#37 Dore Schary

[00:05 - 00:10]
This is Bernard Gabriel. My guest this broadcast has long been one of the
[00:10 - 00:15]
major figures of Hollywood history. I won't attempt any list of credits
[00:15 - 00:19]
because his achievements as a playwright author producer and motion picture executive
[00:19 - 00:25]
have been nothing short of staggering. Just to give you an idea he was producer or
[00:25 - 00:30]
executive of some three hundred fifty films including Bad Day At Black Rock
[00:30 - 00:36]
sunrise a camp of Bellotti in sympathy spiral staircase and crossfire.
[00:36 - 00:41]
As an author he's been a contributor to The New York Sunday Times Magazine Saturday Review
[00:41 - 00:45]
Atlantic Monthly reporter and this week to mention just a very few
[00:45 - 00:50]
publications. Oh he's won many Oscars Oscars Tonys Academy
[00:50 - 00:56]
Awards and honorary degrees from colleges. If you haven't
[00:56 - 01:00]
already guessed his name it's Dori Sheri. And for
[01:00 - 01:05]
12 years the last 12 years he has been writing and producing for the
[01:05 - 01:10]
theater in New York City and now well only recently anyway he's
[01:10 - 01:15]
embarked on a new career that of Mayor Lindsay's commissioner of Cultural Affairs for the
[01:15 - 01:20]
city of New York. Mr. Sherry commissioner Sherry is the
[01:20 - 01:25]
office of commissioner of Cultural Affairs a new post in New York City or have
[01:25 - 01:30]
you had a predecessor that I can't recall now it is a actually the
[01:30 - 01:34]
post was on what's called a city line but it was never filled.
[01:34 - 01:38]
And I am the first one to occupy that post.
[01:38 - 01:43]
Let me ask you when did you take office. I actually took office the end of
[01:43 - 01:48]
April this year. And might I ask you what are the
[01:48 - 01:52]
chief matters that are concerning you and in this new post. Because I don't think
[01:52 - 01:54]
many of us know very much about it.
[01:54 - 01:59]
While the commissioner of Cultural Affairs the range of his duties
[01:59 - 02:04]
involve the expenditure of the maintenance of
[02:04 - 02:09]
libraries museums landmarks
[02:09 - 02:15]
theaters you know publicly owned theaters like the theater
[02:15 - 02:20]
the Shakespeare Festival and also the programming cultural
[02:20 - 02:25]
programming throughout the city has been a heavy concentration in the
[02:25 - 02:30]
past years on some of programming. And one of the things I want to
[02:30 - 02:34]
do is to expand this programming throughout the winter
[02:34 - 02:39]
season. In addition we this department is responsible for
[02:39 - 02:44]
various sculpture projects throughout the city in the
[02:44 - 02:48]
parks. In front of public buildings and matters such as that
[02:48 - 02:54]
it's a job with a lot of responsibility some of it I hope
[02:54 - 03:00]
will be very creative. Others are strictly administrative.
[03:00 - 03:04]
That's the that's the kind of function of the job. But as I say
[03:04 - 03:09]
it's wide ranging and sometimes quite a burden.
[03:09 - 03:14]
But it's exciting and does it involve a lot of money.
[03:14 - 03:19]
I mean to get all these projects underway you know yeah it
[03:19 - 03:24]
involves a lot of money most of the money goes for those institutions
[03:24 - 03:29]
that are already established. Where did it come from. It comes from city funds and
[03:29 - 03:34]
some of it however particularly those funds that have to do with programming come
[03:34 - 03:38]
from. The aid you get from foundations and public
[03:38 - 03:43]
benefactors who participate in arranging for programs to
[03:43 - 03:48]
be done and also from business. Business has
[03:48 - 03:52]
begun to take a much greater interest in our programs.
[03:52 - 03:57]
I did a program not too long ago with getting cheeky perhaps you know him big business
[03:57 - 04:02]
to me and of course he's heavily involved on the committee
[04:02 - 04:07]
as with business all around the country and sport for arts. Yes and I
[04:07 - 04:12]
guess it's pretty important that they do because a lot of important artistic projects are just
[04:12 - 04:17]
about ready to close up shop without some aid of this sort of federal aid.
