Hollywood: A Third Memoir

by Larry McMurtry

"One thing I’ve always liked about Hollywood is its zip, or speed. The whole industry depends to some extent on talent spotting. The hundreds of agents, studio executives, and producers who roam the streets of the city of Los Angeles let very little in the way of talent slip by."

In this final installment of the memoir trilogy that includes Books and Literary Life , Larry McMurtry, "the master of the show-stopping anecdote" ( The Oprah Magazine ) turns his own keenly observing eye to his rollercoaster romance with Hollywood. As both the creator of numerous works successfully adapted by others for film and television ( Terms of Endearment , Lonesome Dove , and the Emmy-nominated The Murder of Mary Phagan ) and the author of screenplays including The Last Picture Show (with Peter Bogdanovich), Streets of Laredo , and the Oscar-winning Brokeback Mountain (both with longtime writing partner Diana Ossana), McMurtry has seen all the triumphs and frustrations that Tinseltown has to offer a writer, and he recounts them in a voice unfettered by sentiment and yet tinged with his characteristic wry humor.

Beginning with his sudden entrée into the world of film as the author of Horseman, Pass By —adapted into the Paul Newman–starring Hud in 1963—McMurtry regales readers with anecdotes that find him holding hands with Cybill Shepherd, watching Jennifer Garner’s audition tape, and taking lunch at Chasen’s again and again. McMurtry fans and Hollywood hopefuls alike will find much to cherish in these pages, as McMurtry illuminates life behind the scenes in America’s dream factory.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Autobiography, Biography, Audiobook, Film, Biography Memoir

146 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Larry Jeff McMurtry was an American novelist, essayist, and screenwriter whose work was predominantly set in either the Old West or contemporary Texas. His novels included Horseman, Pass By (1962), The Last Picture Show (1966), and Terms of Endearment (1975), which were adapted into films. Films adapted from McMurtry's works earned 34 Oscar nominations (13 wins). He was also a prominent book collector and bookseller.
His 1985 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Lonesome Dove was adapted into a television miniseries that earned 18 Emmy Award nominations (seven wins). The subsequent three novels in his Lonesome Dove series were adapted as three more miniseries, earning eight more Emmy nominations. McMurtry and co-writer Diana Ossana adapted the screenplay for Brokeback Mountain (2005), which earned eight Academy Award nominations with three wins, including McMurtry and Ossana for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2014, McMurtry received the National Humanities Medal.
In Tracy Daugherty's 2023 biography of McMurtry, the biographer quotes critic Dave Hickey as saying about McMurtry: "Larry is a writer, and it's kind of like being a critter. If you leave a cow alone, he'll eat grass. If you leave Larry alone, he'll write books. When he's in public, he may say hello and goodbye, but otherwise he is just resting, getting ready to go write."

Reviews

[Peter Tillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read so long ago, I don't recall much of the details. But I pretty much always like his memoirs.

2020 reread: as much fun as I recalled. Ol' Larry was a master storyteller. He liked Hollywood, and liked LA. He tells some wonderful stories. One of my favorites was when he started a Hollywood fashion trend by wearing Levi's with a tuxedo jacket to the Academy Awards, to accept (with co-author Diana Ossana) the award for, um, the gay cowboy screenplay. Brokeback Mtn. Which I've never actually seen, not being much of a movie guy. That said, you don't have to care much about movies to enjoy his memoir about writing (and selling) screenplays. More like 4.5 stars, rounded up. Highly recommended.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though probably best known for his fiction of the old and contemporary west, Larry McMurtry really had three very successful, albeit overlapping, careers: novelist, scriptwriter for Hollywood movies and television, and antiquarian book collector. Credit must be given to authorship as the first of those three careers. But almost from the publication of his first book, Horseman, Pass By (made into a hugely-successful movie, Hud, that won three Academy Awards), the launching of his two other careers were not far behind.

