This week I broke bread with my old friend, Matthew Specktor, whose wonderful new book, The Golden Hour: A Story of Family and Power in Hollywood, is out April 22. Matthew has been a development and studio exec as well as a screenwriter, novelist and memoirist, and in The Golden Hour, he shares his family history through a changing Hollywood. Most notably, he reveals what it was like growing up the son of legendary agent Fred Specktor — he turns 92 next week — whom Matthew calls “the oldest still-working man in Hollywood.” Fred started as Lew Wasserman’s assistant at MCA and has been at CAA for 46 years.
Matthew weaves a larger theme through the book of what happened to “the movies as a defining feature of American life and culture,” which you know is an abiding passion of mine and a crusade. We talked about all this and much more.
Meanwhile, I go live each week on Wednesday at 11 a.m. PT. Subscribers receive an email alert when The Rushfield Lunch has begun; paid subscribers can join our conversation.
Actor-writer-director-producer Lena Dunham — who also has her own Substack, Good Thing Going — will join me for The Rushfield Lunch on Wed., April 23, at 11 a.m. PT. You can watch at The Ankler’s website or on the Substack app.
If you’ve missed an episode, catch up on some of my earlier episodes, which have featured Amazon Studios founder Roy Price, Substack cofounder Hamish McKenzie, longtime film producer and executive Ted Hope, and author and Atlantic writer Olga Khazan exploring the science of changing your personality. All episodes are archived on our YouTube page.
Can’t afford The Ankler right now? If you’re an assistant, student, or getting your foot in the door, and want help navigating the craziness of this business but don’t have the money to spare, drop me a line at richard@theankler.com and we’ll work it out. No mogul or mogul-to-be left behind here at The Ankler.
I really enjoyed this interview and insights! Good Gen X comparisons.
Thank you. Loved this conversation. Will buy the book.