Indecent Exposure: A True Story of Hollywood and Wall Street (Collins Business Essentials) (Paperback)

~ David Mcclintick (Author) "EVELYN CHRISTEL, a slim woman of forty-one with short blond hair, eased her brown Pinto from Van Nuys Boulevard into the rush-hour crawl of the..." (more)
Key Phrases: unauthorized financial transactions, production deal, television division, David Begelman, Columbia Pictures, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

When the head of Columbia Pictures, David Begelman, got caught forging Cliff Robertson's name on a $10,000 check, it seemed, at first, like a simple case of embezzlement. It wasn't. The incident was the tip of the iceberg, the first hint of a scandal that shook Hollywood and rattled Wall Street. Soon powerful studio executives were engulfed in controversy; careers derailed; reputations died; and a ruthless, take-no-prisoners corporate power struggle for the world-famous Hollywood dream factory began.

First published in 1982, this now classic story of greed and lies in Tinseltown appears here with a stunning final chapter on Begelman's post-Columbia career as he continued to dazzle and defraud...until his last hours in a Hollywood hotel room, where his story dramatically and poignantly would end.

About the Author

David McClintick, an investigative reporter at the Wall Street Journal for eleven years, is an award-winning author and journalist. His other books include Swordfish and Stealing from the Rich. He lives in New York and Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (December 3, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060508159
• ISBN-13: 978-0060508159
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #200,859 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cliff Robertson is the true star of this story., June 5, 1998

By	Dennis Foley (San Francisco) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Indecent Exposure (Mass Market Paperback)

David Begelman would never have been exposed as the crook he was without the dogged, principled determination of Cliff Robertson to get to the bottom of corruption at the top levels of Hollywood. This excellent book documents Robertson's heroic efforts to get at the truth -- for which he was blackballed by the Hollywood establishment for years. Cliff once said to me: "Of all the things in my life I'm proud of -- if I'm proud at all -- it's not winning the best actor Oscar or Emmy; it's my part in bringing down that crook Begelman."

But perhaps the book is most valuable for its exposure of the top echelon of Hollywood -- people with lots of money and no taste; people who know nothing whatever about movies. And could care less. I hope this book is reprinted soon. It is timeless.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating study of the real powers of Tinseltown., November 26, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Indecent Exposure (Mass Market Paperback)

First things first. This book only gets an "8" becuase I realize some people could care less about studio executives in Hollywood(unless their name is Julia Phillips or Steven Speilberg, both of whom make appearences in the book) but it truly is a ten. It is truly an amazing tale: what starts out as a theft of less then a $100, 000 becomes a battle for corporate power. David Begelman, the man behind the scandal, isn't even the main character of the book. It's Alan Hirschfield trying, desperately, to do the responible business decisions he was hired to do and is one of only a few major players in this detailed history to remain a completely sympathetic person by story's end. Indecent Exposure is truly is one of great true life American Dramas I have ever read. (Review by Michael Goodman)

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Domino Effect, April 8, 2004

By	"stephpeskie" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

David Begelman, powerful head of a studio thinks he is above the law, until an actor by the name of Cliff Robertson exposes him. This book is a well written tale of immorality in a town known for it's lack of scruples. Hollywood insiders should not be surprised at this tale, but I was. The check Begelman forged was for a small amount. The man made more than that in a month. The book exposes the reasons why a man who had it all, would choose to commit such a crime and fall from grace. I was quite disappointed by Robertson's treatment by Hollywood's hierarchy when he was the victim, not Begelman. But it proves just how far studios will go to protect the bottom line. I read this book when it was first published years ago and I'm reading it again. The list of books I will read more than once is a short one. I highly recommend it.