Quotes

I was only saying to the Queen the other day how I hate name dropping . . .

I never tried to emulate my father. Anyone trying to do that would be a second-rate carbon copy.

[in 1990] I suppose many people don't even know if I'm still alive--well, perhaps I'm not.

[on Edward G. Robinson] I will never forget the pleasure and instruction I derived from working with a true master of his art, such as Edward G. Robinson was--and is. Surely his record for versatility, studied characterization--ranging from modern colloquial to the classics--and artistic integrity is unsurpassed. Furthermore, everyone who has worked with him recalls with pleasure his considerable personal charm.

[on Irene Dunne] Nothing is instinctive, everything she does is very carefully thought out, she knows her camera and lighting as well as any cameraman, she knows every movement, every intonation, every nuance. She's a first-class craftswoman. But instead of being dull and perfect, she's absolutely enchanting and perfect.

[on Joan Crawford] She was always so arduous and working so hard at everything; at dancing, on her looks, on her speech and on her carriage. She was dedicated to self-improvement.

Like many beautiful women, New York looks wonderful from a distance. From across the river. But the closer you come, the more you see the makeup. Sure, the Algonquin Hotel is still here. I roller-skated across the lobby as a boy. And the Netherland Hotel is now the Sherry Netherland. And there's bits and pieces of the Upper West Side I still know. But how dirty it all is now. And dangerous. But it's still exciting and it's still my home. So I'm loyal to it, in a way.