A veteran Hollywood screenwriter Michael Druxman is also the author of thirteen published books. His latest book is titled, My 45 Years in Hollywood, and How I Escaped Alive. Michael is an acknowledged Hollywood historian. Among his many accomplishments, Michael is a former Hollywood publicist with 35 years experience who has represented many film and television stars. Michael joins me to discuss Hollywood and its history.

Michael believes everything in Hollywood or television begins with the writer. Actors and directors merely interpret what the writer envisions.

Michael began his Hollywood career as an extra in an Elvis Presley movie being filmed in his native Washington state. Listen to his amusing anecdote about how he moved within feet of Elvis and engaged him in conversation—much to the director’s dismay.

Michael reveals a star who influenced his life at an early age, Jimmy Durante.

Two things were central to the demise of the studios’ power: when movie executives began making creative decisions and the advent of Computer Generated Imagery (CGI).

Listen to the entire interview below: