Rewrites: A Memoir
Neil Simon, 1996
Simon & Schuster
400 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780684835624
Summary
Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, Plaza Suite, The Goodbye Girl, The Out-of-Towners, The Sunshine Boys — Neil Simon's plays and movies have kept many millions of people laughing for almost four decades. Since Come Blow Your Horn first opened on Broadway in 1960, few seasons have passed without the appearance of another of his laughter-filled plays, and indeed on numerous occasions two or more of his works have been running simultaneously.
But his success was something Neil Simon never took for granted, nor was the talent to create laughter something that he ever treated carelessly: it took too long for him to achieve the kind of acceptance—both popular and critical—that he craved, and the path he followed frequently was pitted with hard decisions.
All of Neil Simon's plays are to some extent a reflection of his life, sometimes autobiographical, other times based on the experiences of those close to him. What the reader of this warm, nostalgic memoir discovers, however, is that the plays, although grounded in Neil Simon's own experience, provide only a glimpse into the mind and soul of this very private man.
In Rewrites, he tells of the painful discord he endured at home as a child, of his struggles to develop his talent as a writer, and of his insecurities when dealing with what proved to be his first great success—falling in love. Supporting players in the anecdote—filled memoir include Sid Caesar, Jerry Lewis, Walter Matthau, Robert Redford, Gwen Verdon, Bob Fosse, Maureen Stapleton, George C. Scott, Peter Sellers, and Mike Nichols.
But always at center stage is his first love, his wife Joan, whose death in the early seventies devastated him, and whose love and inspiration illuminate this remarkable and revealing self-portrait. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—July 4, 1927
• Where—The Bronx, New York, New York, USA
• Education—New York University; University of Denver
• Awards—3 Tony Awards (1965, '85, '91); Pulitzer Prize
(1991); Golden Globe Award (1978); American Comedy
Lifetime Achievement (1989); Drama Desk Award (1991);
Kennedy Center Honoree(1995); Mark Twain Prize for
American Humor (2006)
• Currently—N/A
Neil Marvin Simon is an American playwright and screenwriter. His numerous Broadway succcesses have led to his work being among the most regularly performed in the world. Though primarily a comic writer, some of his plays, particularly the "Eugene" Trilogy and The Sunshine Boys, reflect on the twentieth century Jewish-American experience.
Simon was born in The Bronx, New York City to Irving and Mamie Simon where he attended DeWitt Clinton High School. He briefly attended New York University from 1944 to 1945 and the University of Denver from 1945 to 1946. Two years later, he quit his job as a mailroom clerk in the Warner Brothers offices in Manhattan to write radio and television scripts with his brother Danny Simon, including a tutelage under radio humourist Goodman Ace when Ace ran a short-lived writing workshop for CBS. Their revues for Camp Tamiment in Pennsylvania in the early 1950s caught the attention of Sid Caesar, who hired the duo for his popular TV comedy series Your Show of Shows. Simon later incorporated their experiences into his play Laughter on the 23rd Floor. His work won him two Emmy Award nominations and the appreciation of Phil Silvers, who hired him to write for Sergeant Bilko in 1959.
In 1961, Simon's first Broadway play, Come Blow Your Horn, opened at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, where it ran for 678 performances. Six weeks after its closing, his second production, the musical Little Me opened to mixed reviews. Although it failed to attract a large audience, it earned Simon his first Tony Award nomination. Overall, he has garnered seventeen Tony nominations and won three. He also won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Lost In Yonkers.
In 1966 Simon had four shows running on Broadway at the same time: Sweet Charity, The Star-Spangled Girl, The Odd Couple, and Barefoot in the Park. His professional association with producer Emanuel Azenberg began with The Sunshine Boys in 1972 and continued with The Good Doctor, God's Favorite, Chapter Two, They're Playing Our Song, I Ought to Be in Pictures, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, Broadway Bound, Jake's Women, The Goodbye Girl, and Laughter on the 23rd Floor, among others.
Simon has been conferred with two honoris causa degrees; a Doctor of Humane Letters from Hofstra University and a Doctor of Laws from Williams College. He is the namesake of the legitimate Broadway theater the Neil Simon Theatre, formerly the Alvin Theatre, and an honorary member of the Walnut Street Theatre's board of trustees.
Simon has been married five times—to dancer Joan Baim (1953-1973), actress Marsha Mason (1973-1981), twice to Diane Lander (1987-1988 and 1990-1998), and currently actress Elaine Joyce. He is the father of Nancy and Ellen, from his first marriage, and Bryn, Lander's daughter from a previous relationship whom he adopted. (From Wikipedia.)
Book Reviews
For a master of the one-liner, Mr. Simon writes surprisingly flat prose, which sometimes wobbles between the cliched and ungrammatical.... Still, the virtues of Rewrites don't depend on good prose. In general, Mr. Simon comes across as ingenuous and likable, avid to master the difficult craft of putting a good play together. His portraits of the people he worked with are acute and winning; the director Mike Nichols, the choreographer Bob Fosse, the producer Saint Subber, the actor George C. Scott, among others, all take on substance in his pages
Christopher Lehmann-Haupt - New York Times
Ought to be required reading for everyone who aspires to a career in playwrighting, fiction, or poetry.
