I imagine Isobel Lennart's book was hamstrung by the fact that Arnstein was still alive at the time and threatened to sue if he weren't happy.
The original ''Funny Girl'' was produced by Ray Stark, Fanny Brice's son-in-law through his marriage to her daughter Frances.
From Wikipedia: ''Funny Girl,'' and its sequel ''Funny Lady,'' took liberties with the events of Brice's life. They make no mention of Brice's first husband and suggest that Arnstein turned to crime because his pride would not allow him to live off Fanny and that he was wanted by the police for selling phony bonds. In reality, however, Arnstein sponged off Brice even before their marriage, and was eventually named as a member of a gang that stole $5 million worth of Wall Street securities. Instead of turning himself in, as in the movie, Arnstein went into hiding. When he finally surrendered, he did not plead guilty as he did in the movie, but fought the charges, taking a toll on his wife's finances.'' |
