Woody Allen

On Woody Allen's 74th birthday, it's worth recalling that when he was 18 he got a D in film production at NYU. And subsequently dropped out. He did all right, though. He eventually got a job writing jokes for Sid Caesar, the hottest comedian on TV.

Allen appears nine times in A Book of Ages, including his early discovery of George S. Kaufman (he was much younger than I was when I discovered Kaufman), also his first Bergman film, and other moments of truth. (Bergman, Kaufman and Caesar, both Sid and Julius, also appear in the book.)

I am going to watch my favorite of Allen's films tonight. It's probably not the one you think.