“The writer, when he is also an artist, is someone who admits what others don't dare reveal.” Quote by Elia Kazan
“Bob Wallace was my editor at Rolling Stone when I first started writing there, and he's a wonderful editor. I was in the Philippines during the Marcos overthrow, and I was up on what was called Smokey Mountain. I think it's gone now, but it was a garbage dump with a bunch of people living on it. I was talking to Bob on the phone, and I told him, "I'm a humorist. I can't write about this." And Bob told me to let my style be dictated by the subject, to take what I saw and write about it in the tone that it requires.” PeopleThinkingWritingFirstsI CanTalkingGoneSawsWonderfulSubjectsStyleMountainStonesPhonesBunchToneEditorsBobRollingGarbageLiving OnDumpRolling StonesPhilippinesHumoristsMarcos Author:P. J. O'Rourke
“If I do, I say so. That's the only way out of that. If there are three words that need to be used more in American journalism, commentary, politics, personal life... it's the magic words "I don't know." I mean, there are certain basic principles, like the dignity of the individual and the individual's responsibility, and certain basic economic principles, like how when something costs less, more of it will be consumed... There are certain things that I feel pretty confident about.” IfsKnowsWayNeedsFeelsMeanUsedCertainThreeIndividualResponsibilityPrinciplesMagicEconomicCostDignityJournalismPersonal LifeConsumedCommentaryBasic PrinciplesThree WordsMagic Words Author:P. J. O'Rourke
“When I get in deep water, I prefer to announce that I'm in over my head.” WaterDeep Water Author:P. J. O'Rourke
“As a young man with celebrity parents I yearned to ignore my heritage (or, more precisely, have other people ignore my famous parents) and "make it" in my chosen career entirely on my own merit (which of course never happens, you're always found out).” PeopleMenHappensYoungCoursesFoundParentMy OwnCareersChosenMeritYoung ManHeritage Author:Chris Hart
“I had the good fortune to direct my first professional production with one of my Dad's masterpieces, The Man Who Came To Dinner. What it taught me was how beautifully the Kaufman and Hart plays are constructed: with economy, and wit, and warmth, and a sensibility, and heart/Hart that appeals to every stripe of theatregoers. It was a gift that can't be underestimated.” MenFirstsHeartPlayEconomyTaughtHe ManDadDirectFortuneMy DadProductionsDinnerWitAppealsWarmthSensibilityMasterpieceGood FortuneUnderestimatedStripesHart Author:Chris Hart
“What makes You Can't Take It With You so popular and a perennial favorite with student and amateur productions (it continues to be one of the top 10 best-selling plays year after year) is the breadth of characters and personalities on display: in age, race, gender, social status, a true cross section of society when the play was written and also true today in terms of the reality of the humanity on display.” YearsPlayCharacterRealityAgeTodayHumanitySocialTermRaceWrittenStudentsPersonalityCrossesProductionsGenderSellingDisplaySectionsBreadthSocial StatusTop 10 Author:Chris Hart
“As far as I know, no one in the Kaufman or Hart clan was the basis for anyone in the play. I think we all wish we had a Grandpa, Penny, and Mr. De Pinna in our families.” ThinkingKnowsPlayWishBasesOur FamilyPenniesGrandpaClansHart Author:Chris Hart
“A couple of years ago my friend and business partner Jeffrey Richards was doing the Gore Vidal play, The Best Man, starring James Earl Jones. I asked Jeffrey out to lunch and asked him what he thought of James playing Grandpa in You Can't Take It With You. Jeffrey thought it was a fabulous idea and so did James.” MenYearsIdeasPlayCoupleMy FriendsYears AgoPartnersLunchFabulousGoreGrandpaBusiness Partners Author:Chris Hart
“As a younger person I think I thought of myself as a Tony [from The Best Man], struggling with the legacy of my famous parents.” ThinkingMenPersonsParentStruggleLegacy Author:Chris Hart
“Even though the play [ The Best Man] was written a long time ago, the characters seem modern and their struggles to make ends meet and to "have a little fun along the way" have a very contemporary feel. The similarity between the The Great Depression and The Great Recession - as well as the gulf between the super-rich and the ordinary Joe - still rings a bell. One of the things this production accentuates is how beautifully Grandpa and his family accept all kinds of people - rich or poor, black or white - and the best thing that can happen to you is to be part of a loving family.” PeopleMenWayFeelsWellsKindLittlesLongStillsEndsPlayCharacterSeemsHappensFunBlackWhitePoorAcceptingStruggleRichWrittenModernLong TimeOrdinaryProductionsRingsContemporaryAll KindsBest ThingsBellsLong Time AgoSimilarityRecessionsGreat DepressionGrandpaBlack Or WhiteRich Or PoorAccentuateLoving FamilyGreat Recession Author:Chris Hart