Peter Melnick, Author

Haunting Melodies, Moving Pictures is an exploration of the trauma that wends its way down the generations of a family. Trauma, and the possibility of healing. The subject is damn near universal, but Haunting Melodies, Moving Pictures is also a personal book. You may recognize some of the names here — my grandfather was composer Richard Rodgers, and my father was film producer Daniel Melnick, who was responsible for a body of work that includes All That Jazz, Footloose, Roxanne and LA Story. His father, Ben Melnick, is someone you probably never heard of, but he is as much a part of this story as my other, better known grandfather. Ben died when my dad was just nine, and there’s a straight line from that tragedy to the coke habit that was my father’s eventual undoing.

Family trauma casts long shadows over the lives of most people I know. It informs our ambitions and colors our dreams, and has its say in the people we choose to let into our hearts. Trauma is not a life sentence, however. Healing is a journey most of us are capable of, each in our own unique way.

Bruce Springsteen said, “We are ghosts or we are ancestors in our children’s lives. As ancestors we walk along side of them. And we assist them in finding their own way, and some transcendence.” Part of my own journey was to make the effort to understand my ancestors, unflinchingly and with great love. They are all my teachers now, even the ones who sewed considerable pain in their lifetimes, and I am grateful to every one of them. Haunting Melodies, Moving Pictures is my way of sharing things I have learned from them with the world.

The Dramatist published an article of mine last spring, titled, “My Grandfather Richard Rodgers.” The process of writing it changed my own understanding of my grandfather, and largely inspired me to write this book. It is (I hope) a really interesting read. To receive a copy of the article, and learn more about Runs in the Family, please sign up for my newsletter on the form below. (You can always unsubscribe, and I fully respect your privacy.)