Howard Hawks: The Grey Fox of Hollywood

Howard Hawks (1896-1977) was one of the few film directors to make masterpieces in more than one genre: Westerns (Red River; Rio Bravo), crime stories (Scarface; The Big Sleep), comedies (Bringing Up Baby; His Girl Friday), even science fiction (The Thing). Yet he poses a dual problem for a biographer: he left few letters and no autobiographical writings, and, though charming, he was an unreliable raconteur, a shameless self-mythologizer. Despite these handicaps, McCarthy, Variety's chief film critic, provides Hawks with the major biography he deserves, exhaustively researched, judiciously written and full of wonderful stories. McCarthy manages to separate the truth from Hawks's versions of events, and provides an evenhanded account of the director's tumultuous private life, including three wives, numerous affairs and an alienated daughter. But the bulk of this volume is McCarthy's knowledgeable and insightful account of Hawks as filmmaker, as the production histories of each film are related in thorough yet compelling detail. A vivid portrait of the man emerges in his work and in his working methods: no-nonsense, remote (more than one person recalls his icy blue eyes) but surprisingly supportive of his performers, and much more serious about his art than he ever let on. Informed by an encyclopedic knowledge of film history, by respect for the films and by compassion for a difficult man, McCarthy has created a biography that will be essential for anyone interested in the history of movies. Includes a comprehensive filmography and 16 pages of photographs. Rights: Harvey Klinger. (June)