Long before it was a CBS investigative journalism show, 48 Hours was known as the movie that launched the film career of Saturday Night Live performer Eddie Murphy as well as gave rise to the buddy/action genre.
Over at Movie City News, a new weekly column has launched where screenwriter Larry Gross shares his own journal entries, misspellings, grammatical errors and all, from the time period he was involved in the making of the film. So far, two installments have been published covering the first five weeks or so that Gross has been involved with the film (Part 1 is here and part 2 is here) and it makes from some great, if at times shockingly candid, reading.
What’s fascinating is that at this point in 1982, Hollywood has transitioned out of the studio system that defined the industry and allowed it to thrive for decades into a system more run by mavericks. However, there is still a knowledge of what has gone before them, especially when Gross recounts a dinner conversation that culminates with 48 Hours director Walter Hill comparing himself to Howard Hawks and Steven Spielberg, whose ET was on the verge of being released, as Victor Fleming.
