The great and legendary writer-director-performer Elaine May did something very unusual on Tuesday afternoon. The Tony Award winning actress, two time Oscar nominee, winner of a Lifetime Oscar, and Grammy winner came to Sardi’s historic theater dining room to interview her producer of many decades, Julian Schlossberg, in front of a press gathering. It was to promote his new book of amazing anecdotes, called “My First Book, Part 2: A Producers Life Continues.”
Schlossberg has produced most everything of May’s done since the 70s, when he rescued her film, “Mikey and Nicky,” from oblivion at Paramount. He’s worked on her plays and movies as well as Woody Allen’s stage production of “Bullets over Broadway” and the 1979 “No Nukes” documentary with scores of rock stars like Bruce Springsteen, Carly Simon, and James Taylor.
During the pandemic, Schlossberg – stranded like all of us – wrote his first book. “Try Not to Hold It Against Me” was filled with juicy stories about his showbiz life. He persuaded May – who doesn’t do anything – wrote the foreword. Then Schlossberg decided to publish volume 2. He asked May had to write another foreword.
At Sardi’s, May took her stool next to Schlossberg with a lot of trepidation. He read from her foreword: “In the foreword game, you work for nothing, and once you’ve written a foreword for one book, you’ve basically contracted yourself to write the foreword for all the author’s books at the same price. You’re also obligated to appear with him on television interviews, at art centers, book clubs, and libraries, and on podcasts.” There was an Elaine May beat with the comedic timing of a knife bearing Benihana chef. “Fortunately, Mr. Schlossberg’s next work is going to be a play.”
May, who does not do interviews, is 92. She looks at least 10 years younger, more like Schlossberg, whose hair is grey. Hers is not. She brought along her famous and talented actress daughter, Jeannie Berlin (“The Fabelmans,” “Succession,” “The Night Of” among recent credits). Also in the room was another legend, actress-writer-director Renee Taylor. (You know her from “The Nanny,” in which she played Fran Drescher’s mom.) It was that kind of group.
Elaine, you may know, was once half of a comedy team with the late great Mike Nichols before they each became famous writers and directors. Their improvised sketches on TV circa 1960 made them superstars.
May said repeatedly at Sardi’s that she was “nervous” about being an interviewer, but she made up for it without missing a beat. She clutched the Sardi’s menu and instead of interviewing Schlossberg, examined the choices for lunch.
“There used to be fantastic devil beef bones on this menu, I don’t know if anybody… [remembers] years ago, and they’re not here. I’m starving. One of the reasons, I came. Not true. It was for friendship,” she said, “and the fact that you’re going to give me a piece of the book.”
May is all over the book, a looming, hilarious presence. But so are lots of people, from Warren Beatty and Elia Kazan to Jackie Gleason and George C. Scott. You want Broadway, Hollywood for the last 50 years? Schlossberg knows where all the bodies are buried. Just so you know: when “Saturday Night Fever” was shot in New York, Schlossberg was the Paramount executive in charge.
“My entire contribution to Saturday Night Fever was to go to John Badham, the director, and say, look, this is four-letter language — and there was no cable at that time or any cassettes. I said, you can’t use this language We have to do a tape without that language, and so that was my contribution. I got the television version done because of me.”
Schlossberg has been a player and a listener to history. The great Eli Wallach told him a story once while they were making a documentary.
Schlossberg recalls: “He told me this story about when he did The Misfits. He was working with John Huston and, of course, the great Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe, and he was in a scene where he had to be drunk. And so he came in and slurred his words and whatever, and Huston said, cut. And he said, Eli, come here. And Eli came over and Huston said, you know yesterday on the set when we were working? And Eli said, yes. Houston said, I was drunk. And Eli got it. He got it. He didn’t have any idea that Huston had been drunk, so he realized how he had to play the drunk scene.”
Schlossberg, a self described kid from the Bronx, was born in 1942. He got hooked on showbiz when his parents took him to see his first Broadway musical. It was Jerome Robbins’ “Peter Pan’ in 1954. “Peter Pan and Mary Martin absolutely killed me, knocked me out. I don’t think I’ve ever, ever, ever enjoyed a show more. And I knew that I was hooked.” So to speak.
He’s still producing. He’s got a play about Norman Mailer, written by the author’s son. F. Murray Abraham would play Mailer. Laila Robbins would be the interviewer in this two-hander. That’s the play Elaine was talking about. She may direct it. He says, “I really love actors because I admire what they do. And because of that, I think I’ve been fortunate enough to befriend them and to stay friends with them.”
May agrees, although she’s still gripping the Sardi’s menu as the Q&A wraps up. Elaine is done. How much does she dislike participating in interviews? Schlossberg adds: “We did a film together on Mike Nichols called “Mike Nichols, An American Master.” Elaine directed it and I produced it and interviewed Mike. And I couldn’t get Elaine [to be interviewed in it] for her beloved partner, for me, or even for her own show. So, she’s consistent. She does not do it.”
May reminds us of this again. “This is my last interview, and I’m open for sales,” she says, holding up “My First Book, Part 2.”
Schlossberg reminds her this is not a press event: “This is not the group for sales.”
May blinks, incredulous: “You’re kidding,” she says. “I’m going back to the menu.”
