Budd Schulberg's novel about a young man named Sammy Glick frantically pursuing success remains an instructive tale of Hollywood. The author, whose father, B. P. Schulberg, was a former head of production at Paramount,  wrote a novel that captivates the reader on multiple levels.  First, there's a first person narrative by Al Manheim, a reporter for the Record, giving his take on Sammy Glick and what makes him "run." Then, there's the backstory about the Screenwriters' Guild and their struggles with the studios and fellow writers. There's also a love interest between the narrator and a screenwriter named Kit Sargent who provides her own detached perspective on Sammy.   Finally, there's a very realistic flashback provided when Al Manheim visits the lower east side of Manhattan and finds Sammy's mother and brother who vividly reveal what really made Sammy run. The thread running through the story is that virtually everyone is either writing, producing, or directing a screenplay. Sammy desperately seeks fame and fortune in Hollywood and he'll do whatever it takes to get it.

The novel received significant criticism when it was first published in 1941. The studios objected to the cynical treatment of the production system; critics labeled the novel's portrayal of Sammy Glick as anti-Semitic; and there was debate as to how the novel portrayed ongoing union strife. Ironically, the novel is dedicated to Budd Schulberg's wife at the time, Jigee, who later testified against the Communist Party. Schulberg testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) as a "friendly witness" in 1951.