"Yes, I Can" (page 5 of 7)

The Kid Stays in the Picture

By Fran Lostys

He was no scholar, and his classmates teased him. Rather than read, the kid really preferred running around with a 8 mm camera, shooting homemade movies of wrecks of his Lionel train set (which he showed to friends for a small fee).

In his sophomore year of high school, he dropped out. But when his parents persuaded him to return, he was mistakenly placed in a learning-disabled class. He lasted one month. Only when the family moved to another town did he land in a more suitable high school, where he eventually graduated.

After being denied entrance into a traditional filmmaking school, Steven Spielberg enrolled in English at California State College at Long Beach. Then in 1965, he recalls, in one of those serendipitous moments, his life took a complete turn. Visiting Universal Studios, he met Chuck Silvers, an executive in the editorial department. Silvers liked the kid who made 8 mm films and invited him back sometime to visit.

He appeared the next day. Without a job or security clearance, Spielberg (dressed in a dark suit and tie, carrying his father's briefcase with nothing inside but "a sandwich and candy bars") strode confidently up to the guard at the gate of Universal and gave him a casual wave. The guard waved back. He was in.

"For the entire summer," Spielberg remembers, "I dressed in my suit and hung out with the directors and writers [including Silvers, who knew the kid wasn't a studio employee, but winked at the deception]. I even found an office that wasn't being used, and became a squatter. I bought some plastic tiles and put my name in the building directory: Steven Spielberg, Room 23C."

It paid off for everyone. Ten years later, the 28-year-old Spielberg directed Jaws, which took in $470 million, then the highest-grossing movie of all time. Dozens of films and awards have followed because Steven Spielberg knew what his teachers didn't -- talent is in the eyes of the filmmaker.

• • Inspiring Stories

• Say It With a Smile
• Change your mood -- or brighten someone else's day -- with these inspirational words of wisdom.
• 
• My First Job
• Well-known personalities discuss their first jobs.
• 
• Paul McCartney: Getting Better All the Time
• Paul McCartney talks with Reader's Digest about his life at age 59 -- his recently published books, the release of his new album, and the new love in his life. He also reminisces about his wife, Linda, about songwriting and about the Fabulous Four.
• 
• Face to Face with Muhammad Ali
• Muhammud Ali may no longer float or sting, but make no mistake: He's all in there, and his words still pack a punch.
• 
• "They Said I Couldn't"
• Six stories of people who wouldn't give up.
• 
• Stand Tall
• I was filled with doubts and worries until my grandfather told me to stand tall.
• 
• Coping With Disappointment
• Forgive the past, have hope for the future, and live in the present.
•