Quotes

Screen acting is my business but I get my kicks from Broadway.

[In September 1947 "Screenland"] England has been praised for turning out intelligent, adult pictures whereas Hollywood has been severely censured for turning out junk. I don't think criticism is a valid one because, in defense of Hollywood, we have censorship problems England doesn't have. I'm not speaking of the license to do sexy stuff. I'm speaking of the license to present adult ideas and viewpoints, which we lack and which means in turn that many of our pictures lack intelligent content.

No actor can really be good until he's reached forty. [He died at 39.]

[on his relationship with Warner Bros.] I was suspended "only" 11 times. I served my time and took it like a sport . . .They taught me the business, and they made me a star. They took their chances with a cocky kid from the East who still talked out of the corner of his mouth. I appreciate all that.

[on his past associations with "progressive" causes] Actors are emotional. If somebody would come up to us and say, "Sign here. Everybody's doing it for civil liberties", or "Sign here to save the bread of children of writers banned from the studios because of their political beliefs", I would sign because it was a right cause in which I believed.