Quotes
I think one of the major things a director has to do is to know his subject matter, the subject matter of his script, know the truth and the reality of it. That's very important.
I don't know that I had any particular "influence," but when I came into the business my idols were people like John Ford and Willy Wyler and Howard Hawkes, later on Joseph Mankiewicz and others like that. But I don't know that I picked up, necessarily, anything. Of course Orson was a big influence.
As I've always said, preproduction is so important. When you cast the actors, you've done much of the work. Now, you may need to guide them a little, take it up or down, have them go faster or slower, but the casting process is crucial.
You see I'm semi-retired now and don't work all the time, only most of it! !
Yes, I had a tough childhood.
Well if I was going to describe my audience, it's going to take longer than you'd ever expect, hundreds of years in fact, because there's many of them, all over the world.
There are people who like just ordinary comedy fun, and making mistakes - which I do easily - and then there are people who like the falling over.
That would be a gentleman called Billy Marsh, who sadly is no longer with us, but he was the agent who chose me.
Of course I've done musicals here in London.
In fact, one was so booked out we went from March and were to go till November, but the pantomime was booked so they transferred the show to the Prince of Wales Theatre because it was so packed out, and it ran on from there.
If anybody hasn't got a sense of humour, a slightly childish sense of humour, they can't be very happy in mine.
I've got one idea I want to do for a film and you know I just enjoy myself doing bits and pieces.
I've done seven shows at the Palladium - long running shows I'm talking about.
I've been extremely lucky having been in the army when I was a boy of fourteen.
I've an idea for doing a Situation Comedy myself but its always difficult to get people to listen to you because they like to put their own ideas forward.
I'd like to do a Situation Comedy.
I was in the band as a boy and was taught music and learned to compose.
I was born in very sorry circumstances.
I was born in London, and went to school in Scotland - I used to be dead tired when I got home at night.
I remember going to lunch with Innes Lloyd, who was the one who had approached Billy about me playing the part, and Stephen Frears.