Summary

In the first section, "Throw the Little Old Lady Down the Stairs!," journalist Lillian Ross decides to follow the making of director John Huston's The Red Badge of Courage. Though the MGM executives, particularly Louis B. Mayer, are against translating the Stephen Crane novel to the screen, Huston is set on the project. He calls Ross and invites her to his office where he and his colleague Arthur Fellows discuss the film. Known for his proclivity for light in his films, Huston argues in defense of art over making money.

They discuss the rise of television, the threat it poses to cinema. Huston explains his financial difficulties, his contracts with Horizon Pictures and MGM. Again he explains MGM does not want to make The Red Badge of Courage because of its lack of plot, as well as...