About this item
"Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me. Aren't you?" When The Graduate premiered in December 1967, its filmmakers had only modest expectations attached to what seemed to be a small, sexy, art house comedy adapted from an obscure first novel by an eccentric twenty-four-year-old. There was little indication that this offbeat story--a young man just out of college has an affair with one of his parents' friends and then runs off with her daughter--would turn out to be a monster hit, with an extended run in theaters and seven Academy Award nominations. The film catapulted an unknown actor, Dustin Hoffman, to stardom with a role that is now permanently engraved in our collective memories. And just as it turned the word plastics into shorthand for soulless work and a corporate, consumer culture, The Graduate sparked a national conversation about what came to be called "the generation gap." Now, in time for this iconic film's fiftieth birthday, author Beverly Gray offers up a smart close reading of the film itself and vivid, never-before-revealed details from behind the scenes of the production--including all the drama and decision-making of the cast and crew. For movie buffs and pop culture fans, Seduced by Mrs. Robinson brings to light The Graduate's huge influence on the future of filmmaking, and it explores how this unconventional movie rocked the late sixties world, both reflecting and changing the era's views of sex, work, and marriage.
About the Author
After completing my doctorate in Contemporary American Fiction at UCLA, I surprised everyone (including myself) by taking a job with B-movie maven Roger Corman. At the legendary New World Pictures, I edited scripts, wrote publicity material, cast voice actors, and tried my hand at production. One highlight was coming up with the twist ending to a cult classic, Death Race 2000. Later, as story editor at Corman's Concorde-New Horizons Pictures, I oversaw the development of 170 low-budget features. I've written six produced screenplays, and played several cameo roles (in all of which I kept my clothes on) .
Since leaving Corman's employ, I have been active as a journalist, while also teaching screenwriting workshops through UCLA Extension. My first book, Roger Corman: An Unauthorized Biography of the Godfather of Indie Filmmaking, made its debut in the #4 slot on the Los Angeles Times' hardcover non-fiction bestseller list. Three years later, I published Ron Howard: From Mayberry to the Moon . . . and Beyond. I followed this with the first expanded paperback edition of the Corman bio, tastefully retitled Roger Corman: Blood-Sucking Vampires, Flesh-Eating Cockroaches, and Driller Killers. A third edition, available as both an ebook and a paperback, brings the Corman saga into the present day.
My newest, most exciting project yet is Seduced by Mrs. Robinson: How The Graduate Became the Touchstone of a Generation. Its publication in November 2017 coincides with the 50th anniversary of this landmark film, which is beloved by Baby Boomers for capturing their view of the adult world that in 1967 they were newly poised to enter.
I live in Santa Monica, California. When not doting on my family, I focus on my popular blog, "Beverly in Movieland," which covers movies, moviemaking, and growing up Hollywood-adjacent. Find it at www.beverlyinmovieland.com
