Miss May Does Not Exist

1. Truth is Malleable: Crafting a Life Story

“What truth can I tell that’s as good as this lie they believe?”

Childhood shaped narrative. Elaine May's early life, marked by constant travel in the Yiddish theater with her parents, Jack and Ida Berlin, and the sudden death of her father at age ten, instilled a deep understanding of performance and impermanence. This environment, where fiction and reality blurred, taught her the power of storytelling and the utility of embellishment.

• Father Jack: Actor, director, star in second-tier Yiddish theater.
• Mother Ida: Handled business, struggled financially after Jack's death.
• Constant movement: Over 50 schools by age 10.
• Early loss: Father died of heart attack at 47.
• Betrayal: Jack's family abandoned Ida and Elaine.

Mythmaking as defense. Growing up surrounded by theatricality and facing hardship, Elaine learned to craft narratives about herself, often blurring facts with "idle inventions" to create an air of mystery or deflect unwanted attention. This self-mythologizing became a lifelong habit.

• Claimed birth in a car trunk in South America.
• Invented fluency in Portuguese.
• Gave absurd physical measurements.
• Changed birth city from Philadelphia to Chicago.

Truth in art vs. life. While relentlessly pursuing truth and authenticity in her creative work, Elaine treated the facts of her own life as malleable. This paradox highlights her distrust of others and her desire to control how she was perceived, preferring to perform a version of herself rather than reveal her vulnerable core.

2. Improv as Life: Finding Partnership and Voice

“The only safe thing is to take a chance.”

Chicago intellectual hub. Elaine hitchhiked to Chicago in 1952, drawn to the University of Chicago's bohemian atmosphere and intellectual rigor. Though she never formally enrolled, she "majored in hanging out," attending classes and engaging in fierce debates, quickly gaining a reputation for her sharp mind and unconventional opinions.

• University of Chicago: Island of beatnik culture, intellectual hotbed.
• Unconventional student: Dropped in on classes, argued with professors.
• Reputation: Brilliant, intimidating, world-wise among peers.

Meeting Mike Nichols. Her legendary first encounter with Mike Nichols, marked by mutual hostility and witty banter, foreshadowed their unique connection. Their second meeting, improvising characters on a train, solidified a bond built on shared trauma, intellectual sparring, and a deep understanding of each other's defenses.

• First impression: Mutual loathing.
• Second meeting: Impromptu improvisation on a train.
• Bond: Shared difficult mothers, intellectual snobbery, mutual safety.
• Relationship: Platonic love built on "I know you."

Compass Players origins. Joining Paul Sills's Playwrights Theatre Club, which evolved into the Compass Players, Elaine found a creative home. She became a core member, teaching improv games, writing prolifically, and developing her unique voice in a collaborative, experimental environment that valued truth and observation over traditional comedy.

• Role: Acting coach, writer, director, performer.
• Improv rules: Developed principles like "Don't deny," "Make a strong choice."
• Creative focus: Observational sketches, psychological depth, taboo topics.
• Impact: Became a force, pushing boundaries in comedy.

3. Meteoric Rise: Nichols and May Take the Stage

“We were remarkable immediately.”

New York debut. After the Compass dissolved, Mike Nichols convinced Elaine to join him in New York. With just $40 between them, they auditioned for manager Jack Rollins, improvising on the spot. Rollins was captivated by their unique talent, recognizing their potential for mainstream success despite their unconventional style.

• Manager: Jack Rollins, saw their "odd and wonderful" act.
• First gigs: Village Vanguard (opening for Mort Sahl), Blue Angel.
• Style: Intellectual, observational, character-driven, not joke-focused.

Television breakthrough. Their appearance on NBC's Omnibus in 1958 was a game-changer. Despite initial nervousness and a slow start, their sketches, particularly "Teenagers" and "Telephone," resonated with a national audience, catapulting them to overnight fame and making them the "hottest thing in the city."

• Omnibus: Prime-time special, fifteen minutes, no editing.
• Sketches: "Teenagers," "Telephone," "Mother and Son."
• Impact: Rave reviews, national recognition, sudden demand.

