Steven Spielberg Speech

Just in case you couldn't tell, I'm his "mother" in the speech

In his life, he has achieved more than any mother could ever imagine of their sons. He has made movies that will go down in history forever as masterpieces, classics, and a step ahead of their time. But in my eyes, the movies don't matter, the critiques don't matter, the money doesn't matter. No matter how his career goes, I know I will forever be proud of my son, Steven Spielberg.

When people think of Steven, they think of sharks, they think of dinosaurs, they think of aliens, but they don't think of a little Jewish boy who used to sneak out at night and peanut butter the windows of those neighbors that dared to insult him. They don't think of the little boy who cried when Bambi's mother died, and they don't think of all the struggles he went through to become who he is, to achieve what he has.

With his father being an electrical engineer and me being a concert pianist, Steven has always dealt with a clash of ideas around him. There really isn't much to say about my son except that he has done so much with his life when he was given so little. We were never a poor family, but we were never rich either. Steven always loved movies, something he got from his father. He was a complete TV addict.

Steven has contributed so much not only to me but to society as a whole through his work. He has pushed the film industry forward by so much and he is a magnificent director. Of course, I am not bragging whatsoever being his mother.

Ever since he was little, Steven has had this fascination with film. One of the most important thing, I think I ever did in my life without knowing its significance was giving Steven's father an 8mm Kodak movie camera for father's day. I figured that Arnold, my husband at the time and his father, would enjoy fiddling around with it as he did with every new electornical thing. Instead, Steven, who I believe was 12 at the time, took the camera and began to make films. I think that by the time he was 18, he had made something like fifteen movies -- mostly of his toy trains crashing starring his two sisters.

Later on, when Steven was 16, his father and I divorce and I don't know if that ever really effected him. All I know is that it was after our divorce that the biggest event of his life occurred.

It was the summer of 1965, and Steven was staying at his cousin's house. Apparently, from what he has told me and through what I have heard, he had attended a tour at Universal Studios. Steven slipped off the bus and stayed around the back lot for hours. Apparently, he even found and empty office and even went as far as to giving his name to the secretary so that he could receive calls. He fooled all the guards by wearing a suit and tie and carrying a briefcase and they just figured that he was working. He told me much later on that the briefcase carried nothing but a sandwich and two candy bars.

He was discovered squatting two years later by a man named Chuck Silver, but in that time, he had learned more than he ever needed to know about the show biz. Well, Silver watched a short film Steven made named Amblin' and was quite impressed to say the least. He showed it to a studio executive, Sid Sheinberg, who was impressed as well. Sid offered him a contract and of course Steven accepted.

Ever since then, my little boy Steven has somehow magically become this worldwide acclaimed director. All I know is that in my eyes, he will be the little boy who used to serve Barbie doll's heads to his sisters on platters. Thank you.

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