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Howard A. Rodman

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Howard A. Rodman
Occupations
  • Screenwriter
  • author
  • professor
Known forSavage Grace
August
Joe Gould's Secret
Destiny Express
The Great Eastern
Spouse(s)Anne Friedberg (m. 1990, died 2009)
Mary Beth Heffernan (m. 2017)

Howard A. Rodman is a screenwriter, author and professor. He is the former President of the Writers Guild of America, West, professor and former chair of the writing division at the USC School of Cinematic Arts,[1] alumnus of Telluride Association Summer Program[2] and an artistic director of the Sundance Institute Screenwriting Labs.[3]

He is the son of screenwriter Howard Rodman (1920–1985).

Career

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In his 20s and early 30s, Rodman was a typist, a legal proofreader, a mail-room clerk, a union organizer (for the Committee of Interns and Residents) and the guitarist for various lower-Manhattan post-punk bands (Made in USA, Arsenal, Soul Sharks).[4][5] Starting as editor-in-chief of The Cornell Daily Sun,[6] Rodman has published scores of articles in venues including The New York Times,[7] The Los Angeles Times,[8] Los Angeles Magazine,[9] and the Village Voice (for which he was a monthly columnist).[10]

His adaptations of Jim Thompson, David Goodis et al. for Showtime's Fallen Angels anthology series[11] were directed by Steven Soderbergh and Tom Cruise. The screenplays were published in Fallen Angels: Six Noir Tales Told for Television.[12] Rodman then wrote Joe Gould's Secret, which opened the 2000 Sundance festival and was subsequently released by October/USA Films.[13] Rodman's original screenplay F. was selected by Premiere Magazine as one of Hollywood's Ten Best Unproduced Screenplays.[14] Other films include Savage Grace, starring Julianne Moore, and August, with Josh Hartnett, Rip Torn, and David Bowie—both of which had their US premieres at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.[15] They were released in 2008 from IFC and First Look, respectively. Rodman's screenplay for Savage Grace was nominated for a Spirit Award in the Best Screenplay category.[16]

Destiny Express

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Destiny Express was published in January 1990 by Atheneum Books.[17] It was blurbed by Thomas Pynchon, who called it "Daringly imagined and darkly romantic — a moral thriller."[18][19]

Destiny Express is an historical romance. Set in Berlin in March 1933, it explores the stark choices faced by the German filmmaking community – chief among them legendary director Fritz Lang (M; Metropolis), and his acclaimed wife and collaborator, Thea von Harbou. Lang was famously offered the position of head of the Reich's film industry by Joseph Goebbels, and fled on the next train to Paris; von Harbou stayed, and made films for the Nazis. Destiny Express is thus the story of the end of a marriage, set in one of history's most crucial junctures. Other historical figures – Bertolt Brecht, Billy Wilder among them – play significant roles in the novel's intertwined narratives.[20]

The Great Eastern

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The novel The Great Eastern by Howard A. Rodman was published[21] on June 4, 2019, by Melville House Publishing. In 2020, actor Keegan-Michael Key was quoted in The New York Times as saying of the book, "It’s great. It’s been my favorite read of the year so far."[22]

In March 2019, the film rights to The Great Eastern were acquired by the UK film company Great Point Media, and Rodman was commissioned to write the screen adaptation.[23]

Reviews

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  • Keegan-Michael Key (December 15, 2020). "Keegan-Michael Key Reaches into the Past With 'Midnight Run' and 'Electric Ladyland'". The New York Times.
  • Brian Evenson (July 15, 2019). "Past and Pastiche in Howard A. Rodman's 'The Great Eastern'". Los Angeles Review of Books.
  • Paul Burke (June 15, 2019). "'The Great Eastern' by Howard A. Rodman". NB Magazine.
  • Jay Gabler (July 17, 2019). "Howard Rodman's 'The Great Eastern' Pits Ahab Against Nemo". The Tangential.
  • Deborah Mason (March 4, 1990). "Fate Calls for Fritz Lang". The New York Times Book Review.
  • Ernest Callenbach (March 11, 1990). "The Great Escape That Never Was : DESTINY EXPRESS by Howard A. Rodman". Los Angeles Times.

