Britannica Sources used in this answer

How did Shirley MacLaine help Woody Allen get his first film-screenwriting opportunity?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Woody Allen speaking into a microphone with hands raised beside his face during a press conference, against a red background. — Woody Allen American director Woody Allen attending a press conference for *Café Society* before the opening of the 69th Cannes film festival, 2016.

In 1964, while Woody Allen was performing stand-up comedy at a nightclub, he impressed actress Shirley MacLaine and producer Charles K. Feldman. This encounter led to them offering Allen the opportunity to write the screenplay for the 1965 film What’s New, Pussycat?, which served as his first film-screenwriting credit and also featured him as an actor.1