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Downloaded from
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( music playing )
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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX
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( audience laughing )
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I have been going
with the same man
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for the last 14 years.
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Last week I got
the shock of my life.
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There, sitting
at a sidewalk cafe,
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00:01:13,008 --> 00:01:16,011
was my intended
with another woman.
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I asked him,
"What was the meaning
of this?"
11
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In reply,
they both stood up
12
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and gave me
such a merciless beating,
13
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even the waiters
were shocked.
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This is how I met Elaine.
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I was eligible
for two colleges--
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00:01:33,006 --> 00:01:37,016
the University of Chicago
and Mexico City College.
17
00:01:37,016 --> 00:01:41,011
I applied to both,
I never heard from Chicago
18
00:01:41,011 --> 00:01:44,012
and I was packing
for Mexico City College
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00:01:44,012 --> 00:01:47,022
when I got a telegram
that said report
to Mandel Hall
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00:01:47,022 --> 00:01:50,012
Monday morning at 8:00.
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00:01:50,012 --> 00:01:53,006
They had forgottento tell me I was accepted.
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So there you are and you
meet these phenomenal
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00:01:58,010 --> 00:02:02,017
improvisatory
turn on people
like Paul Sills, right?
24
00:02:02,017 --> 00:02:07,001
Paul Sills was a busboy
in the coffee shop.
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00:02:07,001 --> 00:02:09,012
So I would comeand have my lunch
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00:02:09,012 --> 00:02:13,004
and Paul would becleaning dishes offthe neighboring tables
27
00:02:13,004 --> 00:02:15,011
and we would bullshitabout the theater.
28
00:02:15,011 --> 00:02:18,003
This went on
over quite a long
period of time
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00:02:18,003 --> 00:02:18,021
and then he said
they were starting
a theater,
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00:02:18,021 --> 00:02:21,014
would I like to join.
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00:02:21,014 --> 00:02:23,000
Yeah, sure I wanted.
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00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:26,018
Paul put together a reading
of "Miss Lonelyhearts"
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00:02:26,018 --> 00:02:28,023
and I was Shrike.
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00:02:28,023 --> 00:02:32,017
And I was extremely good.
35
00:02:32,017 --> 00:02:34,012
I was a prick.
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00:02:34,012 --> 00:02:37,011
And then I started playing
snotty pricks.
37
00:02:37,011 --> 00:02:40,015
- I was very good
at pricks.
- Yeah.
38
00:02:40,015 --> 00:02:41,021
( both laugh )
39
00:02:41,021 --> 00:02:44,014
- I don't know why.
- I'll let that pass.
40
00:02:44,014 --> 00:02:45,017
Nobody knows.
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00:02:45,017 --> 00:02:49,016
Paul directedsome people and me
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00:02:49,016 --> 00:02:53,012
in that maddening playby Strindberg.
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00:02:53,012 --> 00:02:57,009
"Miss Julie."And we were so bad.
44
00:02:57,009 --> 00:03:01,018
And Sydney J. Harris,
who was the big
critic downtown,
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00:03:01,018 --> 00:03:03,006
thought we were great.
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00:03:03,006 --> 00:03:05,013
- Oh, dear.
- First--
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00:03:05,013 --> 00:03:09,005
one night there was
a great-looking girl
in the front row
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00:03:09,005 --> 00:03:11,013
and I couldn't stop
looking at her.
49
00:03:11,013 --> 00:03:12,018
And she was like...
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00:03:12,018 --> 00:03:16,020
( laughs )
51
00:03:16,020 --> 00:03:19,022
And now the next day
I'm reading the paper
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00:03:19,022 --> 00:03:24,004
and there's this raveabout our hideous production.
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00:03:24,004 --> 00:03:28,010
I'm walking
along the street,
I run into Paul
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and the beautiful girl
from the night before
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and I say,
"Paul, look at this!"
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00:03:36,002 --> 00:03:38,019
And she read it
over his shoulder
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00:03:38,019 --> 00:03:42,009
and there was only from her
at one point a "Ha!"
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00:03:42,009 --> 00:03:44,018
That's all she said.
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00:03:44,018 --> 00:03:46,000
O'Brien:
So the beautiful girlin the front row is Elaine.
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00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:47,013
Nichols:
Is Elaine.
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00:03:47,013 --> 00:03:52,023
Our first conversation
after the hideous play
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00:03:52,023 --> 00:03:55,007
and running into her
with Paul
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00:03:55,007 --> 00:03:57,012
was downtown at the IC.
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00:03:57,012 --> 00:04:02,000
I said, "May I sit down?"
and she said, "If you wish."
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00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:06,003
And I sat down
next to her and she started
that kind of spy thing.
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00:04:06,003 --> 00:04:08,018
She said,
"I had heard from..."
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00:04:08,018 --> 00:04:10,001
And it started.
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00:04:10,001 --> 00:04:12,023
The first conversation
we had was an improv.
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00:04:12,023 --> 00:04:15,014
And that's howwe continued.
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00:04:15,014 --> 00:04:18,013
I was very excitedbecause she was bothbeautiful and brilliant.
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00:04:18,013 --> 00:04:19,021
- O'Brien: And funny.
- Nichols: And so funny.
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Well, to jump way ahead,
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00:04:22,022 --> 00:04:26,004
one of our main pieces
happened as follows.
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00:04:26,004 --> 00:04:31,011
It was like
my 20-something birthday
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00:04:31,011 --> 00:04:35,016
and my wife at the time
said, "Your mother's on
the phone upstairs."
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00:04:35,016 --> 00:04:38,017
So I went up to the bedroom
and I picked up the phone
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00:04:38,017 --> 00:04:39,019
and I said, "Hello?"
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She said, "Well,
26 years ago tonight,
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I didn't have
such an easy time of it."
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00:04:45,006 --> 00:04:49,000
And I said, "Mom,
can I call you back?"
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00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:52,012
I called Elaine and I said,
"I have a piece for tonight."
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00:04:52,012 --> 00:04:54,019
And I told her
only that line
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and she said,
"Oh, I can't wait.
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00:04:57,020 --> 00:05:00,002
Don't tell me any more.
We'll just do it tonight."
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00:05:00,002 --> 00:05:04,019
Hello, Arthur.
This is your mother.
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00:05:04,019 --> 00:05:05,023
Do you remember me?
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00:05:05,023 --> 00:05:08,009
( audience laughing )
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00:05:08,009 --> 00:05:10,014
Mom, I was just
going to call you.
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00:05:10,014 --> 00:05:12,023
Is that a funny thing?
Do you know that I had
my hand on the phone?
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00:05:12,023 --> 00:05:16,002
Arthur, you were supposed
to call me last Friday.
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00:05:16,002 --> 00:05:19,004
Mother, honey, I know.
I just didn't have a second
and I could cut my throat--
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00:05:19,004 --> 00:05:23,012
Arthur, I sat
by that phone
all day Friday.
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00:05:23,012 --> 00:05:25,003
Honey, I was working.
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00:05:25,003 --> 00:05:27,000
And all day Friday night.
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00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:29,016
- Darling, I was in the lab--
- And all day Saturday.
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00:05:29,016 --> 00:05:31,006
- And all day Sunday.
- Mom--
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00:05:31,006 --> 00:05:33,016
And your father
finally said to me,
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00:05:33,016 --> 00:05:36,001
"Phyllis, eat something.
You'll faint."
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00:05:36,001 --> 00:05:38,017
And I said,
"No, Harry, no.
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00:05:38,017 --> 00:05:42,011
I don't want my mouth
to be full when my son
calls me."
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00:05:42,011 --> 00:05:44,016
Mom.
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00:05:44,016 --> 00:05:46,002
And you never called.
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00:05:46,002 --> 00:05:48,006
Mother, I was
sending up a rocket.
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00:05:48,006 --> 00:05:50,004
I didn't have a second.
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00:05:50,004 --> 00:05:53,003
Well, it's always
something, isn't it?
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00:05:53,003 --> 00:05:53,023
All right, honey,
look, please--
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00:05:53,023 --> 00:05:56,021
You know, Arthur,
I'm sure
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00:05:56,021 --> 00:06:00,011
that all the other
scientists there
have mothers.
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00:06:00,011 --> 00:06:02,015
And I'm sure that
they all find time
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00:06:02,015 --> 00:06:06,008
after their breakfast
or before their countoff...
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00:06:06,008 --> 00:06:09,016
- Down.
- ...to pick up a phone
and call their mother.
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00:06:09,016 --> 00:06:11,004
Honey, listen,
now you have me
on the phone.
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00:06:11,004 --> 00:06:12,016
- And you know how I worry.
- Well, that's the point.
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00:06:12,016 --> 00:06:15,015
I read in the paper
that you're still
losing them.
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00:06:15,015 --> 00:06:18,001
Mother.
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00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:22,005
Mother,
I don't lose them.
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00:06:22,005 --> 00:06:24,019
I nearly went out
of my mind.
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00:06:24,019 --> 00:06:26,010
Honey, listen,
I wanted to--
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00:06:26,010 --> 00:06:27,023
I thought what if they're
taking it out of his pay?
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00:06:27,023 --> 00:06:29,010
All right.
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00:06:29,010 --> 00:06:31,023
We had the same mother.
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00:06:31,023 --> 00:06:33,021
And we did this all over
on television many times,
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00:06:33,021 --> 00:06:36,008
at the White House.
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00:06:36,008 --> 00:06:38,015
We always figured her mother
would think it was mine
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00:06:38,015 --> 00:06:42,009
and my mother would
think it was hers,
and they did.
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00:06:42,009 --> 00:06:44,013
O'Brien:
So tell me aboutthe Compass Players.
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00:06:44,013 --> 00:06:48,000
- Was Elaine part of that?
- Nichols: Oh, yes.
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00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:51,018
We had many, many yearsas Compass and Second City.
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00:06:51,018 --> 00:06:53,020
And we werethe only people
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00:06:53,020 --> 00:06:56,019
who would repeat piecesand work on them.
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00:06:56,019 --> 00:06:58,013
Good afternoon.
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00:06:58,013 --> 00:07:01,018
( crying )
Good afternoon.
133
00:07:01,018 --> 00:07:04,023
Welcome to Long Dust.
Can I help you?
134
00:07:06,016 --> 00:07:08,014
Yes.
I read your ad.
135
00:07:08,014 --> 00:07:11,018
I'm interested
in the $65 funeral.
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00:07:11,018 --> 00:07:14,000
Was that for yourself?
137
00:07:15,023 --> 00:07:17,007
No.
138
00:07:17,007 --> 00:07:18,013
For another?
139
00:07:18,013 --> 00:07:23,009
May I ask,
where did you
catch that ad?
140
00:07:25,012 --> 00:07:27,003
"TV Guide."
141
00:07:30,012 --> 00:07:33,017
Just trying to find out
where our trade comes from.
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00:07:33,017 --> 00:07:38,003
I am afraid
that I'm going to have
to ask you some questions.
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00:07:38,003 --> 00:07:41,003
- Yes, that's all right.
- All right.
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00:07:41,003 --> 00:07:44,022
Can you tell me what
was the loved one's name?
145
00:07:44,022 --> 00:07:47,014
Seymour Maslow-Freene.
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00:07:49,018 --> 00:07:52,004
Is that hyphenated?
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00:07:52,004 --> 00:07:53,007
It was.
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00:07:58,006 --> 00:08:00,012
And the loved one's
address?
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00:08:00,012 --> 00:08:05,003
441118 Southeast
Huguenot Walloon Drive.
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00:08:08,009 --> 00:08:11,005
And may I ask
what your name is?
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00:08:11,005 --> 00:08:13,002
- Charlie.
- Charlie.
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00:08:13,002 --> 00:08:15,020
Charlie, I'm Miss Loomis,
your grief lady.
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00:08:15,020 --> 00:08:17,018
Hi.
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00:08:21,013 --> 00:08:23,017
Is it Charlie
Maslow-Freene?
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00:08:23,017 --> 00:08:25,017
- Yes.
- You're related?
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00:08:25,017 --> 00:08:28,014
Well, that will be $65.
157
00:08:28,014 --> 00:08:30,018
Thank you.
I have the check
all made out.
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00:08:30,018 --> 00:08:32,016
Oh, wonderful.
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00:08:32,016 --> 00:08:35,005
Before you go,
Mr. Maslow-Freene.
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00:08:35,005 --> 00:08:37,017
I was just wondering
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00:08:37,017 --> 00:08:42,000
would you be
interested in some extras
for the loved one?
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00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:44,016
What kind of extras?
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00:08:44,016 --> 00:08:47,018
Well, how about a casket?
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00:08:50,008 --> 00:08:53,019
But that's how
we developed the pieces.
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00:08:53,019 --> 00:08:56,016
We would improvise them
and sort of say,
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00:08:56,016 --> 00:08:58,015
"Let's keep that one."
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00:08:58,015 --> 00:09:01,014
And what we ended up with,
never planning it,
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00:09:01,014 --> 00:09:04,003
was a repertoire.
169
00:09:04,003 --> 00:09:06,004
The great thingabout improv
170
00:09:06,004 --> 00:09:07,009
is if you do itlong enough,
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00:09:07,009 --> 00:09:11,006
you can do it.You learn how to do it.
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00:09:11,006 --> 00:09:13,016
When it was good,
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00:09:13,016 --> 00:09:17,016
it was funnyfor the first timeanybody said it.
174
00:09:17,016 --> 00:09:21,005
One of her best improvs
was when we used to do
a DJ--
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00:09:21,005 --> 00:09:23,011
late-night DJ,
that was me,
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00:09:23,011 --> 00:09:24,012
and she was a starlet.
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00:09:24,012 --> 00:09:27,000
It eventually became
a set piece.
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00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:29,023
We were still working on it
and one night I said--
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00:09:29,023 --> 00:09:31,021
to tell us about
her new movie
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00:09:31,021 --> 00:09:34,012
and she said,
well, it's--
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00:09:34,012 --> 00:09:36,011
she was just lucky enough,
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00:09:36,011 --> 00:09:39,005
along with the other
things she was doing,
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00:09:39,005 --> 00:09:41,004
to have recorded
the title song
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00:09:41,004 --> 00:09:44,001
from "The Brothers
Karamazov."
185
00:09:44,001 --> 00:09:46,001
( laughs )
186
00:09:46,001 --> 00:09:49,005
And I said,
"Oh, could you possibly
sing it for us?"
187
00:09:49,005 --> 00:09:51,004
And she said,
"Of course."
188
00:09:51,004 --> 00:09:54,020
And with no malice
in her eyes or anger
at me,
189
00:09:54,020 --> 00:09:56,010
she sang on the spot.
190
00:09:56,010 --> 00:10:00,002
"There was dashing Dmitri,
elusive Ivan,
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00:10:00,002 --> 00:10:02,015
and Alyosha with
the laughing eyes.
192
00:10:02,015 --> 00:10:05,023
Then came the dawn,
the brothers were gone,
193
00:10:05,023 --> 00:10:09,017
I just can't forget
those wonderful guys."
194
00:10:09,017 --> 00:10:11,016
She didn't make that up.
195
00:10:11,016 --> 00:10:14,016
- She improvised it
and sang it.
- On the spot?
196
00:10:14,016 --> 00:10:16,009
This is a human female
197
00:10:16,009 --> 00:10:19,021
who could invent
that song in 30 seconds.
198
00:10:19,021 --> 00:10:21,021
It's impossible.
199
00:10:21,021 --> 00:10:24,018
It's also possible
only if you've been
improvising for years.
200
00:10:24,018 --> 00:10:27,004
Yes. Yes.
201
00:10:27,004 --> 00:10:30,013
And you do it every night
and your head gets weird.
202
00:10:30,013 --> 00:10:35,009
And it's capable of thingsyou could never again do.
203
00:10:35,009 --> 00:10:39,019
That's what happenedwhen we were at the Compass.
204
00:10:39,019 --> 00:10:43,015
First we got 28 a week,and then $35 a week.
205
00:10:43,015 --> 00:10:48,001
Vacations-- you geta week's vacationone week a year.
206
00:10:48,001 --> 00:10:49,014
But when you wentfor that week's vacation,
207
00:10:49,014 --> 00:10:53,007
you came back and youwatched this new stuff,
208
00:10:53,007 --> 00:10:56,021
you would say,
"Oh, I could never
do that.
209
00:10:56,021 --> 00:10:58,015
How do they do that?"
210
00:10:58,015 --> 00:11:01,002
It was terrifying
until you're back in it.
211
00:11:01,002 --> 00:11:04,009
Well, tell me,
how do you put your
sketches together now?
212
00:11:04,009 --> 00:11:08,010
Do you outline them
or are they fairly
well written out?
213
00:11:08,010 --> 00:11:11,005
We don't ever
write anything down
214
00:11:11,005 --> 00:11:13,021
and we don't ever
outline them.
215
00:11:13,021 --> 00:11:16,017
It's a terrifying process
216
00:11:16,017 --> 00:11:20,003
because the first time
we do something,
217
00:11:20,003 --> 00:11:23,001
we have to do it
in front of an audience
218
00:11:23,001 --> 00:11:25,023
without exactly knowing
what we're going to do.
219
00:11:25,023 --> 00:11:28,011
And Elaine usually
comes up to me and says,
220
00:11:28,011 --> 00:11:30,010
- "I'm insane with fear."
- Psychotic with fear.
221
00:11:30,010 --> 00:11:34,012
And I say that
I'm gibbering
with fright.
222
00:11:34,012 --> 00:11:37,015
But it's really
the only way we feel
we can do it
223
00:11:37,015 --> 00:11:40,001
because if we
decide what words
224
00:11:40,001 --> 00:11:43,007
we're going to say
beforehand,
225
00:11:43,007 --> 00:11:45,020
then it kind of closes us
to all the things
226
00:11:45,020 --> 00:11:49,005
that kind of occur
to you when you're in
front of an audience.
227
00:11:49,005 --> 00:11:51,007
We rehearsed once
and it was awful.
228
00:11:51,007 --> 00:11:52,021
- Didn't work.
- Didn't work out.
229
00:11:52,021 --> 00:11:55,003
I was in New York by then.
230
00:11:55,003 --> 00:11:58,003
A girl in my acting
class said,
231
00:11:58,003 --> 00:12:00,000
"Listen, I know
a very good manager
232
00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:02,007
if you and Elaine would
ever want to meet him."
233
00:12:02,007 --> 00:12:05,005
Why don't you auditionfor Jack Rollins,
234
00:12:05,005 --> 00:12:08,007
who was Harry Belafonte'smanager?
235
00:12:08,007 --> 00:12:10,013
Big deal.
236
00:12:10,013 --> 00:12:13,006
We auditionedon a Monday.
237
00:12:13,006 --> 00:12:16,020
Tuesday night we wentinto the Village Vanguard
238
00:12:16,020 --> 00:12:20,018
to open for Mort Sahlfor that week.
239
00:12:20,018 --> 00:12:23,017
Often Mort Sahl would say,
"I don't want them to go on.
I'm ready."
240
00:12:23,017 --> 00:12:27,015
But on the weekend,they moved us tothe Blue Angel.
241
00:12:27,015 --> 00:12:30,016
Carol Burnettopened for us.
242
00:12:30,016 --> 00:12:32,018
And then we gotput on "Omnibus"
243
00:12:32,018 --> 00:12:37,013
which was the long
TV show that everybody
watched on Sundays.
244
00:12:37,013 --> 00:12:40,010
Then we did existing pieces.Three of them.
245
00:12:40,010 --> 00:12:42,010
Big deal thing.
246
00:12:42,010 --> 00:12:44,011
( audience laughing )
247
00:13:04,009 --> 00:13:07,015
We then did this circle
that became the show.
248
00:13:07,015 --> 00:13:10,015
That is to say,
we toured all those places
249
00:13:10,015 --> 00:13:13,004
like casinos
in DC and LA.
250
00:13:13,004 --> 00:13:17,015
We were at the Mocamboand there were birdsof paradise on the walls,
251
00:13:17,015 --> 00:13:19,007
and every nightduring the show,
252
00:13:19,007 --> 00:13:22,008
one or two birds would die
and fall to the floor.
253
00:13:22,008 --> 00:13:25,023
And then eventually
ended up at the Golden.
254
00:13:42,003 --> 00:13:44,023
What do you play
in the picture,
sweetheart?
255
00:13:44,023 --> 00:13:46,014
Well, Jack,
256
00:13:46,014 --> 00:13:49,010
it's really just
a real great break for me.
257
00:13:49,010 --> 00:13:52,006
- Uh-huh.
- Because, I mean, I just--
258
00:13:52,006 --> 00:13:53,022
- well, I don't swim
in this at all.
- Uh-huh.
259
00:13:53,022 --> 00:13:57,006
Which is just--
260
00:13:57,006 --> 00:13:59,011
- Terrific.
- First chance.
261
00:13:59,011 --> 00:14:04,009
And I was just lucky
enough to get the part
of Gertrude Stein, so...
262
00:14:04,009 --> 00:14:06,001
( laughing )
263
00:14:12,001 --> 00:14:14,015
I'm very, very surprised
to hear that.
264
00:14:14,015 --> 00:14:16,004
I had heard
Gertrude Stein
265
00:14:16,004 --> 00:14:19,002
was to be played
by Spencer Tracy.
266
00:14:19,002 --> 00:14:20,023
Yes.
267
00:14:20,023 --> 00:14:25,021
Well, only as a child.
268
00:14:25,021 --> 00:14:28,016
Elaine and I were
finished with it
269
00:14:28,016 --> 00:14:31,003
almost a year here
at the Golden
270
00:14:31,003 --> 00:14:33,000
and she didn't
want to go on.
271
00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:35,007
We were still selling out,
but she didn't want to go on,
272
00:14:35,007 --> 00:14:37,015
'cause it was much harder
for her than for me.
273
00:14:37,015 --> 00:14:40,009
- Because?
- She was a real actress.
274
00:14:40,009 --> 00:14:44,001
And I was beginning
to be a real pain in
the ass to her, too.
275
00:14:44,001 --> 00:14:47,004
I remember this
even when we were
at the Golden.
276
00:14:47,004 --> 00:14:49,016
I was very controlling.
277
00:14:49,016 --> 00:14:51,017
"You were a little
too slow tonight."
278
00:14:51,017 --> 00:14:55,009
As you know,
once that starts,
279
00:14:55,009 --> 00:14:56,009
you're in very bad trouble.
280
00:14:56,009 --> 00:14:58,019
- We could not recover.
- No.
281
00:14:58,019 --> 00:15:01,007
And Elaine,
who is much too--
282
00:15:01,007 --> 00:15:03,005
it's not that
she isn't strong,
283
00:15:03,005 --> 00:15:06,001
it's that she--
she doesn't battle.
284
00:15:06,001 --> 00:15:08,019
And she wanted to close.
285
00:15:08,019 --> 00:15:10,016
She said we had sort of
done it long enough.
286
00:15:10,016 --> 00:15:13,012
But she wrotea play for me
287
00:15:13,012 --> 00:15:16,000
and we wentto Philadelphiawith a play.
288
00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:17,020
It was a disaster.
289
00:15:17,020 --> 00:15:21,014
Part of it was that instead
of being together up here,
290
00:15:21,014 --> 00:15:24,021
she was down there
with the director
looking at me
291
00:15:24,021 --> 00:15:28,016
and something died.
292
00:15:28,016 --> 00:15:30,003
I mean,
at least for that
293
00:15:30,003 --> 00:15:33,017
because I couldn't beup there judged by Elaine
294
00:15:33,017 --> 00:15:36,000
with heras my taskmaster there.
295
00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:37,007
It just didn't work.
296
00:15:37,007 --> 00:15:38,016
And she knew it
and I knew it.
297
00:15:38,016 --> 00:15:43,000
And finally I closed it.
I had the right in our deal.
298
00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:45,014
It had to be
the director
that we had.
299
00:15:45,014 --> 00:15:47,001
That director
had been replaced.
300
00:15:47,001 --> 00:15:50,007
Whatever happened,
I closed it.
301
00:15:56,010 --> 00:15:59,016
Nichols:
The thing that changed me
302
00:15:59,016 --> 00:16:02,018
was a girl
I knew at the time
303
00:16:02,018 --> 00:16:06,005
when I was a junior
in high school.
304
00:16:06,005 --> 00:16:08,020
Her mother used to
give us theater tickets.
305
00:16:08,020 --> 00:16:10,013
And this one time
she gave us tickets
306
00:16:10,013 --> 00:16:14,006
for the second night
of "Streetcar Named Desire."
307
00:16:14,006 --> 00:16:19,009
So there we were,15 or 16, stunned.
308
00:16:19,009 --> 00:16:23,010
We sat poleaxed.
We didn't go to the bathroom.
309
00:16:23,010 --> 00:16:25,016
- We didn't move...
- Yeah, I'll bet you didn't.
310
00:16:25,016 --> 00:16:27,005
...for the length
of the thing.
311
00:16:27,005 --> 00:16:31,000
And we sat silent
during the intermissions.
312
00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:33,009
We never got over it,
either one of us.
313
00:16:33,009 --> 00:16:34,020
Yeah, I'll bet.
314
00:16:34,020 --> 00:16:36,009
She's a shrink now,
by the way.
315
00:16:36,009 --> 00:16:37,021
- As a result?
- Yes.
316
00:16:37,021 --> 00:16:41,008
Imagine seeing
Marlon Brando for
the first time anywhere.
317
00:16:41,008 --> 00:16:44,012
I mean, some people
saw his first play,
318
00:16:44,012 --> 00:16:47,015
but one girl in my class,
a real smart-ass...
319
00:16:47,015 --> 00:16:49,017
( audience laughs )
320
00:16:49,017 --> 00:16:52,018
...came in and said,
"I saw a fabulous actor
last night."
321
00:16:54,002 --> 00:16:56,020
She said, "'Truckline Cafe.'
322
00:16:56,020 --> 00:17:00,003
I mean, the play
was nothing much, but you're
going to hear about him.
323
00:17:00,003 --> 00:17:02,006
He's absolutely fabulous."
324
00:17:02,006 --> 00:17:03,022
She was, like, nine.
325
00:17:06,015 --> 00:17:11,003
To this day,it's the only thingI've ever seen
326
00:17:11,003 --> 00:17:14,000
that was 100% realand 100% poetic
327
00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:17,007
both at the same time.
328
00:17:17,007 --> 00:17:19,004
O'Brien:
Yeah.
329
00:17:19,004 --> 00:17:22,000
Nichols:
And only those actorscould have done it.
330
00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:24,011
Only Marlonand Jessica Tandy
331
00:17:24,011 --> 00:17:29,002
and Karl Maldenand the whole bunch of them
332
00:17:29,002 --> 00:17:30,016
could have donewhat they did.
333
00:17:30,016 --> 00:17:33,018
But the things
that Kazan added--
334
00:17:33,018 --> 00:17:36,018
the voices,
the scurrying
behind the set,
335
00:17:36,018 --> 00:17:40,003
the seeing through
the set to a little
bit of scurrying,
336
00:17:40,003 --> 00:17:43,004
the supernatural things,
337
00:17:43,004 --> 00:17:46,000
the scary things--
338
00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:48,001
in a weird way,
I never got over it
339
00:17:48,001 --> 00:17:51,004
because it was like
written in fire
or something.
340
00:17:51,004 --> 00:17:54,004
Everything that happened
was shocking.
341
00:17:54,004 --> 00:17:56,012
But let me just ask
something here
342
00:17:56,012 --> 00:17:58,000
because you're a junior
in high school
343
00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:02,001
and you're seeing maybe one
of the seminal great moments
344
00:18:02,001 --> 00:18:03,020
of American theater
345
00:18:03,020 --> 00:18:06,022
and your response
to it is basically
346
00:18:06,022 --> 00:18:08,017
intuitively
like a director.
347
00:18:08,017 --> 00:18:11,005
- Not like an actor.
- Not like an actor at all.
348
00:18:11,005 --> 00:18:13,009
All I was looking at
349
00:18:13,009 --> 00:18:15,014
was from the director's
point of view, but I just
never knew it.
350
00:18:15,014 --> 00:18:19,018
Oh, this is the thing that
I carried into directing,
351
00:18:19,018 --> 00:18:23,002
which is...
352
00:18:23,002 --> 00:18:25,023
to begin to revere
the unconscious.
353
00:18:25,023 --> 00:18:28,022
That not naming something,
354
00:18:28,022 --> 00:18:32,008
not deciding what to do,
355
00:18:32,008 --> 00:18:36,010
being brave
and going out empty
356
00:18:36,010 --> 00:18:38,001
is the only way.
357
00:18:38,001 --> 00:18:39,020
And it's both terrifying
and thrilling.
358
00:18:39,020 --> 00:18:42,019
And what I didn't know
359
00:18:42,019 --> 00:18:45,015
was that it applies
to directing, too.
360
00:18:45,015 --> 00:18:49,002
And the fact that
I discovered that
361
00:18:49,002 --> 00:18:51,006
with my first play
that I directed, really--
362
00:18:51,006 --> 00:18:53,020
- "Barefoot"?
- "Barefoot."
363
00:18:53,020 --> 00:18:56,013
I had five days.
364
00:18:56,013 --> 00:18:58,003
What do you mean?
365
00:18:58,003 --> 00:19:01,008
Well, what I mean is that
Saint Subber, the producer,
366
00:19:01,008 --> 00:19:02,018
whom I didn't know yet,
367
00:19:02,018 --> 00:19:07,000
came and said,
"Would you like
to direct this play?"
368
00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:09,006
And I said,
"Oh, direct?
369
00:19:09,006 --> 00:19:11,006
That interests me.
I hadn't thought of it."
370
00:19:11,006 --> 00:19:14,002
And it was called"Nobody Loves Me,"
371
00:19:14,002 --> 00:19:16,018
which Neil Simon soon retitled"Barefoot in the Park."
372
00:19:16,018 --> 00:19:20,012
And I said, "Look,why don't we try it outand try me out?
373
00:19:20,012 --> 00:19:22,016
Why don't we do itin stock?"
374
00:19:22,016 --> 00:19:25,006
- In five days?
- In five days.
375
00:19:25,006 --> 00:19:27,020
If the play is any good
and if I'm any good,
376
00:19:27,020 --> 00:19:29,004
we'll find out.
377
00:19:29,004 --> 00:19:32,004
So we went up
to Bucks County.
378
00:19:32,004 --> 00:19:35,022
I said, "I wantthat blond guy I saw on"Playhouse 90" last week.
379
00:19:35,022 --> 00:19:38,014
And that was Redford.
380
00:19:38,014 --> 00:19:41,010
And then Elizabeth Ashleycame with it
381
00:19:41,010 --> 00:19:43,015
- because Neil Simon--
- O'Brien: Knew her.
382
00:19:43,015 --> 00:19:45,008
Nichols:
Knew her,but he and Saint
383
00:19:45,008 --> 00:19:47,010
had already madea deal with her.
384
00:19:47,010 --> 00:19:49,015
And we got up there
and we're running through--
385
00:19:49,015 --> 00:19:51,023
it's the first
and only run-through.
386
00:19:51,023 --> 00:19:53,010
And I'm perfectly happy.
387
00:19:53,010 --> 00:19:57,005
And Neil Simon says,"This is impossible.
388
00:19:57,005 --> 00:20:00,003
This isn't funny at all.We can't open.
389
00:20:00,003 --> 00:20:03,004
We can't do this.We cannot do this play."
390
00:20:03,004 --> 00:20:05,015
And I did my first
grown-up thing of my life.
391
00:20:05,015 --> 00:20:08,008
I said, "Look, they're
coming tomorrow anyway.
392
00:20:08,008 --> 00:20:10,000
Why don't we see
what they think?"
393
00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:11,005
( laughs )
394
00:20:11,005 --> 00:20:13,008
Nichols:
They went nuts.
395
00:20:13,008 --> 00:20:16,012
Clearly a big hit.
396
00:20:16,012 --> 00:20:18,016
And they weremagnificent.
397
00:20:18,016 --> 00:20:19,021
I mean, Redfordand Natwick
398
00:20:19,021 --> 00:20:22,006
and Ashley in her way.
399
00:20:22,006 --> 00:20:24,006
I mean,she was so game.
400
00:20:24,006 --> 00:20:26,004
I said, "I don'twant you being cute.
401
00:20:26,004 --> 00:20:29,003
I want you to be Joan of Arcwhen you're upset."
402
00:20:29,003 --> 00:20:31,001
And then there was
Dick Benjamin,
403
00:20:31,001 --> 00:20:34,015
who was one of the people
I met to replace Redford.
404
00:20:34,015 --> 00:20:36,020
After a year and a half,
he was moving on to Hollywood.
405
00:20:36,020 --> 00:20:38,007
Who wouldn't?
406
00:20:38,007 --> 00:20:40,015
And he said to me
after sort of the second
or third day
407
00:20:40,015 --> 00:20:43,011
with a stage manager,
"I can't learn all
the business.
408
00:20:43,011 --> 00:20:45,021
There's so much business.
It never stops."
409
00:20:45,021 --> 00:20:47,002
And I said,
"That's right."
410
00:20:47,002 --> 00:20:49,008
He said, "Why?"
I said, "So you can't act."
411
00:20:49,008 --> 00:20:51,002
( laughs )
412
00:20:51,002 --> 00:20:54,012
I had forgotten
how much business
there is in it.
413
00:20:54,012 --> 00:20:56,000
Yeah.
414
00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:58,004
They never stop
undressing, dressing,
415
00:20:58,004 --> 00:21:00,005
putting ties
into dictionaries,
416
00:21:00,005 --> 00:21:03,008
pulling out
the refrigerator,
417
00:21:03,008 --> 00:21:05,013
getting out the chicken,
eating the chicken.
418
00:21:05,013 --> 00:21:06,021
And it's all buried
so you don't notice it.
419
00:21:06,021 --> 00:21:08,008
It looks like life.
420
00:21:08,008 --> 00:21:11,007
And I have seen also
what happens
421
00:21:11,007 --> 00:21:13,019
when you do
Neil Simon as though
there are punch lines.
422
00:21:13,019 --> 00:21:15,019
- It doesn't work.
- No. They're accidental.
423
00:21:15,019 --> 00:21:16,022
- The lines are accidental.
- That's right.
424
00:21:16,022 --> 00:21:19,022
- You have to live in them.
- Right.
425
00:21:19,022 --> 00:21:22,008
We had a crisis.
We never knew how
to end it.
426
00:21:24,018 --> 00:21:26,019
And one night I had
Lillian Hellman,
427
00:21:26,019 --> 00:21:28,017
who had become
a friend,
428
00:21:28,017 --> 00:21:31,000
at my housewith my then wife,
429
00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:33,015
and she said,"I know there's a problemin the second act.
430
00:21:33,015 --> 00:21:35,019
Let me tell youwhat I thought wasgoing to happen.
431
00:21:35,019 --> 00:21:38,011
When they went out
for the big dinner
432
00:21:38,011 --> 00:21:40,003
and they came back,
433
00:21:40,003 --> 00:21:42,008
I thought that the mother
had gone upstairs
434
00:21:42,008 --> 00:21:45,003
with the neighbor
and spent the night."
435
00:21:45,003 --> 00:21:47,019
Of course she did,
'cause she was the same
age as the mother.
436
00:21:47,019 --> 00:21:49,005
Yes, and that
would occur to her.
437
00:21:49,005 --> 00:21:53,000
I said,
"Can you excuse me
for about an hour?"
438
00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:57,001
And I left
my own apartment
439
00:21:57,001 --> 00:21:59,000
with my poor wife
440
00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:01,022
and went to find Doc
441
00:22:01,022 --> 00:22:05,012
and told him this idea.
442
00:22:05,012 --> 00:22:07,003
And he was thrilled.
443
00:22:07,003 --> 00:22:11,009
He wrote that the mother
slipped on the stairs
on the ice
444
00:22:11,009 --> 00:22:15,009
'cause there was a storm,
twisted her ankle.
445
00:22:15,009 --> 00:22:18,014
He carried her upstairs
'cause they didn't want
to upset her daughter.
446
00:22:18,014 --> 00:22:20,021
Right.
447
00:22:20,021 --> 00:22:23,023
She slept in his place
and in the morning
448
00:22:23,023 --> 00:22:26,010
the daughter discovered her
upstairs in his bathrobe.
449
00:22:26,010 --> 00:22:28,017
And she madethe wrong assumption.
450
00:22:28,017 --> 00:22:32,009
And then we were leftwith a scene on the couch
451
00:22:32,009 --> 00:22:34,005
which wasthe two older people.
452
00:22:34,005 --> 00:22:35,023
And what they didin the scene
453
00:22:35,023 --> 00:22:37,023
was describe what theyhad done last night.
454
00:22:37,023 --> 00:22:39,014
And it was so boring.
455
00:22:39,014 --> 00:22:42,005
And we tried this,
and we tried that.
456
00:22:42,005 --> 00:22:46,002
We spent a whole day
working on it.
457
00:22:46,002 --> 00:22:48,009
And Kurt Kasznar
was impatient.
458
00:22:48,009 --> 00:22:50,005
He said, "I'm getting
a little worried,
459
00:22:50,005 --> 00:22:52,001
'cause, you know,
we open in four days."
460
00:22:52,001 --> 00:22:54,005
I said, "That's what
I'm worried about."
461
00:22:54,005 --> 00:22:55,020
( laughs )
462
00:22:55,020 --> 00:22:58,003
"We're not done.
We haven't solved this."
463
00:22:58,003 --> 00:23:01,010
And after
the whole day,
I said,
464
00:23:01,010 --> 00:23:05,016
"What if
it seems funny to you
as you recollect it?
465
00:23:05,016 --> 00:23:09,002
What if you start
to laugh at what
happened last night?"
466
00:23:09,002 --> 00:23:12,005
And they looked at me
and they tried it.
467
00:23:12,005 --> 00:23:14,000
And we had solved it.
468
00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:16,006
They got hysterical.
469
00:23:16,006 --> 00:23:18,021
They hadn't had sex,but they have connected.
470
00:23:18,021 --> 00:23:19,014
- O'Brien: Right.
- It was better than sex.
471
00:23:19,014 --> 00:23:21,022
It was.
472
00:23:21,022 --> 00:23:23,005
If only I had
known that in time.
473
00:23:23,005 --> 00:23:26,019
( laughing )
The story of my life.
474
00:23:26,019 --> 00:23:30,018
I then came to
475
00:23:30,018 --> 00:23:32,018
appreciate
476
00:23:32,018 --> 00:23:35,007
that this job
that I so loved,
477
00:23:35,007 --> 00:23:40,004
that I was clearly
gonna be okay at,
478
00:23:40,004 --> 00:23:43,007
needed the unconscious
just as much as improv,
479
00:23:43,007 --> 00:23:47,011
because what was
about to happen to me
480
00:23:47,011 --> 00:23:52,003
was a number of plays
where that certainly
was the case.
481
00:23:52,003 --> 00:23:54,023
Most wonderfully,
I thought, "The Odd Couple"
482
00:23:54,023 --> 00:23:58,014
because I insisted
483
00:23:58,014 --> 00:24:01,006
that we do only what you do
around a poker table.
484
00:24:01,006 --> 00:24:03,000
- No cheating.
- Right.
485
00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:04,021
Everybody sits around
the poker table.
486
00:24:04,021 --> 00:24:08,001
- When I see half
a poker table, I sit.
- Oh, me, too.
487
00:24:08,001 --> 00:24:10,010
But that's whenthe good ideas come out.
488
00:24:10,010 --> 00:24:11,013
- Who do you see win and why?
- O'Brien: And how do yousolve it?
489
00:24:11,013 --> 00:24:13,006
- Nichols: Yes, exactly.
- It's fun.
490
00:24:13,006 --> 00:24:16,000
Nichols:
Staging the first act
491
00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:18,004
was one of the greatthrills of my life.
492
00:24:18,004 --> 00:24:20,007
O'Brien: Had to be.And they knew it,too, right?
493
00:24:20,007 --> 00:24:21,013
Nichols:
They knew it, I knew it,we all knew it.
494
00:24:21,013 --> 00:24:24,016
We knew we were onto something incredible.
495
00:24:24,016 --> 00:24:26,016
O'Brien:
A lot of people feel"The Odd Couple"
496
00:24:26,016 --> 00:24:28,001
is Neil's greatest play.
497
00:24:28,001 --> 00:24:29,015
I think it's
his greatest play.
498
00:24:29,015 --> 00:24:33,022
I think
it's the best thing
I did on Broadway
499
00:24:33,022 --> 00:24:36,005
either ever
or for a very long time.
500
00:24:36,005 --> 00:24:39,005
Who would dream
that it could be
501
00:24:39,005 --> 00:24:40,019
at the very heart
of something?
502
00:24:40,019 --> 00:24:42,009
Two guys who are separated
from their wife?
503
00:24:42,009 --> 00:24:44,014
Who gives a shit?
What is that like?
504
00:24:44,014 --> 00:24:46,002
Nothing.
505
00:24:46,002 --> 00:24:49,008
Why was it like everything?
506
00:24:49,008 --> 00:24:52,020
Because it was the perfect way
to be funny about marriage.
507
00:24:52,020 --> 00:24:57,001
It was a pseudo marriage
508
00:24:57,001 --> 00:25:00,013
without any
of the advantages
of a marriage,
509
00:25:00,013 --> 00:25:03,007
but some serious
disadvantages
510
00:25:03,007 --> 00:25:04,014
in it being
these two guys.
511
00:25:04,014 --> 00:25:09,016
And that turned out
to be a great metaphor.
512
00:25:09,016 --> 00:25:13,014
There are only
three kinds of scenes--
513
00:25:13,014 --> 00:25:18,009
negotiations,
seductions, and fights.
514
00:25:18,009 --> 00:25:21,006
I'm finished.
That's all.
515
00:25:21,006 --> 00:25:25,015
All scenes come
into one of those
three categories.
516
00:25:25,015 --> 00:25:27,015
And as I said to Jack
on the way over,
517
00:25:27,015 --> 00:25:31,016
how often have you
rehearsed a scene
for two weeks
518
00:25:31,016 --> 00:25:33,022
and then said,
"Oh, my God,
it's a fight"?
519
00:25:33,022 --> 00:25:35,002
And you can do the same
with seductions
520
00:25:35,002 --> 00:25:39,000
and most of all
with negotiations
521
00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:41,011
because that's mostly
what we do in life,
522
00:25:41,011 --> 00:25:42,021
especially at home.
523
00:25:42,021 --> 00:25:46,009
Art Carney and,for the first partof the run,
524
00:25:46,009 --> 00:25:48,022
Walter Matthauwere great.
525
00:25:48,022 --> 00:25:52,004
Walter Matthauwas a confusing person
526
00:25:52,004 --> 00:25:54,021
because he wasn't--he was not easy.
527
00:25:54,021 --> 00:25:57,005
- Not happy, either.
- He wasn't happy.
528
00:25:57,005 --> 00:26:01,008
He made Art Carney,
who was a saint, not happy.
529
00:26:01,008 --> 00:26:03,012
- Destroyed
our opening night.
- Really?
530
00:26:03,012 --> 00:26:06,012
Yeah, I was restaging
something opening night.
531
00:26:06,012 --> 00:26:08,022
Just a little something,
took for a minute.
532
00:26:08,022 --> 00:26:13,015
And I said, "Artie,
I like when you come
down and you do this."
533
00:26:13,015 --> 00:26:17,009
Matthau said,
"Mike, don't you think
534
00:26:17,009 --> 00:26:20,011
Artie is a little faggy
when he does that?"
535
00:26:20,011 --> 00:26:22,004
And I thought,
"Thank you very much.
That's our opening night."
