I wrote the script of Patton. I had this very bizarre opening where he stands up in front of an American flag and gives this speech. Ultimately, I was fired. When the script was done, they hired another writer and that script was forgotten.

This was his UCLA thesis project that also received a theatrical release via Warner Bros. Coppola graduated from Hofstra university in 1959 with a bachelor's degree in Theatre Arts. Amongst Coppola's classmates at Hofstra were James Caan and Lainie Kazan.

Brooks to be honored three times for the same film. In 1970 Coppola won the Oscar for best original screenplay as co-writer with Edmund H.