Similar to the first two volumes of his memoir (Books: A Memoir and Literary Life: A Second Memoir), McMurtry adopts a very casual, conversational narrative style. It is as if he is responding to simple, chatty questions about his adventures in Hollywood. Every chapter ranges in length from less than one page to no more than three pages, which makes for a fast read (one sitting for me). McMurtry offers plenty of humor in his stories, some fascinating trivia, and a certain amount of humble self-deprecation about his accomplishments.

McMurtry’s Hollywood education was close to hundred percent on-the-job training. At the time he began to get assignments, he admits that he “had never even seen a screenplay.” He further acknowledges that: “I was a stranger in a strange land, but I was, at least, willing to learn: the problem was that no one was inclined to teach me…” To some extent, he must have sensed that the Hollywood work was a good fit based on his observation that, “despite my evident ignorance, I kept on getting jobs.”

McMurtry shows a surprising adaptability to the quirky nature of Hollywood work, one classic example being when tasks that should have taken minutes to complete took forever, and those that warranted deeper thought and consideration had to be delivered in a frantic rush. One instance of good fortune was a writing partnership he developed with Diana Ossana. Their joint effort on the screenplay of Brokeback Mountain won them an Academy Award.

Part of his time in Hollywood inevitably meant direct contact with famous household names covering all aspects of the movie industry—not just renowned actors and actresses, but also movie directors and producers, and movie-making companies.

Taken as a whole, McMurtry’s three memoirs are an astonishingly accurate resumé of his life’s work and experience, written in an engaging and thoroughly entertaining style. And though he assigns the memoirs a sequence, I inadvertently read them out of sequence—namely, numbers two, one, three—without even the slightest adverse consequence. The volumes stand up very well in terms of independence.

If you are a fan of McMurtry’s fiction, read these brilliant memoirs. They will give you an added appreciation for the breadth and caliber of his work as screenplay writer, novelist, and antiquarian book collector. Of course, I’m now anxiously awaiting a print biography and a movie biography of one of America’s most popular writers.

[Simon Robs · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, his last in the memoir triumvirate, ("Books & Literary Life") celebrates the Hollywood of the 60's, 70's, 80's & beyond as told from an outlier screenwriter's tale. His first book "Horseman, Pass by" was made into a the film "Hud" starring Paul Newman and this began his long running relationship with Tinsel Town execs (even 'randy' Harvey Weinstein, haha) as well as screen stars, some the aging icons from old Hollywood all of whom don't really tussle McMurtry's hardscrabble mien nor his middle C, he's an outsider but not a bumpkin - screenwriters and book authors were low totem pole'ers back then, probably still. Anyway, he name drops as he works through his catalogue of book-to-film titles having varying levels of involvement but getting an insiders proximity to all that jazz of movie making & celeb culture. He's very gracious McMurtry is, maybe he took Newman's stance to mold the hype into his version of Venus de Milo.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. My least favorite of the three memoirs but still full of McMurtry goodness.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

How somebody from a parched, wind-swept and desolate Texas town & adjacent ranch becomes so enamored with literary pursuits is a fortunate but mysterious thing. If your writing oeuvre includes scripts such as Hud, Lonesome Dove, Brokeback Mountain, Terms of Endearment, and The Last Picture Show, you have climbed to the top of the writers' heap. This is a hilarious and witty account of McMurtry's adventures with the motion picture industry, and how vain and self-promoting Hollywood agents and directors often are, and how generally disrespected writers are. This was just as true for F. Scott Fitzgerald and William Faulkner as for McMurtry. Many big laughs nevertheless are teased out of this lopsided relationship. Swifty Lazar, his one-time agent, screwed him out of millions, but McMurtry bears no ill will to him or anyone else. Great book.

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

McMurtry is one of my all-time favorite authors. Hollywood is the third book in his autobiographical trilogy; of the three it is by far the best. When I first learned Larry was sub-dividing his life story I suspected it was some sort of scam to sell more books - kind of a one story for the price of three promotion. With some of his weaker books I have felt he was writing for commercial success alone or pressured by a publisher's deadline to complete a story. Hollywood is McMurtry's frank story about writing to earn a living as opposed to the somewhat romantic view I like to hold of the lone writer working out his angst on paper to save the world! Of the three part series, it is this one in which McMurtry is most vulnerable and most revealing about himself. Hollywood is a fun, quick read by a writer who has made a significant contribution to the literature as well as to the screen.