[04:17 - 04:20]
While some some are in difficulty others are being.
[04:20 - 04:26]
Either revived or continued and some of the some of the
[04:26 - 04:31]
projects are new. One of the chief difficulties for those of
[04:31 - 04:36]
us involved in this work is to make a selection.
[04:36 - 04:40]
There's an enormous list of organizations people
[04:40 - 04:45]
institutions that want help and need help. It's a question whether we can
[04:45 - 04:47]
satisfy all of them.
[04:47 - 04:52]
And yet the big organization seems to seem to be the ones that get help. Easiest it seems to me
[04:52 - 04:57]
it seems that the lone artist musician
[04:57 - 05:02]
who isn't an enormous name already has the hardest time getting any kind of lift
[05:02 - 05:03]
to boost support.
[05:03 - 05:08]
Call it what you want I think that's true and I think one of the objectives I have in mind is
[05:08 - 05:12]
to provide workshops for young people.
[05:12 - 05:18]
Who have not yet earned their reputations giving them an opportunity to work in some
[05:18 - 05:23]
sort of compatible circumstances and give them enough money to
[05:23 - 05:28]
continue to express themselves and hopefully achieve some sort of reputation.
[05:28 - 05:33]
You know they musicians used to be able to appear possibly for nothing even on
[05:33 - 05:38]
many radio stations. Most radio stations now don't even have a piano.
[05:38 - 05:42]
Nothing is live and there's almost no opportunity even gratis for a young
[05:42 - 05:47]
musician to appeared. Of course television I think not a tall. Maybe you may be a
[05:47 - 05:52]
very little bit. I went to the educational station but the
[05:52 - 05:57]
opportunities instead of becoming greater. It seems to me becoming
[05:57 - 05:58]
less in some respects.
[05:58 - 06:03]
Well if you're talking about the dénouement tried artists that might be true
[06:03 - 06:09]
but on the other hand when you consider the enormous increase in the amount of radio
[06:09 - 06:13]
time in television time. And time available through new
[06:13 - 06:18]
orchestras through concert programs I think there's a greater opportunity for
[06:18 - 06:19]
young people.
[06:19 - 06:24]
I really don't in some ways yes handsomely Yes. You know I've been reading a lot
[06:24 - 06:29]
in the newspapers about something called the people. Yes. Which I think was taken from the
[06:29 - 06:34]
title of a Sandburg. It's so I love assembler. Yes and I understand that this is a
[06:34 - 06:39]
venture utilizing the mole and a literary walk in Central
[06:39 - 06:40]
Park now.
[06:40 - 06:45]
And I think it's for the various ethnic groups that make up New York City to
[06:45 - 06:50]
contribute something of their cultural achievements and individualistic
[06:50 - 06:55]
attainments in the arts what we have going on that you know about and I don't know what we have in
[06:55 - 07:00]
mind we have planned an eight day festival from October the 11th
[07:00 - 07:05]
to October the 18th inclusive and each day there will be a
[07:05 - 07:11]
10 hour program of entertainment from noon until 10:00 o'clock at night.
[07:11 - 07:16]
We have the aid. We have commitments from some
[07:16 - 07:21]
39 or 40 different ethnic groups. The range is
[07:21 - 07:25]
quite extraordinary. Irish Italian
[07:25 - 07:30]
Jewish black. Hispanic
[07:30 - 07:35]
Estonian Russian Chinese Japanese
[07:35 - 07:40]
Scotch. I think that in many worlds fair while it is kind of a
[07:40 - 07:45]
mini World's Fair and it's a wonderful coincidence that this all will be
[07:45 - 07:50]
taking place during the 25th anniversary of the United Nations. The thrust of
[07:50 - 07:55]
our festival is to kind of
[07:55 - 08:00]
develop a demonstration of all the cultures
[08:00 - 08:04]
the art the artifacts the music the
[08:04 - 08:09]
foods of all the various cultures there are a number of booths
[08:09 - 08:15]
set to be something like 45 booths on the sea area and people will
[08:15 - 08:19]
be able to wander around and look see in some instances
[08:19 - 08:24]
buy things and they will be exposed to
[08:24 - 08:29]
the entertainment of all these various groups from
[08:29 - 08:34]
greased pole climbing to Japanese tea services to Scottish
[08:34 - 08:39]
dances to. Afro hip break folk
[08:39 - 08:43]
songs to play. It's quite an
[08:43 - 08:48]
extraordinary amount of entertainment and quite an extraordinary extraordinary
[08:48 - 08:54]
demonstration of what we owe to each other in the way of our cultures.
