Winston Groom Reflects on the 30Th Anniversary of His Most Popular Book

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the university of alabama honors college | spring 2016

In Bloom Embracing change and cultivating communities 46 Author Winston Groom reflects on the 30th anniversary of his most popular book

BY: EMILY WILLIAMS Design by Brian Ogden // Photography by Nicole Rodriguez by Nicole Ogden // Photography Design by Brian 47 At first glance, Winston Groom’s Sitting in a rolling chair beneath all Jammer and joined the Delta Tau office does not appear to be that of a those names is the man who brought Delta fraternity. He counted among world-famous author. them all together, in a way. And it all his brothers Alabama senator Donald Everyday sounds echo in the brick started, 30 years ago, with a novel called Stewart and future Washington Redskins walled room - the tinkle of ice against the Forrest Gump. linebacker Fred Davis. sides of a glass tumbler; the steady hum Groom, the author of Gump and With enrollment at around 10,000, of a lawnmower next door; the beep of nearly 20 other books, rarely has time to the campus of Groom’s day was much the answering machine; his daughter’s reflect on things like 30th anniversaries, different than the campus he brings Shih Tzu, Camellia, reminding him that because he’s just as busy as ever. his daughter, Carolina, to visit today. feeding time is promptly at 5 p.m. Though he’s lived everywhere from Aside from classes and his editing duties, The shelves are filled, floor to ceiling, New York to North Carolina, the 73-year- Groom spent his days squirrel shooting with books by everyone from W.E.B. old Mobile native still calls Alabama behind fraternity row and often saw Griffin to Clarence Darrow and even home. Much of Forrest Gump was Alabama football coach Bear Bryant Jimmy Buffet. A glass front cabinet on inspired by growing up in Mobile, and by walking across the quad to get a cup the opposite wall displays an impressive his years as a student at The University of coffee. collection of rifles. On his desk papers of Alabama. After graduation in 1965, Groom are stacked in piles surrounding the “It was just interesting meeting had plans to become an editor, but those computer where he writes new people with new ideas, not these plans were put on hold when he was every afternoon. parochial ideas we had here in Mobile,” deployed to fight in Vietnam. After the Nothing is out of the ordinary. he said. “I grew up in the old city and war, Groom worked for a newspaper in But there, hanging on the wall above went to the military school, and it’s the Washington D.C. and then moved to New his desk is a poster of a man in a white same thing that’s been around for 200 York to pursue fiction. suit sitting on a bench. In the white to 300 years. It was interesting to meet His experiences in Vietnam inspired space around the photo, in great curling people from Anniston or Aliceville who his first book, Better Times Than These, black ink, are signatures from some of were bright, fun people.” published in 1978. Although the book the biggest names in Hollywood — Gary An English major and philosophy was well received, Groom said the Sinise, Sally Field and, largest of all, minor, Groom served as the editor of initial idea of publishing a novel was Tom Hanks. the campus humor magazine Rammer frightening to him.