[Grandma Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book much more than the first two of this memoir. I almost felt like he was just sitting and telling me about his time and experiences. He told stoies about actors and directors, some I had heard about before but more that I hadn't. Hollywood is a strange town. The bottom line is the reason/chance for every movie made. He talks about working on a project for ten years and still have it fall thru. I thought some of the best stories were about agents. Some were really cutthroat stories and others very sweet, in particlar Irving Lazur. (I hope I got his name correct) While I really liked this book I must confess to loving McMurty. I think I have all his books and have read almost all of them. I think I might marry him when I grow up. lol.

[Jerry Bunin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This seemed like the most humorous and interesting of the four Larry McMurtry memoirs I have recently read, although I still find him to be a bad judge of his writing skills and best books. In Hollywood, he sounds more excited about winning an Oscar for the Brokeback Mountain adapted screenplay than the Pulitzer for Lonesome Dove. Both are great honors, but the novel is something truly special. I was also struck about how much he could write about his life in these four books without saying anything that really felt personal and revealing. Nevertheless, his anecdotes about Hollywood and its culture were entertaining examples of how well he can write about other people. This is also a book that only people who consider themselves big McMurtry fans should consider reading.

[Iva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Larry McMurtry's take on Hollywood is unique as he has shifted between being a screenwriter and author. He is comfortable with Hollywood people, exposes the snobs, but has made real friends there such as Diane Keaton and Swifty Lazar. It is a quick read as were the two memoirs that preceeded it, but full of industry tidbits. A must for McMurtry fans -- wait til you read about McMurtry impersonators -- and those wanting to understand the workings of Hollywood.

[Brenden Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today is the day after Larry McMurtry's death.

Though I didn't know it until this year, Larry McMurtry has had a deep influence on my work. His "Last Picture Show" is an ur-text for the kind of films I particularly enjoy and hope to someday make. His "Brokeback Mountain" and "Lonesome Dove" did much to keep the Western genre, one of my favorites, alive. He captured life between the coasts and sold that authenticity to the coasts, a career trajectory I hope to emulate with an ounce of the genius and workmanlike attitude he brought to his craft.

Unlike many other authors, McMurtry had the courtesy to divide his memoirs by age and topic. As a screenwriter, I was obviously more interested in his time in Hollywood than any other aspect of his life, and I am grateful that McMurtry left behind a concise, breezy volume about his time in the entertainment business packed full of plenty of wit and wisdom. I will someday seek out his earlier memoirs, which I imagine focus on his Texas childhood and his career in letters, but I was grateful to have this slim volume to work through in just four hours of listening.

There are plenty of wonderful anecdotes in "Hollywood" and McMurtry offers plenty of excellent insight on the life of a working screenwriter. While there are lots of great nuggets, my personal favorite is the observation that "You'll never work in this town again," is bullshit because Hollywood has a deficit of talent and an excess of people who need to make money off of other peoples' talent.

I also deeply admire that he wore jeans and cowboy boots to the Oscars. Couldn't be me, but we must celebrate an original.

The most important thing about this book is that Larry McMurtry actually loved Hollywood and loved Los Angeles. He says that while he agrees it is a glittering city as so many assert with disdain, he points out that the glitter, at least some of it, is real.

I too love Los Angeles and Hollywood and while so many of my peers bitch and complain as they fantasize about the first moment they can leave town, I imagine I will go out like Gram Parsons, my ashes scattered to the wind in Joshua Tree. Except, of course, I hope to do so at an age closer to McMurtry's than to Parsons'.

Rest in Peace, Mr. McMurtry, you were a true original. I hope you rest easy knowing that your legacy looms as large in Hollywood as it does in your beloved Texas.

