♪ ♪ >> Stephen: GIVE IT UP FOR THE
BAND PERRY LOUIS CATO AND "THE LATE SHOW."
WELCOME BACK. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, LADIES AND
GENTLEMEN, LAST WEEK I HAVE THE HONOR TO SIT DOWN WITH A MAN
WHO'S BEEN DELIGHTING MOVIEGOERS FOR THE LAST 50 YEARS,
STEVEN SPIELBERG. THE LEGENDARY DIRECTOR,
WHO RARELY DOES TELEVISION AND HAS NEVER DONE
LATE NIGHT HAS BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR SOME OF OUR GREATEST
CULTURAL TOUCHSTONES: "JAWS," "CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
OF THE THIRD KIND," "RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK,"
"E.T.," "JURASSIC PARK,"
"SCHINDLER'S LIST," "SAVING PRIVATE RYAN,"
"MUNICH," "LINCOLN," AND LAST YEAR'S
"WEST SIDE STORY." HIS LATEST,
"THE FABELMANS," IS NOMINATED FOR SEVEN ACADEMY AWARDS,
INCLUDING BEST DIRECTOR AND BEST PICTURE.
IT IS A SEMIAUTOBIOGRAPHICAL TELLING OF STEVEN SPIELBERG'S
OWN YOUTH. THROUGH SAMMY FABELMAN, WE LEARN
ABOUT HOW THIS ICONIC DIRECTOR FELL IN LOVE WITH MAKING MOVIES,
AND THE SECRET HE KEPT THAT LED TO THE SHATTERING OF HIS FAMILY.
MR. SPIELBERG WAS KIND ENOUGH TO INVITE ME INTO HIS AMBLIN
OFFICES FOR AN EXTENSIVE CONVERSATION ABOUT HIS LIFE
AND HIS FILMS. JIM?
STEVEN SPIELBERG, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US HERE AT AND SITTING
DOWN TO TALK ABOUT THE FABELMANS IN YOUR CAREER.
>> Steven: WELCOME. >> Stephen: THERE IS A
MYTHICAL STORY THAT YOU GOT INTO UNIVERSALIST PART OF A TOUR AND
JUST STAYED. >> Steven: I DID.
I HID IN THE BATHROOM DURING A BATHROOM BREAK.
THERE IS A BIG BUS. YOU GOT ON A BIG BUS AND THEY
TOOK YOU AROUND A LOT AND SHOWED YOU THE BACK LOT TEN THE
SOUNDSTAGES FROM OUTSIDE. I KEPT WANTING TO GET INSIDE THE
SOUNDSTAGES. THEY WOULDN'T LET US OFF THE BUS
SO THEY GAVE US ONE BATHROOM BREAK AND I STAYED IN THE STALL
UNTIL I HEARD ALL THE DOORS CLOSE AND I GAVE IT ANOTHER
10 MINUTES. I WAS SORT OF LOOSE ON THE LOT.
>> Stephen: IS IT TRUE THAT YOU TOOK AN EMPTY OFFICE AND
JUST CLAIMED IT AS YOUR OWN AND PUT YOUR NAME ON THE DOOR?
>> Steven: YEAH. THERE WAS A CAMERA STORE IN
LAUREL CANYON THAT SOLD THESE LITTLE TILE LETTERS, STICK ON
LETTERS. I BOUGHT A SET OF THOSE THAT I
PUT MY NAME IN THAT LITTLE DIRECTORY THAT YOU OPEN UP THE
LITTLE DOOR, THE GLASS DOOR. I PUT MY NAME ON THAT OF THE
ROOM UMBER. THAT WAS WHERE I HUNG MY HAT
DURING THE SUMMER. THE SECOND SUMMER I HAD DONE
THAT. >> Stephen: NOBODY KNEW THAT
YOU WERE DOING THIS? >> Steven: YEAH, THERE WERE
PEOPLE THAT KNEW I WAS DOING IT BUT NO ONE WOULD KICK ME OFF THE
LOT. >> Stephen: THE VP OF THE
STUDIO WAS IMPRESSED WITH YOUR SHORT FILM, AMBLIN.
1968? '68 AND HE OFFERED YOU A
SEVEN-YEAR DIRECTING CONTRACT AND IS PART OF THAT, THE VERY
FIRST PERSON YOU EVER DIRECTED, I UNDERSTAND, WHO HAD A SAY
UNION CARD WAS JOAN CRAWFORD. >> Steven: THAT'S RIGHT.
YOU ARE HOW OLD? >> Steven: 22.
>> Stephen: HOW DID YOU HAS A 22-YEAR-OLD GIVE NOTES AND
DIRECT ON ICON LIKE JOAN CRAWFORD?
WHERE DID YOU FINALLY, WHAT WHAT IS THE YIDDISH WORD, HUEVOS
RANCHEROS? >> Steven: CHUTZPAH IS ANOTHER
WORD. >> Stephen: WHAT IS THAT FIRST
MOMENT, YOU WALK ON THE SET AND THERE IS JOHN CRAWFORD?
>> Steven: I HAD MET JOAN BEFORE AT THE HOUSE THAT SHE WAS
RENTING. SHE WANTED TO MEET ME.
