How could I do that, he pondered? I explained that, as Newsweek’s defense writer, I had an “in” with the Marines. Shortly after, however, I was called from Newsweek to become a vice president of the Walt Disney Company and, knowing that studio head Jeffrey Katzenberg had been one of the movers behind “Top Gun,” I pitched him another idea - “Top Gun II,” only without Scott, Tom Cruise or Paramount, his former employer. Hey, Tony always had good taste in women! Ironically, “Top Gun” director Tony Scott’s assistant at the time, Catalaine Knell, was my then-wife’s former assistant and, after my first divorce, one of his producer’s became my second wife. Now, everyone knew the billions the Republicans’ were spending on defense (driving us deeper into a deficit only Clinton could bring us out of!) would end up making great movies - you may recall some of the hits like “Navy Seals” (starring Charlie Sheen), “Iron Eagle I, II & III,” “Firebirds” (starring Academy Award-winner Tommy Lee Jones) and, of course, the legendary “Top Gun.” A cool job, considering that the “Reagan Defense Buildup” was in its infancy and I got to cover hot new stuff like the F/A-18 attack fighter, the AH-61 Apache attack helicopter and numerous other top-secret programs like the Predator drone (believe me, it goes back that far!) In the early ‘80s, I’d been, among other things, Newsweek Magazine’s defense correspondent. But I’ll tell you the story and let you decide. Maybe it wasn’t anyone’s fault - these things just happen in Hollywood. It wasn’t Sony Pictures’ fault - it had spent almost $1.5 million just prepping the movie. Many years ago Fritz and I spent, oh, a year or so together working on a movie that (like so many!) never happened.
Actually, to say that Fritz Manes was a friend of mine would be untrue - he was a compatriot, patriot, boon companion and drinking buddy.īut that was all years ago - I was sorry to read of his passing in the New York Times this week (the Los Angeles Times seems to have forgotten his story!)
0 kommentar(er)
