The Kid Stays in the Picture
Encyclopedia
The Kid Stays in the Picture is the name of a 1994 autobiography by film producer Robert Evans
. It is also the name of a 2002 film adaptation
of the book directed by Nanette Burstein
and Brett Morgen and released by Focus Features
and USA Pictures
. It was screened out of competition at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival
.
to independent producer, his marriage to Ali MacGraw
, his downfall including his 1980 cocaine bust and implication in the murder of Roy Radin, aka "The Cotton Club Murder", his banishment from Paramount Pictures, and his return to the studio in the early 1990s.
A revised edition of the book, published in 1995, adds several chapters of new material, including material on his projects after his return to Paramount Pictures.
The film version, released in 2002, utilizes Evans' narration interspersed with film footage from films such as Love Story
, The Sun Also Rises
, Rosemary's Baby
, Chinatown, and The Godfather
, along with interviews and photographs from Evans' life, to tell the story from his discovery by Norma Shearer
for Man of a Thousand Faces
, to his return to Paramount Pictures.
Many elements from the book, according to the commentary by directors Burstein and Morgen on the DVD, such as Evans' childhood and his other marriages (the film focuses only on his marriage to Ali MacGraw) were dropped because they felt that it did not move the story along.
The title comes from a line attributed to studio head Darryl F. Zanuck
, who was defending Evans after some of the actors involved in The Sun Also Rises had recommended he be removed from the cast.
Robert Evans (film producer)
Robert Evans is an American film producer, best known for his work on Rosemary's Baby, Love Story, The Godfather, and Chinatown.-Early life and acting career:...
. It is also the name of a 2002 film adaptation
Film adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
of the book directed by Nanette Burstein
Nanette Burstein
Nanette Burstein is an American film and television director. Burstein has produced, directed, and co-directed many documentaries which have won her many awards and nominations, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary and the Sundance Special Jury Prize for Documentary.-Life and...
and Brett Morgen and released by Focus Features
Focus Features
Focus Features is the art house films division of NBC Universal's Universal Pictures, and acts as both a producer and distributor for its own films and a distributor for foreign films....
and USA Pictures
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
. It was screened out of competition at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival
2002 Cannes Film Festival
The 2002 Cannes Film Festival started on 15 May and ran until 26 May. The Palme d'Or went to the Polish-French-German-British co-produced film The Pianist directed by Roman Polanski.-Jury:* David Lynch * Sharon Stone* Michelle Yeoh...
.
Synopsis
The book chronicles Evans' rise from childhood to radio star to film star to production chief of Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
to independent producer, his marriage to Ali MacGraw
Ali MacGraw
Elizabeth Alice "Ali" MacGraw is an American actress. She is known for her role in Love Story, for which she won a Golden Globe and received an Academy Award nomination.-Early life:...
, his downfall including his 1980 cocaine bust and implication in the murder of Roy Radin, aka "The Cotton Club Murder", his banishment from Paramount Pictures, and his return to the studio in the early 1990s.
A revised edition of the book, published in 1995, adds several chapters of new material, including material on his projects after his return to Paramount Pictures.
The film version, released in 2002, utilizes Evans' narration interspersed with film footage from films such as Love Story
Love Story (1970 film)
Love Story is a 1970 romantic drama film written by Erich Segal and based on his novel Love Story. It was directed by Arthur Hiller. The film, well known as a tragedy, is considered one of the most romantic of all time by the American Film Institute , and was followed by a sequel, Oliver's Story...
, The Sun Also Rises
The Sun Also Rises
The Sun Also Rises is a 1926 novel written by American author Ernest Hemingway about a group of American and British expatriates who travel from Paris to the Festival of San Fermín in Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls and the bullfights. An early and enduring modernist novel, it received...
, Rosemary's Baby
Rosemary's Baby (film)
Rosemary's Baby is a 1968 American horror film written and directed by Roman Polanski, based on the bestselling 1967 novel Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin...
, Chinatown, and The Godfather
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
, along with interviews and photographs from Evans' life, to tell the story from his discovery by Norma Shearer
Norma Shearer
Edith Norma Shearer was a Canadian-American actress. Shearer was one of the most popular actresses in North America from the mid-1920s through the 1930s...
for Man of a Thousand Faces
Man of a Thousand Faces
Man of a Thousand Faces is a film detailing the life of silent movie actor Lon Chaney, in which the title role is played by James Cagney.Directed by Joseph Pevney, the film's cast included Dorothy Malone, Jane Greer and Jim Backus...
, to his return to Paramount Pictures.
Many elements from the book, according to the commentary by directors Burstein and Morgen on the DVD, such as Evans' childhood and his other marriages (the film focuses only on his marriage to Ali MacGraw) were dropped because they felt that it did not move the story along.
The title comes from a line attributed to studio head Darryl F. Zanuck
Darryl F. Zanuck
Darryl Francis Zanuck was an American producer, writer, actor, director and studio executive who played a major part in the Hollywood studio system as one of its longest survivors...
, who was defending Evans after some of the actors involved in The Sun Also Rises had recommended he be removed from the cast.