Jonathan Yardley - Washington Post
Simon has built his playwrighting career by creating funny, indelible characters. Who can forget Oscar Madison and Felix Unger? This illuminating memoir, which takes Simon into the 1970s, reveals his creative influences, as well as his personal triumphs and tragedies. He is brutally honest in describing his bouts with writer's block, and he's not afraid to admit that directors and actors have often helped him complete some of his most endearing plays. He confides, for instance, that the third act of The Odd Couple went through numerous rewrites and was salvaged only after director Mike Nichols suggested Simon not set the act in the middle of a poker game. Simon's forthright account of his work with Bob Fosse on Sweet Charity illustrates how two immensely talented individuals can work through their differences to create a highly successful show. Anecdotes about actors Simon has worked with make for particularly entertaining copy, and his description of George C. Scott's erratic behavior while he starred in The Gingerbread Lady shows how a playwright's success can hinge on the whims of a troubled actor. However, many digressions, though humorous, distract from the story at hand. Simon's account of his family and personal life beyond the theater lacks resonance, particularly when dealing with his experience with psychotherapy — the only section of the book written in the third person. While this memoir won't bring down the house, in general it's a well-told tale by a man whose talent, diligence and luck have made him Broadway's shining son.
Publishers Weekly
(Audio version.) Famed playwright Simon complained recently about this [audio] condensation, saying during a segment on C-Span, "They abridged the life out of" [the book]. Much is omitted, for sure, but what remains is vintage Simon and better than no recording at all. He describes quirky show folk and his willing but exhaustive efforts in revising his plays, which include Come Blow Your Horn, Barefoot in the Park, and The Odd Couple. Simon's own soft-spoken reading underplays his witticisms—he is not an actor, after all—but lends authenticity to the narrative, especially during the section wherein he talks about the tragic death of his beloved wife, Joan. We get highlights of his life and career from only 1957 to 1973, however. Playgoers and Simon enthusiasts will enjoy Rewrites. —Gordon Blackwell, Eastchester, NY
Library Journal
The prolific master of Broadway fun hops over the footlights to recall much—but not all—of his personal history. This is an intelligent and diverting memoir, artfully constructed. The work of crafting Simon's first dozen or so plays, from Come Blow Your Horn and Little Me to The Sunshine Boys and The Good Doctor, is presented in the order of their creation. The periods of Simon's life that they recall do not fall so neatly in order, and yet the memories that eddy around the landmarks of the plays are somehow all the more effective without strict chronology. There is a funny set piece on young Neil's sexual initiation. His native wit is as abundant as ever, but he can easily write a simple declarative sentence without punctuating it with a gag. There are poignant glimpses of a childhood in a strangely inoperative family, of a sometimes loving, always complex relationship with gagwriter brother Danny. Simon hasn't much use for agents or their advice on business deals. (Following such advice, he "never saw a dime, a nickel, or a penny" from the TV series of The Odd Couple.) There are third-act problems, out-of-town rewrites, and missing stars. Though there are no lessons on how to be funny, the book is full of clues on the craft of playwriting. There are deft character sketches, but, by far, the most touching parts of Simon's story deal with his love for wife Joan. With her early passing some two decades ago Simon brings down the curtain. Not covered: military escapades, much of life as a TV gag writer, and later uxorial adventures. There are more plays, of course, so let's have the next installment soon, Mr. Simon. Neil Simon delivers, from the heart, a fine portrait of the artist.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:
• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)
Also consider these LitLovers talking points to help get a discussion started for Rewrites:
1. How does the personality of Neil Simon come through in this memoir? How would you describe him? What about him do you find admirable?
2. Simon ponders the roots of humor: ''No one, he says, has yet determined, to my satisfaction, what elements of nature, genetics and environment have to combine to form a man or woman with a keen sense of humor." But Simon himself is a consummate humorist! Do you want to take a stab at what makes people laugh? Does humor come from, say, the mundane in life...or the unexpected? Give it a try! Think of something funny, and try to figure out why.
3. What role did Simon's family play in his artistic develop-ment? Talk about his home life, his parents and their marriage, as well as his brother. (Some good ones: the suitcase-in-the hallway...and his brother's attempt to get him to a brothel.)
4. Simon paints wonderful portraits of famous people who have populated the world of entertainment. Which people or episodes did you most enjoy, find humorous, or surprising?
5. Talk about the long road Simon plodded in order to become a successful playwright.
6. What was it about Hollywood that Simon disliked and that spurred him on to writing for the stage?
7. Most authors use their lives as material for their writing— but they also use their writing as a way to examine or give shape to their lives. How does Simon do either or both of those things?
8. What is the significance of the title, "Rewrites"? In what way might it have a double meaning?
9. The book contains some instructions on how to write a play. Talk about some of his tips: "Character is the foundation of the play"; or "We need to see a character change, not just know that he's changed." What are some of the other pointers he provides? What does he mean by them? How might those same ideas be helpful to us as readers of novels?
10. By far the saddest part of the book is the death of his first wife. How does Simon learn to cope with losing her...or does he?
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)
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