Theatrical1 attorney for superstars
9-29-79
What do Leonard Bernstein, Helen Hayes, Otto Preminger, Carol
Channing, Truman Capote and George Balanchine have in common?
All are giants in the performing arts. And all are — or have been — clients of Arnold Weissberger, one of the world's foremost theatrical attorneys. Now in his 50th year of practice, the Brooklyn-born, Westside-raised Weissberger has been representing stars ever since a chance encounter brought Orson Welles to his office in 1936.
"Most of my clients are involved in making contracts that have to do with plays or films or television," says Weissberger on a recent afternoon. The scene is his small, richly furnished law firm in the East 50s. Dressed in a dark suit, with a white carnation2 in his buttonhole to match his white mustache, Weissberger looks very much like the stereotype3 of a business tycoon4. "Part of my job," he continues, "is to be familiar with the rules of guilds5 and unions. And I have to know about the treaties between countries that affect the payment of taxes."
Smiling benevolently6, his hands folded in front of him, the gentlemanly lawyer quickly proves himself a gifted storyteller. In his upper-class Boston accent, acquired during seven years at Harvard, he delights in telling anecdotes7 about his favorite performers. Not shy about dropping names, Weissberger drops only the biggest, such as Sir Laurence Olivier — a client who had invited him to lunch the previous day — and Martha Graham.
His work is so crowded that whenever he has to read anything that is longer than three pages, he puts it in his weekend bag. Yet Weissberger devotes an hour or two every day to one of several philanthropic organizations. At the top of his list is the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance, of which he is co-chairman. "I consider her one of the three great seminal8 figures in the arts in the 20th century, and I prize her friendship enormously." The other two outstanding artistic9 figures of the century, he says, are "Stravinsky, who it was also my privilege to represent, and Picasso, who I did not represent."
He serves as chairman of the New Dramatists, a group that nurtures10 young playwrights11; he is a board member of Fountain House, a halfway12 house for ex-mental patients; and he is chairman of the Theatre and Music Collection of the Museum of the City of New York.
On Monday through Thursday, Weissberger lives in a luxurious13 Eastside apartment that he shares with his longtime friend, theatrical agent Milton Goldman. Each Friday after work, Weissberger departs for Seacliff, Long Island, where he owns a house overlooking the ocean. Goldman and Weissberger, whose careers have run a parallel course during the 35 years of their acquaintance, travel widely each summer, generally spending a month in London, where both have many clients.
"Our interests are very similar, except that I am an opera buff, and Milton is not. He's a realist. I started going to opera when I was 10 years old, so I don't mind if a 300-pound soprano dies of consumption in Traviata, as long as she sings beautifully."
An avid14 art collector, Weissberger buys only what he has room to display on the walls of his home and office. For the past 30 years his chief hobby has been photography. He has published two volumes of his work — Close Up (1967) and Famous Faces (1971). Although he has never taken a photography course, and never uses flash, he captures the essence of his subjects through his rapport15 with them. "I have discussed the possibility of doing a photo book of children I've taken around the world," he notes. "And now, of course, I have enough photos for a second volume of famous faces."
His vigorous appearance to the contrary, Weissberger claims to get little exercise. "I have one of those stationary16 bicycles at home, but I've never gotten round to using it. And I've got to do so before I next see my doctor, or I won't be able to face him. … It's interesting how doctorial advice changes. I remember several years ago, it was not considered a good idea for people who were no longer young to climb stairs, and now my doctor says that climbing stairs is the best thing I can do for my constitution."
So closely connected are the various aspects of his life that Weissberger is able to say: "There's no demarcation between my workday and my play day. People ask me when I'm going to retire, and I say there's no need for me to retire, because I enjoy my work so much. I become part of people's lives. I become privy17 to their problems. It is, in many ways, an extension, an enhancement of my own life to be able to participate in the lives of my clients. I remember a few months ago, when Lilli Palmer was sitting right there, and I said, 'Lilli, what a lucky person I am. I'm having to do a tax return and I'm doing it for Lilli Palmer.' Because there sat this beautiful, charming, intelligent, lovely lady, and I was representing her professionally. For me, I can't think of any profession that could possibly be more rewarding."
点击收听单词发音
1 theatrical | |
adj.剧场的,演戏的;做戏似的,做作的 | |
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2 carnation | |
n.康乃馨(一种花) | |
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3 stereotype | |
n.固定的形象,陈规,老套,旧框框 | |
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4 tycoon | |
n.有钱有势的企业家,大亨 | |
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5 guilds | |
行会,同业公会,协会( guild的名词复数 ) | |
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6 benevolently | |
adv.仁慈地,行善地 | |
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7 anecdotes | |
n.掌故,趣闻,轶事( anecdote的名词复数 ) | |
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8 seminal | |
adj.影响深远的;种子的 | |
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9 artistic | |
adj.艺术(家)的,美术(家)的;善于艺术创作的 | |
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10 nurtures | |
教养,培育( nurture的名词复数 ) | |
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11 playwrights | |
n.剧作家( playwright的名词复数 ) | |
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12 halfway | |
adj.中途的,不彻底的,部分的;adv.半路地,在中途,在半途 | |
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13 luxurious | |
adj.精美而昂贵的;豪华的 | |
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14 avid | |
adj.热心的;贪婪的;渴望的;劲头十足的 | |
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15 rapport | |
n.和睦,意见一致 | |
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16 stationary | |
adj.固定的,静止不动的 | |
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17 privy | |
adj.私用的;隐密的 | |
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