[08:54 - 08:59]
I don't believe in this. This concept really of a melting
[08:59 - 09:03]
pot in terms of everything being melted down and no one in some
[09:03 - 09:08]
homogenized form. I believe it imperative that
[09:08 - 09:13]
various groups whether they're hyphenated groups or not retain some of their
[09:13 - 09:18]
traditional cultures because this I believe is the matrix that has made America
[09:18 - 09:21]
strong. And if we come into some sort of
[09:21 - 09:27]
pasteurized American I think that would be a very sad thing.
[09:27 - 09:31]
Now this is for a week in October now to write this something that you envision
[09:31 - 09:36]
continuing in the next 30 past that being done at regular
[09:36 - 09:41]
intervals while I would hope that we could make this yearly event one week one
[09:41 - 09:46]
week it will be one while it's actually eight solid days and you're bound to get some good web
[09:46 - 09:51]
cast while you were hoping hoping that we have that.
[09:51 - 09:55]
It could be done indoors almost as well in that it could I think I think the
[09:55 - 09:59]
idea of having it outdoors is a little more exciting.
[09:59 - 10:04]
And we just hope we get a good period of Indian Summer and the rain stays
[10:04 - 10:08]
away. We'll just pray that we get good weather.
[10:08 - 10:09]
Yeah.
[10:09 - 10:16]
Commissioner Sherry I wonder if you would also say a little more than you have about some of the
[10:16 - 10:20]
other projects that are under your jurisdiction and which are kind of coming about
[10:20 - 10:22]
soon.
[10:22 - 10:26]
While there are many things in which we are involved we continue always
[10:26 - 10:32]
our various festivals throughout the city. We participate and we
[10:32 - 10:36]
want to enlarge the entire aspect of
[10:36 - 10:42]
workshops this is one of my main objectives now beginning. What does that mean as workshops.
[10:42 - 10:46]
Wow what we want to do and I think it's it's a necessity for this
[10:46 - 10:51]
city which is a large city there's been a complaint and in some instances
[10:51 - 10:56]
justified that our department has concentrated too much
[10:56 - 11:01]
on Manhattan. We want to move to a greater degree out into the boroughs.
[11:01 - 11:06]
We want to go out and begin to develop in the barrios their own
[11:06 - 11:11]
kind of groups that want to do what they want to do sometimes things are sent into there
[11:11 - 11:16]
by Rosa don't relate to them and they want they do have councils
[11:16 - 11:20]
of the arts which I don't believe are being funded
[11:20 - 11:26]
in the way they should be funded and I hope that we'll be able to get more money to do something
[11:26 - 11:31]
to help them out and have them form their own groups
[11:31 - 11:36]
and have training programs for instance one in the barrios
[11:36 - 11:41]
of Puerto Rican community. They have various
[11:41 - 11:45]
ideas on how they can use the art form not only to
[11:45 - 11:50]
stimulate artists but to create trained and
[11:50 - 11:54]
skilled artisans who will then be able to go out into the commercial field
[11:54 - 12:00]
and earn a living. There's a program that's been given us
[12:00 - 12:04]
which we're now trying to finance a fabric making. They want to make
[12:04 - 12:09]
Hispanic fabrics. They have a training program that would
[12:09 - 12:14]
involve 40 apprentices over a period of years who then will be trained
[12:14 - 12:19]
and have to go out into the commercial field and operate in the fabric industry.
