Marlon Brando

Coppola was 29 years old when he signed on to direct a film. "I was young and had no power," he said in 2016, "so [the studio] figured they could just boss me around." But Coppola fought back.

Fresh Air marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Puzo's novel by listening back to our '96 interview with Puzo, and our '16 interview with Coppola, who adapted the novel into the film.

Coppola was 29 years old when he signed on to direct a film. "I was young and had no power," he says, "so [the studio] figured they could just boss me around." Originally broadcast Nov. 16, 2016.

Francis Ford Coppola was 29 years old and broke when he was asked to direct The Godfather, based on the bestselling novel by Mario Puzo. The notes he kept for himself during the making of The Godfather have been collected into a new book.

At this year's Toronto International Film Festival, the director of Apocalypse Now and the iconic Godfather films shared memories and anecdotes with a sold-out crowd.

Kazan directed Marlon Brando in "On the Waterfront" and James Dean in "East of Eden." He was a member of the Group Theater and co-founded the Actors Studio with Lee Strasberg. Terry interviewed him when his autobiography was published in 1988. (Rebroadcast)

Biographer Peter Manso has written "Brando: The Biography," the result of seven years of research and over 700 interviews. It tells the story of Brando as a man with a hidden troubled life. Mans is also the author of an oral biography of Norman Mailer.

Film and theater director Elia Kazan made a number of classic movies, including A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, and East of Eden. He co-founded the Actors Studio with Lee Strasberg, and helped develop method acting. His new memoir, Elia Kazan: A Life, includes reflections on his cooperation with HUAC's investigation of communists in the entertainment industry.

Novelist and theater and film director Elia Kazan. He directed Marlon Brando in "On the Waterfront," and James Dean in "East of Eden." He was a member of the Group Theater and co-founded the Actors Studio with Lee Strasberg.