Broadway success. Capitalizing on their fame, Nichols and May brought their act to Broadway in "An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May." The show was a commercial hit, selling out and earning critical acclaim, solidifying their status as cultural icons who redefined comedy for a new generation.

• Show: "An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May."
• Material: Refined club sketches, audience-suggestion improv.
• Reception: Immediate hit, sold out, critical praise.
• Influence: Defined comedy of the era, influenced future generations.

4. The Price of Fame: Artistic Integrity vs. Repetition

“She got so bored. All comedians want to change at a certain point. Your act becomes your enemy.”

Fame's constraints. The rapid ascent to fame brought unexpected pressures. The demand for their act meant performing the same material repeatedly, a creative constraint that chafed against Elaine's desire for spontaneity and exploration. The work, once a source of discovery, became rote and "dehumanized."

• Repetition: Performing the same sketches nightly.
• Pressure: To deliver proven hits for larger audiences.
• Boredom: Elaine grew restless with the lack of new material.

Discomfort with celebrity. Elaine was deeply uncomfortable with the trappings of celebrity, finding the attention invasive and disingenuous. She resisted conforming to Hollywood norms, preferring anonymity and authenticity over playing the part of a star.

• Resistance: Avoided publicity, social events, conventional appearance.
• Distrust: Suspicious of interviewers and public scrutiny.
• Desire: To disappear, to not exist publicly.

The split. The creative stagnation and personal strain led Elaine to end the partnership in 1961, despite their immense success. The decision, though amicable, marked the end of an era and sent both artists on separate paths to explore their individual interests, particularly Elaine's return to writing.

• Reason: Boredom, creative stagnation, personal strain.
• Elaine's choice: Exercised contract clause to leave.
• Impact: End of Nichols and May act, pursuit of solo careers.

5. Solo Directing Debut: Chaos and Unexpected Success

“You make the crew nervous.”

Return to writing. After the split, Elaine focused on playwriting, but her initial solo efforts like "Not Enough Rope" and "A Matter of Position" struggled, lacking the collaborative energy and editing Mike provided. Her uncompromising vision clashed with traditional theater production demands.

• Plays: "Not Enough Rope," "A Matter of Position."
• Reception: Mixed to negative, seen as lacking structure or too dark.
• Conflict: Clashed with directors and producers over cuts and vision.

Hollywood opportunity. Despite her theater struggles, Elaine's reputation for brilliance led to a historic opportunity in Hollywood: writing and directing "A New Leaf." Paramount, seeking to appear progressive, hired her for a triple role, though the deal was financially exploitative and born more of convenience than genuine belief in her directing experience.

• Deal: Write, direct, and star in "A New Leaf."
• Motivation: Paramount's image and cost-saving.
• Financials: Paid significantly less than male counterparts.

Production challenges. Elaine's inexperience as a film director, coupled with her perfectionism and unconventional methods, led to a chaotic and over-budget production. Her lack of technical knowledge and inability to delegate made the crew nervous, highlighting the steep learning curve of studio filmmaking.

• Inexperience: Unfamiliar with technical aspects like camera placement.
• Method: Relied on intuition, long takes, improvisation.
• Conflict: Clashed with crew, producers, and costar Walter Matthau.
• Cost: Production went significantly over budget and schedule.

6. The Heartbreak Kid: Mastering the Craft, Facing Backlash

“If they don’t feel bad for her, we’ve really fucked it up.”

Second chance. Despite the difficulties on "A New Leaf," its critical success earned Elaine a second directing opportunity with "The Heartbreak Kid." This time, she focused solely on directing, working with a script by Neil Simon and a cast including Charles Grodin and her daughter, Jeannie Berlin.

• Role: Director only.
• Script: By Neil Simon, based on a Bruce Jay Friedman story.
• Cast: Charles Grodin, Jeannie Berlin, Cybill Shepherd.

Controlled chaos. With stricter financial and time constraints on this independent production, Elaine's methods were more contained. She pushed actors for authentic performances through improvisation within scenes and paid meticulous attention to detail, demonstrating growth as a filmmaker.

• Process: Improvised within takes, focused on character subtext.
• Detail: Meticulous about performance nuances and visual details.
• Support: Worked with a trusted team who managed logistics.