536
00:26:52,003 --> 00:26:54,003
And you were off
and running
537
00:26:54,003 --> 00:26:57,012
as a major,
major director.
538
00:26:57,012 --> 00:27:01,004
And yet
somewhere between
539
00:27:01,004 --> 00:27:04,000
when you did"The Little Foxes"
540
00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:06,017
and "The Apple Tree,"
541
00:27:06,017 --> 00:27:08,014
something happened.
542
00:27:08,014 --> 00:27:10,011
You directed
your first film,
543
00:27:10,011 --> 00:27:12,006
which was "Who's Afraid
of Virginia Woolf?"
with the Burtons.
544
00:27:12,006 --> 00:27:15,003
Did you know
you could do a film?
545
00:27:15,003 --> 00:27:16,011
There were problems
in my family.
546
00:27:16,011 --> 00:27:20,013
My mother was very sick.
We were refugees.
547
00:27:20,013 --> 00:27:22,006
- Things were tough.
- Okay.
548
00:27:22,006 --> 00:27:23,010
- Okay.
- Now we're going back.
549
00:27:23,010 --> 00:27:27,003
- All right.
- Quite a ways back, okay?
550
00:27:27,003 --> 00:27:30,009
So, in 1939,your father was a doctor
551
00:27:30,009 --> 00:27:32,019
in Germanyand he comes first.
552
00:27:32,019 --> 00:27:35,001
He comes to New York
a year before.
553
00:27:35,001 --> 00:27:37,023
One-- because they're
taking Jewish doctors,
obviously,
554
00:27:37,023 --> 00:27:40,018
by their initial,
and his initial P
was coming up.
555
00:27:40,018 --> 00:27:44,002
- A patient warned him.
- Warned him of what
was happening?
556
00:27:44,002 --> 00:27:46,002
- That the Nazis
would take him?
- Yes.
557
00:27:46,002 --> 00:27:50,014
German Jews could not travel,
could not leave the country.
558
00:27:50,014 --> 00:27:53,022
They had to wait to be
picked up for the camps.
559
00:27:53,022 --> 00:27:56,016
Russian Jews,
which is what we were--
560
00:27:56,016 --> 00:27:59,017
our papers were Russian
along with my father--
561
00:27:59,017 --> 00:28:02,007
could travel.
562
00:28:02,007 --> 00:28:04,023
O'Brien:
So your father was smart enoughto say, "I've got to get out.
563
00:28:04,023 --> 00:28:06,020
And if I get out,I can get you out."
564
00:28:06,020 --> 00:28:10,015
Nichols:
Right. And a year later,my brother and I,
565
00:28:10,015 --> 00:28:15,013
we were seven and fourand we came aloneon the Bremen.
566
00:28:15,013 --> 00:28:18,016
First of all, we're stoppedon the gangplank
567
00:28:18,016 --> 00:28:20,021
'cause Hitlerwas making a speech.
568
00:28:20,021 --> 00:28:23,002
Each lampposthad a speaker.
569
00:28:23,002 --> 00:28:27,002
And traffic stoppedwhen Hitler spoke.
570
00:28:27,002 --> 00:28:30,013
And that meant that wecouldn't get on the boattill the speech was finished.
571
00:28:30,013 --> 00:28:34,000
I remember getting
at the end of the gangplank.
572
00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:35,022
I jumped
as hard as I could
573
00:28:35,022 --> 00:28:38,010
'cause I wanted to see
the boat go up and down.
574
00:28:38,010 --> 00:28:42,009
I hadn't quite
figured out volume and...
575
00:28:42,009 --> 00:28:45,011
And I had a fairly
good time on the boat.
576
00:28:45,011 --> 00:28:48,013
I spoke one sentenceof English, which was
577
00:28:48,013 --> 00:28:52,008
"I don't speak English,please don't kiss me."
578
00:28:52,008 --> 00:28:54,019
My mother wasin the hospital,
579
00:28:54,019 --> 00:28:56,022
which is why she didn'tcome at that time.
580
00:28:56,022 --> 00:28:59,010
She was ill.She had been ill then
581
00:28:59,010 --> 00:29:02,007
and for muchof the rest of her life.
582
00:29:02,007 --> 00:29:04,020
- She came over a yearafter we came over.
- O'Brien: I see.
583
00:29:04,020 --> 00:29:08,010
Nichols:
And then my father made itfun when we got here
584
00:29:08,010 --> 00:29:11,008
'cause he was
a very funny guy.
585
00:29:11,008 --> 00:29:13,002
I remember him dancing
in his underwear.
586
00:29:13,002 --> 00:29:15,007
- That's my happiest memory.
- How wonderful.
587
00:29:15,007 --> 00:29:16,018
He also was something
of a ladies' man,
was he not?
588
00:29:16,018 --> 00:29:20,012
Oh, yes.
He was fine with anyone
except his wife.
589
00:29:20,012 --> 00:29:23,013
- Did she know this?
- She had boyfriends.
590
00:29:23,013 --> 00:29:25,006
She stayedwith my father,
591
00:29:25,006 --> 00:29:28,008
but they wereabout to separate.
592
00:29:28,008 --> 00:29:29,010
When did he die?
593
00:29:29,010 --> 00:29:31,013
He died in '44
when he was 44.
594
00:29:31,013 --> 00:29:36,006
Because he had to get
a job when we got here
595
00:29:36,006 --> 00:29:40,003
and he hadn't yet
passed his one medical
exam that he took,
596
00:29:40,003 --> 00:29:43,016
so he got a job
running an X-ray
machine for a union.
597
00:29:43,016 --> 00:29:45,005
- Oh, no.
- And he died of leukemia.
598
00:29:45,005 --> 00:29:48,021
I wish I had knownhim longer.
599
00:29:48,021 --> 00:29:50,007
We missed each other.
600
00:29:50,007 --> 00:29:52,012
We were just gettingto the point
601
00:29:52,012 --> 00:29:54,005
where we mighthave found each otherwhen he died.
602
00:29:56,015 --> 00:29:58,022
That was tough, but--
603
00:29:58,022 --> 00:30:02,005
but anyway,
I didn't speak
a word of English.
604
00:30:02,005 --> 00:30:05,009
I only knew
"I don't speak English,
please don't kiss me."
605
00:30:05,009 --> 00:30:07,014
I remember sitting
on the school bus saying,
606
00:30:07,014 --> 00:30:08,016
"What means 'emerghency'?"
607
00:30:08,016 --> 00:30:10,016
( laughs )
608
00:30:10,016 --> 00:30:14,007
Nichols:
So what I would doafter school every day
609
00:30:14,007 --> 00:30:16,008
is go to the Beaconor the RKO.
610
00:30:16,008 --> 00:30:17,011
Whatever movie was there,I would see it.
611
00:30:17,011 --> 00:30:20,011
And it was sort ofmy playground.
612
00:30:20,011 --> 00:30:23,010
That became part of me.
613
00:30:23,010 --> 00:30:26,018
And then later
I went to see "Virginia
Woolf" on the stage.
614
00:30:26,018 --> 00:30:29,017
And, again,like with "Streetcar,"I was stunned.
615
00:30:29,017 --> 00:30:34,005
I was paralyzed.I had never seensuch a play.
616
00:30:34,005 --> 00:30:36,017
It really got to mein some deep way.
617
00:30:36,017 --> 00:30:40,022
When Elaine and I
were here at the Golden,
618
00:30:40,022 --> 00:30:44,000
at the Majestic
was "Camelot"
619
00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:47,006
with Julie Andrewsand Richard Burtonand Roddy McDowall.
620
00:30:47,006 --> 00:30:49,023
A lot of pals, actually.
621
00:30:49,023 --> 00:30:51,007
And we all becamevery good friends
622
00:30:51,007 --> 00:30:54,008
'cause for that year
we were all in the alley
623
00:30:54,008 --> 00:30:56,010
and we all would go out
for drinks afterwards
624
00:30:56,010 --> 00:30:59,016
and I became good friends
with Burton.
625
00:30:59,016 --> 00:31:04,008
And then later
when we were no longer
in those two shows,
626
00:31:04,008 --> 00:31:07,012
he said, "Come to Rome.
Come and visit"
627
00:31:07,012 --> 00:31:09,018
while they were shooting"Cleopatra" and I did.
628
00:31:09,018 --> 00:31:12,011
And by the time I got there,he was with Elizabeth
629
00:31:12,011 --> 00:31:14,005
and he said, "Listen,I'm shooting all weekend.
630
00:31:14,005 --> 00:31:17,013
She isn't.Would you mind takingElizabeth out somewhere?
631
00:31:17,013 --> 00:31:19,004
The press is drivingher crazy."
632
00:31:19,004 --> 00:31:20,018
I said, "I guess so.
That's all right."
633
00:31:20,018 --> 00:31:23,002
( audience laughs )
634
00:31:23,002 --> 00:31:26,000
For you, Richard,
anything.
635
00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:28,010
And I got my little VW
636
00:31:28,010 --> 00:31:30,005
and went
and picked her up.
637
00:31:30,005 --> 00:31:32,016
Just said,
"Put a babushka
over your head."
638
00:31:32,016 --> 00:31:34,007
We walked around all day.
Nobody ever bothered her.
639
00:31:34,007 --> 00:31:37,000
Once somebody said,
"There's Mike Nichols."
640
00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:38,023
( audience laughs )
641
00:31:38,023 --> 00:31:42,011
So then we got
to be friends.
642
00:31:42,011 --> 00:31:45,005
Years passed.
I think two.
643
00:31:45,005 --> 00:31:47,022
And I read that
they had hired her
to do "Virginia Woolf"
644
00:31:47,022 --> 00:31:51,011
and I said to a press guy
who worked for both of us,
645
00:31:51,011 --> 00:31:53,015
I said,
"Tell Elizabeth"--
646
00:31:53,015 --> 00:31:56,017
and I'm amazed that I had
the balls to do this--
647
00:31:56,017 --> 00:31:59,010
"that I should direct it."
648
00:31:59,010 --> 00:32:02,023
And he called
me back and said,
"She agrees with you."
649
00:32:02,023 --> 00:32:05,003
So that's how I got
my first movie.
650
00:32:05,003 --> 00:32:07,003
He was part
of the deal as well?
651
00:32:07,003 --> 00:32:09,006
Richard?No, I cast him.
652
00:32:09,006 --> 00:32:11,015
I looked at it
and looked at it
and thought,
653
00:32:11,015 --> 00:32:14,003
"Well, there's one obvious
actor that should play it.
It's Richard."
654
00:32:14,003 --> 00:32:16,006
Because they're
there already.
655
00:32:16,006 --> 00:32:18,020
( audience laughs )
656
00:32:18,020 --> 00:32:21,023
And indeed, they were,
657
00:32:21,023 --> 00:32:25,007
because the peoplein the play loved eachother as they did
658
00:32:25,007 --> 00:32:29,001
and had somecomplications
659
00:32:29,001 --> 00:32:30,017
as they did.
660
00:32:30,017 --> 00:32:32,009
Am I wrong about this?
661
00:32:32,009 --> 00:32:37,001
He was more or less
sort of the right age,
but she wasn't.
662
00:32:37,001 --> 00:32:39,002
She wasn't nearly
the right age,
663
00:32:39,002 --> 00:32:41,015
which led to a fight
with Jack Warner which
I won't bore you with.
664
00:32:41,015 --> 00:32:43,010
You might bore us
with a little of it.
665
00:32:43,010 --> 00:32:44,019
All right.
666
00:32:44,019 --> 00:32:47,016
I'll bore you
with a little of it.
667
00:32:47,016 --> 00:32:50,000
We were preparing
668
00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:53,013
and I had the problem
of the producer,
669
00:32:53,013 --> 00:32:56,015
who was a writer/producer,
670
00:32:56,015 --> 00:32:59,006
and what he had written.
671
00:32:59,006 --> 00:33:02,009
And I had to throw out
everything he had written.
672
00:33:02,009 --> 00:33:06,016
Although I will tell you
one thing he had written
673
00:33:06,016 --> 00:33:09,001
just to put you
on my side.
674
00:33:09,001 --> 00:33:10,020
( audience laughs )
675
00:33:10,020 --> 00:33:14,000
The titles of the movie
were George taking
a walk at night
676
00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:17,004
and he describes
the things he sees
at night during the titles.
677
00:33:17,004 --> 00:33:21,004
And one of them is
what was described
as "two dogs fucking."
678
00:33:21,004 --> 00:33:23,015
But it said
in parentheses,
679
00:33:23,015 --> 00:33:25,004
"This must be
beautifully shot."
680
00:33:25,004 --> 00:33:29,003
( audience laughing )
681
00:33:29,003 --> 00:33:32,016
I showed this
to a designer
friend I had
682
00:33:32,016 --> 00:33:34,023
and she said,
"I can do it.
I can do it."
683
00:33:37,003 --> 00:33:40,013
She said,
"I need Afghans
and lots of fans."
684
00:33:44,018 --> 00:33:47,017
But because I was in
this sort of battle
685
00:33:47,017 --> 00:33:50,015
with this
producer/writer,
686
00:33:50,015 --> 00:33:53,018
I had to restore
the script to Albee.
687
00:33:53,018 --> 00:33:55,022
That was easy.
688
00:33:55,022 --> 00:33:57,013
Was Edward around
at this point?
689
00:33:57,013 --> 00:34:00,011
Nichols:
No, Edward was nothired for the movie.
690
00:34:00,011 --> 00:34:02,018
He was not consultedby anybody but me.
691
00:34:02,018 --> 00:34:05,012
- Really?
- That's Hollywood.
692
00:34:05,012 --> 00:34:07,003
- He only wrote it.
- ( audience laughs )
693
00:34:07,003 --> 00:34:08,023
What good is he
to them?
694
00:34:08,023 --> 00:34:13,001
At this point,
Jack Warner,
695
00:34:13,001 --> 00:34:15,019
who actually was
sort of a person,
696
00:34:15,019 --> 00:34:17,023
called us intohis office and said,
697
00:34:17,023 --> 00:34:20,012
"Boys, you can'tdo the picture inblack and white.
698
00:34:20,012 --> 00:34:23,004
New York says
it's got to be color."
699
00:34:23,004 --> 00:34:24,004
Now, there is no New York
at Warner Brothers.
700
00:34:24,004 --> 00:34:27,011
That's Warners.
It's Warners.
701
00:34:27,011 --> 00:34:30,015
It's called Warners
and Warners owns it.
702
00:34:30,015 --> 00:34:32,013
New York is only a city.
703
00:34:32,013 --> 00:34:36,002
It doesn't care
whether movies
are made in--
704
00:34:36,002 --> 00:34:38,002
he was pretending
he had a sort of
705
00:34:38,002 --> 00:34:39,015
release organization
in New York.
