Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!howland.erols.net!logbridge.uoregon.edu!newsxfer.eecs.umich.edu!cyclone.rdc-detw.rr.com!news.mw.mediaone.net!cyclone.kc.rr.com!news.kc.rr.com!cyclone.austin.rr.com!cyclone2.austin.rr.com!typhoon.austin.rr.com.POSTED!not-for-mail From: BrYan Westbrook Newsgroups: alt.fan.woody-allen,alt.sex.woody-allen Subject: Woody Allen FAQ Message-ID: X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 1.8/32.548 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Lines: 738 Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 03:20:45 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 24.167.81.104 X-Complaints-To: abuse@rr.com X-Trace: typhoon.austin.rr.com 975381645 24.167.81.104 (Mon, 27 Nov 2000 21:20:45 CST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2000 21:20:45 CST Organization: Road Runner - Texas Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu alt.fan.woody-allen:11694 alt.sex.woody-allen:31846 It's not a complete update, but at least I've got the filmography caught up. Frequently Asked Questions About Woody Allen version 2.2 November 27, 2000 Compiled by BrYan Westbrook (swestbrook1@austin.rr.com) (please e-mail me with corrections and/or additions) Disclaimer: I have no insider information and no connection to Woody Allen, DreamWorks, Fine Line Features, or Miramax Films (though I'm certainly willing to entertain job offers from any of them). Disclaimer #2: This FAQ is a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham. Upcoming and recent releases: His next film is reportedly going to be titled The Curse of the Jade Scorpion. Q: Who is Woody Allen? A: He was born Allen Stewart Konigsberg in Brooklyn, NY, December 1, 1935. He dropped out (flunked out?) of both New York University and City College of New York. He began his comedic career writing one-liners for gossip columns at age 15, and during college was a joke writer for Bob Hope. In 1961 he finally began performing his own material in Greenwich Village cafes, and soon moved up to nightclubs and talk shows. He also had a stint as a writer/actor on Alan Funt's original Candid Camera. In 1965 he sold his first screenplay, What's New, Pussycat? and also acted a supporting role in the movie. Q: How many times has Allen been married? A: He has two ex-wives: Harlene Rosen (March 25, 1956 to 1962) and Louise Lasser (February 2, 1966 to 1969) who co-starred in some of his early, funny movies and was best known as tv's Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. He dated Diane Keaton prior to writing Annie Hall, and their romance is the basis for much of that script. On December 22, 1997 in Venice, Italy, Allen married his girlfriend of several years, Soon-Yi Previn, the adopted daughter of Mia Farrow and her second ex-husband Andre Previn (her first ex-husband was Frank Sinatra who is rumored to have threatened to beat up Allen over his affair with Soon-Yi). The secret wedding was attended by only friends and relatives (though not Mia Farrow) and was officiated by Massimo Cacciari, the mayor of Venice. Woody has one biological son, Satchel Farrow; an adopted son, Moses Farrow; and adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, with ex-lover Mia Farrow. Since their breakup, Ms. Farrow has changed Satchel's name to Seamus and Dylan's to Eliza. Q: Where does Woody Allen live? A: 930 5th Avenue, New York, NY (As far as I know this information is public knowledge, so please no e-mail about me jeopardizing Mr. Allen's security.) Q: How can I get an autograph from Mr. Allen? A: There is no guarantee that you will actually receive one, but you can send your request to his New York office. Write to: Norma Lee Clark 130 W. 57th St. New York City, NY 10019 Q: How tall is Mr. Allen? A: According to Eric Lax, when Allen was in high school he was a "slight five-foot-six redhead." Q: Why does Woody Allen never attend the Academy Awards? A: Mr. Allen is deeply private and not a "joiner." Every year the Academy invites him to join, and every year he respectfully declines. He plays clarinet every Monday night when not shooting a movie, so he always has a prior commitment. He has, however, received many nominations and received a few Academy Awards. Q: Why did Woody have an affair with his daughter? A: First off, Soon-Yi Previn was not his daughter. She is the adopted daughter of Mia Farrow (whom Woody never married) and conductor Andre Previn. Why Allen had an affair with the adopted daughter of his girlfriend is a matter between the three of them and has no direct relevence on the worth of his artistic output. Q: What biographies of Woody Allen are there? A: * Altman, Mark. Woody Allen Encyclopedia. Pioneer Books, 199?. * Benayoun, Robert. Woody Allen : Beyond Words. * Bendazzi, G. The Films of Woody Allen. Gruppo Editoriale Fabbri Spa, 1984-1987. * Björkman, Stig. Woody Allen on Woody Allen. Faber and Faber, 1994. * Blake, Richard. Woody Allen, Profane and Sacred. * Brode, Douglas. Woody Allen : His Films and Career. Secaucus: Citadel Press, 1985. * Carroll, Tim. Woody and His Women. Little, Brown and Company, 1993. * Cowie, Peter. (a book about Annie Hall) * Curry, Renee R. Perspectives on Woody Allen. G.K. Hall & Co., 1996. * de Navacelle, Thierry. Woody Allen on Location. