"Bernard Gordon was the writer behind some of my favorite movies (but I never knew it). Now, he tells his most riveting story—that of his own colorful career.... Fascinating!"
—Joe Dante, director
"As a blacklisted screenwriter, Bernard Gordon was never completely silenced, but it is still thrilling to hear him have his say in a memoir of Hollywood's darkest era.... Gordon's story is a testament to the everlasting vitality of creativity in the face of scare tactics and coercion."
—Kirkus Reviews
"Gordon's book is...a remarkable story of how he not only survived, but lived a high life in Europe as a much-in-demand writer—although denied recognition [for] his craft—until 50 years later by both [writers'] guilds and the Academy."
—Variety
"His portraits of the brilliant Philip Yordan and Samuel Bronston, the producer-financier duo that virtually created the 'runaway' (offshore) production game, are unforgettable, as are his accounts of making, among a dozen other films, 55 Days at Peking, The Thin Red Line, Krakatoa East of Java, Day of the Triffids, Earth vs. The Flying Saucers and Horror Express.... His adventures as a writer and producer sparkle in this generous, well-illustrated account."
—Foreword
"A born storyteller, [Gordon] writes with warmth and humor, and there's an emotional edge to his razor-sharp recall."
—Publishers Weekly
The Hollywood blacklist, which began in the late 1940s and ran well into the 1960s, ended or curtailed the careers of hundreds of people accused of having ties to the Communist Party. Bernard Gordon was one of them. In this highly readable memoir, he tells a engrossing insider's story of what it was like to be blacklisted and how he and others continued to work uncredited behind the scenes, writing and producing many box office hits of the era.
Gordon describes how the blacklist cut short his screenwriting career in Hollywood and forced him to work in Europe. Ironically, though, his is a success story that includes the films El Cid, 55 Days at Peking, The Thin Red Line, Krakatoa East of Java, Day of the Triffids, Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, Horror Express, and many others. He recounts the making of many movies for which he was the writer and/or producer, with wonderful anecdotes about stars such as Charlton Heston, David Niven, Sophia Loren, Ava Gardner, and James Mason; directors Nicholas Ray, Frank Capra, and Anthony Mann; and the producer-studio head team of Philip Yordan and Samuel Bronston.
