Truman Capote courted celebrity status and espescially liked to be in the company of theater people. Having completed The Grass Harp in 1951, Capote was made an offer to turn his novel into a play. At first he was skeptical, but the allure of big broadway money changed Capote's mind. By January 1952, he completed an adaptation of his novel and it soon became a theater production (Clarke, 225-227). Besides The Grass Harp, Capote acted in some plays and became more involved with the theater, but Hollywood was also calling.
Music for Chameleons:The last work of Capote published during his lifetime.
Fascinated by film scripts
Capote was fascinated by film scripts and employed techniques similar to those used in film narrative, such as psychological closeups and examinations, flashback scenes and carefully-depicted settings (Garson, 143). His writing made for good movies and he eventually sold the rights to Breakfast At Tiffany's to Paramount for $65,000 (Clarke, 269). He was also paid $135,000 to write a screenplay for the third filming of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. However, Paramount rejected the screenplay, although Capote was still paid (Clarke, 437).
There was interest in turning In Cold Blood into a movie, and Capote enlisted director Richard Brooks to handle the task. Brooks wrote the screenplay and refused to let Capote see it, fearing the author might want to make changes. Capote had already gone against the movie company, who wanted Steve mcQueen and Paul Newman to play the killers. Capote also disagreed with the movie being shot in color, choosing starking black and white instead. Brooks insisted on filming the movie on location in Kansas. Parts were filmed at the real Clutter house, the courthouse and other parts of Holcomb.
Brooks even hired the same hangman who executed Dick and Perry, and used Nancy Clutter's pet horse. Life magazine even ran a cover story about the movie complete with a picture of Capote standing between Robert Blak and Scott Wilson, the two men who played the killers. When In Cold Blood was released, it opened to excellent reviews. However, despite public praises by the author, Capote criticized the movie in private. He felt too much emphasis was put on the killers and not enough on the victims. The movie did not have the same impact ast he book (Clarke 386-387).