Naming Names

Naming Names

While visiting from California earlier this month, the publicist Harry Clein, now semi-retired, leapt at the chance to finally go public with a story about the Oscars and an Ego Gone Mad. The hair on Clein's head had turned silver-gray in the 20-plus years he'd had to wait for this catharsis, which took place at a cafe in the Times Square area.

"Check me on this, but I think it was 1983," Clein began. "The frontrunner that year in the best actress category was Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice. I was the publicity representative on the movie, and one of my jobs, at Meryl's own request, was to make sure the speech she had ready for the Oscars didn't leave out any obvious names-the people in the business who need to be thanked. This is what's known as the laundry list."

Two of the producers of Sophie's Choice were Martin Starger and a man named Keith Barish, a muckamuck now in other endeavors. These were two of the obvious names, and Clein saw to it that Streep had them on her list.

Cut to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on the night of April 11, 1983. Streep, who is seven months pregnant at the time, is seated down front with the other nominees when the expected occurs and she's anointed best actress. As Streep goes up to accept her award, Clein, who is watching the proceedings on a monitor in a backstage holding room for handlers like himself, sees something happen on the screen that makes him gasp.

"The paper slipped out of her hand," he recalled. "It slid down the side of her skirt and was gone. So now when it comes time to rattle off her thank you's, in the excitement of the moment she forgets to mention Barish. Starger and everyone else she remembers.

"The next morning I get a call from Barish," Clein continued. "'Meryl didn't mention me in her speech,' he says. 'She mentioned Starger, but she didn't mention me.'

"I believe Meryl had apologized to Barish in person after the ceremony, at the Governor's Ball. But now he says that for him to be satisfied, Meryl has to take out an ad in the trades and make her apology for everyone to see. And he tells me to go and tell Meryl what he said."

Clein refused, and Barish started screaming. Or maybe the screaming had already started. But somewhere in the middle of this Barish said, "You're fired!"-and Clein survived to tell the tale.

"It made him furious that Starger got mentioned over him," said Clein. "The funny thing is, Meryl had Barish on her list all along, but I'm the one who added Starger."