706
00:34:39,015 --> 00:34:44,019
He said, "Well, I'm sorry,
but Elizabeth is 32.
707
00:34:44,019 --> 00:34:46,017
The character is 56.
708
00:34:46,017 --> 00:34:48,018
Her makeup is goingto look like shit.
709
00:34:48,018 --> 00:34:50,022
You can't do thatto someone."
710
00:34:50,022 --> 00:34:52,005
And she had lost weight.
And I said, "No, no.
711
00:34:52,005 --> 00:34:54,008
You're supposed
to gain weight now."
712
00:34:54,008 --> 00:34:58,006
And she said--
oh, she was thrilled.
713
00:34:58,006 --> 00:35:00,021
She said,
"You want me
to gain weight?"
714
00:35:00,021 --> 00:35:03,015
I said,
"I certainly do."
715
00:35:03,015 --> 00:35:07,006
And I explained to Warner
that you couldn't do it.
716
00:35:07,006 --> 00:35:09,017
And the sets
we're building
can't be done.
717
00:35:09,017 --> 00:35:11,018
He said, "Well, I'm sorry,
but you have to do it."
718
00:35:11,018 --> 00:35:17,004
And I said--
discovering that
I had that ability--
719
00:35:17,004 --> 00:35:19,002
I said, "Well, then,
you make it.
720
00:35:19,002 --> 00:35:19,021
I'll go home.
I like it at home."
721
00:35:19,021 --> 00:35:24,006
To my surprise,
he said,
722
00:35:24,006 --> 00:35:27,017
"All right, all right.
Damn it. Black and white."
723
00:35:27,017 --> 00:35:29,018
And then I had gotten it.
724
00:35:29,018 --> 00:35:35,020
I understood what
you did with the old
guard in Hollywood.
725
00:35:35,020 --> 00:35:37,001
You went ahead anyway.
726
00:35:37,001 --> 00:35:41,000
Oh, I had
a famous cameraman
727
00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:42,000
that I had wanted.
728
00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:45,002
One day I ran into
this guy.
729
00:35:45,002 --> 00:35:47,010
He said, "Mike, Mike,
I've got to tell
you something.
730
00:35:47,010 --> 00:35:50,016
I thought
of how you're gonna get
that look like Fellini.
731
00:35:50,016 --> 00:35:52,015
The secret would be
732
00:35:52,015 --> 00:35:56,014
to shoot it in color,
733
00:35:56,014 --> 00:35:59,001
but print it
in black and white."
734
00:35:59,001 --> 00:36:02,003
I said, "Oh, Harry.
You're fired."
735
00:36:02,003 --> 00:36:03,011
I said, "I'm so sorry.
736
00:36:03,011 --> 00:36:06,013
'Cause I know
you're working
for the boss,
737
00:36:06,013 --> 00:36:08,023
but I've got to really
shoot it and print it
in black and white.
738
00:36:08,023 --> 00:36:12,007
That's all
we're gonna do."
739
00:36:12,007 --> 00:36:15,006
But here's the thing also
about black and white.
740
00:36:15,006 --> 00:36:19,007
It's why it was so sad
to say good-bye to it.
741
00:36:19,007 --> 00:36:21,023
It's not literal.
742
00:36:21,023 --> 00:36:25,022
It is a metaphor
automatically.
743
00:36:25,022 --> 00:36:28,023
And my orientation
is that that's the point.
744
00:36:28,023 --> 00:36:31,022
A movie is a metaphor.
745
00:36:31,022 --> 00:36:34,002
What is the metaphor,
you ask,
746
00:36:34,002 --> 00:36:36,011
when you're trying
to solve the problem.
747
00:36:36,011 --> 00:36:39,015
If you're in black and white,
it's partly solved.
748
00:36:39,015 --> 00:36:43,003
It is already saying,
"No, this is not life.
749
00:36:43,003 --> 00:36:46,017
This is somethingabout life."
750
00:36:46,017 --> 00:36:49,009
It's like an oil painting.
It doesn't move.
751
00:36:49,009 --> 00:36:51,019
It does something else.
752
00:36:51,019 --> 00:36:53,010
A version of life.
753
00:36:53,010 --> 00:36:55,006
A version of life.
754
00:36:55,006 --> 00:36:57,017
Mike, what about
the length of the script?
755
00:36:57,017 --> 00:36:58,020
It's a long play.
756
00:36:58,020 --> 00:37:01,005
We cut it.
757
00:37:01,005 --> 00:37:04,001
Did you shoot
in sequence the way
the play is written?
758
00:37:04,001 --> 00:37:05,021
As much as we could, yes.
759
00:37:05,021 --> 00:37:09,015
'Cause that would be
important or probably
helpful to you
760
00:37:09,015 --> 00:37:12,010
at the beginning
of your film career
to think that way.
761
00:37:12,010 --> 00:37:13,022
Or didn't it matter?
762
00:37:13,022 --> 00:37:16,012
It did matter to me,
for the actors especially.
763
00:37:16,012 --> 00:37:17,021
O'Brien:
For them, yes,I would think so.
764
00:37:17,021 --> 00:37:19,009
Nichols:
Now, we rehearsedthe hell out of it.
765
00:37:19,009 --> 00:37:23,002
And also the factthat it had been a play
766
00:37:23,002 --> 00:37:26,012
gave me somethingI could not have hadotherwise--
767
00:37:26,012 --> 00:37:29,006
a very good mapof the events
768
00:37:29,006 --> 00:37:31,019
and how longeach arc takes.
769
00:37:31,019 --> 00:37:34,018
That is to say,I could say to Elizabeth,
770
00:37:34,018 --> 00:37:37,000
"No, keep going.
Keep crying.
771
00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:38,022
This feeling,
772
00:37:38,022 --> 00:37:44,003
this explosion of emotionisn't over yet.
773
00:37:44,003 --> 00:37:45,009
'No!' is when it's over."
774
00:37:45,009 --> 00:37:47,023
And then shebreaks down crying.
775
00:37:47,023 --> 00:37:50,003
That was incrediblyuseful to me
776
00:37:50,003 --> 00:37:54,022
because I had seenthe events brilliantlydramatized on the stage.
777
00:37:54,022 --> 00:37:57,010
It was a big crutchfor me.
778
00:37:57,010 --> 00:38:00,012
I also realized
that I had better really
buckle down to the camera.
779
00:38:00,012 --> 00:38:04,005
I had about two weeks
till we started shooting.
780
00:38:04,005 --> 00:38:06,018
So I had one friend,
Tony Perkins,
781
00:38:06,018 --> 00:38:08,020
who had madea lot of movies.
782
00:38:08,020 --> 00:38:10,013
And I said, "You've gotto tell me some thingsabout the camera quickly."
783
00:38:10,013 --> 00:38:13,022
For instance,
let me give you
an example.
784
00:38:13,022 --> 00:38:16,014
They're coming
in the door.
785
00:38:16,014 --> 00:38:20,003
I want to shoot
Elizabeth comes
through the door,
786
00:38:20,003 --> 00:38:23,000
Richard comes
through the door.
787
00:38:23,000 --> 00:38:26,008
But when the door opens,
won't they hit the camera?
788
00:38:26,008 --> 00:38:29,014
And so he had
to explain lenses to me.
789
00:38:30,020 --> 00:38:33,009
He said, "See, if you'rein a wide lens--"
790
00:38:33,009 --> 00:38:35,007
I said, "Wide lens?"
791
00:38:35,007 --> 00:38:37,014
He said, "Yes,if it's a wide lens,
792
00:38:37,014 --> 00:38:41,018
then they can comeright towards you,but not hit the camera.
793
00:38:41,018 --> 00:38:45,011
Not neither with the dooror themselves."
794
00:38:45,011 --> 00:38:49,001
And so stage by stagehe explained
795
00:38:49,001 --> 00:38:51,022
the principlesof movie photography.
796
00:38:51,022 --> 00:38:54,009
In how much time?
797
00:38:54,009 --> 00:38:55,022
Three days.
798
00:38:55,022 --> 00:38:58,005
Now, I had looked
at all these movies.
799
00:38:58,005 --> 00:39:02,007
I had seen
"A Place in the Sun"
800
00:39:02,007 --> 00:39:05,001
maybe 150 times.
801
00:39:05,001 --> 00:39:06,017
'Cause it was not onlymy favorite movie,
802
00:39:06,017 --> 00:39:08,019
it was my bible.
803
00:39:08,019 --> 00:39:12,014
There's nothingthat you can't learn
804
00:39:12,014 --> 00:39:14,022
from George Stevens,the way he shot
805
00:39:14,022 --> 00:39:18,011
"A Place in the Sun"and what it is.
806
00:39:18,011 --> 00:39:22,007
So you are armed with
three days of lessons
807
00:39:22,007 --> 00:39:25,011
when you go to doyour first day of shoot,is that correct?
808
00:39:25,011 --> 00:39:26,021
Nichols:
That's right.
809
00:39:26,021 --> 00:39:29,022
O'Brien:
Did Burtonor Elizabeth or anybody
810
00:39:29,022 --> 00:39:32,020
have an ideadifferent from yours?
811
00:39:32,020 --> 00:39:34,008
Nichols:
Once Richard--
812
00:39:34,008 --> 00:39:37,023
being a big dealBritish actor,
813
00:39:37,023 --> 00:39:43,004
they're all veryin a friendly competitionwith each other
814
00:39:43,004 --> 00:39:45,011
and they're allvery aware
815
00:39:45,011 --> 00:39:48,011
of this one is betterthan him at this,
816
00:39:48,011 --> 00:39:51,022
and Larry is thisand this one is that.
817
00:39:51,022 --> 00:39:55,010
And he confessed to me
818
00:39:55,010 --> 00:40:00,000
that he was tryingto figure out how to cry
819
00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:01,010
that none of themhad done.
820
00:40:01,010 --> 00:40:07,003
And I respected thatand left him alone.
821
00:40:07,003 --> 00:40:09,022
He's foundsomething of hers
822
00:40:09,022 --> 00:40:13,004
that tells himthat they had sex.
823
00:40:14,023 --> 00:40:16,019
And what he did was
824
00:40:16,019 --> 00:40:19,009
he laughed.
825
00:40:24,003 --> 00:40:25,008
( laughing )
826
00:40:44,011 --> 00:40:48,000
( continues laughing )
827
00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:49,019
( sniffling )
828
00:40:51,004 --> 00:40:52,006
( crying )
829
00:41:02,015 --> 00:41:03,017
Did you
just get it once?
830
00:41:03,017 --> 00:41:06,006
No, no, no.
831
00:41:06,006 --> 00:41:07,018
He had found
that he could do it
as often as I wanted.
832
00:41:07,018 --> 00:41:11,015
Now and then,
833
00:41:11,015 --> 00:41:13,016
he had had
a couple of drinks.
834
00:41:13,016 --> 00:41:16,008
I mean, that wasn't
only a joke, because he--
835
00:41:16,008 --> 00:41:18,012
we were shooting
and he was religious
about that.
836
00:41:18,012 --> 00:41:20,001
He did not drink
when shooting
837
00:41:20,001 --> 00:41:24,004
except a couple
of times.
838
00:41:24,004 --> 00:41:28,009
And when he came in
pissed off,
839
00:41:28,009 --> 00:41:29,021
I knew.
840
00:41:29,021 --> 00:41:33,007
And this one timeI thought, "Oh, man.
841
00:41:33,007 --> 00:41:34,021
This is gonna bereally tough."
842
00:41:34,021 --> 00:41:36,003
'Cause it wasthe bergin speech,
843
00:41:36,003 --> 00:41:38,021
which is a longdamn speech.
844
00:41:38,021 --> 00:41:42,013
We did it
and he couldn't
get through it.
845
00:41:42,013 --> 00:41:46,009
And then that magic
thing that happens
on movies happened
846
00:41:46,009 --> 00:41:50,015
and he did it
and it was incredible.
847
00:41:50,015 --> 00:41:53,011
It just took off.
848
00:41:53,011 --> 00:41:55,018
And it was perfect
all the way through
849
00:41:55,018 --> 00:41:57,018
and I said,
"Cut. That's it.
850
00:41:57,018 --> 00:42:00,015
Oh, Richard,
that was the best."
851
00:42:00,015 --> 00:42:03,007
And when the dailies
came back,
852
00:42:03,007 --> 00:42:06,014
the scene had
been overexposed
by, like, 10 points.
853
00:42:06,014 --> 00:42:09,005
- ( audience groans )
- That's what I did.
854
00:42:09,005 --> 00:42:10,019
( audience laughs )
855
00:42:10,019 --> 00:42:13,012
And I said to the DP,
856
00:42:13,012 --> 00:42:17,003
I said,
"Start working on it,
857
00:42:17,003 --> 00:42:18,005
because he's never
gonna do it again."
858
00:42:18,005 --> 00:42:20,023
And one time
in the bunch of us
859
00:42:20,023 --> 00:42:24,015
there was this boy
860
00:42:24,015 --> 00:42:26,012
who was 15
861
00:42:26,012 --> 00:42:30,008
and he had killed
his mother with a shotgun
862
00:42:30,008 --> 00:42:32,021
some years before.
863
00:42:32,021 --> 00:42:35,006
Accidently,
completely accidently
864
00:42:35,006 --> 00:42:38,006
without even
an unconscious motivation,
I have no doubt.
865
00:42:38,006 --> 00:42:40,010
No doubt at all.
866
00:42:40,010 --> 00:42:43,009
And this one time
this boy went with us
867
00:42:43,009 --> 00:42:46,004
and we order our drinks.
868
00:42:46,004 --> 00:42:50,006
When it came his turn
he said,
869
00:42:50,006 --> 00:42:52,014
"I'll have bergin.
870
00:42:52,014 --> 00:42:54,018
Give me
some bergin, please.
871
00:42:54,018 --> 00:42:57,016
Bergin and water."
872
00:43:00,011 --> 00:43:02,017
Well, we all laughed.
873
00:43:02,017 --> 00:43:05,011
He was blond and he had
the face of a cherub
874
00:43:05,011 --> 00:43:08,016
and we all laughed.
875
00:43:08,016 --> 00:43:12,004
And his cheeks went red
and the color rose in his neck.
876
00:43:12,004 --> 00:43:16,009
And the waiter
who had taken our order
told people at the next table
877
00:43:16,009 --> 00:43:17,020
what the boy had said
and then they laughed.
878
00:43:17,020 --> 00:43:21,007
And then more people were told
and the laughter grew
879
00:43:21,007 --> 00:43:23,015
and more people
and more laughter.
880
00:43:25,007 --> 00:43:27,004
And...
