Hit and Run tells the improbable and often hilarious story of how two Hollywood film packagers went on a campaign to reinvent themselves as studio executives -- at Sony's expense. Veteran reporters Nancy Griffin and Kim Masters chronicle the rise of Jon Peters, a former hairdresser, seventh-grade dropout, and juvenile delinquent, and his soulless soul mate, Peter Guber -- and all the sex, drugs, and fistfights along the way. It is the story of the ultimate Hollywood con job and the standard by which every subsequent business blunder has been measured. Hit and Run delivers rock-solid business reporting liberally laced with inside gossip and outrageous scandal -- plus a new afterword bringing us up to date on the latest fallout from the Guber-Peters legacy.
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
If there is a more archetypical tale of Hollywood in the '80s than the buccaneers' adventures of Jon Peters, Barbra Streisand's former hairdresser, and his business partner Peter Guber, it hasn't been written yet. This thorough, stylish book recounts the rise of Peters and Guber, who together earned fortunes by schmoozing their way to the top, seducing gullible investors, and shoving aside the filmmakers who actually turned out successful films like "Rain Man" and "Batman." The Japanese executives at Sony, in this delightful insider account, were just the most recent and most hoodwinked in a long line of Peters' and Gubers' dupes.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
This is basically the story of two boys who never grew up, but ended up running Sony-owned Columbia Pictures into the ground. Peters, whom the Los Angeles Times described as a "seventh-grade dropout and reform school graduate who began his show-business career as Barbra Steisand's hairdresser-boyfriend-manager," was a master at self-promotion; only semi-literate but able to count well enough to make it big in Hollywood. Bostonian Guber earned several academic degrees before "going Hollywood," somehow managing to indifferently run several studios and make high profits and only a few good films. This book will leave film fans drooling at charges that Peters hired Heidi Fleiss's prostitutes as gifts and that he either bedded or assaulted his numerous conquests (Jacqueline Bisset and Lesley Ann Warren, among others). Guber, the quintessential New Age yuppie, is seen heading off his divorce because it would cost him too much, and participating in hand-holding group-therapy sessions with business-partner Peters. The business side of this book is also intriguing, recounting internecine financial twists and turns that finally have a top Sony executive exclaiming: "Huh! You bankrupt Sony!" Griffin, the West Coast editor of Premiere magazine, and Masters, a reporter for the Washington Post, present a shocking read that will have readers gasping at the obscene overindulgence of Hollywood. Photos not seen by PW. Author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By 718 Session
Format:Paperback
I read this book three years ago and I'm still laughing.
Griffin & Masters have created THE required reading book on everything that is wrong with Hollywood. They were able to tell the inside stories of multi-million dollar deals and make them understandable. Jon Peters, a barely literate hairdresser who happened to be friends with Barbara Streisand, and his business partner Peter Guber schmoozed their way through the 80s and were picked by Sony to run their newly acquired Columbia/Tri-Star pictures. Billions of dollars in losses later (Last Action Hero, I'll Do Anything) they got kicked out.
It is really an incredible story. If it was fiction, you'd think it completly impossible to believe, but it is all true.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
The myth of film production will be shattered once you read this book. Guber and Peters, people who would not survive in any other business other than the entertainment business, are given a free pass to create medicre films and become some of the most powerful players. This is coming from one of the guys who was once a hairdresser (showing that connections really is king in Hollywood). Candidly reveals those involved in Hollywood as unstable, unsure of themselves while being major egoists! One begins to wonder how movies can be made at all given the pull that comes from all sides. However, the role of the producer is still underplayed. I still don't know why one is required, but if they make all this money to yell and scream, maybe I should go to Hollywood, I can do that with the best of em! So if you ever wonder why most movies in Hollywood suck, don't blame the director or the actors, it's rarely their fault. it's more likely the "I think I know it all" producer took out all of the story to add in another 10 million dollars worth of special effects! Guys, at least go to film school.......
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
The authors have done an amazing job of compiling an incredible amount of information and assimilating it in a well-thought out and informative manner. The story of how Jon Peters and Peter Guber were able to so completely screw Sony is unbelievable. Yet, Kim Masters and Nancy Griffin boil all the subplots down into a manageable and compelling story that is completely accessible. It isn't often that a non-fiction book reads like a novel. An absolute must-read for anyone interested in the film industry.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love this book, Interesting but not too in the weeds
It's really interesting to learn about people who are seen as now the elder statesmen of the entertainment industry seen as what they are truly are, hucksters. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Dreamy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting read.
Pretty cool true story about scamming your way to the top. Fake it til you make it they say.
I bought this book YEARS ago. Can't believe I'm just rating it now.
I bought this book YEARS ago. Can't believe I'm just rating it now.
Published on February 5, 2011 by Logan M. Tanner
3.0 out of 5 stars
OK, but not great.
Maybe if you're a movieland insider this book would resonate better. Interesting, but not highly recommended.
Published on September 26, 2010 by James A. Cobbs
5.0 out of 5 stars
How to lose a lot of money in Hollywood.
I think the subtitle of the book says it best. Jon Peters and Peter Guber took Sony for a long and expensive ride in Hollywood. Read more
Published on July 6, 2005 by Kevin M Quigg
4.0 out of 5 stars
FAST reading
I was totally engrossed in this book. Flew through it. I thought it was too cool that I found this in hardcover in... store! Best [$$] I ever spent!
Published on August 13, 2003
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hit and Run
The main characters Eddie,Scott,Winks and Cassie are all involoved in a horrible prank that nearly results in the death of the four. These teenagers are best friends. Read more
Published on January 22, 2002
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hard to Put Down
Fascinating behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood dealmaking, mainly about Sony's unrelenting (and costly) desire to become a major player in Hollywood. Read more
Published on July 14, 2001 by P. Sedun
5.0 out of 5 stars
SONY taken by surprise by Hollywood movers!
A great read about Jon Peters and Peter Guber and the moving and shaking going on in the Hollywood movie industry. Read more
Published on July 7, 2001 by Sven Isaksson
5.0 out of 5 stars
An essential book on Hollywood
Halfway through this title, I thought it was a good read and I was happy I picked it up. At the end of the book I realized there is only one word for it: essential. Read more
Published on May 11, 2001 by "vincia1"
5.0 out of 5 stars
True tales from the Dark Side of Hollywood
Nancy Griffin and Kim Masters has written a interesting book about the two Hollywood Hustlers: Jon Peters and Peter Guber. Read more
Published on May 31, 2000 by Simon Lund Larsen
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 59
books:
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37
books
cite this book:
See all 37 books citing this book
- Made in Japan: Akio Morita and Sony (Signet) by Akio Morita on page 198, page 246, and Back Matter
- Radio Flyer on page 254, page 276, and page 332
- Hit Men by Fredric Dannen on page 288, page 290, and Back Matter
- The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike on page 112, and page 134
- Jerry Maguire by Cameron Crowe on page 456, and page 463
See all 59 books this book cites
- Testosterone Inc: Tales of CEOs Gone Wild by Christopher M. Byron on page 189, page 232, and page 233
- Jack: The Great Seducer by Edward Douglas in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Screen Traffic: Movies, Multiplexes, and Global Culture by Charles R. Acland in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Blockbuster: How Hollywood Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Summer by Tom Shone in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Tim Burton: An Unauthorized Biography of the Filmmaker by Ken Hanke on page 21, and Back Matter
See all 37 books citing this book
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