Los Angeles Times, CA
Aug. 25, 2006
MOVIE REVIEW
‘Buzz’
Shining a strong light on Hollywood, American history.
By Carina Chocano, Times Staff Writer
A.I. Bezzerides, Buzz to his friends, had a long, fruitful writing
career in the 1940s and ’50s, churning out pulp novels and scripts
for film noir classics such as "On Dangerous Ground" and "Kiss Me
Deadly." Yet, like many screenwriters, he remains mostly unknown
today. Spiro N. Taraviras’ documentary "Buzz" chronicles the life of
a tireless worker of the Hollywood "dream factory" of the middle of
the last century, weaving it together with stories about the
working-class experience, labor practices and the Hollywood
blacklist.
The son of Armenian refugees, Bezzerides grew up poor in Fresno,
where he was friendly with writer William Saroyan. After attending UC
Berkeley, he wrote a novel about long-haul truckers that would later
be adapted into the Humphrey Bogart early noir classic "They Drive by
Night." Warner Bros. had already adapted the novel and begun
production before securing the rights from Bezzerides, which put him
in a good position to negotiate. But rather than risk his
relationship with the studio, Bezzerides’ agent accepted a tiny sum
on his behalf. Thus began a long line of bad deals that marked the
writer’s career. Despite his productivity and success, Bezzerides
never achieved any measure of financial stability, even after
creating the hit TV series "The Big Valley" in the 1960s.
Taraviras spent four years interviewing 98-year-old Bezzerides in his
tumbledown Woodland Hills home, in which he recounts anecdotes from a
remarkable life that included friendships with William Faulkner and
Marilyn Monroe.
The film also includes numerous interviews with actors and directors
who worked with him (including Jules Dassin, who decamped for Europe
to avoid being subpoenaed by the House Un-American Activities
Committee and remains there to this day), as well as his children,
journalists and film historians.
The result is an insightful look at a remarkable behind-the-scenes
life and slice of American and Hollywood history. Told from an
outsider’s perspective, it sheds light on the workings of a glamorous
but often treacherous business.
‘Buzz’
MPAA rating: PG-13 for brief strong language
An Outsider Release. Writer-producer-director Spiro N. Taraviras.
Running time: 1 hour, 58 minutes.
Exclusively at Laemmle’s Fairfax Cinemas, 7907 Beverly Blvd. at
Fairfax Avenue, L.A. (323) 655-4010.