Sprinkled With Ruby Dust

Hollywood's most famous literary agent recounts his career representing such twentieth century literary luminaries as F. Scott Fitzgerald and William Faulkner in their efforts to find work as script-writers in Hollywood's booming, lucrative film industry

Now nearly 90, "Swanie," founder of College Humor magazine in 1923, recalls working with Benchley, Mencken, Perelman and Noel Coward, suggesting the title The Great Gatsby to Fitzgerald, and meeting or avoiding Hemingway, Sandburg, Hearst and Al Capone. After producing and scripting films for RKO, he became an agent, and for the next 55 years represented Cain, Chandler, Faulkner, Hailey, O'Hara and Luke Short. Sprinkled with anecdotes, this brief, superficial memoir mixes sketchy chronology with high jinks, references to alcohol and business lunches, and stories about Goldwyn, Cohn, Mayer, Selnick, Thalberg, Warner, Zanuck, Disney and Hitchcock. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.