At a private NYC release event at Sardi’s on Tuesday, August 13, starting at 1 pm, long-time stage and screen producer, broadcaster, podcaster, and author Julian Schlossberg launched the second volume of his memoir, My First Book – Part 2, A Producer’s Life Continues, a follow-up to Try Not to Hold It Against Me, published in 2023. Joined by Tony and Oscar winner Elaine May and special guest Renée Taylor, the event featured Schlossberg reading brief excerpts from the book and discussing it with May, who wrote the foreword, admitted she was nervous about doing the interview, encouraged everyone to buy the book, and then turned the questions over to Schlossberg and the audience.
In the candid conversation, the open and witty Schlossberg revealed, among other anecdotes, a funny personal experience he had during his mid-life crisis, the prevalence of name-dropping in the industry and consequently in his autobiography, his preference for theater over screen productions (because you can look where you want, not have a camera decide for you), and the fact that his next book will not be a third volume of his memoir but a new play on Norman Mailer, with a cast led by F. Murray Abraham and Laila Robbins.
As with the first volume, the present release is a must-read for theater, film, and TV enthusiasts alike, with chapters by Taylor, Marlo Thomas, and writer Walter Anderson reminiscing about their collaborations and long friendship with the legendary producer, Schlossberg sharing stories from his 60 years in show business, including his recollections, filled with engaging humor and never-before-told behind-the-scenes anecdotes, of working with such luminaries as May, Abraham, Peter Falk, Mike Nichols, George C. Scott, John Cassavetes, Mel Brooks, Charlton Heston, Warren Beatty, Paddy Chayefsky, Elia Kazan, Arthur Penn, Zero Mostel, Woody Allen, Jackie Mason, Danny Aiello, Eli Wallach, and many others. Those range from his early years of working at a national theater chain and a major motion picture studio to the opening of his own production and distribution company, Castle Hill Productions, Inc., which he ran for nearly 40 years. And it ends with Schlossberg’s reflections on what he learned through it all.
I asked Taylor what she in turn learned from Schlossberg, and she told me he taught her “how to be a wonderful producer, because he’s such a wonderful and supportive man.” It comes across clearly in both his speaking and his writing about a career that continues to bring him much joy and many friends. His new independently published autobiography is now available from Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook read by the author. And you can check out more photos from the special event here:
Julian Schlossberg, My First Book – Part 2: A Producer’s Life Continues, 2024, 303 pages, paperback, ISBN-13-979-8325199523, $15.99.
