Editing Tootsie (section)

==Production==
In the 1970s, fashion company executive Charles Evans began filmmaking, following in the path of his brother [[Robert Evans]], a successful actor, producer and studio executive, "because I enjoy movies very much. I have the time to do it. And I believe if done wisely, it can be a profitable business."<ref name="Eller">{{cite news |date=July 28, 1995 |first=Claudia |last=Eller |author-link=Claudia Eller |title=Company Town : Real Key Is How Goldwyn Is Treated |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-07-28-fi-28893-story.html |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] }}</ref> In the early 1970s, Don McGuire's ''Would I Lie to You?'', a play about an unemployed male actor who cross-dresses in order to find jobs, was shopped around Hollywood for several years until it came to the attention of comedian and actor [[Buddy Hackett]] in 1978. Interested in playing the role of the talent agent, Hackett showed Evans the script, and Evans purchased an [[Option (filmmaking)|option]] on the play. Delays in the film's production forced Evans to renew the option,<ref name="Cook95">Cook, Philip S.; Gomery, Douglas; and Lichty, Lawrence Wilson (1989) ''American Media: The Wilson Quarterly Reader.'' Washington, D.C.: Wilson Center Press, p. 95, {{ISBN|0943875102}}.</ref> but in 1979, he cowrote a screenplay based on the play with director [[Dick Richards]] and screenwriter Bob Kaufman.<ref name="Thompson75">Thompson, Kristin (2001) ''Storytelling in the New Hollywood: Understanding Classical Narrative Technique.'' 2nd ed. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, p. 75, {{ISBN|0674010639}}.</ref> A few months into the process, Richards shared the screenplay with [[Dustin Hoffman]], his partner in a company that bought and developed film-development properties. Hoffman wanted complete [[Artistic control|creative control]] and Evans agreed to remove himself from screenwriting tasks, instead becoming a producer of the film, which was retitled ''Tootsie.''<ref name="Cook95" /> Before Hoffman officially became involved, his role had been offered to [[Peter Sellers]] and [[Michael Caine]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Evans|first=Bradford|title=The Lost Roles of Peter Sellers|date=31 January 2013|website=[[Splitsider]]|url=http://splitsider.com/2013/01/the-lost-roles-of-peter-sellers/|access-date=15 August 2015|archive-date=14 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714154256/http://splitsider.com/2013/01/the-lost-roles-of-peter-sellers/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The film remained in development for another year as producers waited for a revised script.<ref>{{cite news|title=Marilyn Beck's Hollywood: Angie Dickinson bares all for 'Dressed to Kill role|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JiAqAAAAIBAJ&pg=6918,2335828&dq=tootsie+filming&hl=en|access-date=September 30, 2013|newspaper=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]]|date=July 25, 1980|page=3}}</ref> As preproduction began, the project experienced additional delays when Richards left as director over "creative differences".<ref>{{cite news|last=Blowen|first=Michael|title=Dustin Hoffman tells why he was tough about 'Tootsie'|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/294165702|access-date=September 30, 2013|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=December 12, 1982|id={{ProQuest|294165702}} }} {{Better source needed|date=March 2022}}</ref> He instead became one of the film's producers, and [[Hal Ashby]] became the director. Columbia  then forced Ashby to quit because of the threat of legal action that would ensue if his postproduction commitments on ''[[Lookin' to Get Out]]'' were not fulfilled.<ref>{{cite book|last=Dawson|first=Nick|title=Being Hal Ashby: Life of a Hollywood Rebel|year=2011|publisher=[[University Press of Kentucky]]|location=[[Lexington, Kentucky]]|isbn=978-0813134635}}</ref> Hoffman, in an attempt to get the interest of [[Sydney Pollack]] to direct, asked [[Elaine May]], who provided a few weeks of work that added the character played by Murray to go along with suggesting Garr for a key role. May, alongside other writers who lent suggestions (such as [[Barry Levinson]]), albeit uncredited.
<ref>{{cite web | url=https://eriklundegaard.com/item/she-has-a-name-it-s-elaine-not-tootsie-or-toots-or-sweetie-or-honey-or-doll-elaine-may | title=She Has a Name. It's Elaine. Not Tootsie or Toots or Sweetie or Hon }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.flavorwire.com/496646/why-tootsie-is-one-of-the-finest-and-most-important-comedies-ever-made | title=Why 'Tootsie' is One of the Finest (And Most Important) Comedies Ever Made | date=2 January 2015 }}</ref> In November 1981, [[Sydney Pollack]] agreed to direct and produce the film at Columbia's suggestion.<ref>{{cite book|last=Dworkin|first=Susan|title=Making Tootsie: A Film Study with Dustin Hoffman and Sydney Pollack|year=2012|publisher=[[Newmarket Press]]|isbn=978-1557049667}}</ref>

Hoffman suggested that Pollack play Michael's agent George Fields, a role written for [[Dabney Coleman]]. Pollack resisted the idea, but Hoffman eventually convinced him; it was Pollack's first acting work in years.<ref name="NYT">"How Conflict Gave Shape to 'Tootsie'." ''New York Times.'' December 19, 1982. p. 1, 16.</ref> Pollack cast Coleman as the sexist, arrogant soap opera director Ron Carlisle.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://s.wsj.net/article/SB120191168810636715.html |title=Sketches of Sydney Pollack |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |first=Joe |last=Morgenstern |date=February 8, 2008 |access-date=February 15, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220020501/http://s.wsj.net/article/SB120191168810636715.html |archive-date=December 20, 2008}}</ref>

To prepare for his role, Hoffman watched the 1978 film ''[[La Cage aux Folles (film)|La Cage aux Folles]]'' several times.<ref>{{Cite news
| last = Beck
| first = Marilyn
| title = Marilyn Beck's Hollywood: Producers Finding Financing Rough
| newspaper = [[The Victoria Advocate]]
| location = Victoria, Texas
| page = 11D
| date = 1980-04-03
| url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2yMNAAAAIBAJ&pg=6955,608630&dq=adam+and+yves+danny-arnold&hl=en
| access-date = 2010-09-02}}</ref> He also visited the set of ''[[General Hospital]]'' for research and conducted extensive makeup tests. Hoffman has stated that he was shocked to learn that although makeup could be used to allow him to credibly appear as a woman, he would never be a beautiful one. His epiphany occurred when he realized that although he found Dorothy interesting, he would not have spoken to her at a party because she was not beautiful, and because of this, he had missed the opportunity for many conversations with interesting women. He concluded that he had never regarded ''Tootsie'' as a comedy.<ref>{{Cite AV media 
| title = Dustin Hoffman on TOOTSIE and his character Dorothy Michaels
| publisher = [[American Film Institute]]
| date = 2012-12-17
| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPAat-T1uhE
| access-date = 2022-02-10
| via = [[YouTube]]
}}</ref>

Scenes set at New York's [[Russian Tea Room]] were filmed in the actual restaurant, with additional scenes shot in [[Central Park]] and in front of [[Bloomingdale's]]. Scenes were also filmed in [[Hurley, New York]] and at the National Video Studios in New York.<ref name="Tea Room">[[Maslin, Janet]]. "'Tootsie': A Woman Who Is Dustin Hoffman." ''New York Times.'' July 13, 1982.</ref> Additional filming took place in [[Fort Lee, New Jersey]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/24/nyregion/and-the-winner-is-new-jersey-as-a-location-for-top-films.html|title=And the Winner Is . . . New Jersey, as a Location for Top Films|first=Betsy|last=Anderson|work=The New York Times |date=24 March 1991|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref>