadway plays, and is generally regarded as the best writer during television's "golden age of drama" in the early 1950s. Considine's thesis is that Chayefsky was a schizophrenic, split between the boisterous, antagonistic "Paddy" and the sensitive, serious "Sidney" (Chayefsky's real name). Chayefsky's son, his oldest brother, and many of his friends cooperated with Considine in the writing of this very well-researched book. Recommended for most libraries.
--John Smothers, Monmouth Cty. Lib., Manalapan, N.J.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Considine ( Bette & Joan: The Divine Feud ) has written an engrossing and lively biography of the late screenwriter, the only one to win three Oscars--for Marty, Hospital and Network . Chayefsky (1923-1981) also wrote the screenplays for other notable films, such as Altered States , the hallucinatory melodrama that made William Hurt famous, as well as Broadway comedies and dramas. Yet he got his start writing for TV-- Marty originated as a one-hour episode of "Philco Television Playhouse"--and the chapters detailing the early days of the medium are particularly engrossing. Chayefsky--initially the "poet of the streets" whose Marty reflected his profound insecurity--worked with such personalities as Bob Fosse, Marilyn Monroe, Zero Mostel, Tyrone Guthrie and Ken Russell. Considine's characterization of his subject as a man split in two is facile; he plays off "Paddy"--scrappy, Bronx-bred--with "Sidney"--devout, artistic, intellectual. Nonetheless, the ups and downs of Chayefsky's varied career make for consistently entertaining reading. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Considine, who wrote the best-selling Bette & Joan: The Divine Feud , offers an anecdote-packed life of the screenwriter who won Oscars for Marty , Network , and Hospital .
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Chayefsky's greatest contributions to the American vernacular--"Whatta ya want to do tonight?" from Marty and "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!" from Network--are reason enough to honor him with an in-depth biography. Considine adds new interviews with family and colleagues to existing interviews with Chayefsky and his close confidantes, such as choreographer Bob Fosse and playwright Herb Gardner, to shed light on the writing career of this multifaceted man who created memorable scripts for television's golden age, as well as screenplays and theatrical work. Sidney Chayefsky (affectionately nicknamed "Paddy" while in the service) was a sensitive kid from the Bronx who wanted initially to perform and be liked; he eventually found himself writing for TV, where he revolutionized the reputation of the fledgling medium with his drama Marty (it was eventually made into a film and won him the first of three Oscars). After his initial success, Chayefsky created many more dramas for TV and film before entering a less-successful period during the 1960s and a renaissance in the 1970s with scripts for The Hospital, Network, and Altered States. The book portrays its subject as a bit of a schizophrenic, but Paddy's friendships with Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and Fosse, and his rivalry with playwright Arthur Miller, help make the book an enlightening page-turner even for people who have no interest in the working of the mind of a great writer. Joe Collins