Stranger Than Fiction

(CBS) The book Primary Colors has been a primary American preoccupation since its January 1996 debut.

It's a "novel" in quotes because it wallows in the real events of the Bill Clinton 1992 campaign in a very un-novel way. That the book's focus is on a southern governor named "Stanton" rather than "Clinton" only made it sexier.

When the world wasn't busy trying to sift the truth from the embellishment, it worked to unmask the author, the one the book jacket credits as "Anonymous."

Soon enough, it was revealed that the author was Joe Klein, then a Newsweek columnist and CBS commentator. The revelation was a blow to the reporter's credibility, since he had made public claims to the contrary. When the truth did come out (thanks in part to a forensic document examiner who compared handwriting samples), Klein wound up resigning his CBS News post and taking a brief hiatus from Newsweek.

After all this real-life drama, how could Hollywood not come calling? None other than Oscar-winning director Mike Nichols (The Graduate, Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf, The Birdcage) came to the table, with the hotter-than-ever John Travolta in tow.

Finally, in a blessing of timing topped only by Wag The Dog, the movie is scheduled to come out smack dab in the middle of Monicagate.

Here are a few quick factoids about the motion picture, which opens March 20.

The Cost: The film cost a reported US$65 million to make. US$1.5 million of this came out of Nichols' own pocket when he bid against studios for rights to the novel.

The Scientology Link: Some people think Clinton has compromised Travolta's performance with a bit of subtle bribery. Travolta, a devout Scientologist, had met Clinton last April at a Philadelphia volunteerism summit. At a time when Travolta's religion was under fire by the German government, Clinton offered the former disco-movie king a little diplomatic muscle.

More Questionable Politics: Primary Colors is being released by Universal Studios, the company owned by Edgar Bronfman, Jr., who happens to be a significant Clinton contributor. Billy Bob Thornton, the movie's answer to James Carville, was brought into the movie by producer Harry Thomason, a well-known friend and supporter of Bill Clinton.
The Scene You'll Never See: At one point in the movie, the candidate's wife (Emma Thompson) becomes intimate with the candidate's young aide (Adrian Lester). That scene wound up on the cutting-room floor because of "creative reasons" and protesting preview audiences.

The Scene That Never Was: In addition to any possible real controversy, there are the fake ones. "I've read reports that we've taken the lesbian past of Mrs. Stanton out of the story," said Nichols to Time maazine. "Well, I've read the book five times, and we didn't take it out – it's simply not there."

Back to The Primary Source

Hollywood Fibs
All The President Movies
Their True Colors

Written by Rob Medich with graphic design by Dana Byerly