HOW I WENT UP THERE WITH JOHN, THE ASSOCIATE PRODUCER.
WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GO OUT TO DINNER, WE WALKED INTO THE FRONT
DOOR AND JOAN TOOK ONE LOOK AT ME AND SAID, WE CAN'T GO TO
DINNER NOW. PEOPLE WILL THINK YOU'RE MY SON.
THAT WAS THE FIRST THING SHE SAID TO ME.
THE FIRST WORDS OUT OF JOAN CRAWFORD'S MOUTH, PEOPLE WILL
THINK YOU'RE MY SON. >> Stephen: WERE YOU SHAVING?
>> Steven: NO. [LAUGHTER]
I WAS USING CLEARASIL. >> Stephen: YOU DIRECTED A
BUNCH OF TV. MARCUS WELBY MD, COLOMBO, THE
NAME OF THE GAME. ANY ADVICE FOR THE YOUNG GUY
SHOOTING THESE TV THINGS? ANYTHING YOU SEE IN THAT WORK
AND YOU GO, I WISH I COULD GO BACK AND TELL HIM THIS?
>> Steven: THERE'S ALWAYS THINGS.
THIS IS MY DON'T LOOK AT A LOT OF MY MOVIES AFTER I'VE MADE
THEM. I DON'T SIT DOWN.
I AM NOT GLORIA SWANSON ON SUNSET BOULEVARD HAVING
SCREENINGS OF HER OWN SILENT MOVIES OF HERSELF.
I DON'T LOOK BACK THAT OFTEN BUT EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, I'LL SEE
A MOVIE WITH MY KIDS. I WANT TO ACCOMPANY MY KIDS WHEN
THEY SEE "E.T." FOR THE FIRST TIME.
I DON'T WANT THEM TO SEE IT WITHOUT DAD SITTING THERE,
ESPECIALLY THE SCARY PARTS OF THE BEGINNING.
SOMETIMES I SEE THINGS THAT I HAD INTENDED TO DO THAT I DIDN'T
DO AND SOMETIMES I SEE THINGS THAT WOULD'VE BEEN A BETTER IDEA
THAN WHAT I AM NOW SAYING ALL THESE YEARS LATER.
FOR THE MOST PART, "E.T." IS A PRETTY PERFECT MOVIE.
>> Stephen: IT'S PRETTY GOOD. CALLING "E.T." PRETTY GOOD.
>> Steven: ONE OF THE MOVIES I CAN LOOK AT AGAIN AND AGAIN.
THERE'S ONLY A HANDFUL OF MOVIES I CAN WATCH MORE THAN ONCE, NOT
A LOT. I'VE MADE LIKE 34 FILMS.
I'M NOT GOING TO NAME WHICH ONES THEY ARE BEYOND "E.T.."
THERE'S ABOUT FIVE OR SIX THAT I CAN WATCH AGAIN BUT I DON'T
USUALLY DO THAT. >> Stephen: BEFORE "THE
FABELMANS," YOU'VE SAID "CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND"
WAS THE MOST PERSONAL FILM YOU HAD MADE.
WHY? >> Steven: IT WAS THE FIRST
FILM I'D EVER MADE ABOUT A FAMILY BREAKING UP.
I HAD NEVER MADE A PICTURE OF A FAMILY COMING INTO, COLLIDING
WITH THEIR VALUES OR WITH THEIR OBSESSIONS.
SO A LOT OF THE BREAKUP, I WROTE THE SCRIPT.
IT WAS VERY EVOCATIVE OF MY OWN LIFE AND THE DRAMA THAT WILL
SUFFER. MY PARENTS ANNOUNCED TO ALL OF
US THAT THEY WERE SEPARATING. AND THEN LATER THEY WOULD BE
DIVORCING. >> Stephen: FOR THE
CHARACTERS, FOR THE KIDS, CERTAINLY IN "CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
CHEMICALS BUT IT'S INEXPLICABLE. THEIR FATHER'S BEHAVIOR IS
MADNESS. IS THAT WHAT IT FELT LIKE TO YOU
AT THE TIME? >> Steven: I WAS NOT THAT
YOUNG ONE MY PARENTS TO ANNOUNCE.
I WAS 17. ABOUT READY TO GO OFF TO
COLLEGE. I THINK IT IS MADNESS.
YOU'RE SO CONFIDENT. IT MAY SNOW IN THE DESERT IN
ARIZONA THAT WOULDN'T SURPRISE YOU SOMEDAY BUT YOUR PARENTS
WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU. YOU WILL NEVER BE UNACCOMPANIED.
WEN I SAW THAT HAPPENING, WHAT MY SISTER SAW THAT ALL OF A
SUDDEN WHAT WE CONSIDERED TO BE NORMAL WITH A MOM AND DAD, WE
WERE SUDDENLY GOING TO HAVE A MOM LIVING THERE AND A FATHER
LIVING THERE. WE'RE GOING TO SEPARATE AND
DIVIDE UP. BETH HAS INFORMED MANY OF MY
STORIES. >> Stephen: WHEN WE COME BACK,
I ASK STEVEN SPIELBERG WHY NOW IS THE RIGHT TIME FOR HIM TO
MAKE "THE FABELMANS." STICK AROUND.