# Cocktails with George and Martha: Movies, Marriage, and the Making of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - Hardcover

by **Philip Gefter** (Author)

**"Very smart and entertaining . . . dishy-yet-earnest . . . Gefter shows why _Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?_ hit the '60s like a torpedo."--NPR, Fresh Air**

"Raucous, unpredictable, wild, and affecting."--_Entertainment Weekly_

An award-winning writer reveals the behind-the-scenes story of the provocative play, the groundbreaking film it became, and how two iconic stars changed the image of marriage forever.

From its debut in 1962, Edward Albee's _Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?_ was a wild success and a cultural lightning rod. The play transpires over one long, boozy night, laying bare the lies, compromises, and scalding love that have sustained a middle-aged couple through decades of marriage. It scandalized critics but magnetized audiences. Across 644 sold-out Broadway performances, the drama demolished the wall between what could and couldn't be said on the American stage and marked a definitive end to the _I Love Lucy_ 1950s.

Then, Hollywood took a colossal gamble on Albee's sophisticated play--and won. Costarring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, the sensational 1966 film minted first-time director Mike Nichols as industry royalty and won five Oscars. How this scorching play became a movie classic--surviving censorship attempts, its director's inexperience, and its stars' own tumultuous marriage--is one of the most riveting stories in all of cinema.

Now, acclaimed author Philip Gefter tells that story in full for the first time, tracing _Woolf_ from its hushed origins in Greenwich Village's bohemian enclave, through its tormented production process, to its explosion onto screens across America and a permanent place in the canon of cinematic marriages. This deliciously entertaining book explores how two couples--one fictional, one all too real--forced a nation to confront its most deeply held myths about relationships, sex, family, and, against all odds, love.

### Author Biography

**Philip Gefter** is the author of _What Becomes a Legend Most: The Biography of Richard Avedon_; _Wagstaff: Before and After Mapplethorpe_, which received the 2014 Marfield Prize for arts writing; and an essay collection, _Photography After Frank_. He is a regular contributor to the _New Yorker's_ Photobooth, _Aperture_, and the _New York Times_, where he was an editor and photography critic for over fifteen years. Gefter produced the award-winning documentary, _Bill Cunningham: New York._ He lives in New York City.

**Number of Pages:** 368

**Dimensions:** 1.42 x 9.06 x 6.3 IN

**Publication Date:** February 13, 2024

## Details

- **Price:** 32.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 32.00 USD | In stock |

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- Cocktails with George and Martha: Movies, Marriage, and the Making of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - Hardcover

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