By Ronald Constantino
MORE AND MORE – Highspeed gives more and more directors’ cuts, as asked by readers, who say they only read about Hollywood celebrities in Highspeed.
Thanks to “Hollywood Babble On” by Boze Hadleigh.
There, darling, that’s what I wanted. I know you could do it. – D.W. GRIFFITH after slapping Mabel Normand (in 1912) so she could do a crying scene in “The Mender of Nets”
Jane Fonda wants to be loved. Lily Tomlin wants to be lovely. Dolly Parton wants to be lovable. In short, Jane and Lily want they don’t have, while Dolly only wants to take her lovability into a new medium. It’s her (Dolly’s) first movie (“Nine to Five”), so unlike Jane and Lily, she’s playing a character very much like herself. Damn near identical in fact. – COLIN HIGGINS
She has lilacs for public hairs. – BLAKE EDWARDS on Julie Andrews
The press and the public want to believe that what they see on the screen is the truth. After “The World of Suzie Wong” become a hit around the world, everyone would corner me at parties and beg me to reveal whether Bill Holden and Nancy Kwan had really had an affair. The tone of the voices and the look in their eyes made clear they fervently hope there had been an affair. I almost felt guilty disappointing them that Bill’s sons were about Nancy’s age and that off the set she spent more time playing tennis with them, while Bill was tending to his local real estate interest. – RICHARD QUINE
Sean (Connery) is possibly the luckiest actor working, especially at the level of remuneration. He had one popular characterization (James Bond), and on the strength of that, he’s gone from film to film and megasalary to megasalary, and quite factually, only his 007s performed that well at the boxoffice. – RONALD NEAME
It is good working with Nastassja Kinski on “Tess.” She is young and new, and younger actresses are more pliable than the older ones. – ROMAN POLANSKI
Hollywood, any more than I could, money is the only reason to work in Hollywood. – RAINER WERNER FASSBINDER on the director of the 1993 Clint Eastwood hit “In the Line of Fire”
Now foreign directors, it is very popular in America. But not always. In 1950s I have friend make inquiries if Marilyn Monroe is interested to be in one of my movies, for the future. She say no thank you. Is big star, I am Italian director. She would be divine in the scenes played by Anita Ekberg. But with Marilyn Monroe, the whole movie (“La Dolce Vita”) then has to be about the girl in the fountain. – FEDERICO FELLINI
