Paddy Chayefsky has demanded the withdrawal of all of his plays scheduled for television production in France because of “the behavior of the French government during the recent Middle East war.” The famed playwright declared: “The picture of France on its knees groveling before the Arab oil-producing countries has aroused in me so profound a contempt for France that I no longer wish to have any of my works done in that country.
Chayefsky’s demand was addressed to Emilio Bruzzo, producer-director of the scheduled Chayefsky productions in Paris. It was conveyed to French news media by the European department of the B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation League at the author’s request. Bruzzo reportedly said he hoped the playwright would “cool down” and change his mind.
Chayefsky said in his statement that while he understood and sympathized with the oil crisis being endured by European countries and Japan, “France alone has flaunted its humiliation and has gone out of its way to fawn for favor from the oil-producing countries.” He contended that the French people must bear responsibility for their government’s action that “reeks of Laval and appeasement” just as he, as an American, held himself responsible for Vietnam and Watergate.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
