Before Billy Wilder became the screenwriter and director of iconic films like Sunset Boulevard and Some Like It Hot, he worked as a freelance reporter, first in Vienna and then in Weimar Berlin. Billy Wilder on Assignment brings together more than fifty articles, translated into English for the first time, that Wilder (then known as 鈥淏illie鈥�) published in magazines and newspapers between September 1925 and November 1930. From a humorous account of Wilder’s stint as a hired dancing companion in a posh Berlin hotel and his dispatches from the international film scene, to his astute profiles of writers, performers, and political figures, the collection offers fresh insights into the creative mind of one of Hollywood鈥檚 most revered writer-directors.
Wilder鈥檚 early writings鈥攁 heady mix of cultural essays, interviews, and reviews鈥攃ontain the same sparkling wit and intelligence as his later Hollywood screenplays, while also casting light into the dark corners of Vienna and Berlin between the wars. Wilder covered everything: big-city sensations, jazz performances, film and theater openings, dance, photography, and all manner of mass entertainment. And he wrote about the most colorful figures of the day, including Charlie Chaplin, Cornelius Vanderbilt, the Prince of Wales, actor Adolphe Menjou, director Erich von Stroheim, and the Tiller Girls dance troupe. Film historian Noah Isenberg’s introduction and commentary place Wilder鈥檚 pieces鈥攂rilliantly translated by Shelley Frisch鈥攊n historical and biographical context, and rare photos capture Wilder and his circle during these formative years.
Filled with rich reportage and personal musings, Billy Wilder on Assignment showcases the burgeoning voice of a young journalist who would go on to become a great auteur.
Awards and Recognition
- A Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year 2021
- Longlisted for the Kraszna-Krausz Book Award, Moving Image Category
- Longlisted for the National Translation Award, American Literary Translators Association
"A revelation, a trove of snappy pieces that give the reader tantalizing glimpses of the mature film satirist."鈥擬arc Weingarten, Washington Post
"The brightest moments here let you watch a little more of the human comedy through Billy Wilder鈥檚 eyes. Few saw it as clearly he did or had more fun writing it down."鈥擩eremy McCarter, Wall Street Journal
"Readers who come to Billy Wilder on Assignment to find the seeds of the films for which he is famous鈥攏early all of them, one assumes鈥攚ill not be disappointed."鈥擱yan Ruby, Bookforum
"A delicious compilation."鈥擳obias Grey, Financial Times 鈥嬧�嬧�嬧�嬧��
"The most successful story in this collection, 鈥榃aiter, a Dancer, Please!,鈥� about being a hoofer for hire at a big hotel, is waspish and (if you allow for the choppy sentences) jazz-era excitable, New Yorker鈥搃sh, with a self-deprecating turn and a fairly urbane sense of the perfectly ridiculous."鈥擜ndrew O'Hagan, New York Review of Books
"Long before he became the celebrated filmmaker of 'Sunset Boulevard,' 'Some Like It Hot' and 'The Apartment,' a young Billy Wilder worked briefly as a dancer for hire in the ballroom of a fashionable Berlin hotel. As he described the endeavor . . . for a German newspaper in 1927, 'This is no easy way to earn your daily bread, nor is it the kind that sentimental, softhearted types can stomach. But others can live from it.' Wilder鈥檚 observations on his experience鈥攆rom one of his many delightfully acerbic pieces of journalism anthologized in Billy Wilder on Assignment . . . get to the heart of our enduring obsessions with show business and the performing arts."鈥擠ave Itzkoff, New York Times
"Sharp and witty. . . . Full of glorious turns of phrase, entertaining narratives, and quirky characters. . . . . Thumbing through Wilder鈥檚 essays from the 1920s will make you feel as if you are enjoying yourself at a German coffeehouse, catching up on popular culture, and planning your next weekend adventure in the Weimar Republic. Isenberg and Frisch have done a great service for film historians and fans of classic Hollywood."鈥擟hris Yogerst, Los Angeles Review of Books
"An irresistible collection of articles, profiles, and reviews from Wilder鈥檚 salad-und-bratwurst days in Berlin, where he worked as a roving journalist, critic, and scene-maker between 1926 and 1930. . . . Isenberg is an expert guide to the Berlin-to-Hollywood axis, and Frisch is a veteran translator."鈥擳homas Doherty, Tablet Magazine
"Billy Wilder on Assignment is, as my colleague, TIME Magazine film critic Stephanie Zacharek kvelled to me in an email, 鈥榯he little book you didn鈥檛 know you needed.'"鈥擩ordan Hoffman, Times of Israel
"A must-read for film buffs and history aficionados alike."鈥擳obias Carroll, Inside Hook
"This new volume takes in the most significant staging posts of Wilder鈥檚 early career."鈥擥avin Plumley, Literary Review
"[Wilder] quickly moved on to Berlin and became a prolific writer of occasional pieces for papers such as Der Querschnitt and the Berliner B枚rsen Courier. Selections of these articles have been published before but are long out of print, and were never translated into English. Now, thankfully, Professor Isenberg of the University of Texas has put this frustrating situation to rights with a lively anthology, translated by Shelley Frisch into a brisk, punchy English which feels as though it must be an accurate reflection of the young Wilder鈥檚 original tone."鈥擩onathan Coe, Spectator