Filmography

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Other activities

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Rodman is a Governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[33] He founded and chairs the Writers Guild Independent Writers Caucus.[34] He has chaired FilmIndependent's Spirit Awards feature film jury[35] as well as the USC Scripter Awards.[36] He is the president of the USC chapter of the American Association of University Professors,[37] a Fellow of the Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities;[38][39] a former trustee of the Writers Guild Foundation,[40] vice-chair of the Committee on the Professional Status of Writers;[41] and serves on several nonprofit boards, among them the Franco-American Cultural Fund,[42] and Cornell in Hollywood.[43] He is an alumnus of the Seed Fund Board of the Liberty Hill Foundation,[44] and a former editor of The Bill of Rights Journal.[45]

Rodman is also on Los Angeles committee of PEN America.[46] PEN International stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide.[47]

He is a member of the National Film Preservation Board, which advises Librarian of Congress on the annual selection of films to the National Film Registry. It also advises on national film preservation planning policy.[48]

Rodman is a member of The Quill and Dagger Society, founded at Cornell University in 1893.

Working with the Library Foundation of Los Angeles,[49] USC,[50] and the Writers Guild,[51] Rodman has conducted public conversations with such writers as Tom Wolfe,[52] Ricky Jay, Jeannette Seaver, Vince Gilligan, Geoff Dyer, and Lady Antonia Fraser.[53][50]

In November 2019, he was a member of the jury[54] at the Cannes 1939 Film Festival in Orléans France.[55]

Howard Rodman also contributes to the Los Angeles Review of Books.[56] His latest articles include 'After Hours Capitalism: On Tom Lutz's "Born Slippy"'[57] a review of Tom Lutz’s "Born Slippy",[58] published by Repeater Books and 'On the 192nd Anniversary of the Birth of Jules Verne'.

Howard contributed to Black Clock literary magazine, published semi-annually by CalArts in association with its MFA Writing Program. Howard's work was published in issues 4,[59] 5,[59] 10,[59] 13,[60] 19,[61] 20,[62] 21.[61]

Howard contributed the afterword to 'No Room at the Morgue'[63] by Jean-Patrick Manchette, published in 2020 by New York Review Books.[63]

Honors and awards

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On October 31, 2013, Rodman was named a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Republic.[64] In January 2023 he was promoted from Chevalier to Officier.

In February 2018 he was inducted into Final Draft (software)'s Screenwriters Hall of Fame,[65] alongside Robert Towne, Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Nancy Meyers, Paul Schrader, Lawrence Kasdan et al.

In February 2020 Rodman was presented with the USC Associates Award for Artistic Expression, "the highest honor the University bestows on its members for significant artistic impact," by USC Provost Charles Zukoski.[66]

Personal life

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He was married to the writer and media scholar Anne Friedberg,[67] author of The Virtual Window.[68] until her death in 2009; they have one son, Tristan Rodman. Their house, the 1957 John Lautner "Zahn Residence," has been widely published. Their work with Lautner in restoring it was chronicled in the February 2002 issue of Dwell magazine.[69]

In June 2017, he wed the artist and professor Mary Beth Heffernan.

