If the Santa Barbara International Film Festival isn’t offering you enough Hollywood legends, come out to Chaucer's Books this Sunday, January 29 at 2 pm. Fred Weintraub will sign his new book Bruce Lee, Woodstock and Me: From the Man Behind a Half-Century of Music, Movies and Martial Arts.
Mr Weintraub was generous enough to offer this exclusive interview to the Santa Barbara Community Examiner.
SBCE: This memoir covers your fifty-year journey through the entertainment business. Is it all in the book or did you have to leave a lot out?
FW: I originally had 500 pages but we cut it down to 300.
SBCE: In your bio it says you’re “the Hollywood legend you've never heard of”. You’re undoubtedly a legend, so why have people not heard of you, before this?
FW: I've always been sort of the man behind the curtain in everything that I've done. I've always believed the performer's job is so tough that the manager or the producer shouldn't get in the way. I never dated any of the stars or celebrities, never took those famous luncheons, or hired a personal publicist. It made things a helluva lot easier.
SBCE: Of the over 40 films and more than 50 one-hour television episodes you’ve made, which are you most proud of? Do you have any favorites?
FW: Tom Horn, Enter the Dragon, The Devil's Arithmetic and My Father, My Son. Every time I start a film, I think it's going to be one of my favorites but, since movies are such a collaborative art that requires so many good people to make it happen, it very seldom fulfills your expectations. But as Winston Churchill said, “you go from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.”
SBCE: You’ve worked with Bill Cosby, Joan Rivers, Woody Allen, Neil Diamond, Steve McQueen, George C. Scott, Robert Duvall, Kirsten Dunst and dozens of others. Which of the celebrities you’ve known are the most memorable to you?
FW: It's hard to pick but if I had to narrow it down I'd say Woody Allen, Judy Collins, Bruce Lee and Steve McQueen.
SBCE: With Enter the Dragon you defied industry prejudices by discovering Bruce Lee, triggering the martial arts craze of the 70s. How did you know the world was ready for this type of entertainment? Did you have some type of premonition or did you just get lucky?
FW: Before Enter the Dragon, I had commissioned two young men in New York to do a script called Kung Fu. This started me off but, when I got out to Warner Bros. in Los Angeles, I was treated to some old Chinese films which were boring as hell. But at the end of each film, one man in white comes out and destroys 100 men in black. It sort of reminded me of Alexander Nevsky, which was one of my favorite films. I was then introduced to Bruce Lee. We became friends and, after I saw his film work in Hong Kong, pursued the martial arts idea. It was certainly worth it. Bruce was a shooting star that will never be repeated.
SBCE: You told Warner Bros you’d quit if they didn’t close the deal to make Woodstock. Why were you so passionate about the documentary?
FW: I had just become a Vice President of Warner Bros. and, even though the film was turned down by all the other studios, I knew all the young people from my club (The Bitter End) in the Village were going to the festival. I thought it may have a possibility, even though the history of documentaries at that point from Nanook of the North and Celebration at Big Sur had never made a nickel. Luckily, I had a mentor in Ted Ashley (CEO of Warner Bros) who trusted me.
SBCE: So far you’ve had quite an adventurous life and now a successful book. Now what? Are you ready to retire?
FW: No, of course not. I love learning. Recently, I discovered Mortacai Kaplan, who in 1922 invented the bas mitzvah and, after 30 years, it has doubled the income of the reformed Jewish temple. Right now I'm fascinated by Lafayette and the American Revolution.
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