Jon Landau’s Death Saddened Me
He and his wife Julie Landau taught me Hollywood in a few short months
I was shocked when my wife showed me the news on her phone, Jon Landau dead at 63. Even more surprised because Jon and I are (were) almost the same age. Back in 1987, I thought him much older. I made that mistake because he was already going places in his career and my career, as a screenplay writer, was only in my head (I wrote about this in Screenplay Dreams of 1987).
After working at Orion Pictures in NYC I flew out to California with no promises. Fortunately, I found a job as Julie Landau’s assistant. She was in charge of film budgets. I was good with spreadsheets.
Julie was pretty, smart and as nice a boss as one could have. Although I was on the make at the time (another delusion because my future wife back in NYC had other plans), I never thought for a nano-second about Julie in that way.
In a time before cell phones, the only way for Jon to reach Julie was to call her at work. Naturally, I picked up. When Jon called he was very pleasant and we’d often chit-chat for a few minutes.
That went on for a few weeks. I looked forward to meeting him. He told funny stories about Warren Beatty. Jon was producing “Dick Tracey”.
Finally, Jon visited Julie at the office. I saw a short Jewish, roundish man. Few would imagine him as Julie’s husband.
Then next time he called I answered, “Julie Landau’s office.”
“Julie”
“Jon?”
“JULIE!”
“Jon, is that you?”
Even louder, “JULIE!”
Julie came out of her office and took the phone.
“Jon, what is wrong with you!?”
I didn’t consider myself especially attractive, but I was 6-foot two, blue eyed and athletic. Jon took a quick read of the situation and instinctively worked towards moving the tall guy on.
That is, every time he called it was the same “Julie…Julie…Julie…” He would barely talk to me.
The fact that Julie would never even THINK of cheating on him, with anyone, wasn’t worth arguing. Jon was working with Beatty who probably made a pass at Julie right in the same room as Jon. It’s that kind of world.
Did I think less of Jon? Not at all. If anything, I respected him more. He didn’t hide his anxieties.
At some point I had given my screenplay to Julie. She came back from a trip to Hawaii and said she had tried to read it. Said something like “I didn’t get it.” It was an action adventure for guys but I think she was saying more than that. A good screenplays can capture any reader. Mine was not that.
That Julie even tried to read my screenplay meant a lot.
Next to her office was a closet with hundreds of screenplays piled up to the ceiling. Of course, it wasn’t her job to read screenplays or to have anything to do with them. She read my screenplay as a friend.
Julie also invited me to their house for drinks. Jon was laser focused on making me out to be an idiot.
I was telling a story and said something like, “if 368 pigeons landed on a roof at once.” The conversation went on. Twenty minutes later there was an opportunity for a callback joke so I said, “like 400 pigeons” and Jon immediately pounced “You mean 368”.
He had remembered a random number I gave to something.
It was clear to me why Jon was working a producer on a third movie. He paid attention. He remembered the details.
Yet Jon was also self-aware. He recognized his insecurities. Unlike me, he recognized that his skills would not make him a director or writer so he applied them to the business end.
Odd, to think back on it. In Hollywood I met a couple who were 100% NOT phony.
I don’t remember if I was let go from that position or if I quit. Marilyn had found me a job at small film cooperative in NYC so I flew back and didn’t return.
The speech Jon gave for the Titanic’s Academy award was full of many of the things he told me — probably told everyone.
I wasn’t the least surprised Jon did very well in Hollywood. He was by far the smartest, hardest working guy I met.
But he didn’t do it on his own. I’m sure he would say this too. Without Julie he would have self-destructed. They were a perfect team.