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1987. * Fuchs, Wolfgang. Die Vielen Gesichter des Woody Allen. Taschen Verlag, 1986. * Girgus, Sam B. The Films of Woody Allen. Cambridge University Press, 1993. * Groteke, Kristi and Marjorie Rosen. Mia & Woody: Love and Betrayal. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 1994. * He Said/She Said Comics: The Woody Allen Story/The Mia Farrow Story. Publisher: First Ammendment Comics * Hirsch, Foster. Love, Sex, Death, and the Meaning of Life: Woody Allen's Comedy. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1981. * I Dream of Woody (Collects reports from a bunch of fans on actual dreams they have had.) * Jacobs, Diane. ...But We Need The Eggs: The Magic Of Woody Allen. St. Martin's Press, 1982. * Lax, Eric. On Being Funny: Woody Allen and Comedy. * Lax, Eric. Woody Allen: A Biography. Vintage Books, 1992. * Lee, Sander H. Woody Allen's Angst: Philosophical Commentaires on His Serious Films. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1997. * McCann, Graham. Woody Allen: New Yorker. * McKnight, Gerald. Woody Allen: Joking Aside. * Murphy, Diana (ed). Woody Allen at Work: The Photographs of Brian Hamill. New York: Harry M. Abrams, Inc., Publishers, 1995. * Palmer, Miles. Woody Allen an Illustrated Biography. Proteus, 1980. * Pogel, Nancy. Woody Allen. Boston: G.K. Hall & Co., 1987. * Rosenblum, Ralph and Robert Karen. When the Shooting Stops...the Cutting Begins. * Sinyard, Neil. The Films of Woody Allen. * Spignesi, Stephen J. The Woody Allen Companion. Universal Press Syndicate Company, 1992. * Sunshine, Linda. Illustrated Woody Allen Reader. New York: Knopf, 1993. * Wernblad, Annette. Brooklyn Is Not Expanding: Woody Allen's Comic Universe. New Jersey: Associated University Presses, 1992. * Yacowar, Maurice. Loser Take All. The Comic Art of Woody Allen, new expanded edition. New York: Continuum, 1991. Q: What Woody Allen Resources are there on the Internet? A: There are two Usenet groups: alt.fan.woody-allen and alt.sex.woody-allen To subscribe to the Woody Allen mailing list, send the following message to listserver@westga.edu: subscribe WOODY-L First name Last name Woody Allen pages: http://omni.cc.purdue.edu/~royald/allen.htm The Woody Allen FAQ (this document in hypertext): http://www.geocities.com/~madcap/Woody/iindex.html The Woody Allen Chat Page: http://www.geocities.com/~madcap/Woody/iwoodchat.htm (no appearances from Allen himself--just fans) For comprehensive information on all of his films, check the Internet Movie Database: http://us.imdb.com/Name?Allen,+Woody. Additional information on some of his movies (from Husbands and Wives through Everybody Says I Love You) can be found at the Miramax Café: http://www.miramax.com/ Promotional material for Deconstructing Harry can be found at the Fine Line Features page: http://www.flf.com/harry/index.html The banjo player from Woody's jazz band, Cynthia Sayer, has a homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~cynth/ Mighty Aphrodite "Exploring Issues of Identity and Anonymity on the Internet": http://www.obs-us.com/obs/english/films/mx/aphro/top.htm "The Whore of Mensa": http://www.ariz.com:80/mensa/humor/whore.html Woody Allen Ate My Balls: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/4165/woody.html (Please note that the management of this FAQ does not reccomend the above mentioned page, but merely lists it here for the sake of thoroughness.) Driveways of the Rich and Famous' interview with Allen's doorman: http://www.driveways.com/newyork.htm Q: Where can I find some Woody Allen .wav's? A: All you need is a soundcard (the files want do you any good anyway if you don't have one), a battery powered tape recorder, a connector cord (headphone-type jack on both ends), and a recording program. There are very simple programs to do this. A lot of computers come with a program called Sound Recorder. If you don't have that one (I'm assuming you're using an IBM (or clone) and not a MAC), go to http://www.shareware.com and download Sonic Screwdriver. Once you've got the program set