Words matter. These are the best David L. Wolper Quotes, and they’re great for sharing with your friends.
Continuity is a wonderful thing, and it is a very rare thing in show business.
When they did the Olympics in Seoul – or elsewhere – didn’t each host country try to show its greatness to the world viewing audience?
I did not intend for there to be an incisive historical lesson in ‘North and South.’ Basically, it’s just a good, juicy story.
Why is it that if you hit a shot to within a tenth of an inch of the hole, it’s a great shot, but if it goes in, it’s luck?
My roots are documentaries.
I was the first independent to walk in with a documentary.
I believe that religion and politics should not mix. Both should be a part of somebody’s life – but not together.
I had been an independent entrepreneur from the beginning, and I felt I could do it myself. I didn’t want to get a job.
I’m not a kid trying to make an impression in the business. I do have 600 films out there that are playing constantly.
The minute I went into business, I was a success, and I’ve done well ever since.
What prevailed was that it was a family story, so it didn’t matter what the color. It was also the perfect subject matter for a miniseries: A best-selling book, a generational story, a social problem – they all made ‘Roots’ what a miniseries should be.
I don’t want to make an ‘Animal House.’ I’m not interested in making ‘Ghost Busters.’
I have to do popcorn for movies. I can do more important things for television. You’re going down when you’re making a movie, not going up.
Motion pictures are a director’s medium. Broadway is a writer’s medium. Television is a producer’s medium. I picked a medium I could control.
I don’t call four hours a miniseries.
There’s a fine line between patriotism and corn.
I don’t fall in love with inanimate objects. I don’t bond with them. I only fall in love with people.
I liked the clear morality of 1941, when you had no doubt about good and evil. There was a lot of idealism, people fighting for a cause. People are searching for morality today.
Somebody said something funny to me the other day. They said, ‘Wolper, until two weeks ago, your tombstone was going to say, ‘David Wolper, the man who produced ‘Roots.’ I think the tombstone now has a new inscription. It’s going to be ‘David Wolper, the man who produced the opening ceremony of the 1984 Olympics.’
I believe a mini-series has two audiences. The first is the media. Then I go for the television audience.
People don’t buy and sell art based on the personality of the artist. Or there wouldn’t be much art bought and sold.
Relax! Life is beautiful!
Some psychiatrist told me I was interested in sculpture because I dealt in flat surfaces and needed something with dimension.
I can possibly say I have entertained and educated more people than anyone else in the world.
If people perceive ‘Roots’ to be a black history show, nobody is going to watch it.
You have to say, ‘We think it’s going to work. Let’s go with it.’ Either you’re going to kill the world, or you’re going to fall on your rear end.
Television is like a library. There are a lot of library books in it, and you have to pick and choose what you take out of it.
My definition of a producer is ‘the man with the dream.’
We couldn’t predict what would happen with ‘Roots.’ You knew there were powerful moments that were going to affect people. We were making the film while the book was being completed. We were fortunate because the hardcover book was out and on the best-seller list. The heat was still on.
I make it happen. Who bought Alex Haley’s book ‘Roots’ for TV? Me. I hired the director, hired the writer. I put them all together. I’m like the chef. If I mix all the ingredients right, it’s going to taste terrific. If I don’t, it’s not going to come out good.
