Faculty Work-in-Progress - What's the Story? And where does Lulu fit in? Shaping a Screenplay about Richard Olney and His Kitchen

November 16, 2021 - 4:30 PM
Black and white photo of white man in his thirties wearing an apron and standing in front of a kitchen fireplace with lost of pots hanging

Clark Hall Room 206
11130 Bellflower Road

In 1951, the young Richard Olney drops out of the University of Iowa, and moves to Paris to pursue a career as a painter. But his bohemian encounters with novelist James Baldwin and the sensuality of French cuisine transform his life forever.  Over the course of the next forty years, Olney’s way with words -- coupled with a precise palate attuned to the subtle pleasures of the French culinary world – makes its mark.  For even though he’s an American, Olney writes, cooks, and stubbornly charms his way to become the most highly respected food and wine writer in France.  Although he could be an outrageous dinner guest, his work as a cookbook author, educator, and wine connoisseur, nevertheless, had a major, enduring influence on gastronomical thought and practicum in France and the U.S.

John Orlock – playwright, screenwriter, and professor in the CWRU Department of English – will share the challenges of distilling Richard Olney’s sprawling bon vivant life as a cook, author, and artist into an engaging, coherent narrative for the screen.

Due to COVID restrictions, the reception has been cancelled.

Registration requested. Register HERE.

This lecture will also be live-streamed at www.case.edu/livestream/s2.



Increasing COVID-19 cases within Northeast Ohio have prompted Case Western Reserve to resume its requirement that masks be worn indoors. In addition, only those who are fully vaccinated (two weeks past their final dose) should attend any campus event. Leaders continue to monitor pandemic developments and may need to adjust health protocols further as circumstances warrant. In-person is subject to change based on COVID-19 guidelines.