Critical acclaim and controversy. The film was a critical success, praised for its dark humor, psychological depth, and nuanced performances, earning Oscar nominations for Jeannie Berlin and Eddie Albert. However, it also sparked controversy for its portrayal of Jewish stereotypes and its seemingly harsh depiction of women, particularly Jeannie's character.

• Reception: Near-unanimous critical praise, awards nominations.
• Themes: Assimilation, self-hatred, flawed relationships.
• Controversy: Accusations of anti-Semitism and misogyny.
• Defense: Elaine argued it was satire about human behavior, not identity.

7. Mikey and Nicky: The Legendary Production and Its Cost

“Why should I be loyal to a big mountain with some stars around it?”

Personal project. "Mikey and Nicky," a story about two low-level mobsters and their fraught friendship, was one of Elaine's earliest and most personal scripts, drawing from her childhood experiences around the Syndicate in Chicago. She saw it as a realistic portrayal of loyalty and betrayal.

• Origin: Based on real people from her childhood.
• Themes: Friendship, loyalty, betrayal, perverted honor code.
• Personal connection: Explored her own distrust and need for control.

Production excess. Despite a seemingly simple premise, the film's production became notorious for its extravagance and delays. Elaine's perfectionism, coupled with the improvisational styles of stars John Cassavetes and Peter Falk, resulted in an unprecedented amount of raw footage (1.4 million feet).

• Cast: John Cassavetes, Peter Falk.
• Method: Three cameras rolling constantly, actors free to move.
• Improvisation: Focused on physical action and subtext, not dialogue changes.
• Footage: 259 hours of film, significantly over industry norms.

Studio conflict and theft. Paramount grew increasingly frustrated with the ballooning budget and delays. When they attempted to take the film away to finish editing, Elaine famously resisted, leading to lawsuits and the alleged theft of two reels of the negative, further damaging her reputation in Hollywood.

• Conflict: Paramount vs. Elaine over budget and completion.
• Resistance: Elaine refused to hand over the film.
• Incident: Alleged theft of film reels, lawsuits, criminal charges.
• Outcome: Forced to finish editing on the Paramount lot.

8. Ishtar: The Infamous Disaster and Its Aftermath

“If all the people who hate Ishtar had seen it, I would be a rich woman today.”

Ambitious concept. Elaine's next film, "Ishtar," was a large-scale musical comedy inspired by the "Road To..." movies, starring Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman as untalented songwriters caught in a Middle Eastern conflict. It was her attempt at a commercial hit in the blockbuster era.

• Genre: Musical comedy, adventure, political satire.
• Stars: Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman.
• Inspiration: "Road To..." movies, Reagan era politics.
• Themes: Fame, American foreign policy, lack of talent.

Notorious production. Despite efforts to stay on schedule and budget, "Ishtar" became legendary for its difficult shoot in Morocco and New York, marked by creative clashes, logistical nightmares, and continued overshooting, contributing to its ballooning cost.

• Location: Morocco, challenging environment.
• Method: Continued overshooting, reliance on improvisation within takes.
• Conflict: Clashes with cinematographer, crew, and stars.
• Cost: Estimated budget ballooned significantly.

Critical and commercial failure. "Ishtar" was savaged by critics and became a notorious box office bomb, widely considered one of the worst films ever made at the time. The negative press, fueled by leaks and studio politics, poisoned its reception before it even opened.

• Reception: Uniformly negative reviews, box office disaster.
• Blame: Attributed to budget, star egos, and Elaine's directing.
• Studio politics: New studio head David Puttnam publicly criticized the film.
• Impact: Damaged Elaine's directing career, became a punchline.

9. The Invisible Hand: Script Doctor Extraordinaire

“Elaine is the one who made the movie work.”

Post-Ishtar pivot. Following the "Ishtar" disaster, Elaine's feature directing career stalled. Blacklisted by some studios, she shifted her focus to screenwriting, particularly as an uncredited script doctor, leveraging her talent for fixing troubled scripts.

• Career shift: From director to screenwriter/script doctor.
• Reason: Blacklisting after "Mikey and Nicky" and "Ishtar."
• Method: Worked uncredited, often for friends.

