By RAY KELLY
“My Lunches with Orson: Conversations Between Henry Jaglom and Orson Welles,” written by Peter Biskind, arrives in stores on July 16. The book from Macmillan/ Metropolitan is based on conversations between the two filmmakers recorded in the final three years of Welles’ life.
Wellesnet.com interviewed Henry Jaglom about the book back in February. An interview with Peter Biskind will appear here next month.
Here are 10 quotes from the lively “”My Lunches with Orson.”
- On Peter Bogdanovich’s book ‘ The Killing of the Unicorn”: For a man to betray himself that way, in front of the world, is really disturbing. She was a semihooker, you know… And he implicates himself as a stooge of [Hugh] Hefner… After I finished the book, I don’t believe he was in love with her. He was in love with himself being in love with her.’
- “I never had any trouble with extreme right wingers. I’ve always found them extremely likeable in every respect, except their politics. They are usually nicer people than left-wingers.”
- [John Landis] “you know, the asshole from ‘Animal House,’ a real shit… Won’t leave me alone. Keeps phoning me and giving me advice on how to make the movie [‘Cradle Will Rock’]. In a very patronizing way. Everything he says is dumb.”
- Larry [Oliver] is very – I mean seriously – stupid. I believe that intelligence is a handicap in an actor.”
- “For two or three years [Dorothy Comingore] just refused everything, waiting for another Susan Alexander. Well you know those parts don’t come along so often.”
- On supporting John Glenn: “I hate to think of myself as fighting for a moderate, but a moderate is what is desperately needed for this next period. We need antipolarization, you know. After Bonny Prince Ronnie.”
- [Humphrey] Bogart was a well-educated upper class American trying to be tough. You didn’t believe him as a tough guy. Anybody who knew him as I did…”
- “I hate Kissinger even more than I hate Nixon. Because I can’t get over the feeling he knows better, somehow… he’s a selfish, self-serving shit.”
- “George Raft knew he was the world’s worst actor. He told me that all the time. He’d say, ‘I’m just lucky, you know. I can’t say a line.'”
- [John] Houseman is 81. Something that gives me comfort every night. Every night when I get a touch of rheumatism. He’s holding up awfully well, though.”
Excerpts from My Lunches With Orson: Conversations Between Henry Jaglom and Orson Welles, by Peter Biskind, to be published next month by Metropolitan Books. Copyright © 2013 by Peter Biskind.
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