That decision seems relevant today for reasons that require a bit of history.
It was a great time to be around and not to be.
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Jack Nicholson in 1975’s ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
The audience was expanding and was determined to get scared:Jawswas a smash.
But millions also were welcoming the weirdities ofOne Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest.
As box office kept growing, opportunity was abundant.
Words like downsizing or contracting were still unknown.
Oscar Night 50 years ago delivered portents of change.
Bob Hope was again presiding as he had done since 1940.
Fred Astaire won a special honor, as a tribute to Hollywoods past.
The mood seemed sentimental even as the spotlight was shifting to new stars and filmmakers of the moment.
If our movies were about to change, so were our politics.
Saigon had just fallen, and the debacle of Vietnam finally was ending.
The partying decision-makers were mavericks like John Calley, David Picker, Robert Evans and Richard Zanuck.
None would have imagined a Hollywood ruled by worldly women like Bela Bejaria or Donna Langley.
Or a production agenda that was more a stream than a slate.
But Paramount, too, showed signs of imploding.
The chaotic structures of the 60s and 70s no longer were working.
Coppolas contract onThe Godfather Part IIreflected the atmosphere of defection.
It mandated that he would talk with no one at the studio until delivery of final cut.
To me, the signals were clear: The era of the indie-oriented studio was ending.
The slates now envisioned blockbusters and franchises.
And lurking in the distant future were words like streamer and algorithm.
New Years 1975 needed a smart resolution.
And a strong drink.
And, yes, I did quit.
