- Genre:biography & autobiography
- Sub-genre:Editors, Journalists, Publishers
- Language:English
- Pages:352
- eBook ISBN:9798317828899
Book details
Overview
It all began with a letter. In 1972 multiple Academy Award-winning film director Frank Capra had just written his memoir, The Name Above The Title. Alan Greenberg, a classic film aficionado, decided to write him and ask if they could discuss Capra's career over lunch. The director took him up on his offer, which started a close friendship that would last decades.
Greenberg would go on to meet many of Capra's friends, including film luminaries like Jimmy Stewart, Barbara Stanwyck, and Claudette Colbert. It turned out Capra also had friends from a wide variety of backgrounds, including: the military, politics, and sports. Greenberg was introduced to many of them, such as then House Minority Leader Gerald Ford, who would eventually become the President of the United States.
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During his career as a financial adviser, Alan Greenberg started a book-reviewing newsletter called The Reviewing Stand. He would send the newsletter to his clients to keep them engaged and lease it to similar businesses throughout California. Using connections he had made with director Frank Capra, Greenberg began interviewing some of the most well-known people in their fields to discuss their autobiographies in his newsletter. This included conversations with people such as: President Richard Nixon, First Lady Nancy Reagan, Katharine Hepburn, Sidney Poitier, Coach John Wooden, and hundreds more.
An interview with author and journalist George Plimpton inspired Greenberg to take a more participatory approach to interviews. He would often ask his interviewees if he could spend the day with them, which led to adventures like: picking crops with actor Burt Lancaster, being cross examined by lawyer Melvin Belli, and getting instructed on how to swing a baseball bat by Hall of Fame hitter Ted Williams.
Friends in High Places is a memoir that contains stories from close friendships and engaging interviews of Alan Greenberg over the course of his nearly forty year career.
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