[Pierre Stolte · Rating 1 out of 5]

This review makes me sad.

If this was the first thing I'd read of Larry McMurtry, I never would have read another word he wrote. Although under 150 pages, reading this is a bit of slog, and it desperately needed a good editor ... and some actual content.

McMurtry has nothing to say about Hollywood and feels the need to prove it by repeating himself ad nauseum. But his biggest crime is that the book is boring. There's no meat to it, no insight, no interesting anecdotes (not really). He frequently rambles on about defunct bookstores with no real presentation of what they were like (I could describe every used bookstore I've ever been in and make many of them memorable. Larry's big concern is that you know he liked them, bought some of their stock when they went out of business, and then pushes his "rare book" bookstore [now defunct] in Archer City, Texas. And, I'm sorry, but his repeated insistence that his bookstore[s] in Archer was a "rare book" site is a fantasy of his own creation. The main store was essentially a warehouse with pathetically little organization. When I visited there, I planned on checking out each of the seven [?] buildings but was so overwhelmed by the wall of disorder in the main store, that I barely lasted an hour and headed out of town having bought only one book).

Please, for your own reading pleasure, skip this volume.

[Hank Pharis · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Note: I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book. 3 = Very good; 4 = Outstanding {only about 5% of the books I read merit this}; 5 = All time favorites {one of these may come along every 400-500 books})

I have now read or listened to Larry McMurtry's 3 memoirs. I'd rate Books the best (3 stars), Hollywood the second best (two stars) and Literary Life third (one star).

It was interesting to hear McMurtry in this one say that he likes Terms of Endearment the best of his novels and is not too fond of The Last Picture Show. Hands down I like Lonesome Dove the best.

The most surprising thing in this book is how many scripts and screenplays he has written and how many of them never made it to film. He has had at least 22 of his works made into movies or tv shows but he has done more than that that have not yet been produced. The one I would have been interested to read/see is one on an Evangelist (particularly inspired by Billy Sunday).

There are a lot of funny stories here.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love much of Larry McMurtry's work - All My Friends Are Going To be Strangers is one of my all time favorite novels and Last Picture Show and Lonesome Dove are great reads as well. But I also devoured his non-fiction. I loved this memoir McMurtry wrote about his experiences with Hollywood. Being a TV/film writer myself I could totally relate to his many stories of meeting bored executives, getting stupid script notes and surefire deals that somehow never happened. That's just it - if there's one slight warning - it's that this book may be too "inside". But I loved it and read it very quickly as McMurtry shared his tales of making a pretty good living as a screenwriter on many, many films that never, ever got made. Of course, he had a strong string of successful films written and made by others from his fiction - HUD, THE LAST PICTURE SHOW, TERMS OF ENDEARMENT, LONESOME DOVE, etc. The fact that late in his career he co-wrote and won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for the incredibly well done and moving BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN is wonderful.

[Russell Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

With its cover featuring twenty movie stars in character from movies associated with the book’s author and its title Hollywood, I expected author/screenwriter Larry McMurtry’s memoir to be filled with stories featuring the famous actors who appeared in films he wrote or those based on McMurtry’s books. I was wrong. While McMurtry is an engaging writer, his tales are mostly about dealings with agents, awards presentations, fellow writers, and an occasional extremely short mention of a movie star. In fact, the author says he was rarely on set for any movie he wrote or any film based on one of his famous books. So, while I enjoyed reading this short memoir of his fifty years as a screenwriter, I came away disappointed. In fact, although I read the book in three days and have just finished it, I can’t say there was anything in it that I found memorable. If someone were to ask, I’m not sure I could relate any of McMurtry’s anecdotes. This is not the kind of Hollywood memoir I am used to reading.

[Bert J · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a pleasure to listen to Larry McMurtry just remembering and reminiscing over his long and very fruitful career.

There are many great anecdotes here as he name drops (with zero pretension) the various Hollywood icons ( actors, writers, producers, agents, and all ) that he has run into and in some cases known well.

