William Gibson () | Playbill

William Gibson

Writer, Source Material

Despite his success, the serious-minded Gibson — whose plays often dealt with historical characters and eras — was not altogether pleased with the experience. He was pressured to make numerous changes to the script to satisfy the box-office-minded producer and the star, Henry Fonda, who had grown dissatisfied with his part. He found solace by keeping a diary. The following year, he published a memoir, "The Seesaw Log," related his alarm and ambivalence to the events that surrounded him becoming a successful playwright. In one section, during the Philadelphia tryout, he wrote that he suffered the "paradoxical experience of seeing his work improve by becoming poorer."

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  • Born: Nov 13, 1914 in The Bronx, NY
  • Death: Nov 25, 2008 in Stockbridge, MA
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