ESSENTIAL INDUSTRY AND AWARD NEWS  JULY 05, 2019 5 Great American Reads Sure, the United States’ 243rd birthday has technically come and gone. But we’re still feeling patriotic—especially when reading any of these five stories about great American icons, from Jerry Seinfeld (in a 1994 profile written when his eponymous sitcom was at the top of its game) to Rebel Without a Cause (the making of which is elucidated in Sam Kashner’s absorbing behind-the-scenes history). While the Vanity Fair archive is now a subscriber-only benefit, we’ve unlocked the stories below for your reading pleasure. To retain forever access to every issue in our archive, subscribe today.

Sein-ing On Celebrate Seinfeld’s 30th anniversary with this 1994 profile, in which Michael M. Thomas sits down with the namesake comedian on the occasion of his own 40th birthday. READ MORE » Here’s to You From producer Lawrence Turman’s $1,000 option of a minor novel in 1964 to The Graduate’s out-of-left-field triumph three years later, Sam Kashner recalls a breakout film that literally changed the face of Hollywood. READ MORE » Maximum Meg Thirty years after When Harry Met Sally, remember the height of Meg Ryan mania—courtesy of Kevin Sessums’s absorbing 1995 profile. READ MORE » Whaddaya Got? Sam Kashner recaptures the dramas behind Rebel Without a Cause—as well as the bond shattered when James Dean’s Porsche Spyder crashed, killing the actor just before the film’s premiere. READ MORE » Hanks for the Memories As Forrest Gump prepared to storm theaters in 1994, newly minted Oscar winner Tom Hanks sat with Kevin Sessums to talk about his controversial best-actor acceptance speech and how the love of a good woman (Rita Wilson!) had chased away the ghosts of his lonely childhood. READ MORE »