References

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  1. ^ "USC Cinematic Arts | Directory of SCA Faculty". cinema.usc.edu. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  2. ^ https://www.tellurideassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/77_2_1990_Feb.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  3. ^ "Sundance Institute".
  4. ^ "USC Cinematic Arts | Directory of SCA Faculty".
  5. ^ "Howard A. Rodman". Huffington Post.
  6. ^ "The Cornell Daily Sun". Archived from the original on January 20, 2013.
  7. ^ Rodman, Howard A. (May 27, 1971). "The New York Times".
  8. ^ Rodman, Howard A. (October 17, 2007). "The Los Angeles Times".
  9. ^ "Los Angeles Magazine". Archived from the original on February 22, 2014.
  10. ^ "Variety". Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  11. ^ "Fallen Angels". IMDb.
  12. ^ Fallen Angels: Six Noir Tales Told for Television. Grove Press. 1994. ISBN 978-0802133830.
  13. ^ Lyman, Rick (January 20, 2000). "Ferocious Buzz at Sundance, for Better or for Worse". The New York Times. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  14. ^ "BAFTA Events Archive". May 22, 2014.
  15. ^ Levy, Shawn (January 23, 2008). "Sundance-ish: Howard Rodman: "'Fortunate' is the word, not 'lucky'"". The Oregonian. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  16. ^ "Howard A. Rodman". IMDb. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  17. ^ "ISBN 9780689120909 – Destiny Express".
  18. ^ "Pynchon recommends..." December 17, 2014.
  19. ^ "Thomas Pynchon Bibliography".
  20. ^ "Destiny Express". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  21. ^ The Great Eastern » Melville House Books. June 4, 2019.
  22. ^ Opam, Kwame (December 15, 2020). "Keegan-Michael Key Reaches into the Past With 'Midnight Run' and 'Electric Ladyland'". The New York Times. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  23. ^ "Howard A. Rodman's Book 'The Great Eastern' to Be Adapted Into Movie". Variety.
  24. ^ "Television Fallen Angels Parts I-III Showtime, Suns. July 1, 15, 29, 10 p.m. – Variety". August 2, 1993.
  25. ^ "'Angels' leads series ascent at CableAce – Variety". November 3, 1993.
  26. ^ ""Fallen Angels" The Quiet Room (TV Episode 1993) – IMDb". IMDb.
  27. ^ "The Hunger: The Swords – Cast & Crew on MUBI".
  28. ^ "The Hunger: No Radio (1997) | MUBI".
  29. ^ "Gould Is Noisy Subject of Thoughtful 'Secret' – Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. April 7, 2000.
  30. ^ "Track Down (2004) | BFI". Archived from the original on March 9, 2018.
  31. ^ "AUGUST by Austin Chick @ Brooklyn Film Festival".
  32. ^ "Benign wealth but 'Savage' behavior – Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. June 13, 2008.
  33. ^ "Oscars: Elections Turn Film Academy Board Majority-Female for First Time Ever – The Hollywood Reporter". The Hollywood Reporter. June 21, 2021.
  34. ^ "WGAW The Independent Writers Caucus (IWC)". Archived from the original on October 6, 2012.
  35. ^ "Movieweb". Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  36. ^ "25th Annual USC Libraries Scripter Award". Archived from the original on November 11, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  37. ^ "Leadership". USC AAUP. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  38. ^ "LAIH Fellows, Howard A. Rodman". Archived from the original on August 27, 2011. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  39. ^ "Academy Invites 134 to Membership". September 10, 2014.
  40. ^ "Staff and Board". The Writers Guild Foundation. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  41. ^ Handel, Jonathan (August 28, 2011). "The Hollywood Reporter, WGAW 2011 Elections".
  42. ^ "16th Annual City of Lights City of Angels Film Festival".
  43. ^ "Cornell Alumni Magazine".
  44. ^ "Liberty Hill Foundation". Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  45. ^ The Bill of Rights Journal N.E.C.L.C. 25th Anniversary December 1976. Nat'l Emergency Civil Liber. January 1976.
  46. ^ "Los Angeles Committee – PEN America". January 29, 2019.
  47. ^ "About Us – PEN America". September 20, 2016.
  48. ^ https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/NFPB_Members_1988-2019.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  49. ^ "Dictionaries and the Bending of Language – Library Foundation of Los Angeles".
  50. ^ a b "USC Cinematic Arts | Directory of SCA Faculty".
  51. ^ "Presidents".
  52. ^ "An Evening with Tom Wolfe | Los Angeles Public Library".
  53. ^ "Must you Go? My Life with Harold Pinter | Los Angeles Public Library".
  54. ^ "The Jury — Le festival international du film de Cannes 1939 à Orléans en 2019". Archived from the original on July 17, 2019.
  55. ^ "English — Le festival international du film de Cannes 1939 à Orléans en 2019". Archived from the original on July 17, 2019.
  56. ^ "Los Angeles Review of Books".
  57. ^ "After Hours Capitalism: On Tom Lutz's "Born Slippy"". January 15, 2020.
  58. ^ "Born Slippy: A Novel – Repeater Books".
  59. ^ a b c "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  60. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  61. ^ a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  62. ^ "Black Clock 20".
  63. ^ a b "No Room at the Morgue – New York Review Books". August 11, 2020.
  64. ^ "Global Showbiz Briefs: 'Broadchurch' Book; 'The Escape Artist' Sales; Bassem Youssef; Louis Delluc Shortlist; More – Deadline". October 30, 2013.
  65. ^ Feinberg, Scoott (January 23, 2018). "Final Draft Awards to Honor 'The Post's' Liz Hannah and Former WGA West Chief Howard Rodman". Hollywood Reporter.
  66. ^ "USC Associates Awards". USC Provost. Archived from the original on August 26, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  67. ^ Woo, Elaine (October 14, 2009). "Anne Friedberg dies at 57; professor at USC's School of Cinematic Arts". Los Angeles Times.
  68. ^ "The MIT Press: The Virtual Window". Archived from the original on September 21, 2012.
  69. ^ Dwell. February 2002.
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