The thing most people remember from the 2013 Golden Globes (if they remember anything) was Jodie Foster coming out when she received that year’s Cecil B. DeMille award. The thing I remember is that the montage of Jodie Foster clips included two scenes from “Carny,” a movie I wrote in the 70s—a quick shot of […]
The following conversation was recorded at Matteo’s Restaurant in Los Angeles. The waiter has just brought the martinis. TOM BAUM: Cheers. CAROL BAUM: Cheers. TB: We have the restaurant to ourselves. CB: Because of Rosh Hashanah. He was happy to see us. TB: He’s used to seeing us on Date Night. CB: How many Date […]
TOM BAUM: Did you get the right cashews? CAROL BAUM: Which are the right cashews? Both bags are the same TB: No, the ones labeled “supreme” are yours. You said the others tasted funny. CB: These taste all right. TB: OK, then we can save some money next time. So…do we have an all-time favorite […]
“This is the saddest story I have ever heard.” So begins Ford Maddox Ford’s masterpiece, The Good Soldier. Every screenwriter has at least one sob story. This is mine. Back in the early 70s, before I got my first screenplay credit, I wrote a spec script, “Almost Grown,” about a high school kid, Burdick (no […]
(The following conversation was recorded at home over drinks, while waiting for the oven-fried potatoes to cook.) CAROL BAUM: Are the potatoes in? TOM BAUM: Yeah. Another 15 minutes, then I’ll turn them. So these types you have to deal with on a daily basis— C: Some of them are definitely pathological. T: Remember that […]
Has anyone in real life ever uttered any of these sentences? “And your point is?” “And you’re saying that because?” “That went well.” “Why am I not surprised?” “This is the part where you [leave, confess, whatever].” “Tell me something I don’t know.” “So that happened.” “What part of [whatever] don’t you understand?” (A tiny […]