Paul and Me

March 22, 2010
Author and playwright Hotchner (Papa Hemingway) met Paul Newman in 1955, when the unknown actor took over for James Dean in Hotchner's first teleplay, beginning a friendship that lasted until the legendary actor's 2008 death. Chronicling that friendship, Hotchner presents a meandering collection of stories about their times and projects, including the successful business they started together. Vignettes feature the two fishing, traveling, and developing the Newman's Own brand, spreading the familiar news of Newman's nice-guy reputation, rigorous preparation for specific roles, penchant for practical jokes, philanthropic efforts, political involvement and disdain for rules. Though there's no question that the relationship between them ran deep-one passage finds Newman confiding his guilt over the drug-related death of his son, Scott-the author places himself in the middle of every story, resorts to frequent namedropping, and quotes extensively from private conversations that took place decades ago, giving the proceedings a queasy current of self-regard that could rub fans the wrong way.

February 15, 2010
Playwright and biographer Hotchner (The Good Life According to Hemingway, 2008, etc.) affectionately reflects on his decades-long friendship with iconic actor Paul Newman.

The author and Newman bonded during the production of a 1955 TV play that proved to be a turning point in both their careers—Newman was nervously replacing the recently deceased James Dean in a Hemingway story adapted by Hotchner—and the resulting teasing and competitive friendship endured until the actor's death in 2008. The bulk of Hotchner's narrative concerns the establishment of the Newman's Own line of gourmet foods, begun as a lark by the duo in Newman's barn, where they mixed up a vat of the actor's signature salad dressing with a dirty oar. From such humble beginnings grew a philanthropic powerhouse, distributing hundreds of millions of dollars to various charities, despite an army of naysayers and seemingly insurmountable odds. The author stresses the playfulness of Newman's quixotic desire to enter the food industry, and the competitiveness and breezy optimism that characterized Newman's attitude toward the project. The pair also established a special summer camp for seriously ill children, again bringing a dauntingly complicated and expensive project to fruition with little more than nerve and contrariness. The Newman that emerges from Hotchner's remembrances is an immensely likable figure, compulsively unpretentious and self-deprecating, hungry for fun and adventure. There are a few scenes highlighting Newman's movie-star milieu, including a beer-fueled tennis match with Robert Redford and MPAA head Jack Valenti, and a taste test administered by Newman neighbor Martha Stewart. But the author focuses on the actor away from Hollywood, engaged in his passions for racing, boating and just hanging out and shooting the breeze. Sections on the suicide of Newman's troubled son and a heartbreaking account of the actor's failing health add melancholic notes to the story, but Hotchner's memoir is ultimately an inspirational portrait of an extraordinary man.

An intimate, uplifting account of a profound friendship and a boyish lark that grew into a spectacularly successful enterprise.

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March 1, 2010
Hotchner, who has written many theatrical and film adaptations as well as another account of his friendship with a famous man ("Papa Hemingway"), ruminates here on his long relationship with actor Paul Newman. Hotchner tends to hang back in the narrative, allowing the focus to fall squarely on the magnetic actor. The resulting portrait is drawn with a friend's care; it is revealing without ever feeling pulpy. Newman comes off as immensely likable and purposeful yet seemingly without taking himself too seriouslya star who was not interested in being treated like royalty but was nonetheless able to harness the power of his name to do good works. The vignettes Hotchner has chosen are both entertaining and illuminating and cover Newman's journey from actor to businessman and philanthropist. VERDICT This warm, enlightening portrait will be a delight to Newman's many fans. Those looking for a more traditional biography that covers Newman's early years should consider Shawn Levy's recent "Paul Newman".Katherine Litwin, Forum Lib., Chicago

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2010
The author and Newman met in 1955, when the actor was starring in a television play written by Hotchner. They became friends and remained buddies until Newmans death in 2008. Hotchner probably could have written a traditional biography of Newman, but instead hes chosenrightlyto write about episodes from their friendship, to show us Paul Newman as seen by someone close to him. We all have an image of Newman: talented actor, philanthropist, race-car driver, nice guy. But how many of us know that Newman, until shooting started, thought he was playing Sundance in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; that he turned down roles in All That Jazz and Jaws; that he was an incorrigible practical joker? Hotchner introduces us to the Newman we probably dont know, and he turns out to be a man we wish we could have called our friend. Beautifully written (you can tell Hotchner loved and admired his friend) and probably more revealing of the actors private side than any traditional biography could hope to be.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)