48 “I think the book is honestly better, myself,” Cobb said. “You can’t compare It was the scariest thing I’d the two, because they are separate art forms. But if you really love the character ever done in my whole life, of Forrest Gump, you can love the book and the movie.” Also noteworthy was the film’s use of including everything I did special effects, inserting Forrest Gump in milestone historical events such as in Vietnam. the stand in the schoolhouse door and “It was the scariest thing I’d ever done until 1994 when it was adapted into an Vietnam War protests at the National in my whole life, including everything Oscar-winning movie by director Robert Mall. UA Telecommunications and Film I did in Vietnam,” he said. “But I’ve been Zemeckis that Forrest Gump became a professor Jeremy Butler said the effects doing this ever since. It’s a combination household name. were nearly unprecedented at the time of being in the right place at the right In the early stages of production, and influenced future filmmaking. time, luck and some semblance Groom was involved in developing the “For the time, they employed really of talent.” screenplay, although he cites differences cutting edge digital special effects, He wrote two more novels in the next with the producers as one of the reasons using actual film or documentary films six years and was working on a third he was fired. and inserting Tom Hank’s face into when a conversation with his father “All writers want their movie to be them,” Butler said. “It’s a key narrative triggered an idea he couldn’t pass over. just like their book, but then the movie component and in terms of film history, At lunch one day, Groom’s father told would be three or four days long,” he it was one of those turning points in the him a story about a boy he knew growing said. “And so they’ve got to tinker and ability of filmmakers to do certain types up who was mentally handicapped but by the time they get through with it, it is of special effects.” extraordinarily gifted at the piano. substantially different from what it was The story stuck and that night, Groom intended, because condensations just wrote the first chapter of what would require that.” become Forrest Gump. Most notable among the changes was “It just sort of wrote itself, and that the characterization of Forrest has never happened to me before or himself. Standing 6 feet 6 since,” he said. “I didn’t have anything inches and weighing 250 planned, no outline, no research, no pounds, Groom’s Gump notes. I’d just sit down and say, ‘Well, was a football and wrestling what is he going to do today?’” powerhouse with a He finished the story in around six penchant for cursing and weeks but was hesitant about his work, so the occasional drink. he looked for feedback from his peers. Screenwriters Among Groom’s friends at the time, adapted the role famed Washington Post reporter Carl to fit the smaller Bernstein and Harper’s Magazine editor frame and sweet Willie Morris, who first encouraged disposition of Groom to get an agent. Groom recalls a America’s most 2 a.m. phone call from Morris shortly trusted actor, Tom Hanks. after he sent over his manuscript for Mark Cobb, chief arts and Forrest Gump. entertainment reporter for “Don’t change a word,” Morris said. the Tuscaloosa News, said the Groom sent the manuscript to producers used the book as source his agent and a few days later it was material rather than creating an purchased by Doubleday Publishing. adaptation but kept the spirit of The book was successful, but it wasn’t the original character intact.

49 Much of the appeal of the book and chocolates...’ and ‘run Forrest run’ a part can’t live if you don’t write, so people the film is the way the story captures of the modern American lexicon, it’s write on bad ideas.That wasn’t a path I important moments in history, hard to imagine a world without Forrest particularly wanted to go down and so particularly in the often-romanticized Gump. I thought well, I can write nonfiction as 1960s and 70s. This nostalgia, Butler “(Groom) created an immortal well as I can write fiction, and I went to said, has made the film popular with character,” Cobb said. “There are very my publisher and told him what I wanted Baby Boomers, but the story appeals to few people who would not recognize that to do and he thought I was crazy.” younger generations as well. name and who wouldn’t have seen the Despite his publisher’s doubts, Groom “It’s a movie that has different film. It’s a cultural landmark.” found success in the world of nonfiction, audiences,” Butler said. “For somebody Following the success of the movie, publishing several books of military who is Forrest Gump’s age, it’s going Groom wrote a sequel novel Gump & history as well as an illustrated history of to have a certain resonance in terms of Co. continuing the story of the beloved Crimson Tide Football. shared experiences. Somebody younger Forrest. But shortly after the 1995 follow Groom insists he hasn’t left fiction would probably enjoy it more as a story up, he stopped writing fiction for a while altogether. He has a novel coming out or a narrative with humorous incidents to focus on his other love, nonfiction. later this year set in Boston and Northern without having that same resonance of “The problem with writing fiction is Mexico. the lived experiences of that time.” you’ve got to have good ideas,” Grooms Whether or not he will ever come back With phrases like, ‘life is like a box of said “You run out of ideas but you to the character of Gump remains to be seen. At the moment, he’s focused on more important things, like whether or not his high school senior daughter will He created an immortal be wearing crimson in the fall. “I could do it again if I wanted to,” character. There are very Groom said. “It wouldn’t have the same impact, probably because I think I’m spent on that character. He’s a great few people who would not character, but you can’t just keep going recognize that name. on and on and on. He’s not like Rocky.”