Saving scripts. Elaine developed a reputation as a brilliant script doctor, capable of quickly diagnosing problems and providing precise solutions. She contributed significantly to successful films, often adding key jokes, character depth, and structural clarity.

• Notable work: "Heaven Can Wait" (Oscar nomination), "Reds" (WGA win), "Tootsie" (Oscar nomination).
• Contributions: Added jokes, developed characters, improved structure.
• Impact: Made other people's films significantly better.

Anonymity and loyalty. Elaine often refused credit for her script doctoring work, partly due to her distrust of the industry and desire for privacy, but also out of loyalty to the credited writers. She insisted on the last writer's blessing before taking a job, aiming to protect her colleagues.

• Refusal of credit: Preferred anonymity, distrusted studios.
• Loyalty: Protected credited writers, insisted on their approval.
• Motivation: Not just privacy, but also a form of control and ethical stance.

10. Return to the Stage: Finding Late-Life Acclaim

“The mere presence of Elaine May on a New York stage is worth the trip.”

Theater focus. After her film career waned, Elaine returned to her roots in theater, writing and directing Off-Broadway plays. These later works, often one-acts, allowed her creative freedom and a closer connection to her audience, though they met with mixed critical success.

• Medium: Primarily Off-Broadway theater.
• Format: Often one-acts or evenings of short plays.
• Themes: Loneliness, relationships, absurdity, aging.

Collaborations with friends. Her theater projects often involved close friends and family, including Jeannie Berlin, Alan Arkin, Marlo Thomas, and Stanley Donen. These collaborations provided a supportive environment and allowed her to write roles specifically for people she loved.

• Collaborators: Jeannie Berlin, Alan Arkin, Marlo Thomas, Stanley Donen.
• Motivation: Writing for friends, creating a supportive environment.
• Impact: Work became intertwined with personal relationships.

Late-life recognition. Despite uneven reviews for some plays, Elaine's talent and unique voice remained evident. Her return to acting in "The Waverly Gallery" at age 86 was a triumph, earning her widespread critical acclaim and a Tony Award, solidifying her legacy as a multifaceted performer.

• Play: "The Waverly Gallery" (2018).
• Role: Lead actress, portraying a woman with dementia.
• Reception: Universal critical acclaim, Tony Award win.
• Impact: Rebirth as an actress, celebrated as a titan.

11. Legacy: The Enduring, Complex Elaine May

“What is important in life and art?”

Re-evaluation of work. In recent years, there has been a significant re-evaluation of Elaine May's directorial work, particularly "A New Leaf," "The Heartbreak Kid," and "Mikey and Nicky." Once dismissed or overlooked, these films are now celebrated for their unique voice, dark humor, and psychological depth, gaining cult status and critical appreciation.

• Films: "A New Leaf," "The Heartbreak Kid," "Mikey and Nicky."
• Shift in perception: From flawed productions to celebrated works.
• Recognition: Criterion releases, film retrospectives.

Influence on new generation. Elaine's influence extends to a new generation of filmmakers and comedians who cite her as a major inspiration. Her fearless approach to character, dialogue, and taboo subjects resonates with contemporary artists, ensuring her impact continues.

• Admirers: Greta Gerwig, Lena Dunham, Natasha Lyonne, Michael Cera.
• Impact: Inspired unique voices in modern comedy and film.

Complex relationship with fame. Despite late-life accolades and renewed public interest, Elaine maintains her characteristic aversion to the spotlight, preferring privacy and control over her narrative. Her public appearances remain rare and often marked by her signature wit and deflection.

• Privacy: Continues to avoid extensive interviews and public events.
• Persona: Uses humor and deflection to maintain distance.
• Contradiction: Desired anonymity vs. undeniable talent and influence.

Enduring mystery. Elaine May remains an enigmatic figure, her life and career marked by contradictions, brilliant highs, and challenging lows. Her story is a testament to artistic integrity, resilience, and the complex interplay between talent, control, and the unpredictable nature of the entertainment industry.

• Enigma: Private life, conflicting accounts, unpredictable choices.
• Resilience: Overcame setbacks, continued working despite challenges.
• Legacy: Celebrated as a genius, pioneer, and one of a kind.

Last updated: June 1, 2025