881
00:43:27,004 --> 00:43:31,002
no one was laughing
more than us
882
00:43:31,002 --> 00:43:37,012
and none of us
more than the boy
who had shot his mother.
883
00:43:37,012 --> 00:43:42,001
Soon everyone
in the gin mill knew
what the laughter was about
884
00:43:42,001 --> 00:43:44,014
and everyone started
ordering bergin
885
00:43:44,014 --> 00:43:47,012
and laughing
when they ordered it.
886
00:43:47,012 --> 00:43:51,002
Soon, of course, the laughter
became less general,
887
00:43:51,002 --> 00:43:54,017
but did not
subside entirely
888
00:43:54,017 --> 00:43:55,018
for a very long time.
889
00:43:55,018 --> 00:43:59,010
For always
at this table or that,
890
00:43:59,010 --> 00:44:02,012
someone would order bergin
891
00:44:02,012 --> 00:44:05,008
and a whole new area
of laughter would rise.
892
00:44:08,006 --> 00:44:10,014
We drank free that night.
893
00:44:10,014 --> 00:44:13,014
And we were bought champagne
by the management,
894
00:44:13,014 --> 00:44:18,019
by the gangster father
of one of us.
895
00:44:18,019 --> 00:44:22,020
And, of course,
we suffered the next day,
896
00:44:22,020 --> 00:44:25,002
each of us alone
897
00:44:25,002 --> 00:44:27,010
on his train
away from the city
898
00:44:27,010 --> 00:44:33,000
and each of us with
a grown-up's hangover.
899
00:44:34,023 --> 00:44:38,005
But it was
the grandest day
900
00:44:38,005 --> 00:44:42,004
of my youth.
901
00:44:46,019 --> 00:44:51,003
The Burtons, who loved
each other very much
at that point
902
00:44:51,003 --> 00:44:56,008
and didn't exactly
fight often,
903
00:44:56,008 --> 00:44:59,018
there were days.
904
00:44:59,018 --> 00:45:04,018
And those days between themfed into the movie.
905
00:45:04,018 --> 00:45:08,010
And what starts to happenon a good movie
906
00:45:08,010 --> 00:45:11,015
is that you allowall the things
907
00:45:11,015 --> 00:45:14,006
that are usefulto feed into the movie.
908
00:45:14,006 --> 00:45:17,019
And it's likeone more gift.
909
00:45:17,019 --> 00:45:19,023
If I just said to you,
the screen door,
910
00:45:19,023 --> 00:45:22,008
was that you?
911
00:45:22,008 --> 00:45:27,002
Yeah, but it was us
912
00:45:27,002 --> 00:45:29,010
in that Elizabeth
was unbelievable.
913
00:45:31,018 --> 00:45:36,020
George, who is out
somewhere there
in the dark.
914
00:45:36,020 --> 00:45:38,016
Who is good to me.
915
00:45:38,016 --> 00:45:40,007
Whom I revile.
916
00:45:40,007 --> 00:45:44,004
Who can keep learning
the games we play
917
00:45:44,004 --> 00:45:46,016
as quickly
as I can change them.
918
00:45:46,016 --> 00:45:50,008
Who can make me happy
and I do not wish
to be happy.
919
00:45:50,008 --> 00:45:53,002
Yes, I do wish
to be happy.
920
00:45:53,019 --> 00:45:56,018
George and Martha.
921
00:45:56,018 --> 00:46:01,002
Sad, sad, sad.
922
00:46:03,001 --> 00:46:06,010
Whom I will not forgive
for having come to rest.
923
00:46:06,010 --> 00:46:08,023
For having seen me
and having said,
924
00:46:08,023 --> 00:46:13,004
"Yes, this will do."
925
00:46:13,004 --> 00:46:16,004
Who has made
the hideous,
926
00:46:16,004 --> 00:46:19,022
the hurting,
the insulting mistake
927
00:46:19,022 --> 00:46:22,008
of loving me
928
00:46:22,008 --> 00:46:24,011
and must be
punished for it.
929
00:46:26,013 --> 00:46:28,017
George and Martha.
930
00:46:28,017 --> 00:46:34,015
Sad, sad, sad.
931
00:46:34,015 --> 00:46:35,023
And we didn't do
a lot of takes.
932
00:46:35,023 --> 00:46:38,005
I knew this was gold.
933
00:46:38,005 --> 00:46:43,000
And that's why
you can't stop it.
934
00:46:43,000 --> 00:46:45,018
It's one of the great
things on earth to do
935
00:46:45,018 --> 00:46:49,006
because there are
these gifts
936
00:46:49,006 --> 00:46:51,001
that come from
the inside of the artists
937
00:46:51,001 --> 00:46:54,004
who are playing the parts.
938
00:46:54,004 --> 00:46:57,015
And even the DP,
who was my nemesis,
939
00:46:57,015 --> 00:47:00,005
did a beautiful job.
940
00:47:00,005 --> 00:47:03,018
And what begins to happen
941
00:47:03,018 --> 00:47:06,015
is that you don't
dare say it,
942
00:47:06,015 --> 00:47:10,008
but you think
this thing is alive,
I think.
943
00:47:10,008 --> 00:47:12,001
The winner is...
944
00:47:12,001 --> 00:47:14,002
Irene Sharaff for "Who's Afraid
of Virginia Woolf?"
945
00:47:14,002 --> 00:47:19,002
The winner is Haskell
Wexler for "Who's Afraid
of Virginia Woolf?"
946
00:47:19,002 --> 00:47:22,007
Sandy Dennis in "Who's Afraid
of Virginia Woolf?"
947
00:47:22,007 --> 00:47:25,005
Richard Sylbert
for "Who's Afraid
of Virginia Woolf?"
948
00:47:25,005 --> 00:47:27,010
And George James Hopkins.
949
00:47:29,003 --> 00:47:31,004
And the winner is...
950
00:47:31,004 --> 00:47:32,018
Miss Elizabeth Taylor.
951
00:47:32,018 --> 00:47:36,005
It seems that almost
hard upon the heels
952
00:47:36,005 --> 00:47:40,005
of this phenomenal
first experience,
953
00:47:40,005 --> 00:47:42,005
there's a property
called "The Graduate."
954
00:47:42,005 --> 00:47:44,023
I actually got it
before "Virginia Woolf."
955
00:47:44,023 --> 00:47:48,010
A guy I didn't know,
a producer, Larry Tuerman,
956
00:47:48,010 --> 00:47:50,008
sent me a book.
957
00:47:50,008 --> 00:47:53,009
He said, "I think
this would make a good movie.
What do you think?"
958
00:47:53,009 --> 00:47:57,019
And I read it and I said,
"Yes, this is a movie."
959
00:47:57,019 --> 00:48:00,008
It was a great story.
960
00:48:00,008 --> 00:48:05,018
But I was already signed
to do "Virginia Woolf."
961
00:48:05,018 --> 00:48:09,017
I knew that the guywho was gonna adapt thiswas very important.
962
00:48:09,017 --> 00:48:13,005
And I struck out
with two writers
in a row.
963
00:48:13,005 --> 00:48:16,016
I gave, they wrote,
we talked.
964
00:48:16,016 --> 00:48:18,011
They wrote,
I read, no.
965
00:48:18,011 --> 00:48:20,014
'Cause I knew
exactly what I wanted
966
00:48:20,014 --> 00:48:23,003
to be the spine
of the movie.
967
00:48:23,003 --> 00:48:26,020
A boy who was drowning
in things and objects,
968
00:48:26,020 --> 00:48:28,020
in affluence.
969
00:48:28,020 --> 00:48:32,011
Finding there's
no way he could fight
his way out of it
970
00:48:32,011 --> 00:48:34,002
except madness.
971
00:48:34,002 --> 00:48:38,019
And madness
was what he found
to save him.
972
00:48:38,019 --> 00:48:41,009
I was at a party in LA
973
00:48:41,009 --> 00:48:44,009
and one of the guys
I was talking to
974
00:48:44,009 --> 00:48:47,013
was Buck Henry,
whom I had weirdly known
975
00:48:47,013 --> 00:48:49,006
when we were both seven.
976
00:48:49,006 --> 00:48:52,008
We were at Dalton together
when we were seven and eight.
977
00:48:52,008 --> 00:48:55,013
- Were you friends?
- No. I don't know.
978
00:48:55,013 --> 00:48:57,000
- I don't remember,
but he remembered.
- Yes.
979
00:48:57,000 --> 00:49:00,011
'Cause here
was this little kid
who spoke only German.
980
00:49:00,011 --> 00:49:02,016
And what he said
to me about it
981
00:49:02,016 --> 00:49:05,013
was that I was an outsider
in every possible way.
982
00:49:05,013 --> 00:49:09,020
So I'm talking to him
at this party
983
00:49:09,020 --> 00:49:12,004
and I say,
984
00:49:12,004 --> 00:49:13,007
"Would you be interested
in writing a script?"
985
00:49:13,007 --> 00:49:16,008
And he said, yes,
he's thought about it.
986
00:49:16,008 --> 00:49:18,015
He would be interested,
'cause while I had been
in the Second City,
987
00:49:18,015 --> 00:49:21,021
he had been in the Premise,another improv group.
988
00:49:21,021 --> 00:49:24,006
And I very soon knewhe was the guy.
989
00:49:24,006 --> 00:49:27,017
I had rented a house
and we went into
990
00:49:27,017 --> 00:49:29,008
what Buck called
the Stone Room
991
00:49:29,008 --> 00:49:31,012
and we wrote
the screenplay.
992
00:49:31,012 --> 00:49:33,004
I mean, he wrote
the screenplay.
993
00:49:33,004 --> 00:49:35,012
And there wasn't
a lot of money for it.
994
00:49:35,012 --> 00:49:37,015
Nobody had any
great hopes for it.
995
00:49:37,015 --> 00:49:39,017
And I wasn't gonna
use big stars.
996
00:49:39,017 --> 00:49:41,011
- Well, you didn't.
- I didn't.
997
00:49:41,011 --> 00:49:43,010
Because this was
Dustin Hoffman's
first film?
998
00:49:43,010 --> 00:49:46,010
Did you know
Dustin Hoffman
at that point?
999
00:49:46,010 --> 00:49:49,006
No, no.
I had seen
him playing
1000
00:49:49,006 --> 00:49:53,006
a transvestite
Russian fishwife.
1001
00:49:53,006 --> 00:49:57,017
- ( audience laughs )
- In an off-Broadway play,I need hardly add.
1002
00:49:57,017 --> 00:50:01,010
And after we had tested
a lot of people
1003
00:50:01,010 --> 00:50:03,017
and seen
hundreds of people,
1004
00:50:03,017 --> 00:50:06,007
I said, "I did see
a very talented guy.
1005
00:50:06,007 --> 00:50:09,002
I have no idea
if he's right for this.
1006
00:50:09,002 --> 00:50:11,005
Let's get him out here
and let us test him."
1007
00:50:11,005 --> 00:50:13,010
And he came out
and he was Dustin
1008
00:50:13,010 --> 00:50:17,012
and he had the thingthat Elizabeth had.
1009
00:50:19,006 --> 00:50:21,010
And it's very, very rare,
people who have it,
1010
00:50:21,010 --> 00:50:25,010
which is what seems
to be a deal with a lab
1011
00:50:25,010 --> 00:50:28,017
that they get better
in the bath overnight.
1012
00:50:28,017 --> 00:50:34,005
That what you see
on the floor when
you're shooting
1013
00:50:34,005 --> 00:50:38,018
is good, but what you see
on the screen next day
1014
00:50:38,018 --> 00:50:40,009
is quite a lot better.
1015
00:50:40,009 --> 00:50:45,003
Dustin hadan astonishing amountof life behind nothing.
1016
00:50:45,003 --> 00:50:47,002
I mean, he's notmoving anything,
1017
00:50:47,002 --> 00:50:50,021
he's not doing anything,but he's panicked.
1018
00:50:50,021 --> 00:50:52,018
I don't know how we know,but we know.
1019
00:50:55,001 --> 00:50:58,002
- Uh--
- Excuse me.
1020
00:50:58,002 --> 00:50:59,012
Yes, sir?
1021
00:51:00,012 --> 00:51:03,008
A room. I'd like
a room, please.
1022
00:51:03,008 --> 00:51:05,005
A single room
or a double room?
1023
00:51:05,005 --> 00:51:07,008
Single just for
myself, please.
1024
00:51:07,008 --> 00:51:09,004
Just sign
the register, please.
1025
00:51:14,004 --> 00:51:16,019
- Anything wrong, sir?
- What? No, nothing.
1026
00:51:25,022 --> 00:51:27,012
Do you have any luggage,
Mr. Gladstone?
1027
00:51:27,012 --> 00:51:30,003
Luggage?
1028
00:51:30,003 --> 00:51:31,001
Yes.
Yes, I do.
1029
00:51:31,001 --> 00:51:32,021
- Where is it?
- What?
1030
00:51:32,021 --> 00:51:36,000
Where is your luggage?
1031
00:51:36,000 --> 00:51:38,013
Well, it's in the car.
It's out there in the car.
1032
00:51:38,013 --> 00:51:40,017
Very good, sir.
I'll have a porter
bring it in.
1033
00:51:40,017 --> 00:51:42,002
- Oh, no.
- ( rings bell )
1034
00:51:42,002 --> 00:51:44,002
- Hello?
- Ben: Mrs. Robinson?
1035
00:51:44,002 --> 00:51:46,020
- Yes.
- It's Benjamin.
1036
00:51:46,020 --> 00:51:48,022
- Yes?
- Benjamin Braddock.
1037
00:51:48,022 --> 00:51:52,019
Benjamin,
where are you?
1038
00:51:52,019 --> 00:51:54,019
Can you lookthrough the glass?
1039
00:51:59,008 --> 00:52:01,010
- Can you see me now?
- Yes, I can.
1040
00:52:01,010 --> 00:52:03,020
- I got a single room.
- That's fine.
1041
00:52:03,020 --> 00:52:06,009
But there's one thing.
1042
00:52:06,009 --> 00:52:08,008
The desk clerk seemed to be
a little bit suspicious.
1043
00:52:08,008 --> 00:52:10,006
Now, I don't know
what the policy is--
1044
00:52:10,006 --> 00:52:12,015
Well, do you wantto go up first?
1045
00:52:12,015 --> 00:52:14,005
Yes, I think
that would be good.
1046
00:52:14,005 --> 00:52:16,000
I'll be upin five minutes.
1047
00:52:16,000 --> 00:52:17,003
Good-bye, then.
1048
00:52:17,003 --> 00:52:19,000
- Benjamin.
- Yes?
1049
00:52:19,000 --> 00:52:20,016
Isn't there something
you want to tell me?
1050
00:52:20,016 --> 00:52:21,011
- Tell you?
- Yes.
