Tuesday, November 16, 2010

AS SEEN ON TV: TRUMAN CAPOTE

TRUMAN CAPOTE

AS SEEN IN:
"The Audrey Hepburn Story"
'Life On Mars'
(dream sequence)

AS PLAYED BY:
Michael J. Burg

From Wikipedia:
Truman Capote (September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American author and comedian, many of whose short stories, novels, plays and nonfiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) and In Cold Blood (1965), which he labeled a "nonfiction novel." At least 20 films and television dramas have been produced from Capote novels, stories and screenplays.

Capote rose above a childhood troubled by divorce, a long absence from his mother and multiple migrations. He discovered his calling by the age of eleven, and for the rest of his childhood he honed his writing ability. Capote began his professional career writing short stories. The critical success of one story, "Miriam" (1945), attracted the attention of Random House publisher Bennett Cerf, resulting in a contract to write Other Voices, Other Rooms (1948). Capote earned the most fame with In Cold Blood (1965), a journalistic work about the murder of a Kansas farm family in their home, a book Capote spent four years writing. A milestone in popular culture, it was the peak of his career, although it was not his final book. In the 1970s, he maintained his celebrity status by appearing on television talk shows.

Burg's portrayal of Capote in "The Audrey Hepburn Story" must be considered the official televersion for the author. That's because that was how Capote looked in the data files accessed by the computer on board the spaceship headed to Mars in 2035. The computer integrated that image of Capote into the dream sequence it was feeding to the mind of astronaut Sam Tyler during his hibernation portion of the trip to Mars. If it was good enough for the computer program "Windy", even though it had been damaged when the ship passed through a metor shower, then it's good enough for Toobworld Central.

Two for Tuesday!

BCnU!

2 comments:

Michael J. Burg said...

So flattered to be included on your site. I am barely a footnote in the life of Truman Capote, but it was fun seeing you write about it here.

Best wishes,

Michael J. Burg

Toby O'B said...

Thank you for checking in, Michael; I'm glad you liked it!