[12:19 - 12:24]
I think that's important because and I don't to give these young people an opportunity to
[12:24 - 12:29]
express themselves but to learn an art form and to relate it to life itself
[12:29 - 12:33]
and I try to relate it to the entire city and indeed to the entire country.
[12:33 - 12:38]
Let me ask you this. Some people feel that there is almost
[12:38 - 12:43]
to speak of music particularly that there's almost too much music going on all the time
[12:43 - 12:48]
now days with transistor radios going almost 24 hours each day. Music coming at you in
[12:48 - 12:52]
elevators restaurants literally everywhere you go so that people some people
[12:52 - 12:56]
feel that there's a they're surfeited with music now what's your reaction to that.
[12:56 - 13:01]
Well I'm kind of I'm inclined to believe that there's a great justification in that
[13:01 - 13:02]
complaint.
[13:02 - 13:07]
You know as this far as your Mayor Wagner former Mayor Wagner when he did a little interview with me recently he thought
[13:07 - 13:09]
there's never enough music.
[13:09 - 13:14]
I think that's a nice noble position to say you know but I do believe that there's
[13:14 - 13:19]
a point of satiety and when we live in. A
[13:19 - 13:23]
crowded urban area such as New York where we are hummed the
[13:23 - 13:28]
noise. One of the most relaxing things that can happen to any of
[13:28 - 13:32]
us is to just quiet and
[13:32 - 13:37]
just read and have time to meditate
[13:37 - 13:43]
and concentrate on the printed word rather than the spoken
[13:43 - 13:43]
word.
[13:43 - 13:47]
That'll be the day when you can get people in New York City to do that again.
[13:47 - 13:50]
While I think I think it's very possible I know that.
[13:50 - 13:56]
My job keeps me moving around quite a bit and I'm Rashid's by the
[13:56 - 14:01]
sounds of the city and very often when I get into an elevator you have that few
[14:01 - 14:06]
seconds where you say why. It's just and suddenly outcomes blaring some more music
[14:06 - 14:11]
at you know. So I do believe that it's reached a point where
[14:11 - 14:16]
we don't have to have quite as much as we can but I don't think there's anything we can do about it just have to
[14:16 - 14:19]
hit everybody that way and I just have to swallow it.
[14:19 - 14:22]
Yet all I've ever worn out get worn out eventually.
[14:22 - 14:27]
I think so. Which leads me to ask you how much support do you feel
[14:27 - 14:31]
that government on a federal level also on the municipal level
[14:31 - 14:36]
should give to an art like music.
[14:36 - 14:41]
Other countries I understand Give have been giving radio more much more and
[14:41 - 14:47]
even feels like educational radio and television. I was talking to Peter Hermann
[14:47 - 14:51]
Adler you know of any TV and he said that this country.
[14:51 - 14:58]
You know from the government point of view it has gives less than any other country he could think of.
[14:58 - 15:03]
While I'm not sure that that would be an accurate statement because we certainly don't want to hear that I think
[15:03 - 15:08]
you know correctly I was given more than timing on average but there are that well so much
[15:08 - 15:13]
smaller countries who do much better and I've got to watch out there but you know I was thinking of the big countries of
[15:13 - 15:18]
Europe out now I think that we need more out and I think the government has a
[15:18 - 15:23]
responsibility to do something about it because when we speak really in the
[15:23 - 15:27]
broad sense of culture we're talking about really communication
[15:27 - 15:32]
and we have to communicate our aspirations
[15:32 - 15:39]
innermost feelings about deciding which we live and that's done through the medium of
[15:39 - 15:44]
various arts. Now I'm all for greater aid. I have
[15:44 - 15:49]
some reservations about such aid particularly on the federal or state level.
[15:49 - 15:52]
If there are any strings attached that's what everybody is afraid of.
[15:52 - 15:57]
Now I know that we have a problem right here we often finance
[15:57 - 16:00]
entertainment and some of it is.
[16:00 - 16:07]
The kind of entertainment that receives protests from some of our audiences particular their pre
[16:07 - 16:12]
performances some of our groups are occasionally inclined to get a little
[16:12 - 16:17]
explicit. They sometimes use four letter words that offend some people.