1051
00:52:21,011 --> 00:52:24,012
Well, I want you
to know
1052
00:52:24,012 --> 00:52:27,001
how much
I appreciate this,
really.
1053
00:52:27,001 --> 00:52:28,019
- The number.
- What?
1054
00:52:28,019 --> 00:52:30,006
The room number,
Benjamin.
1055
00:52:30,006 --> 00:52:31,017
I think you ought
to tell me that.
1056
00:52:31,017 --> 00:52:35,002
Somebody told me
when Jack Warner
at lunch
1057
00:52:35,002 --> 00:52:37,012
did nothing
but tell jokes,
1058
00:52:37,012 --> 00:52:40,005
somebody said, "You know
that you whimper when
he's telling jokes?"
1059
00:52:40,005 --> 00:52:41,020
And I said, "I do?"
1060
00:52:41,020 --> 00:52:44,003
He said, "Yes, you sit
there and you go..."
( whimpers )
1061
00:52:44,003 --> 00:52:46,006
( audience laughs )
1062
00:52:46,006 --> 00:52:48,000
And I told that
to Dustin.
1063
00:52:48,000 --> 00:52:49,003
- And he did it.
- And he did it.
1064
00:53:02,011 --> 00:53:04,011
( brushing teeth )
1065
00:53:10,011 --> 00:53:12,000
( spits )
1066
00:53:17,007 --> 00:53:18,007
( whimpers )
1067
00:53:18,007 --> 00:53:20,004
What of
"Virginia Woolf"
1068
00:53:20,004 --> 00:53:21,012
informed "The Graduate"?
1069
00:53:21,012 --> 00:53:24,002
Did you bring
anybody with you?
1070
00:53:24,002 --> 00:53:27,023
My editor.
Sam and I were
very good friends
1071
00:53:27,023 --> 00:53:29,016
and he had been
an assistant editor,
1072
00:53:29,016 --> 00:53:31,011
which was required
by the union,
for eight years.
1073
00:53:31,011 --> 00:53:36,022
His first moviewas my first movie.
1074
00:53:36,022 --> 00:53:40,005
And Billy Wilder,
who had been very helpful
to me in every way,
1075
00:53:40,005 --> 00:53:44,008
a great pal
when I was getting ready
for "Virginia Woolf,"
1076
00:53:44,008 --> 00:53:48,014
lent me
his supervising editor.
1077
00:53:48,014 --> 00:53:51,010
Who left in three days.
1078
00:53:51,010 --> 00:53:55,011
And what he does is
he devises a cutting scheme
1079
00:53:55,011 --> 00:53:57,020
and tells you what it is.
1080
00:53:57,020 --> 00:54:01,012
And he left because
I didn't follow his scheme.
1081
00:54:01,012 --> 00:54:04,017
Now, what he didn't know
is I didn't understand
his scheme.
1082
00:54:04,017 --> 00:54:05,020
( audience laughs )
1083
00:54:05,020 --> 00:54:08,003
And the reason
I didn't understand it
1084
00:54:08,003 --> 00:54:11,013
was I could only shoot
1085
00:54:11,013 --> 00:54:13,014
what I knew was happening.
1086
00:54:13,014 --> 00:54:17,003
And there was only
one place for the camera
1087
00:54:17,003 --> 00:54:20,003
to show what was happening,
it seemed to me.
1088
00:54:20,003 --> 00:54:22,021
And that's, I think,
how you find out
1089
00:54:22,021 --> 00:54:26,021
how you want to shoot
something by asking
that question
1090
00:54:26,021 --> 00:54:30,014
and then deciding
how you could best see
1091
00:54:30,014 --> 00:54:32,017
the thing that is
specifically happening
1092
00:54:32,017 --> 00:54:36,020
in this moment--
these moments that
you're shooting now.
1093
00:54:36,020 --> 00:54:41,017
That shot where Dustin
is bringing Katharine home
the first time
1094
00:54:41,017 --> 00:54:43,016
and you see her and him
and then not,
1095
00:54:43,016 --> 00:54:47,006
and then you see them
again in the next window
and so on,
1096
00:54:47,006 --> 00:54:50,008
the editor, who hadwonderful instincts,
1097
00:54:50,008 --> 00:54:52,007
he went and found itand suggested it
1098
00:54:52,007 --> 00:54:55,023
because it was aboutthey were beginningto connect.
1099
00:54:55,023 --> 00:54:58,000
Good night.
1100
00:54:58,000 --> 00:55:00,007
Are we getting
married tomorrow?
1101
00:55:00,007 --> 00:55:01,018
No.
1102
00:55:03,007 --> 00:55:05,021
Day after tomorrow?
1103
00:55:05,021 --> 00:55:07,016
I don't know.
1104
00:55:07,016 --> 00:55:09,019
Maybe we are,
and maybe we're not.
1105
00:55:09,019 --> 00:55:12,004
( bell tolling )
1106
00:55:15,020 --> 00:55:18,014
( man whistling tune )
1107
00:55:25,018 --> 00:55:29,002
I had said to Buck
1108
00:55:29,002 --> 00:55:33,012
that I wanted
to find a way
1109
00:55:33,012 --> 00:55:36,003
to do a montage
1110
00:55:36,003 --> 00:55:40,006
when he's getting laid
every night
1111
00:55:40,006 --> 00:55:42,006
and he's getting
anesthetized every night.
1112
00:55:42,006 --> 00:55:47,001
And he's trying
to move out of his life
1113
00:55:47,001 --> 00:55:49,011
- into some...
- Other.
1114
00:55:49,011 --> 00:55:52,003
- ...other place...
- That's right.
1115
00:55:52,003 --> 00:55:55,016
...by humping
and it wasn't
going to work.
1116
00:55:55,016 --> 00:55:59,021
And I wanted
to express that zombie
1117
00:55:59,021 --> 00:56:03,021
going through
his regular life at home
1118
00:56:03,021 --> 00:56:05,015
with his parents
and everything
1119
00:56:05,015 --> 00:56:07,019
in a new way.
1120
00:56:07,019 --> 00:56:10,012
And then we would move
into the Stone Room
1121
00:56:10,012 --> 00:56:13,003
and write those montages
shot by shot.
1122
00:56:13,003 --> 00:56:16,012
Now, okay,
and when we look
at them,
1123
00:56:16,012 --> 00:56:21,006
how do we separate this
from Simon and Garfunkel?
1124
00:56:21,006 --> 00:56:24,011
"Hello, darkness,my old friend."Which came first?
1125
00:56:24,011 --> 00:56:27,008
Well, this is the thing
that you have to know
about movies.
1126
00:56:27,008 --> 00:56:33,000
You get lucky
in various strange ways.
1127
00:56:33,000 --> 00:56:36,002
My brother sent me
that first LP
1128
00:56:36,002 --> 00:56:37,016
of Simon and Garfunkel
1129
00:56:37,016 --> 00:56:39,013
and I would play itin the morning
1130
00:56:39,013 --> 00:56:42,006
when I was getting upand going to the studio.
1131
00:56:42,006 --> 00:56:44,020
About the third week
of playing it,
1132
00:56:44,020 --> 00:56:46,015
I thought,
"Holy Christ, this is--
1133
00:56:46,015 --> 00:56:48,021
this is our score.
What am I doing?"
1134
00:56:48,021 --> 00:56:52,011
So I took the record
into the cutting room
1135
00:56:52,011 --> 00:56:55,004
'cause I spent Saturdays
with the editor, my editor,
1136
00:56:55,004 --> 00:56:59,018
and we had
that thing happen
1137
00:56:59,018 --> 00:57:03,018
that has happened
to me before and since
1138
00:57:03,018 --> 00:57:07,006
that you say,
"Let's try this song
1139
00:57:07,006 --> 00:57:09,016
over this section."
1140
00:57:09,016 --> 00:57:12,018
And it fits
to the frame
1141
00:57:12,018 --> 00:57:16,015
and it transforms
the section.
1142
00:57:16,015 --> 00:57:21,001
♪ I've come to talkwith you again ♪
1143
00:57:21,001 --> 00:57:25,014
♪ Because a visionsoftly creeping ♪
1144
00:57:25,014 --> 00:57:30,011
♪ Left its seedswhile I was sleeping ♪
1145
00:57:30,011 --> 00:57:32,017
♪ And the vision ♪
1146
00:57:32,017 --> 00:57:36,021
♪ That was plantedin my brain ♪
1147
00:57:36,021 --> 00:57:39,008
♪ Still remains ♪
1148
00:57:39,008 --> 00:57:46,002
♪ Within the soundof silence ♪
1149
00:57:46,002 --> 00:57:50,020
♪ In restless dreamsI walked alone ♪
1150
00:57:50,020 --> 00:57:54,010
♪ Narrow streetsof cobblestone ♪
1151
00:57:54,010 --> 00:57:59,018
♪ 'Neath the haloof a street lamp ♪
1152
00:57:59,018 --> 00:58:04,011
♪ I turned my collarto the cold and damp ♪
1153
00:58:04,011 --> 00:58:07,002
♪ When my eyeswere stabbed ♪
1154
00:58:07,002 --> 00:58:11,003
♪ By the flashof a neon light ♪
1155
00:58:11,003 --> 00:58:14,015
♪ That split the night ♪
1156
00:58:14,015 --> 00:58:20,008
♪ And touched the soundof silence ♪
1157
00:58:20,008 --> 00:58:24,022
♪ And in the nakedlight I saw ♪
1158
00:58:24,022 --> 00:58:29,011
♪ 10,000 people,maybe more ♪
1159
00:58:29,011 --> 00:58:33,023
♪ People talkingwithout speaking ♪
1160
00:58:33,023 --> 00:58:38,012
♪ People hearingwithout listening ♪
1161
00:58:38,012 --> 00:58:41,023
♪ People writing songs ♪
1162
00:58:41,023 --> 00:58:46,005
♪ That voicesnever share ♪
1163
00:58:46,005 --> 00:58:49,010
♪ No one dared ♪
1164
00:58:49,010 --> 00:58:52,008
♪ Disturb the sound ♪
1165
00:58:52,008 --> 00:58:55,008
♪ Of silence ♪
1166
00:58:55,008 --> 00:58:59,014
♪ "Fools," said I,"You do not know ♪
1167
00:58:59,014 --> 00:59:04,001
♪ Silencelike a cancer grows ♪
1168
00:59:04,001 --> 00:59:07,014
♪ Hear my wordsthat I might teach you ♪
1169
00:59:07,014 --> 00:59:11,021
♪ Take my armsthat I might reach you" ♪
1170
00:59:11,021 --> 00:59:15,004
♪ But my words ♪
1171
00:59:15,004 --> 00:59:18,003
♪ Like silentraindrops fell ♪
1172
00:59:21,020 --> 00:59:24,008
♪ And echoed ♪
1173
00:59:24,008 --> 00:59:29,015
♪ In the wellsof silence ♪
1174
00:59:29,015 --> 00:59:34,002
♪ And the peoplebowed and prayed ♪
1175
00:59:34,002 --> 00:59:38,009
♪ To the neon godthey made ♪
1176
00:59:38,009 --> 00:59:42,013
♪ And the signflashed out its warning ♪
1177
00:59:42,013 --> 00:59:47,000
♪ In the wordsthat it was forming ♪
1178
00:59:47,000 --> 00:59:50,009
♪ And the sign saidthe words of the prophets ♪
1179
00:59:50,009 --> 00:59:54,012
♪ Are writtenon the subway walls ♪
1180
00:59:54,012 --> 00:59:57,018
♪ And tenement halls ♪
1181
00:59:57,018 --> 00:59:59,010
♪ And whispered ♪
1182
00:59:59,010 --> 01:00:05,021
♪ In the soundof silence. ♪
1183
01:00:11,001 --> 01:00:13,005
And then there was
the weirdest thing of all
1184
01:00:13,005 --> 01:00:16,012
which is I wanted them
to write a new song
1185
01:00:16,012 --> 01:00:18,009
about Mrs. Robinson.
1186
01:00:18,009 --> 01:00:21,021
And when
we were recording,
Paul said,
1187
01:00:21,021 --> 01:00:24,015
"You want to hear the song
about Mrs. Robinson?"
1188
01:00:24,015 --> 01:00:25,017
I said, "Please.
Of course."
1189
01:00:25,017 --> 01:00:28,005
And he sang it
and I said, "I hate it."
1190
01:00:28,005 --> 01:00:29,015
( audience laughs )
1191
01:00:29,015 --> 01:00:32,001
"That's not the song.
I can't use that.
1192
01:00:32,001 --> 01:00:34,018
What else have you got?"
He said, "Nothing.
1193
01:00:34,018 --> 01:00:37,004
That's what I wrote."
1194
01:00:37,004 --> 01:00:40,003
I said, "Don't you have
anything you could try?"
1195
01:00:41,022 --> 01:00:44,020
He said, "Artie."
1196
01:00:44,020 --> 01:00:48,001
And they went in the cornerand they talked a little whil.
1197
01:00:48,001 --> 01:00:49,018
And then they came backand they stood in frontof the mic
1198
01:00:49,018 --> 01:00:53,008
and they sang"And here's to you,Mrs. Robinson."
1199
01:00:53,008 --> 01:00:55,000
And I said,"What the hell?"
1200
01:00:55,000 --> 01:00:58,010
( audience laughs )
1201
01:00:58,010 --> 01:01:00,011
"How did you do that?"
1202
01:01:00,011 --> 01:01:03,006
"Well," he said,
"I'll tell you the truth.
1203
01:01:03,006 --> 01:01:07,000
I've been working
on a song
1204
01:01:07,000 --> 01:01:09,012
called 'Here's to You,
Mrs. Roosevelt.'"
1205
01:01:09,012 --> 01:01:12,020
( audience laughs )
1206
01:01:12,020 --> 01:01:15,012
And they just changed it
to Mrs. Robinson.
1207
01:01:15,012 --> 01:01:18,004
( audience laughing,applauding )
1208
01:01:18,004 --> 01:01:21,007
( music playing )
1209
01:01:21,007 --> 01:01:23,008
( vocalizing )
1210
01:01:42,014 --> 01:01:46,003
♪ And here's to you,Mrs. Robinson ♪
1211
01:01:46,003 --> 01:01:50,008
♪ Jesus loves youmore than you will know ♪
1212
01:01:50,008 --> 01:01:52,013
♪ Whoa, whoa, whoa... ♪
1213
01:01:52,013 --> 01:01:55,007
When you look at the movie,
there's no verse.
1214
01:01:55,007 --> 01:01:57,021
They go,
"Dee-dee-dee-dee-dee"
1215
01:01:57,021 --> 01:01:59,011
because that's instead
of a verse.