I loved hearing his own perspective on his different projects, the awards ceremonies, and the movie-set dramas.

This book will be especially appreciated by movie fans who know the actor/director/movie landscape more completely than I do, but I think anyone who has ever enjoyed a McMurtry work would enjoy this little memoir.

[Suzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started these memoirs the day Larry McMurtry died, not knowing he'd just passed. Each is entertaining and informative and easy to read. Also, short! The author photos are of a younger McMurtry and attractive. I wish more memoirs were as honest (and as vain in parts) as these. I went to TCU just after he left. I can't remember my English teachers (English lit, yes!) but I would have played ping pong for a grade as McMurtry required.

[Patti K · Rating 4 out of 5]

McMurtry makes good company

This Larry McMurtry memoir completes his trilogy of memoirs beginning with Books, an A Literary Life. All three give the reader the pleasure of a conversation with this Texan man of letters. Full of book talk from this prolific fiction and nonfiction author, rare books seller, and Hollywood screenwriter whose work paid for his first two passions. A joy to spend time with this author. Recommend.

[Rod · Rating 3 out of 5]

Umm, yeah, it was a quick read. Not a whole lot of interest here; I found myself most intrigued by a brief reminiscence on the bookstores that used to exist in Hollywood/L.A., which maybe just shows where my interests lie. My least favorite of his three mini-memoirs (I would point readers to Books first and A Literary Life next).

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars marked up to 4 by Goodreads.

Entertaining and ultimately inconsequential first- person account of the author’s dealings with the movie and tv industries. Many trenchant comments about the self-important personalities he encountered along the way. Also generous praise for folks who actually contributed something to the process.

[Donald Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did you know Larry McMurtry and Diane Keaton were good friends? Such interesting insight to a side of Hollywood from the perspective of a writer especially a writer who used to ride horses in west Texas. Unbelievable story about a man from no where and words to took him to one of the most out of world places - Hollywood.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

McMurtry’s third memoir about the years he spent in Hollywood writing screenplays contains almost no information about his personal life. This book concentrates on his working relationship with producers, directors, and actors. Perhaps his least favorite actor was Jason Robards, while his favorite actress was Elizabeth Taylor. McMurtry relied heavily on his co-writer, Diana Ossana.

[Kyle Beacom · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third of a three-part memoir gives the reader a look at McMurtry’s time in Hollywood and his connections to the film world. There’s a lot of name-dropping and I found myself Googling names of producers, screenwriters, actors, etc. frequently. However, there are some intriguing stories as well, including the author’s participation in lengthy film award shows.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are a Larry McMurtry fan and/or film buff, you would enjoy this memoir. I am not sure how much appeal it would hold for other readers. Since I am both a McMurtry fan and a lover of films, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Kyle Margheim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short memoir but packed full of great anecdotes and stories from McMurtry’s start in Hollywood with HUD and going through his experience with Brokeback Mountain. Funny, self aware, and no bullshit. Really enjoyed this short memoir.

[Keith B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice ending to his trilogy of memoirs. I have to admit I was most interested in his accounts of The Last Picture Show and Lonesome Dove (along with the prequel/sequels). Also revealing, was how connected he was with his contemporaries even if just peripherally.

[Michele Lawson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yet another McMurtry DNF. This book is all about the Hollywood people he has met, his snide comments and opinions about them, and his over-inflated ego. He comes across as a very unlikable person with narcissistic tendencies and as an egotistical name-dropper.

[Anthony · Rating 2 out of 5]

McMurtry is of course a wonderful storyteller, and the casual, conversational tone is sometimes endearing, but too often I found myself wishing it was an actual conversation so I could pin down chronology, ask what this had to do with that, or get more detail or closure from an anecdote.

[Sarah Cawlfield · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brief. Breezy. Lots of names dropped, a few a I knew, most I did not. If you're looking for real stories, Hollywood dirt, you won't find it here. Most "stories" are covered in a sentence or two.

[Marylu Sanok · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay, nothing more