ESSENTIAL INDUSTRY AND AWARD NEWS MAY 24, 2019 Have a Wild and Crazy Memorial Day Want to settle into your day with a nice, juicy longread? Look no further than this intriguing excerpt from author Nick de Semlyen’s new book, Wild and Crazy Guys: How the Comedy Mavericks of the ’80s Changed Hollywood Forever. De Semlyen digs into some of that decade’s most indelible films, as well as its biggest personalities—and the major precursors that led to their groundbreaking, Reagan-era work. Perhaps no other movie predicted (and facilitated) that age than 1978’s Animal House, a raucous college comedy destined to become a dorm-room classic. The best part of this chapter, however, may be de Semlyen’s explanation of how one of the biggest comedy stars of the 70s didn’twind up in the movie—because director John Landisdidn’t want him there. “There’s a marvelous Hollywood saying: ‘Do you know the difference between a brownnose and a shithead?’ ” Landis told the author. “The answer: ‘Depth perception.’ Chevy was just being impossible and they’re all kissing his ass. So when it comes to my turn to talk, I said, ‘Listen, Chevy, our picture is an ensemble, a collaborative group effort like Saturday Night Live. You’d fit right in, whereas in Foul Play, that’s like being Cary Grant or Paul Newman, a real movie-star part. Don’t you think you’d be better off surrounded by really gifted comedians?’ ” Elsewhere in HWD, Tara Ariano assembles the perfect Memorial Day watchlist; Laura Bradley gets the inside scoop on Killing Eve’s corker of a finale; Richard Lawsondetails how the just-concluded Cannes Film Festival may impact the 2019 Oscar race; and if Animal House isn’t enough, we invite you to kick back with another classic making-of story from the V.F. archives—this time concerning a seasonally appropriate Mike Nichols classic, The Graduate.

Toga! Toga! In an excerpt from Wild and Crazy Guys: How the Comedy Mavericks of the ’80s Changed Hollywood Forever, author Nick de Semlyen reveals the tumultuous story behind the classic college comedy. READ MORE » Tune In Dirty Dancing tops our list of 10 warm-weather favorites to stream right now on Hulu, Amazon, and Netflix. READ MORE » A Killer Conclusion Eve can’t . . . actually die, right? Co-show-runner Sally Woodward Gentle breaks down a whirlwind season of Killing Eve—and teases some of the journey to come. READ MORE » It’s Never Too Early Once Upon a Time . . . in Hollywood, Rocketman, and Antonio Banderas could be sitting pretty when awards season rolls around, thanks to big Cannes debuts. READ MORE » Here’s to You From producer Lawrence Turman’s $1,000 option of a minor novel in 1964 to the movie’s out-of-left-field triumph three years later, Sam Kashner recalls the making of The Graduate—a breakout film that literally changed the face of Hollywood. READ MORE »