Out walked Budd

Normally I'd try to wax a little more eloquent on the passing of the late, great Budd Schulberg, but as I'm currently away from the vast library of texts and audio-video resources that would normally aid me in such an exercise I'm a bit hobbled in that respect. So instead, let me direct you to an intimate, admiring piece, one that eloquently notes the wide range of Schulberg's interests and friendships, and one that you might not come across in your travels in the cinematic blogosphere. (Thanks to reader Jonathan Hall for pointing it out to me.) It is worth noting that, like Billy Wilder, Schulberg died with his boots on, working away; every couple of years or so there would be word of a project he was trying to get off the ground. Hollywood's funny like that; it'll honor its "legnds" at awards ceremonies and such to no end, but when it comes to letting them actually do what they became legendary for, well, not so much. But like Wilder, like David Lean, Schulberg didn't allow himself to be worn down by a corporate indifference that had to have registered as plain as daylight to him—this IS the author of What Makes Sammy Run? we're talking about here. He kept on. Which is one of the many parts of his character that made him the real deal.