The Godfather

Robert Evans is still in the picture

From his meteoric rise to power with hits such as Chinatown and The Godfather to his disastrous fall with The Cotton Club, to his triumphant 1994 autobiography, The Kid Stays in the Picture, no other figure has embodied Hollywood quite like producer Robert Evans. But this month, as Evans releases The Out-ofTowners, starring Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn, GEORGE WAYNE asks, Does the tanned legend still have the golden touch?

George Wayne: Darling, you’ve been regaling G.W. with the declaration that he is only the second person in history after Sherry Lansing to see the 17-minute preview to the two-hour docudrama-movie work in progress based on your acclaimed autobiography, The Kid Stays in the Picture. I was absolutely mesmerized by that legendary Bob Evans lush purr!

Robert Evans: I’ve had that voice since I was 11 years old. I was a famous child actor on the radio.

G.W.G. W. especially loved that sequence in the preview where you muse about being discovered in a nightclub by the legendary Darryl Zanuck. At which nightclub were you discovered by Zanuck?

R.E. At El Morocco—the most famous nightclub at the time. I was doing the tango with Contessa Christina Paolozzi, and Albert, the captain at El Mo’s, came over and said, “Mr. Zanuck would like to see you.” So I went over to his table, and Zanuck said, “Are you an actor, kid?” I said, “I’m not right now.” He said, “We’ve been watching you dance for the last hour and a half. How would you like to star opposite Ava Gardner as the matador in The Sun Also Rises?” And that’s how I got the part. I was the only actor ever under personal contract to Darryl Zanuck.

G.W.Wow, that’s absolutely queenious! You are still considered one of the longest-running studio heads in the history of Paramount Pictures. And it was about 1974 that you were considered the most powerful man in Hollywood.

R.E. I would say from 1966 to 1976, but I don’t wish to sound in any way self-serving, because a lot of other people contributed.

G.W.But—my God—you haven’t had a hit movie for years!

R.E. I had a hit last year. The Saint was a big hit.

G.W.The fact that it made $100 million overseas, where people are starving for anything “made in America,” does not make it a hit!

R.E. Of the pictures I’ve made this decade, the one I’m most proud of is Jade. Billy Friedkin is a wonderful director—I love working with him. I’m hoping that The Out-of-Towners will be a wonderful audience film. G.W.Well, you have Goldie Hawn. And, God knows, Steve Martin could sure use a hit just as much as you could! R.E. Well, I suppose everyone needs a hit. Of course, our business, George—and you know this—is run by the bottom line. My pictures, for that reason, have not been bombs.

G.W.That’s a good point. G.W. gives kudos for that one! Now, Bob, tell G.W— what was that two-week marriage to Catherine Oxenberg cdl about?!

R.E. Just that—two weeks.

G.W.Yet another classic Bob Evans fiasco.

R.E. No, it wasn’t a fiasco. It was irrational behavior caused by my stroke. On May 6, 1998, I was proposing a toast to Wes Craven in my home. And it was like a bolt of lightning hit me, and I just fell to the floor. The doctors all but pronounced me dead. I saw the white light. G.W.That’s amazing, Bob! But this fiasco marriage?!

R.E. I’ve known Catherine for years. I have only nice things to say about her. I have gone through eight months of the most painful physical therapy any human could have. This must be my retribution. G.W.The audio version of your memoir has been one of the most popular books on tape in Hollywood. R.E. I was reading the New York Post—this review which came out: “This may be the only audio book with a cult following ... it’s developed an evergreen status.”

G.W.Darling, it’s all about that evergreen status! Robert Evans is a thoroughbred survivor. He is here forever!

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