up, record the sound you want to sample on a cassette tape, plug one end of the cord into the headphone jack of the tape recorder and the other into the "line in" jack of your soundcard (next to where the speakers plug in). Just play the tape and hit the record button on the program. If you are using Windows 95, you will need to click on that little speaker icon in the bottom right of the screen and adjust the settings for recording levels (I don't remember the exact settings at this time, but you should be able to figure it out). BTW, the appropriate newsgroup for posting such files is alt.binaries.sounds.movies and not here (but please leave an announcement here if you do post any Woody Allen wav's). The place to post pictures is alt.binaries.pictures.celebrities. Q: What is Woody Allen's e-mail address? A: Although he has "appeared" at least twice on America Online as a celebrity guest (with someone else typing for him), Mr. Allen does not have any known e-mail address, and is not known to even own a computer. It is said that he still uses the manual typewriter on which he wrote his first screenplay. Q: What movies has Woody Allen done? A: 1965 What's New, Pussycat? actor, writer 1966 What's Up, Tiger Lily? director, host, producer, voice-over actor, writer 1967 Casino Royale actor 1969 Don't Drink the Water writer Take the Money and Run actor, director, writer 1971 Bananas actor, director, co-writer) 1972 Play It Again, Sam actor, writer Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask actor, director, writer 1973 Sleeper actor, director, composer, co-writer 1975 Love and Death actor, director, writer 1976 The Front actor 1977 Annie Hall actor, director, co-writer 1978 Interiors director, writer 1979 Manhattan actor, director, co-writer 1980 Stardust Memories actor, director, writer 1982 A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy actor, director, writer 1983 Zelig actor, director, writer 1984 Broadway Danny Rose actor, director, writer 1985 The Purple Rose of Cairo director, writer 1986 Hannah and Her Sisters actor, director, writer 1987 Radio Days narrator, director, writer September director, writer King Lear actor 1988 Another Woman director, writer 1989 "Oedipus Wrecks" from New York Stories actor, director, writer Crimes and Misdemeanors actor, director, writer 1990 Alice director, writer 1991 Scenes from a Mall actor 1992 Shadows and Fog actor, director, writer Husbands and Wives actor, director, writer 1993 Manhattan Murder Mystery actor,director, writer 1994 Bullets Over Broadway director, co-writer Don't Drink the Water actor, director, writer 1995 Mighty Aphrodite actor, director, writer The Sunshine Boys actor 1996 Everyone Says I Love You actor,director, writer 1997 Cannes... les 400 coups actor Deconstructing Harry actor,director, writer 1998 Wild Man Blues documentary subject The Imposters actor Antz voice-over actor 1999 Sweet and Lowdown actor, director, writer 2000 Company Man actor Small Time Crooks actor, director, writer Picking Up the Pieces actor Q: What movies have featured Woody Allen as a character? A: Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story (1995) The Royal Scam (1996) Cannes... les 400 coups (1997) Q: How come I never hear much about Allen's upcoming movies? A: He is very secretive about his works in progress and is so paranoid about leaks that the actors and actresses are only allowed to see their own pages of the script. (Although there had been alleged leaks from the set of Everybody Says I Love You.) Q: What Woody Allen scripts have been published? A: Annie Hall, Interiors, Manhattan, Stardust Memories (published in a single volume) Zelig, Broadway Danny Rose, The Purple Rose of Cairo (single volume) Hannah and Her Sisters Q: Did anybody ever notice how movie "x" imitates a Woody Allen movie? A: Recognized Woody imitations: Moon Over Parador -- Bananas When Harry Met Sally -- Annie Hall The Last Action Hero -- The Purple Rose of Cairo (which itself bears much resemblence to Buster Keaton's Sherlock, Jr. although Allen denies any connection) Q: Didn't some of Woody's earlier movies predict things about the future? A: In Bananas: J. Edgar Hoover was depicted in drag, a couple decades before he was "outed" as a transvestite by the press. In the same film Howard Cossell gives a play-by-play color analysis of an assassination. On December 8, 1980, during a Monday Night Football broadcast, Cossell announced to the world the assassination of John Lennon Many people try to make a point of Alvy's "Impeach Ronald Reagan" button in Annie Hall which was released 3 years prior to Reagan's Presidential election, but that could have been left over from his days