A new, expanded paperback edition of the only book on the creation of the classic comedy that’s ranked #2 on the American film Institute list of 100 Best Comedies.
Susan Dworkin was the only writer given unprecedented access to the cast and crew during the shoot and editing of Tootsie in 1982 during the sweltering summer in New York City and
editing bay in Los Angeles. A playwright, award-winning documentary writer, and Ms. contributing editor, Dworkin used her unique talent to tell how two superbly talented and driven
men—actor Dustin Hoffman and director Sydney Pollack—actually make a movie about a serious actor, desperate for work, who takes on the challenge of playing a woman in a daily soap opera,
becomes a star, and a better man for it. Of particular delight is Dworkin’s recreation of how the two men did "The Tomato Scene" and "The Big Reveal Scene," acclaimed as two of the funniest
sequences in the film.
Drawn from observation and interviews not only with Hoffman and Pollack, but with costume designer Ruth Morley, actors Teri Garr, Bill Murray, and Dabney Coleman, editors Fritz and Bill
Steinkamp, and many others, Dworkin delivers an intimate view of the acting and filmmaking process, as well as insight into the release of comedy and the force of creative power. This new
edition includes an afterword with commentaries from critics and filmmakers about the classic film over the decades since its initial release.
