The life of sue mengers, hollywood s first superagent. Before there was ovitz or ari, there was sue mengers. New sue mengers biography a colorful glimpse of hollywood. Sue mengers september 2, 1932 october 15, 2011 was a talent agent for many filmmakers and actors of the new hollywood generation of the. Kellow gives mengers the place in hollywood history that she deserves. But if youre hunting for little eyecatchers, lots 2519 through 2712 might be just the ticket.
Spurlock will direct a feature on mengers, writing a script and producing with warrior poets coo jeremy chilnick, with richard arlook also producing. Jack nicholson offered princess margaret cocaine book. Do any other three words better conjure up the enormous energy, creativity and freewheeling social life of hollywood in the 1970s. Superagent sue mengers handled some of the hottest stars in hollywood. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. In 1994, susan orlean published after the party, a new yorker profile of the formidable talent agent sue mengers. Mengers is said to have been on good terms with princess margaret, although it is unclear how they first met sue mengers house in hollywood photo. Her first big addition to her books was actress julie harris, who was primarily a stage. Superstar barbra streisand and hollywood agent sue mengers. Sue mengers took over the boys club of hollywood and did. Mengers was the first woman to amass the sort of power she did, representing barbra streisand, gene hackman.
From the 1950s through the 1980s, sue mengers 19322011 represented some of the most famous names in show business, including paul newman, joanne woodward, candice bergen, ali mcgraw, ryan oneal, michael caine, gene hackman, elliott gould, and, most notably, superstar barbra streisand. The biographer brian kellow, whose last subject was pauline kael, writes in can i go now. This particular phone book belongs to hollywood agent sue mengers, and contains only the names of the famous, the nearfamous, or the oncefamous who were mengers clients or party guests, or the celebrities she wanted to be her clients or party guests. Photofest when i called the renowned hollywood talent agent sue mengers in 1999 to propose a profile for vanity fair, her first words spoken in the hoarse, gravelly voice that was all her own were. Blazing a trail for other women agents, her alist clients included stars like barbra streisand, ryan oneal and faye dunaway.
Morgan spurlock to direct, cowrite film on talent agent sue mengers. Story of sue mengers, top hollywood agent of the seventies and eighties, and confidant to the top stars and hollywood movers and shakers of the era. Morgan spurlocks warrior poets has acquired rights to brian kellows bestselling biography can i go now. Sue mengers, one of hollywood s most influential and colorful. Brian kellow has the scoop on hollywoods first superagent. Can i go now the life of sue mengers, hollywoods first. Kellows book perfectly captures the spirit of a woman who only understood life in terms of alisters vs. Inside the life of hollywoods first superagent, sue mengers. An interview with brian kellow, author of can i go now. Sue mengers attends the book party for mickey ziffrens a political affair on september 23, 1976, at ziffrens home in malibu, california.
Hollywood agents estate sale displays star power the. In her her blog post about the late agent sue mengers, susan orlean writes, interviewing sue mengers was one of the saddest experiences of my professional life. What hollywood superagent sue mengers was really like. The life of sue mengers, hollywoods first superagent by brian kellow. During the peak of her clout in the 1970s, the brash barrierbreaker helped popularize the idea of the hollywood superagent. The line was, sue mengers created a family, and ovitz built an empire.
A colorful glimpse of hollywood superagent sue mengers. Superagent mengers mistreated stars, but they loved her. For three nights, from june 29th to july 1st, theater red and untitled productions are presenting the milwaukee premiere of ill eat you last, a onewoman show based on the reallife antics of hollywood agent sue mengers, whose explosive personality and staggering client list made her a celebrity in her own right. Mengers, who died in 2011, was the first powerful female agent to infiltrate the hollywood boys club in the 1960s and 1970s. In time she became, as fran lebowitz says, capitals sue mengers. The photo above shows sue mengers at a book party for mickey ziffren in 1976. Sue mengers is pure hollywood, said the wunderkind who thought of the idea. In ill eat you last, bette midler reads the phone book, to great laughter and applause. Hollywood talent agent sue mengers and actor jack nicholson, whom she represented, attend a screening of black sunday in 1977.
