In later years, Alan Ladd Jr. became an independent producer, and his most notable accomplishment was 1995 Oscar best picture winner “Braveheart,” starring and directed by Mel Gibson.
Sue Mengers was the first superagent, a William Morris secretary from the Bronx whose moxie, canniness, and astringent wit took her to the top of the Hollywood power structure, making her nearly as famous as her clients, a list that included Ali MacGraw, Gene Hackman, Peter Bogdanovich, Burt Reynolds, and close friend Barbra Streisand. Recalling how a hilariously bawdy, no-bullshit blonde crashed the industry men's club, PETER BISKIND gets Mengers's frank, still-acerbic account of her glory days, why her magic—and her stars—deserted her in the 1980s, and the price of becoming a legend in her own time