"The opportunity to read Wilder鈥檚 journalism in English is welcome. . . . What鈥檚 particularly impressive, even slightly eerie, is how many times this young film buff and Americanophile wrote about people he would later work with in Hollywood."鈥�Bookforum
"A delightful and illuminating collection."鈥擲am Wasson, Air Mail
"There is no question that Billy Wilder on Assignment is the most historically important recent book exploring the early days of a major filmmaker. It compiles, for the first time, Wilder鈥檚 writings as a young freelance reporter in 1920s Berlin and Vienna. The result is an incredible glimpse of Wilder鈥檚 mind at a key age."鈥擟hristopher Schobert, The Film Stage
"Billy Wilder On Assignment . . . explores the roots of one of Hollywood鈥檚 most accomplished and acclaimed directors in the fervid journalistic atmosphere of Central Europe between world wars. . . . Shelley Frisch鈥攐ne of the nimblest and liveliest translators working today鈥攔enders Wilder鈥檚 journalism into an English that leaps off the page with deadline urgency. . . . Isenberg's collection offers those interested in the Golden Age of Hollywood valuable new insight into one of its most significant personalities. It is also a vivid account of the vanished world that helped shape Billy Wilder."鈥�Wilson Quarterly
"Let it be said that Billy Wilder on Assignment 鈥� Dispatches from Weimar Berlin and Interwar Vienna, is an altogether wonderful read. In fact it reads as if a fine, literary, malt-whiskey."鈥擠avid Marx, David Marx: Book Reviews
"The new anthology Billy Wilder on Assignment proves Wilder's verbal and narrative gifts existed long before he set foot in Hollywood during the 1930s."鈥擠an Lybarger, Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette
"Readers will have fun picking out elements, traits and incidents in these lively witty texts and attempting to match them with Wilder鈥檚 later cinematic masterpieces."鈥擜lexander Adams, Alexander Adams Art
"Billy Wilder on Assignment . . . provides a long-overdue translation of Billy Wilder鈥檚 early writings in German. . . . The anthology will be of interest to both the academic and general public."鈥擭ora Gortcheva, EuropeNow
"Very nice."鈥擳om Stoppard, Times Literary Supplement
"In this first English-language compilation of Wilder鈥檚 early journalism . . . we can see the mischievous humour and love of snappy dialogue characteristic of his later movies."鈥擬onica Porter, The Jewish Chronicle
"Billy Wilder on Assignment: Dispatches from Weimar Berlin and Interwar Vienna is a revealing collection of his lively reportage from those two cities. . . . [The book] create[s] a portrait of a man who is so much more complex than a mere cynic."鈥擪evin Lally, Cineaste Magazine
"鈥�Billy Wilder on Assignment is a beautifully assembled collection of the early writings of a master storyteller whose body of work has entertained moviemakers and movie watchers for generations."鈥擫eonora Cravotta, American Spectator
"Among the gems of Billy Wilder on Assignment is the famous backstory about young Billie working as a dancer for hire, chronicled with sheepishness and brio by the man himself. In this enticing collection of Wilder鈥檚 journalism, we find him on the make, insatiably curious, unhampered by snob values, and finding plenty of nourishment in prewar Berlin for his famous sardonic streak. The reviews and interviews show the future director learning the trade, always with an eye to what works."鈥擬olly Haskell, author of Frankly, My Dear: 鈥淕one with the Wind鈥� Revisited
"While it鈥檚 a given that Billy Wilder鈥檚 Weimar film reportage would be of great historical interest, his appreciations of such figures as Asta Nielsen and Erich von Stroheim are gems among many. Wilder鈥檚 youthful journalism proves to be as brash and cynical as鈥攁nd even more entertaining than鈥攐ne would expect."鈥擩. Hoberman, author Film After Film: Or, What Became of 21st Century Cinema?
"Who was Billy Wilder before he became the director of brilliant, lasting films like Some Like It Hot, Sunset Boulevard, and The Apartment? He was a journalist, essayist, and critic for newspapers in Vienna and Weimar Berlin, serving up spry profiles and elegant, witty essays. These newly translated works are a delight, and editor Noah Isenberg is an equally charming guide, bringing to life the early career of a man who would turn into one of Hollywood鈥檚 funniest and most observant filmmakers."鈥擲tephanie Zacharek, film critic for Time
"Billy Wilder鈥檚 background as a journalist had a direct relationship with his subsequent career as a celebrated director and screenwriter. This timely book鈥攁n eclectic mix of Wilder鈥檚 reviews, interviews, and glosses on metropolitan life鈥攚ill interest his many fans and those fascinated with the Weimar Republic."鈥擥erd Gem眉nden, author of A Foreign Affair: Billy Wilder鈥檚 American Films
"Billy Wilder on Assignment offers a selection of charming prose pieces from the early years of the legendary movie director and screenwriter. These brilliant vignettes present a unique window into the fascinating and turbulent culture of Weimar-era Berlin, written by one of its wittiest observers. A pleasure to read."鈥擟hristian Rogowski, Amherst College