as governor of California. Q: Why does Woody Allen keep using the same actors and crew? A: Woody's actors and crew are very loyal to him (they like working with the best), and he to them. With the probable exception of Mia Farrow, the only actress to ever publicly state she would not work with him again is Meryl Streep. Here is what Meryl Streep had to say about her experience: "I don't think Woody Allen even remembers me. I went to see Manhattan and I felt like I wasn't even in it. I was pleased with the film because I looked pretty in it and I thought it was entertaining. But I only worked on the film for three days and I didn't get to know Woody. Who gets to know Woody? He's very much of a womanizer; very self-involved. On a certain level, the film offends me because it's about all these people whose sole concern is discussing their emotional states or their neuroses. It's sad because Woody has the potential to be America's Chekhov. But instead, he's still caught up in the jet-set crowd type of life, trivializing his talent." She was also upset that she was only given the portions of the script that contained her part (standard operating procedure on a security conscious Woody Allen set). Q: What is Allen's stand on letterboxing of videotapes? Manhattan is generally considered to have been the first movie ever released in letterbox format. Although Mr. Allen has not issued an official statement on the issue, he did sue a European television station for broadcasting a panned-and scanned version of Manhattan. No other Woody Allen films were shot in the wide screen Panavision process. Allen is also notorious for his movies having boom mikes in the "safe area" above the top of the screen. This is a part of the frame that is not visible in normal film presentation but appears during panned-and-scanned video transfers. For an example, watch closely during the cabin scenes in Annie Hall. Q: What themes are repeated in Woody's movies? A: Characters obsessed with death, the JFK assassination, and Ingmar Bergman movies. Also, the theme of illusion (manifested in things like magic, the supernatural, movies, memories, mystical healers like Mr Yang in Alice) versus "reality" is something he likes to use often. He often talks directly to the camera. Frequently plays movie directors. Usually gives his characters short names because they're quicker to type. Q: What movies are shown within Woody's movies? A: Annie Hall The Sorrow and the Pity Crimes and Misdemeanors Happy Go Lucky Mr. and Mrs. Smith 20,000 Years in Sing Sing Francis Singing in the Rain This Gun for Hire Hannah and Her Sisters Duck Soup Manhattan Murder Mystery Double Indemnity The Lady from Shanghai Play It Again Sam Casablanca The Purple Rose of Cairo the fictitious The Purple Rose of Cairo Top Hat Radio Days Intermezzo Stardust Memories Ladri di biciclette (The Bicycle Thief) What's Up, Tiger Lily? Kagi no Kag Zelig the fictitious The Changing Man (which has a tongue-in-cheek entry of its own in James Monaco's The Connoisseur's Guide to the Movies) Q: What is What's New, Pussycat? about? A: The producer, Charles Feldman, gave Woody the instruction to "write something where we can all go to Paris and chase girls." Warren Beatty was originally supposed to star in the film (the title was his standard greeting to any attractive female) but dropped out before filming. The role went to Peter O'Toole. Q: What was the original title of the movie that was made into What's Up, Tiger Lily?? A: Kagi no Kagi (1964). Q: Does anyone know the poem Michael Caine read to Barbara Hershey in the bookshop (Hannah and Her Sisters)? A: The poem is by e. e. cummings, and, according to his practice, has no formal title. It can be found by its first line: "somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond" Q: Who is David Greenglass? A: " 'I love him like a brother - David Greenglass', Cliff answers, using a phrase that was a favourite of New York liberals in the 1950s. Greenglass was the brother of Ethel Rosenberg, who with her husband, Julius, was executed in 1953 for passing U.S. atomic secrets to the Russians. Greenglass, who supplied them with the information, turned prosecution witness and got off with fifteen years in prison." Q: Why does Woody Allen use so few black actors and actresses? A: Woody usually sticks to the world he knows: middle and upper-class New Yorkers, especially Jewish ones. He has repeatedly expressed his fondness for black artists and athletes, particularly jazz musicians, but shies away from trying to write about a culture that he is not a part of. Q: What is the name of the font Allen uses for his title credits? A: There are at least two different