The Way They Were How Epic Battles and Bruised Egos Brought a Classic Hollywood Love Story to the Screen

Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of “The Way We Were,” this intriguing and impeccably researched book is the first ever account of the making of the classic film starring Barbara Streisand and Robert Redford, revealing the full story behind its genesis and continued controversies, its many deleted scenes, its much-anticipated but never-filmed sequel, and the real-life romance that inspired this groundbreaking love story of opposites who attract and start breaking up – even before they get married…


For the first time—the full story of the making of a cinematic classic, as revelatory, enthralling, and romantic as The Way We Were itself.
 

It’s one of the greatest movie romances of all time. Fifty years on, the chemistry between Barbra Streisand as Jewish working-class firebrand Katie Worosk and Robert Redford as all-American golden boy Hubbell Gardiner remains potent.  Yet ­the friction and controversy surrounding The Way We Were were so enormous, the movie was nearly never made at all.

Impeccably researched and eye-opening, The Way They Were reveals the full story behind the challenges, rivalries and real-life romance surrounding the movie. Even the iconic casting was fraught. Screenwriter Arthur Laurents wrote the role of Katie with Streisand in mind, but finding Hubble was another matter. Redford was reluctant to play what he perceived as the “Ken doll” to Streisand’s lead, and demanded his role be beefed up, with ten writers—among them Francis Ford Coppola—called in to rework the script.

The first preview was disastrous. Several scenes were cut, angering Streisand and Laurents, yet the edits worked. The new version was a resounding success, and its appeal endures, with a regular spot in the AFI’s annual Top 10 movie romances.

The Way They Were also explores the deep, surprising love story that inspired the screenplay—the relationship between Laurents, a Jewish Brooklyn-born college leftist, and his longtime partner, Tom Hatcher. Drawing on a vast trove of Laurents’s unpublished writings, as well as interviews with Streisand, Redford, and other key players, this is the definitive account of a film that changed the rules of moviemaking and has defined romance ever since.

Robert Hofler is an entertainment journalist and author of bestselling, critically acclaimed biographies, including  Money, Murder, and Dominick Dunne: A Life in Several Acts; The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson; Party Animals; and the Lambda Literary Award nominated Sexplosion: From Andy Warhol to A Clockwork Orange, How a Generation of Pop Rebels Broke All the Taboos. Formerly an editor and writer for Life, Us Weekly, Buzz, and Variety, he is currently the lead theater critic at The Wrap. He lives in New York City. Visit him online at RobertHofler.com.