Book Review - Someone To Watch Over Me

HOLLYWOOD, DOWN AND DIRTY

Book Review – Someone To Watch Over Me

Review by Ray Schillaci

Normally I review movies or write articles about the industry, but on occasion I make an exception with something really special. Many years ago I reviewed Stuart Gordon’s (Re-Animator) stage production of Taste. That was a real treat – pun intended. Now, I’m breaking my norm once again and letting you in on an exceptional book available on March 9th, Someone to Watch Over Me. It concerns the troubles and tribulations of a “publicist,” a self-described “nursemaid” trying to keep the stars from destroying themselves in the late ‘40s. It is a work of fiction, but lined with a lot of fascinating veiled truths.

Attention lovers of film noir, Ray Donovan, and everything about the Hollywood of old: author Dan Bronson sets us on a dark path through the tarnish of tinsel town with the gruff, witty and no-nonsense Jack Shannon, P.R. person and fixer of troublesome stars. Reading Bronson’s novel is like being immersed into a classic detective movie, but with enough sly winks from the narrator, Jack, to enjoy the mystery and be surprised at the skeletons uncovered. Bronson not only has fun with the genre, he also reminds us of the best of it as well, from Raymond Chandler’s Phillip Marlow detective series to Chinatown.

Now, what would compel Dan Bronson to deliver such a tawdry tale? Well, a little background is in order. After Mr. Bronson graduated with a doctorate at Princeton, he went onto teach English and American Literature at DePauw University. But, his first love was movies and he later succumbed to the itch and was lured into an internship with Universal Studios where his mentors would be Academy Award winning writer/producer George Seaton (most notable for Miracle on 34th Street) and famed film editor Verna Fields (Jaws, American Graffiti, Paper Moon), among others.

Mr. Bronson would go on as a story analyst at several studios including Universal, Fox, Paramount. He would work his way up as an Associate Story Editor at Filmways and as Executive Story Editor at Paramount. Once there, he found and recommended such projects as Witness which would star Harrison Ford and the John Hughes classic Pretty in Pink. Later, he ended up supervising the early development of Godfather III.

Jeffrey Katzenberg would bring him to Disney as a writer/producer. He was not exclusive to them either. Bronson would also lend his talents to such notable companies as Interscope, HBO, Tri-Star, Orion, MGM, the three top networks ABC, CBS and NBC just to name a few. With Dan Bronson’s background and his deep appreciation for movies, good literature and the myth of old Hollywood, he’s proved himself a natural to paint a perfect film noir filled with scoundrels, scandals and skullduggery against the backdrop of the land of make-believe.

The first third of the book leisurely transports us into Los Angeles in the ‘40s and Hollywood. Jack’s our guide down “the yellow brick road,” all the time reminding us that he’s also the person that’s hired to keep the public “from looking behind the curtain.” If they do happen to get a peek, this big guy makes them forget what they’ve seen. Basically, babysitter to the spoiled children of the silver screen.

Some may recognize this occupation from a very popular Showtime series. What separates Jack from Ray Donovan is his sometimes self-deprecating and always witty dry sense of humor. He’s also far from perfect. Jack battles real demons besides the ones he runs into in dark back alleys. He’s seen his share of battles, and I’m not just talking the many brawls he’s broken up. The man was a veteran of WWII. He’s haunted by the past and even carries a reminder of his own personal hell on his face, a nasty scar that killed his acting career.

The first thirty pages of Bronson’s novel is pure fun as he has us tag along with Jack who continuously attempts to have one of his many clients, Brian Murphy, straighten up and fly right. The studio and the star cultivated the man’s man image and he’s become the single most important asset to Titanic Pictures. He’s also a drunk, a brawler, and gets quite nasty when crossed. Jack and his client’s exploits are entertaining and elicit easy laughs from this reader.

But, just as I was settled into their adventures, Jack is derailed by the studio heads with a new assignment. One that makes Brian Murphy’s handling look like a piece of cake. Enter the curvy troubled star, Savanah Stevens. Bronson has given us an amalgamation of sex symbols, a little Marilyn Monroe, a smidge of Jayne Mansfield and perhaps a tad Connie Stevens. But, she comes with a heart, a troubled past, and an innocence about her that is well hidden by her screen persona. She’s also a fragile thing and we cannot help but easily fall for her as does Jack (as much as he tries not to).

Savanah will prove to be the most difficult assignment Jack has ever encountered. One that will change his life forever, and give him a dimmer view of Hollywood and make him re-examine himself in the process. And, yes there will be mysteries, murder, and mayhem along the way. All the while, Jack compares himself to his favorite detective, Phillip Marlowe, and falls miserably short in the shadow of that fictional character.

Author Dan Bronson has delivered intrigue and heartache with a dash of cynicism along the way that demonstrates how little the industry has changed on moral grounds. Yet, you still feel that there is a lovely, heartfelt nostalgic feel to it all. Someone to Watch Over Me travels the boulevard of broken dreams with plenty of wit, vigor and shocking surprises, delivering one of the best reads I’ve had in a long time.