The Kid Stays in the Picture, by Robert Evans, published by Hyperion, 1994.

If you ever wanted to know how Hollywood really works, all you have to do is pick up The Kid Stays in the Picture. The "kid," in this instance, is Robert Evans, who played bullfighter Pedro Romero in the 1958 movie adaption of The Sun Also Rises. Some on the set, including Ava Gardner, Tyrone Power, Mel Ferrer, and Eddie Albert thought Bob was a bit too young and, well, maybe not much of bullfighter but Darryl Zanuck, Twentieth Century-Fox, thought otherwise. Visiting the set, Zanuck picked up a bullhorn and made the final call, "The kid stays in the picture."

Leaving his acting career behind, Robert Evans went on to produce some of the most legendary films ever to come out of Hollywood, including Love Story (Evans and Ali MacGraw were married at the time), The Godfather, Rosemary's Baby, and Chinatown. The conflicts, struggles, and creative resolutions implemented by Evans as chief of production at Paramount were, at times, truly miraculous-- but they happened. His autobiography may be the best book about Hollywood ever written. It's bold, abrasive, gutsy, dramatic, and brilliant--just like Evans. The dialogue is hot and torrid, no question, but it must also be noted that the style, framing, pacing, and story development are beautifully crafted making this a truly remarkable book.

When you're a gambler, rolling the dice and winning big, going broke is inevitable but the fall is still abrupt and brutal, especially when you hit rock bottom. Sadly, Evans experienced events which damaged his career and reputation. He fought back and "stayed in the picture." As Evans summed it up, "Second act trauma makes for third act magic." A producer is a producer is a producer.