The Backstory series, edited by Patrick McGilligan, includes Backstory 1: Interviews with Screenwriters of Hollywood's Golden Age; Backstory 2: Interviews with Screenwriters of the 1940s and 1950s; and Backstory 3: Interviews with Screenwriters of the 1960s.  

For those interested in screenwriting and film history, Backstory 2 includes a fascinating series of interviews with over a dozen major writers who created the scripts for hundreds of renowned films including, Intruder in the Dust, The Blackboard Jungle, From Here to Eternity, Rebel Without a Cause, The Big Sleep, Key Largo, Singin' in the Rain, Dillinger, Johnny Guitar, God's Little Acre. Studs Lonigan, The Asphalt Jungle, Little Caesar, and High Sierra, just to name a few.  Some of those interviewed include Garson Kanin, Ben Maddow, Leigh Brackett, and Philip Yordan. The interviews are mesmerizing not only because of their historical reminiscences about the Hollywood studio system, directors, producers, and fellow writers, but, even more importantly, because of their unique insights into the creative process.

One thread that runs through the narratives is the constant demand for rewrites and adaptations. Some stars were infamous for making last minute demands. That's when the director would suspend   production, close down the set, and put out an urgent call for help. The best writers could handle it and that was with a very short deadline.

 Another topic explored in the interviews was the underlying issue of credits. This became all the more confusing during the Hollywood blacklist period when many screenwriters wrote under a pseudonym, used a "ghost," or a surrogate. These were often off-the-record arrangements that the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences had difficulty resolving. To this day there are disputes over who actually wrote some scripts.  Particularly interesting is comparing the various writers and their method of producing a great screenplay. Some concentrated on story and construction; some concentrated on dialogue, some on characterization. And, often times, the strengths of one writer were merged with the strengths of another writer, or a team of writers.  

Backstory 2 provides a unique look at the film business during the 1940s and 1950s. It entertains, informs, and motivates … just like a great screenplay.