1216
01:01:59,011 --> 01:02:02,007
They just have--
they just have the chorus
1217
01:02:02,007 --> 01:02:03,011
which is all they had
when we were recording.
1218
01:02:03,011 --> 01:02:08,003
I watched the film
a couple nights ago
1219
01:02:08,003 --> 01:02:12,003
and I didn't really
fully either remember
1220
01:02:12,003 --> 01:02:15,007
or appreciate
the very ending.
1221
01:02:15,007 --> 01:02:19,010
There they were,him pounding on the pane,
1222
01:02:19,010 --> 01:02:21,008
"Elaine, Elaine."
1223
01:02:21,008 --> 01:02:24,003
And she turnsand she screams,"Benjamin."
1224
01:02:24,003 --> 01:02:26,012
And they run outand he uses the cross
1225
01:02:26,012 --> 01:02:28,015
and locksthe Presbyterian church.
1226
01:02:28,015 --> 01:02:30,008
- Who hasn't?
- Yeah.
1227
01:02:30,008 --> 01:02:33,013
And they run to the bus
and they get on the bus
1228
01:02:33,013 --> 01:02:35,015
and you think,
"Wow!"
1229
01:02:35,015 --> 01:02:37,004
And they go
to the back of the bus
and they sit down
1230
01:02:37,004 --> 01:02:39,020
and then the film
doesn't end.
1231
01:02:39,020 --> 01:02:41,017
No.
1232
01:02:41,017 --> 01:02:44,002
Will you tell me
about that ending
1233
01:02:44,002 --> 01:02:46,016
and what happened
and how that happened?
1234
01:02:46,016 --> 01:02:49,009
Yeah, that was--
that ending
1235
01:02:49,009 --> 01:02:51,023
was what taught me
1236
01:02:51,023 --> 01:02:54,011
what movies really are.
1237
01:02:54,011 --> 01:02:56,009
And it's hard
to talk about,
1238
01:02:56,009 --> 01:02:58,008
but it's very
important to me
1239
01:02:58,008 --> 01:03:01,009
because it's where
I really did get it.
1240
01:03:01,009 --> 01:03:04,005
It's that I've been
a prick on set
1241
01:03:04,005 --> 01:03:06,000
and I've been okay
and I've been nice,
1242
01:03:06,000 --> 01:03:10,006
but on that movie,
we had a very special
feeling about it
1243
01:03:10,006 --> 01:03:12,020
and I was just darling
to everybody.
1244
01:03:12,020 --> 01:03:16,001
( audience laughs )
1245
01:03:16,001 --> 01:03:18,022
The crew
didn't think so,
but I did.
1246
01:03:20,018 --> 01:03:25,000
And I...
1247
01:03:25,000 --> 01:03:28,008
suddenly when we were
shooting that running
from the church
1248
01:03:28,008 --> 01:03:30,012
and getting on the bus,
1249
01:03:30,012 --> 01:03:32,015
I said to Dustin
and Katharine,
1250
01:03:32,015 --> 01:03:33,018
I said,
"Now, listen, guys,
1251
01:03:33,018 --> 01:03:36,009
we've stopped traffic
for 20 blocks
1252
01:03:36,009 --> 01:03:39,005
and we have police cars
and everything.
1253
01:03:39,005 --> 01:03:41,007
They're not gonna stay
with us very long.
1254
01:03:41,007 --> 01:03:44,010
Please, just get
on the damn bus,
1255
01:03:44,010 --> 01:03:47,011
turn around, see everybody
staring at you, and laugh.
1256
01:03:47,011 --> 01:03:49,007
Please.
You've got to do it.
1257
01:03:49,007 --> 01:03:51,005
I can't do this
over and over."
1258
01:03:51,005 --> 01:03:54,002
And I looked at them
and they both had tears
in their eyes.
1259
01:03:54,002 --> 01:03:57,003
They hadn't seen me
like this-- impatient.
1260
01:03:57,003 --> 01:03:59,017
I said, "I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, but--
1261
01:03:59,017 --> 01:04:00,021
let's just try to do it."
1262
01:04:00,021 --> 01:04:04,009
And the next day
I was showing the dailies
1263
01:04:04,009 --> 01:04:05,020
and I said, "Holy shit.
1264
01:04:05,020 --> 01:04:06,021
They're terrified."
1265
01:04:06,021 --> 01:04:09,021
Who knew?
Not me.
1266
01:04:09,021 --> 01:04:12,004
And that's when
I understood
1267
01:04:12,004 --> 01:04:15,022
that whatever
is happening to you,
1268
01:04:15,022 --> 01:04:17,001
if you're--
if you've been
concentrated,
1269
01:04:17,001 --> 01:04:18,017
if you've allbeen together,
1270
01:04:18,017 --> 01:04:24,000
and if you found this placethat all of you meet--
1271
01:04:24,000 --> 01:04:24,020
which is what you haveto do to make a movie--
1272
01:04:24,020 --> 01:04:27,017
then they're--
1273
01:04:27,017 --> 01:04:32,007
your own unconsciousis a very importantpart of it.
1274
01:04:32,007 --> 01:04:35,000
And you-- especiallyif you're the director
1275
01:04:35,000 --> 01:04:38,018
or the writeror the lead actor.
1276
01:04:51,016 --> 01:04:54,001
( laughs )
1277
01:05:03,018 --> 01:05:06,006
( music playing )
1278
01:05:06,006 --> 01:05:10,018
♪ Hello, darkness,my old friend ♪
1279
01:05:10,018 --> 01:05:15,005
♪ I've come to talkwith you again ♪
1280
01:05:15,005 --> 01:05:19,017
♪ Because a visionsoftly creeping ♪
1281
01:05:19,017 --> 01:05:24,001
♪ Left its seedswhile I was sleeping ♪
1282
01:05:24,001 --> 01:05:26,006
♪ And the vision ♪
1283
01:05:26,006 --> 01:05:30,012
♪ That was plantedin my brain ♪
1284
01:05:30,012 --> 01:05:33,021
♪ Still remains ♪
1285
01:05:33,021 --> 01:05:39,012
♪ Within the soundof silence... ♪
1286
01:05:39,012 --> 01:05:41,019
There's something
about a band of people
making a movie
1287
01:05:41,019 --> 01:05:46,015
when it's not with
the giant machines
and the cranes.
1288
01:05:46,015 --> 01:05:48,005
You have to do it
sometimes,
1289
01:05:48,005 --> 01:05:51,010
but you have to work
out your stuff
1290
01:05:51,010 --> 01:05:54,007
in a room without
the cranes,
1291
01:05:54,007 --> 01:05:55,021
with the people.
1292
01:05:55,021 --> 01:05:58,008
And it's that.
1293
01:05:58,008 --> 01:06:01,000
It's findingwhat's happening.
1294
01:06:01,000 --> 01:06:04,018
What is A doing to B
1295
01:06:04,018 --> 01:06:06,013
and what happens next
1296
01:06:06,013 --> 01:06:08,019
that I still getterribly excited about
1297
01:06:08,019 --> 01:06:12,000
because there's--
one minute you don't know,
1298
01:06:12,000 --> 01:06:13,022
the next minute
you suddenly get it.
1299
01:06:13,022 --> 01:06:17,003
And that,
as we all know,
1300
01:06:17,003 --> 01:06:18,023
is that's the great thrill.
1301
01:06:18,023 --> 01:06:21,001
Whether it happens
in your life,
1302
01:06:21,001 --> 01:06:24,008
in your work,
in your study,
1303
01:06:24,008 --> 01:06:26,014
in watching something,
1304
01:06:26,014 --> 01:06:28,015
when you get it
1305
01:06:28,015 --> 01:06:30,020
and everything shifts
and everything changes
1306
01:06:30,020 --> 01:06:33,021
and says some simple--
1307
01:06:33,021 --> 01:06:37,010
at least clear
if not simple thing,
that's a thrill.
1308
01:06:37,010 --> 01:06:40,019
That's exciting.
That's why we're here.
1309
01:06:40,019 --> 01:06:42,022
Because there's
nothing else like it.
1310
01:06:42,022 --> 01:06:45,020
There's nothing
like getting it.
1311
01:06:45,020 --> 01:06:49,007
That part of us
1312
01:06:49,007 --> 01:06:52,005
that comes out
of the unconscious
1313
01:06:52,005 --> 01:06:55,022
when we're hot.
1314
01:06:55,022 --> 01:06:57,004
When the thing
is happening
1315
01:06:57,004 --> 01:07:00,005
is what we have
to nourish.
1316
01:07:02,016 --> 01:07:05,019
The winner is
Mike Nichols.
1317
01:07:05,019 --> 01:07:07,005
( cheering )
1318
01:07:16,013 --> 01:07:19,005
Until this moment,
1319
01:07:19,005 --> 01:07:21,009
my greatest pleasure
in "The Graduate"
was making it
1320
01:07:21,009 --> 01:07:25,022
because it's a picture
made by a group
1321
01:07:25,022 --> 01:07:27,010
and we cared
for each other
1322
01:07:27,010 --> 01:07:30,019
and we cared for what
we were doing.
1323
01:07:30,019 --> 01:07:33,009
So this award
quite literally
1324
01:07:33,009 --> 01:07:35,008
belongs to them
at least as much
as it does to me.
1325
01:07:35,008 --> 01:07:39,012
I'm grateful to them
and to the academy
1326
01:07:39,012 --> 01:07:41,015
and to the movies
themselves.
1327
01:07:41,015 --> 01:07:44,005
( cheering )
1328
01:07:45,004 --> 01:07:47,008
- ( exhales )
- I know.
1329
01:07:47,008 --> 01:07:49,001
Well, here's the deal.
1330
01:07:49,001 --> 01:07:50,020
I've never had
a worse afternoon.
1331
01:07:50,020 --> 01:07:52,007
No, it's a nightmare.
1332
01:07:52,007 --> 01:07:55,006
- You're no fucking fun.
- I know.
1333
01:07:55,006 --> 01:07:57,022
Must be a grotesque
embarrassment to both of us.
1334
01:07:57,022 --> 01:08:00,017
Yes. Well, maybe we can
get them to destroy it.
1335
01:08:00,017 --> 01:08:04,000
Okay, then.
This is it, we're done.
1336
01:08:04,000 --> 01:08:06,011
( music playing )
1337
01:08:08,022 --> 01:08:10,004
( vocalizing )
1338
01:08:30,011 --> 01:08:34,019
♪ And here's to you,Mrs. Robinson ♪
1339
01:08:34,019 --> 01:08:39,004
♪ Jesus loves you morethan you will know ♪
1340
01:08:39,004 --> 01:08:41,017
♪ Whoa, whoa, whoa ♪
1341
01:08:41,017 --> 01:08:45,009
♪ God bless you, please,Mrs. Robinson ♪
1342
01:08:45,009 --> 01:08:49,018
♪ Heaven holds a placefor those who pray ♪
1343
01:08:49,018 --> 01:08:51,011
♪ Hey, hey, hey ♪
1344
01:08:52,017 --> 01:08:53,007
♪ Hey, hey, hey ♪
1345
01:08:58,001 --> 01:09:04,014
♪ We'd like to knowa little bit about youfor our files ♪
1346
01:09:04,014 --> 01:09:08,019
♪ We'd like to help youlearn to help yourself ♪
1347
01:09:10,013 --> 01:09:12,014
♪ Look around you,all you see ♪
1348
01:09:12,014 --> 01:09:17,000
♪ Are sympathetic eyes ♪
1349
01:09:17,000 --> 01:09:21,002
♪ Stroll around the groundsuntil you feel at home ♪
1350
01:09:21,002 --> 01:09:23,015
♪ And here's to you,Mrs. Robinson ♪
1351
01:09:23,015 --> 01:09:28,001
♪ Jesus loves youmore than you will know ♪
1352
01:09:28,001 --> 01:09:31,009
♪ Whoa, whoa, whoa ♪
1353
01:09:31,009 --> 01:09:35,003
♪ God bless you, please,Mrs. Robinson ♪
1354
01:09:35,003 --> 01:09:39,012
♪ Heaven holds a placefor those who pray ♪
1355
01:09:39,012 --> 01:09:41,002
♪ Hey, hey, hey ♪
1356
01:09:42,003 --> 01:09:43,018
♪ Hey, hey, hey ♪
1357
01:09:48,010 --> 01:09:53,001
♪ Hide it in a hiding placewhere no one ever goes ♪
1358
01:09:55,003 --> 01:09:58,010
♪ Put it in your pantrywith your cupcakes ♪
1359
01:10:00,007 --> 01:10:01,023
♪ It's a little secret ♪
1360
01:10:01,023 --> 01:10:04,010
♪ Just the Robinsons'affair ♪
1361
01:10:06,002 --> 01:10:10,018
♪ Most of all,you've got to hide itfrom the kids ♪
1362
01:10:10,018 --> 01:10:14,005
♪ Coo-coo-ca-choo,Mrs. Robinson ♪
1363
01:10:14,005 --> 01:10:18,015
♪ Jesus loves youmore than you will know ♪
1364
01:10:18,015 --> 01:10:21,005
♪ Whoa, whoa, whoa ♪
1365
01:10:21,005 --> 01:10:24,017
♪ God bless you, please,Mrs. Robinson ♪
1366
01:10:24,017 --> 01:10:29,004
♪ Heaven holds a placefor those who pray ♪
1367
01:10:29,004 --> 01:10:30,016
♪ Hey, hey, hey ♪
1368
01:10:31,021 --> 01:10:33,013
♪ Hey, hey, hey ♪
1369
01:10:38,007 --> 01:10:42,010
♪ Sitting on a sofaon a Sunday afternoon ♪
1370
01:10:44,021 --> 01:10:47,013
♪ Going tothe candidates' debate ♪
1371
01:10:50,002 --> 01:10:52,004
♪ Laugh about it,shout about it ♪
1372
01:10:52,004 --> 01:10:54,008
♪ When you've gotto choose ♪
1373
01:10:56,012 --> 01:11:00,008
♪ Every wayyou look at it,you lose ♪
1374
01:11:00,008 --> 01:11:03,022
♪ Where have you gone,Joe DiMaggio? ♪
1375
01:11:03,022 --> 01:11:08,016
♪ Our nation turnsits lonely eyes to you ♪
1376
01:11:08,016 --> 01:11:11,004
♪ Whoo, whoo, whoo ♪
1377
01:11:11,004 --> 01:11:14,014
♪ What's that you say,Mrs. Robinson? ♪
1378
01:11:14,014 --> 01:11:18,021
♪ Joltin' Joe has leftand gone away ♪
1379
01:11:18,021 --> 01:11:20,016
♪ Hey, hey, hey ♪
1380
01:11:21,020 --> 01:11:23,015
♪ Hey, hey, hey. ♪
103638
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