Dangerous Friends

As the only abstinent member of a hard-drinking group of writers, directors and actors, Viertel gives a clear-eyed and detailed account of life in the company of Ernest Hemingway, John Huston, Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner and other celebrities during the 1950s. Viertel's view of Huston has not mellowed since he wrote White Hunter, Black Heart , a novel based on his experiences working on Huston's classic film The African Queen ; here, again, he presents the director as a boozing womanizer obsessed by fox hunting. Viertel wrote the screenplay for The Old Man and the Sea and attended bullfights with Hemingway, which led to a friendship with matador Luis Dominguin. Hemingway, past his prime and frequently moody, is seen as charming and powerful nonetheless. In this frank and interesting memoir Viertel reveals much about his own young life and love affairs as well as those of his famous friends. Photos not seen by PW. (Sept.)