November 4, 2005

Son, nephew of Hollywood film legends to speak at Purdue

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The son and nephew of the men who wrote classic American movies such as "Casablanca" and "Arsenic and Old Lace" will talk Monday (Nov. 7) at Purdue University about growing up in a Hollywood family.

Leslie Epstein, author of "King of the Jews" and "San Remo Drive," will present "Full Circle: Leaving Hollywood and Jewishness and Coming Back Again" 8-9:30 p.m. in Rawls Hall, Room 1086. The lecture, sponsored by Purdue's Jewish Studies Program, is free and open to the public.

Epstein's father, Philip G. Epstein, and uncle, Julius G. Esptein, also wrote "The Man Who Came to Dinner," "Strawberry Blonde" and "Yankee Doodle Dandy."

Leslie Epstein, professor and director of the Creative Writing Program at Boston University, is best-known for his novel "King of the Jews," which is about the Jewish officials who were responsible for selecting Jews for execution during the Holocaust, says Daniel Morris, associate professor of English and former student of Epstein.

"Professor Epstein's most recent book 'San Remo Drive' is about the place in Hollywood where he grew up playing with actress Elizabeth Taylor," says Morris, who also is a member of the Jewish Studies Program. "The book is a fictionalized memoir about him remembering what life was like in Hollywood during the 1950s with a famous father and uncle. The book also recounts his father testifying in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee about communism."

Epstein, a Rhodes scholar, has published seven other books of fiction: "P.D. Kimerakov," "The Steinway Quintet Plus Four," "Regina," "Goldkorn Tales: Three Novellas," "Pinto and Sons," "Pandaemonium: A Novel" and "Ice Fire Water: A Leib Goldkorn Cocktail."

Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, (765) 494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu

Source: Daniel Morris, (765) 494-3741, dmorris@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists: Journalists interested in speaking with Leslie Epstein should contact Daniel Morris, (765) 494-3741, dmorris@purdue.edu.

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