names for the font (multiple names are a common practice): "Windsor" and "Clearface". (If you already have one of these fonts installed, the WWW version of this FAQ should appear in that font instead of the default.) I do not at this time know where to find any MacOS versions (which may have an all together different name), but the Windows fonts can be found at: Windsor: http://www.surfmadison.com/$webfile.send.FONTS./WINDSOR_.TTF WindsorDemi.fog (which appears to be identical to Windsor): http://www.surfmadison.com/$webfile.send.FONTS./WINDSO.ZIP Clearface: http://www.surfmadison.com/$webfile.send.FONTS./CLEARFA2.TTF Clearface-Heavy-DTC: http://www.surfmadison.com/$webfile.send.FONTS./CLEARFA5.TTF Note: It has been my experience that the surfmadison server is extremely slow. Q: What is the story behind the "lost" PBS special? A: In 1972, Allen was commisioned (though never paid) by the Public Broadcasting System for a special titled The Politics of Woody Allen. The network declined to air the special citing that it was too controversial for an election year. The main complaint was against the primary skit, Men of Crisis: The Harvey Wallinger Story, a satire of Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. For years the tape was lost until a tape of at least the Wallinger segment resurfaced in the PBS vaults in late 1997. Q: Didn't Allen do some TV Work? In addition to being an actor on Candid Camera and That Was the Week That Was, Woody wrote a pilot in 1962 entitled The Laughmakers. It was about the professional lives of an improvisational group in New York City. Among it's stars were Louise Sorel, Sandy Baron, Alan Alda, and Louise Lasser. The group performed at "The Fruedian Slip" and hung out at "Cafe Nervosa." A few of the gags turned up later in Woody's stand-up and films. The Laughmakers was more sophisticated than anything on television at that time so it's no surprise that the pilot wasn't picked up. Woody starred in two variety show style specials in the late sixties. Woody also appeared, along with Jonathan Winters, Joanne Worley and Tom Smothers, in a short-lived (15 half-hours) series for young people on NBC-TV called "HOT DOG" in 1970. The series showed where every-day things come from - "How do they make a baseball", "What's mustard?", "How do they get the toothpaste in the toothpaste tube?, etc. - with comedic interjections by the stars. It won critical raves, a Peabody Award and cancellation all in one season. Q: What albums has Woody Allen recorded? A: The only stand-up album available in the USA is: Woody Allen: Standup Comic, Casablanca Records Available in Europe is: Woody Allen: The Nightclub Years (1964-1968), EMI, CDP 7 93969 2, 0777 93968 2 5, UK: CDECC 31, LC 0542 (compact disk) The New York Jazz Ensemble: The Bunk Project Music Master Jazz 0-1612-65098-2 (supposedly available only at Michael's Pub, so possibly out of print) Soundtracks: Woody Allen Classics, Sony Masterworks, SK 53549. Q: Where does Woody play clarinet? A: Since Micahel's Pub (where he played for more than 25 years) closed in early 1997, The Eddie Davis Band, featuring Woody Allen, started playing at the Cafe Carlyle (Seating capacity: 100) in the Carlyle Hotel Madison & 76th St. (214) 744-1600 Woody plays on Monday night - first set only and only when his filming or travel schedule allow. Unlike Michael's Pub, the Carlyle has a policy of notifying reservation holders if Mr. Allen will not appear. Cover charge: $45 ($25 for the second set, sans Woody) It is said that Woody began this practice to avoid attending the Academy Awards which are always held on Monday nights. To hear a sample of Woody's music, listen to the sound track to Sleeper which he composed. The banjo player from Woody's jazz band, Cynthia Sayer, has a homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~cynth/ Q: What books has Woody Allen written? A: Getting Even. 1971, ISBN: 0-030-32795-X Side Effects Without Feathers These are available in a collected edition titled The Complete Prose of Woody Allen, but the plays (which are technically not prose) are omitted. Q: What plays has Woody Allen written? A: Don't Drink the Water Central Park West (no relation to the CBS soap opera of the same name) Play It Again, Sam Death (the loose basis for Shadows and Fog) Death Knocks Don't Drink the Water The Floating Lightbulb God Q: What was the Woody Allen comic strip back in the late 70's? A: "Inside Woody Allen" drawn by Stuart Hample. There was a collection published, titled Non-Being and Somethingness: Selections from the Comic Strip "Inside Woody Allen" (ISBN: 0394735900) with an introduction by Buckminster Fuller, but the book is long out of print.