Here's The Thing with Alec Baldwin
Hosted by Alec Baldwin
Written by a model from the transcript; not yet reviewed.
This episode features a conversation between host Alec Baldwin and the late biographer and actress Patricia Bosworth, discussing her life, her shift from acting to writing, and her acclaimed biographies of complex, tormented figures like Montgomery Clift, Diane Arbus, and Marlon Brando. Bosworth reflects on her early life in Manhattan, her abusive first marriage, and the profound trauma of family suicides, including her brother and father. Throughout the interview, Bosworth and Baldwin explore the intersections of ambition, art, sexuality, and personal tragedy in the lives of mid-century icons.
Alec Baldwin opens the episode, setting the stage for a deep dive into Patricia Bosworth’s life and legacy.
Baldwin sets the stage for the interview, highlighting Bosworth’s career as a 1950s Broadway star and biographer.
Bosworth recounts her father’s suicide, her brother’s death, and how these events shaped her drive to understand troubled artists.
She explains how she moved from acting to writing, starting with magazine pieces and eventually publishing biographies of Montgomery Clift and others.
The interview explores Bosworth’s research process, her relationship with subjects like Diane Arbus, and the personal insights she gained.
She shares anecdotes and insights about her interactions with iconic figures such as Marlon Brando, Jane Fonda, and others, including humorous stories.
Bosworth discusses potential future memoirs, her interest in exploring the 60s and 70s, and concludes with reflections on forgiveness and her next book.
Bosworth reflects on her brother’s suicide, her father’s death, and how these losses influenced her writing and personal life.
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Escaping an abusive marriage in a cabstory
Patricia Bosworth recounts fleeing her abusive first husband at age 19 after a terrifying cab ride where the driver refused to intervene, leading her to seek help from her therapist in Vermont.
An unexpected afternoon with Robert Froststory
After being turned away by her therapist in Vermont, a distraught Bosworth encountered a documentary crew and spent the afternoon talking poetry with Robert Frost, which she credits with saving her life.
Mario Puzo writing The Godfather in a schlock houseinsight
Bosworth shares that Mario Puzo wrote sex-action stories while working at Magazine Management to support his gambling habit and family while spending nine years writing The Godfather.
Federico Fellini visits a comic book officestory
Bosworth recalls the surreal moment when Federico Fellini visited the office of Marvel Comics and Magazine Management, telling the staff that he too began his career in schlock.
The tragedy behind a brother's suicidestory
Bosworth explains the devastating circumstances of her brother's suicide following his expulsion from Deerfield Academy after being discovered embracing another boy who subsequently died.
Faxing Marlon Brando's dog for an interviewstory
Frustrated by her inability to reach Marlon Brando for her biography, Bosworth faxed his dog and received a signed response with two paw prints stating his master would not speak to her.
Jane Fonda's struggle with previous biographiesinsight
Jane Fonda insisted on having a woman write her biography after suffering through nine previous biographies written by men who felt threatened by her.
Editing the feminist porn magazine Vivastrategy
Bosworth discusses her editorial work in the 1970s for Viva, a female pornographic magazine published by Bob Guccione, which also featured serious political journalism.
“Mark Twain once likened biographies to what he called, quote, 'the clothes and buttons of the man.'”
“It's her father's suicide, and that of her brother years earlier, that gave Bosworth a thirst to understand tormented souls.”
“You know, it was, it was really an incredible experience.”
“I was keeping a journal, I kept, kept a journal since I was a teenager.”
“She was deeply depressed. Her lover was not faithful to her.”
Mark Twain once likened biographies to “the clothes and buttons of the man” saying “the biography of the man himself cannot be written.” The quote is a favorite of Patricia Bosworth, a 1950s model-actor turned biographer known for capturing the lives of Diane Arbus, Montgomery Clift, and Marlon Brando. All three were revered and haunted by internal demons—a narrative she knows too well. Bosworth's own father, Bartley Crum, was a left-wing lawyer who famously defended the Hollywood Ten before succumbing to his own psychological pain. It was her father's suicide, as well as her brother's six years earlier, that instilled a strong desire to seek out the stories of other tormented souls. Patricia Bosworth's book The Men in My Life turns that voyage inward, painting a picture of a resilient woman with a tragic story of her own. Originally released August 22nd, 2017. Patricia Bosworth passed away on April 2nd, 2020. See omnystudio.com/listener https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
9,068 words · 7 speakers
Speaker names marked are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.
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