So Who Are You Going To Do Next? Hollywood’s Top Documentarians Take You Behind the Scenes with Astaire, Hepburn, Bacall and More film/memoir
Joan Kramer and David Heeley
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Before there was A&E Biography or PBS’s American Experience, there were the bio-docs of Joan Kramer and David Heeley. With no thought of ever becoming the #1 TV biographers of Hollywood’s Golden Age stars, that’s exactly what they became. And in So Who Are You Going To Do Next? Hollywood’s Top Documentarians Take You Behind the Scenes with Astaire, Hepburn, Bacall and More, Kramer and Heeley take readers into the homes and lives of the biggest names ever to grace the silver screen.
Their first two documentaries—on Fred Astaire, who made it very clear that he did not want them made—were nominated for Emmy Awards, winning for “Fred Astaire: Change Partners.” Their boss at PBS was so thrilled that the first thing he said was, “So, who are you going to do next?” It became a running gag for the next 25 years as Kramer and Heeley managed to convince the most difficult Hollywood stars to let them into their homes and lives and pasts. The wonderful documentaries they produced were filled with never-before-seen home movie footage, archival footage of films once thought lost, and the kind of on-camera interviews that made for compelling viewing every single time. Kramer and Heeley set the Gold Standard for every televised bio-doc to follow.
And what personalities they worked with! Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Katharine Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, Lauren Bacall, Jane Fonda, Bette Davis, Jimmy Stewart, Johnny Carson, Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Richard Dreyfuss, Audrey Hepburn, Ronald Reagan, Elizabeth Taylor, Olivia de Havilland, studio mogul Lew Wasserman, and many others. In their inimitably charming and witty style, Kramer and Heeley detail the roller-coaster ride of putting their award-winning documentaries together—from convincing the stars to participate, taming the outsized egos with chairs and whips, and all steps along the way. Together with photos from the authors’ personal collection, So Who Are You Going To Do Next? will be compelling reading for any film fan!
Their first two documentaries—on Fred Astaire, who made it very clear that he did not want them made—were nominated for Emmy Awards, winning for “Fred Astaire: Change Partners.” Their boss at PBS was so thrilled that the first thing he said was, “So, who are you going to do next?” It became a running gag for the next 25 years as Kramer and Heeley managed to convince the most difficult Hollywood stars to let them into their homes and lives and pasts. The wonderful documentaries they produced were filled with never-before-seen home movie footage, archival footage of films once thought lost, and the kind of on-camera interviews that made for compelling viewing every single time. Kramer and Heeley set the Gold Standard for every televised bio-doc to follow.
And what personalities they worked with! Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Katharine Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, Lauren Bacall, Jane Fonda, Bette Davis, Jimmy Stewart, Johnny Carson, Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Richard Dreyfuss, Audrey Hepburn, Ronald Reagan, Elizabeth Taylor, Olivia de Havilland, studio mogul Lew Wasserman, and many others. In their inimitably charming and witty style, Kramer and Heeley detail the roller-coaster ride of putting their award-winning documentaries together—from convincing the stars to participate, taming the outsized egos with chairs and whips, and all steps along the way. Together with photos from the authors’ personal collection, So Who Are You Going To Do Next? will be compelling reading for any film fan!
Joan Kramer, born in Chicago, was a ballet dancer and assistant choreographer before her career in film and television. She was a talent co-ordinator for ABC’s THE DICK CAVETT SHOW, associate producer for a CBS CANDID CAMERA SPECIAL, and wrote several PBS LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER programs, hosted by Robert MacNeil.
David Heeley was born in England, graduated from Oxford University, and began his career at the BBC in London, where he directed LATE NIGHT LINE UP, HOW IT IS (both broadcast live), and MUSIC NOW. He moved to New York in 1969 and is now a citizen of the USA.
David Heeley was born in England, graduated from Oxford University, and began his career at the BBC in London, where he directed LATE NIGHT LINE UP, HOW IT IS (both broadcast live), and MUSIC NOW. He moved to New York in 1969 and is now a citizen of the USA.
