Author of 'love story' disputes a gore tale

Erich segal, author of the weeper ''love tale,'' stated these days that most effective the emotional circle of relatives bags of the romantic hero in his novel became stimulated through a younger al gore. Mr. Segal knocked down current reviews, based on feedback by means of the vice president, that mr. Gore and his spouse, tipper, were the models for the younger fans in his 1970 book and the following film starring ryan o'neal and ali macgraw. Those reviews have been 1/2-proper, mr. Segal stated: the person of the preppy harvard hockey player oliver barrett 4th become modeled on both mr. Gore and his university roommate, the actor tommy lee jones. But it turned into mr. Jones who stimulated the 1/2 of the man or woman that turned into a sensitive stud, a macho athlete with the coronary heart of a poet, mr. Segal said. The author attributed to mr. Gore simplest the person's controlling father and feeling that his circle of relatives became pressuring him to observe in dad's footsteps. Mr. Segal stated he knew the 2 of them at harvard while he become on sabbatical there in 1968, and knew mrs. Gore as well. But the character of the cool, clever-mouthed radcliffe musician, jenny cavilleri, became in no way based totally on mrs. Gore, mr. Segal stated, and the wild romance in the novel became no longer inspired by way of the couple.

''i did now not draw a issue from tipper,'' he said. ''i knew her only as al's date.''

mr. Segal stated he have been ''befuddled'' via the document, which turned into published in time mag this week, and had referred to as the vice president to discover what had came about. Mr. Gore advised mr. Segal that the entirety became a misunderstanding. Then, mr. Segal said, mr. Gore advised him, ''allow's bear in mind what took place.'' and, he stated, ''it is crucial now.''

on friday, in interviews with the ny instances columnist maureen dowd, a spokeswoman for mr. Gore, ginny terzano, not only did now not venture the story but also confirmed that the radical turned into ''loosely based totally'' on the gores. She also brought some details, announcing that the gores and mr. Jones had socialized with mr. Segal whilst the three men lived in dunster residence at harvard. When requested how mr. Gore felt about the story, ms. Terzano said he thought it was ''adorable.'' and, asked why such an attractive reality had never come to mild all through his years of public existence, ms. Terzano said: ''because they're shy human beings, the ones gores. They don't communicate about themselves.''

however ms. Terzano said nowadays that mr. Gore had now not bothered to correct the story due to the fact he had greater critical things to do. She stated that she certainly had no longer checked with mr. Gore approximately the tale on friday and had primarily based the confirmation on his touch upon the plane. Ms. Terzano said that she, and not the vice president, thought it become a lovable tale. ''i nevertheless do,'' she said. In 1970, mr. Segal advised the times that the unconventional's fundamental tale got here from considered one of his students at yale, whose wife had died, and that the model for jenny turned into a woman mr. Segal had dated in his harvard days. Mr. Segal said mr. Gore advised him on the cellphone this week that he knew that mrs. Gore was now not jenny and had in no way said she changed into.

''the vice president in no way misspoke,'' ms. Terzano stated of his initial assertion approximately his connection to ''love story.'' ''he may additionally were misheard.''

it has been a hard year for mr. Gore, who was implicated in questionable campaign fund-elevating practices. An article that the famously wood vice president became the version for a sturdy, romantic hero might have solid him in a softer light as he techniques an anticipated run for the presidency in 2000. The time mag article approximately the vice president blanketed this passage: ''around nighttime, after a 3-city excursion of texas last month, the vice president got here wandering again to the click compartment of air force . Sliding behind a desk with the 2 newshounds protecting him that day, he picked slices of fruit from their plates and spent two hours swapping evaluations approximately movies and telling memories approximately old pals like erich segal, who, gore stated, used al and tipper as models for the uptight preppy and his loose-lively lady friend in 'love story.' ''

that one paragraph become the talk of washington this week, and the most well-known line from ''love story'' -- ''love approach by no means having to mention you're sorry'' -- turned into recalled endlessly. ''love tale'' was a three-hankie film, with jenny loss of life ultimately. It changed into a hit, nominated for satisfactory image and 6 other oscars, although it received handiest for its song. Of their telephone verbal exchange some days ago, mr. Gore reminded mr. Segal that at the same time as mr. Segal became on his book tour for ''love story,'' a reporter for the nashville tennessean who knew that mr. Gore and the author had been pals had asked if there was not a touch bit of al gore in oliver barrett. Mr. Segal said yes, there has been, but the reporter ''just exaggerated,'' mr. Segal stated. ''he made it to be the nearby-hero attitude.''

mr. Segal said the vice chairman informed him that each one he had said on the aircraft become that the item had made the relationship -- and got it wrong.

''al stated, 'i failed to say that' approximately being the version,'' mr. Segal said.

''al attributed it to the newspaper, he talked about the newspaper,'' mr. Segal said at some other point inside the interview. ''they with no trouble disregarded that element. Time idea it was more piquant to depart that out. He became talking on the aircraft off the file, a drink with the boys after a tiring day. I do not think he will be reminiscing tons anymore.''

karen tumulty, the time reporter at the plane, stated mr. Gore brought up the story and in no way tried to knock it down, then or later. And nobody on his body of workers has accomplished so inside the days since the article changed into published, ms. Tumulty said, even though she has for the reason that talked to numerous individuals of his group of workers. Ms. Terzano said mr. Gore had no longer disputed the tale due to the fact ''it became a nonsense sentence in an crucial article and he had different matters on his mind.''

ms. Tumulty stated that on the aircraft, mr. Gore have been speaking about how ironic it become that his old roommate, mr. Jones, were given his appearing smash inside the movie ''love story.''

''he stated segal had advised some journalists in tennessee that it became primarily based on him and tipper,'' ms. Tumulty stated. ''he stated all i recognise is that is what he told journalists in tennessee.''

richard l. Berke, a reporter for the instances also travelling on the aircraft, said mr. Gore left the affect that he and mrs. Gore had been the models for the couple inside the book, however also left room for doubt by way of attributing it to journalists in tennessee. Nowadays, while advised that mr. Segal had characterised the reports as an exaggeration, ms. Terzano stated that in ''a very informal, off-the-record communication, mr. Gore said, 'there had been a few folks who idea the e book turned into loosely based totally on me.' '' each ms. Tumulty and the instances reporter stated the communication was not off the record. And ms. Tumulty said the vp ''failed to say loosely or no longer loosely. He failed to leave any doubt.''

mr. Segal said that once he met mr. Gore and mr. Jones at harvard in 1968 he preferred them very much and started out writing the screenplay that eventually became ''love story.''

he additionally knew mrs. Gore, who was attending boston college and was relationship al gore. However mr. Segal stated he did now not draw literary suggestion from mrs. Gore, whose father ran a plumbing supply enterprise, for the individual of jenny cavilleri, a baker's daughter who married oliver despite the competition of his blueblood family. The a part of the oliver barrett person that become inspired by way of mr. Gore, mr. Segal said, ''became that he was always below pressure to comply with in his father's footsteps and that changed into the struggle, to maintain up the family tradition. Albert gore sr., albert gore jr., oliver barrett 3-d, oliver barrett 4th -- you have to change some matters.''

the issue of the individual based totally on mr. Jones, he said, ''turned into the hard, macho man who's a poet at heart. They had been unique facets of the equal coin, hounded by a father who is a jock and an achiever.''

did mr. Gore present his father, a former usa senator from tennessee, on this mild? ''he made it inferentially clean,'' mr. Segal said. ''he was anxious. He turned into sensitive to being albert gore jr.''