Matthews to the late Nora Ephron: I wish I told you I liked you from the start

By Chris Matthews

 - 

Wed Jun 27, 2012 8:00 PM EDT

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Let me finish tonight with Nora Ephron.  
Why? Because this is about us. You know...people who have dated, have dealt with the surprises, joys, troubles, heartbreaks, and downright mysteries of romantic relationships.

Like screenwriter Nancy Meyers, who I just met but have long admired, Nora Ephron was a master at writing movies about relationships: usually from the woman's point of view, and therefore — certainly in my case — of deep fascination to men.
She wrote about this emotionally treacherous place in which a woman gets asked out on a date and has no idea whether she will ever hear from the guy again. Guys, of course, have another hardship: do you take the leap of asking someone out who can shoot you down cold? That can hurt. Do you struggle to hold on when you think the relationship is fading? Let's face it: we've all been hurt.
But there's hope, and that's what kept us — or keeps some of you — trying.
I loved Sleepless in Seattle because it's about a story that goes back to the days of Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr and stayed fresh as can be for Tom Hanks and the great Meg Ryan, and will be fresh as can be another half century or another millennium if there are still people out there who are lonely and hopeful of not being.
The belief that there's a Jack for every Jill is — let's all shout it to the heavens — the one, uniting religion shared by billions, and it's the faith that Norah Ephron preached, despite one too many horror stories, one date (or husband) from hell too many when one is a lot to survive.
When Harry Met Sally, which our guest and my friend Rob Reiner directed so brilliantly, in You've Got Mail and Sleepless, we get the good news that comes after the bad news of Heartburn. Nora gave it all to us: the bad, the ugly and, finally, the good.
To Nora Ephron, who wrote to us in the old Esquire about men's obsession with women's breasts, who wrote movies about how men need to believe they can satisfy a woman — I can't believe we showed you that scene right here tonight on Hardball! — to Nora Ephron who told us we are not alone, that our dates, our relationships are not out there on some other planet from others.
I salute you, and thank our mutual friend Steve Weisman for introducing us. Miss you already, wish now I had told you I liked you from the start.

Did some digging and was amazed by what I found.  Movies I have seen and fallen in Love with. And books I will have to look into. She was extraordinary, and she will be missed. She wrote, directed and produced...

2009 Julie & Julia (screenplay)

2005 Bewitched (written by)

2000 Hanging Up (screenplay)

1998 You've Got Mail (screenplay)

1996 Michael (screenplay)

1994 Mixed Nuts (screenplay)

1993 Sleepless in Seattle (screenplay)

1992 This Is My Life (screenplay)

1990/I My Blue Heaven (written by)

1989 When Harry Met Sally... (written by)

1989 Cookie (written by)

1986 Heartburn (novel / screenplay)

1983 Silkwood (written by)

1978 Perfect Gentlemen (TV movie)

1973 Adam's Rib (TV series)

– For Richer, for Poorer (1973) (story)

1998  All I Wanna Do (executive producer)
2000 Lucky Numbers(producer)

Other Works:

Directed a short film shown for the The 74th Annual Academy Awards (2002) (TV).

(1983) Novel: "Heartburn" (filmed as Heartburn (1986))

(1975) Book of essays: "Crazy Salad"

(2006) Book: "I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman"

(2002) Stage play: "Imaginary Friends". Written by Nora Ephron. Directed by Jack O'Brien. Ethel Barrymore Theatre: 12 Dec 2002 - 16 Feb 2003 (76 performances).

(1970) Book: "Wallflower at the Orgy".

(1978) Book: "Scribble Scribble: Notes on the Media".

(2010) Book: "I Remember Nothing: And Other Reflections".