Beefy, gravel-voiced Broderick Crawford was a tough guy with a heart of gold.The scion of a vaudeville family, he initially shunned his parents' profession, but came to realize that show business was in his blood. Success, however, did not come easy.Even after he was acclaimed on Broadway as "Lennie" in the stage production of John Steinbeck's OF MICE AND MEN, important roles eluded him. Indeed, he spent a decade in Hollywood playing supporting parts as gangsters, cops, Western outlaws and "Lennie-like" characters in unimportant pictures. His luck changed in 1949 when he won an Academy Award for his performance in ALL THE KING'S MEN, and he followed that with an equally high-profile film, BORN YESTERDAY. Major roles in other films ensued, but Crawford would reach the pinnacle of his fame in 1955 when he starred as "Chief Dan Matthews" in the popular syndicated television series, HIGHWAY PATROL. BRODERICK CRAWFORD is a three-character play that looks in on the actor during two different periods in his later life, as he attempts to deal with his inner demons: his addiction to alcohol and the "ghosts" of his late, fault-finding parents who continually invade his consciousness. 2 Men, 1 Woman; Single Set.
About the Author: Michael B. Druxman is a veteran Hollywood screenwriter whose credits include CHEYENNE WARRIOR with Kelly Preston; DILLINGER AND CAPONE starring Martin Sheen and F. Murray Abraham; and THE DOORWAY with Roy Scheider, which he also directed. He is also a prolific playwright, his one-person play, JOLSON, having had numerous productions around the country. Other produced stage credits include one-person plays about Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Spencer Tracy and Orson Welles. Additionally, Mr. Druxman is the author of thirteen other published books, including several nonfiction works about Hollywood, its movies, and the people who make them (e.g., BASIL RATHBONE: His Life and His Films, MAKE IT AGAIN, SAM: A Survey of Movie Remakes, ONE GOOD FILM DESERVES ANOTHER: A Survey of Movie Sequels, MERV [Griffin] and THE MUSICAL: From Broadway to Hollywood). He has written three novels, NOBODY DROWNS IN MINERAL LAKE, SHADOW WATCHER and MURDER IN BABYLON, plus the humorous revisionist history, ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD: From the Secret Files of Harry Pennypacker, and FAMILY SECRET, a non-fiction book co-authored with Warren Hull, which reveals the true facts behind the 1947 murder of mobster "Bugsy" Siegel in Beverly Hills. An acknowledged Hollywood historian, he has also written television documentaries and has been interviewed for various retrospective featurettes that have accompanied DVD releases of classic films (e.g. THE MALTESE FALCON, etc.). Mr. Druxman is a former Hollywood publicist of 35 years experience who has represented many film and television stars, as well as noted directors, producers and composers. One of his Academy Award campaigns is often mentioned in books dealing with Oscar's history. He has taught various dramatic writing and film appreciation courses in an adult university and is the author of How to Write a Story...Any Story: THE ART OF STORYTELLING, which has been used as a text in several colleges. A native of Seattle who graduated from Garfield High School and the University of Washington, Mr. Druxman moved with his wife, Sandy, from Los Angeles to Austin, TX in 2009. His two memoirs, MY FORTY-FIVE YEARS IN HOLLYWOOD AND HOW I ESCAPED ALIVE and LIFE, LIBERTY & THE PURSUIT OF HOLLYWOOD, are published by Bear Manor Media.