Nichols’ biographer, Mark Harris, notes that at the time he knew only two phrases, “I do not speak English” and “Please do not kiss me.” In 1939, a seven-year-old Nichols and his four-year-old brother were sent alone on a six-day journey by boat to New York City. But he arrived in America as a traumatized Jewish refugee fleeing Hitler’s Germany. “His early life was what really spoke to me,” Kline says.Īlong with The Graduate, Nichols would go on to direct Silkwood, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Birdcage, as well as more than 25 Broadway shows like Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple and a Tony-winning revival of Death of a Salesman. But it wasn’t until she read Mark Harris’ biography of Nichols that she learned the story of his arrival in America. The guitarist and singer of the band Swift Silver knew many of his movies, especially The Graduate. Like most people, Anna Kline had heard of the director Mike Nichols. You can hear an exclusive preview of next week’s episode featuring Mark Harris and Anna Kline, only at Paste. SongWriter is a podcast that turns stories into songs, featuring David Gilmour, Joyce Carol Oates, Steve Earle, Roxane Gay, Amanda Shires, Susan Orlean and Katie Melua.
