#153 The Screenwriter and the Superstar - Melanie Benjamin

The Not Old - Better Show

Paul Vogelzang

History, Fitness, Film, Health, Aging, Employment, Fashion, Career, Technology, Seniors, Society & Culture, Music, Health & Fitness

5 • 1.8K Ratings

🗓️ 20 January 2018

⏱️ 17 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Screenwriter and the Superstar - Melanie Benjamin

Smithsonian Associates, Interview Series

The upcoming presentation of The Girls in the Picture the new novel from New York Times bestselling author Melanie Benjamin, tells the story of the friendship and creative partnership between two of Hollywood's earliest female legends, screenwriter

Frances Marion and silent-movie superstar Mary Pickford.

Benjamin’s story begins in 1914, when 25-year-old Frances Marion leaves her husband and her Northern California home for the lure of Los Angeles, where she is determined to live independently as an artist. There she finds her true calling, writing stories for the booming new medium of film. She also makes the acquaintance of actress Mary Pickford, whose signature golden curls and lively spirit have earned her the title “America’s Sweetheart.”

The two ambitious young women hit it off instantly, but their ambitions are challenged by both the men around them and the limitations imposed on their gender—and they realize their astronomical success could come at a price. As in any good Hollywood story, dramas play out, personalities clash, and even the deepest friendships might be shattered.

Hear Benjamin discuss this story of friendship and forgiveness, as well as her approach to capturing the dawn of a new era in American entertainment.

Please check the Smithsonian Associates web site for final details about venue for this program: smithsonianassociates.org

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi this is Paul Vogel-Sang from the not-old-better show. I want to mention right up front that despite
0:05.2	the government shutdown all Smithsonian Associate Programs are operating as scheduled right now and
0:12.3	the upcoming Melanie Benjamin program on Monday, January 22nd is
0:16.7	moving forward as scheduled, but it's important to check the Smithsonian Associates website
0:22.1	for any program updates as the venue may change.
0:25.0	Updates can be found there at Smithsonian Associates.org and on the not old
0:31.0	better website. And now on onto our interview with Melanie Benjamin.
0:35.0	As part of our Smithsonian Associates Art of Living Series, our guest today on the Not Old Better
0:45.8	Show is New York Times best-selling author, Melanie Benjamin, who has written a new book entitled,
0:52.0	The Girls in the Picture. The book which I read in one night is a
0:57.3	page turner. It's about power, the power of women during the exhilarating early years of Hollywood.
1:04.3	It's also about the imbalance of power then and now, and the sacrifices and compromises women
1:10.0	must make in order to succeed. I'd seen the way men in power treated actresses. It
1:16.1	wasn't an equal relationship at all and if you were an ambitious actress well
1:20.3	there were many unsavory choices you would have to make, Marion narrates.
1:26.0	Actresses who wanted bigger roles were fair game, at least for some directors and producers,
1:31.0	it was an open secret.
1:33.0	That of course is our guest today.
1:35.0	Author Melanie Benjamin reading a passage from her new book, The Girls in the Picture.
1:40.0	Melanie Benjamin will be at the Smithsonian Associates Program, the screenwriter and the superstar, Francis Marion, Mary Pickford, and the girls in the picture.
1:50.0	Melanie Benjamin will be presenting stories from her book on Monday January 22nd 2018
1:56.4	Remember to check the Smithsonian Associates website for any program updates and now please join me in welcoming to the not old better show via Skype,
	...

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