During the peak of her clout in the 1970s, the brash barrierbreaker helped popularize the idea of the hollywood super agent. The title of the book comes from mengers passiveaggressive way. A biography of the greatest agent of one of the greatest periods of american cinema is a book to read. The untold story of the female agent who ruled 1970s hollywood. Sue was a few years out of the agenting racket, and was still adjusting to. Mengers was an influential hollywood talent agent who represented some of the industrys most glamorous stars at the height of their careers. Last week i read an obit in the new york times about recently deceased hollywood agent sue mengers s legendary dinner parties.
The superagent who ruled hollywood with sex and booze. Hollywood super agent sue mengers takes center stage in a. This bio of sue mengers is a recounting of her hollywood agent superagent in this case life. To call sue mengers a character is an understatement, unless the word is written in all caps, followed by an exclamation point and modified by an expletive. In her heyday, in the nineteensixties and seventies, mengers was one of the. Hollywood agent sue mengers brought to life on stage in i. There was a shift where this really became a business, and the world of mike ovitz was a lot different from the one sue. Mengers may have been the most glam, powerful, statusconscious, starsnuggling hollywood power broker of the 1970s, but both she and her way of doing business had gone the way of the dinosaurs by. Can i go now the life of sue mengers, hollywood s first superagent ebook written by brian kellow. Can i go now, biography of agent sue mengers, by brian. Bette midler is broadway bound tv, movies, music, books. According to the article, for over 20 years, mengers.
When susan orlean wrote a profile of sue mengers in the new yorker in 1994, it was a portrait of a woman in exile. But kellow initially was ambivalent about writing his book. Mengers was the first woman to amass huge power and notoriety for representing alisters like gene hackman, michael caine, candice bergen, ryan oneal, mike nichols, barbra streisand and more. New sue mengers biography a colorful glimpse of hollywood agent. The big gig isnt the only thing going on in the third ward this weekend. To call sue mengers a character is an understatement, unless the word is written in all caps, followed by. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read can i go now the life of sue mengers, hollywood s first superagent. A new biography goes inside hollywood s firstsuperagent to reveal the crazy, brazen fights and lurid. A lively and colorful biography of hollywood s first superagentone of the most outrageous showbiz characters of the 1960s and 1970s whose clients included barbra streisand, ryan oneal, faye dunaway, michael caine, and candice bergen before sue mengers hit the scene in the mid1960s, talent agents remained quietly in the background. On january 27, 1979, sue mengers, the first enormously successful female agent in the movie industry, was taking a saturdayafternoon flight from. Superagent sue mengers built careers of film royalty. Brain kellow has written the definitive biography of sue mengers, and its a fun book.
Sue mengers, who died four years ago this week, was a brassy, foulmouthed, wisecracking superagent, who hustled her way from the secretarial pool to the top of hollywood. The life of sue mengers, hollywood s first superagent, the biography tells the story of arguably one of the most powerful agents in tinseltown history. Lets looksee at sue mengers bev hills party pad variety. By the early 70s she was not only the most powerful female agent in hollywood, she was the towns most powerful agent.
Great tidbits on the making of some of my all time favorite movies and stars from that time. Daniel, the associated press before there was ovitz or ari, there was sue mengers. Super agent sue mengers handled some of the hottest stars in hollywood including barbra streisand, ryan oneal, ali macgraw, mick jagger, candice bergen and peter bogdanovich. Sue mengers biographer talks barbra streisand feud, wild. Last, written by tony winner john logan and directed by tony winner joe mantello, is based on the real life of powerful hollywood agent sue mengers, whose 2011 obituary called her brilliant. Superagent sue mengers handled some of the hottest stars in hollywood including barbra streisand, ryan oneal, ali macgraw, mick jagger, candice bergen and peter bogdanovich. Photo by maggie rice in the 1970s and early 80s, sue mengers was a household.
Once commonly referred to as a hollywood superagent, ms. Kristin staskowski stars as agent sue mengers in ill eat you last at terrific new theatre. The life of hollywood s first superagent by brian kellow. As the representative for many of the major players of the day. She was the highestprofile agent in the business, man or woman. Mengers is the subject of an excellent new biography can i go now.