[16:17 - 16:21]
Now if we start moving in and trying to censor these groups then we're doing
[16:21 - 16:26]
precisely the wrong thing. I think you
[16:26 - 16:31]
have to talk to these people. If they do reach a point where they become
[16:31 - 16:36]
where they offend some people explain what their responsibilities are.
[16:36 - 16:41]
But for us to move in and start censoring them would be precisely
[16:41 - 16:46]
what I'm opposed to. Yeah. If you give You have to take the risk that
[16:46 - 16:52]
not all of it will be good. Not all of it will suit your taste. Not all of it
[16:52 - 16:56]
will be you know exceptionally palatable. But that's the
[16:56 - 17:01]
risk you have to take. I can. Having been around quite
[17:01 - 17:06]
awhile thank God I can remember the day yeah.
[17:06 - 17:11]
And there were many people put on various lists as being subversive
[17:11 - 17:16]
because they wrote what they wanted to write. And if we get to a point where the
[17:16 - 17:21]
government begins to give us aid but puts certain restrictions and
[17:21 - 17:26]
interdictions upon us then I don't think the aid is of any value at all it has to
[17:26 - 17:29]
be given freely taking all the risks that go along.
[17:29 - 17:34]
Is there a mood now a greater mood of government interest in the arts
[17:34 - 17:37]
and it would include the municipal situation.
[17:37 - 17:41]
Oh I know that that's true certainly in New York I think merely by appointing you
[17:41 - 17:46]
apparently. I don't know that he has a can a real concern himself while he has a
[17:46 - 17:50]
real concern that's been demonstrated.
[17:50 - 17:55]
He loves the theater. He loves various
[17:55 - 18:00]
art forms vitally interested in it. And I think he means that
[18:00 - 18:01]
I know he means it.
[18:01 - 18:05]
Let me ask you about a little idea I have yet of inducing public officials
[18:05 - 18:10]
politicians to just pose perhaps with young musicians who have
[18:10 - 18:15]
distinguished themselves in one way I'm thinking of the series Musicians just for a picture in the
[18:15 - 18:19]
press a congratulatory pat on the back. Don't you think if this were
[18:19 - 18:24]
publicized around the country by the new services and so on you know a lot of it that
[18:24 - 18:29]
this might do a little bit for our image abroad and give a boost to young musicians and also help their managers
[18:29 - 18:32]
sell these young artists.
[18:32 - 18:37]
You know I wish I could agree with you wholeheartedly on that because what you
[18:37 - 18:41]
say certainly comes out of your deep interest and want to move to young
[18:41 - 18:46]
artists I'm not sure it would do any good. The fact is that
[18:46 - 18:50]
if you've first of all you consider the mayor's time
[18:50 - 18:56]
that it was while it isn't a half a minute the artist has to come down there you
[18:56 - 19:01]
have to get the photographer. He's got you know although I wasn't he. Yes but it
[19:01 - 19:06]
does take time but I have to be Marilyn. There are any kind of wow do you know that
[19:06 - 19:11]
many politicians are many politicians who do this I know during the course of a week
[19:11 - 19:16]
I find myself posing with various people and I never read some of them are
[19:16 - 19:21]
less worthy of some of the fine young artists who have you know I'm talking about Jim. Oh you
[19:21 - 19:23]
don't you are some young people.
[19:23 - 19:26]
But those pictures don't find their way to that.
[19:26 - 19:31]
If they print you know they wind up in some obscure little paper or some
[19:31 - 19:33]
neighborhood it is chic.
[19:33 - 19:38]
I think that a young artist sash for the pain and getting opportunities through his
[19:38 - 19:43]
management through whatever age there are and that give him an opportunity to express
[19:43 - 19:44]
themselves.
[19:44 - 19:48]
He is covered in many instances by critics and well they
[19:48 - 19:53]
need time I want to be organisational and your identity.
[19:53 - 19:58]
You know any form of art expression is a tough field
[19:58 - 20:04]
and anybody going into it should know that he has to know it and he's kidding himself if he can
[20:04 - 20:06]
just if he figures it'll happen overnight.
[20:06 - 20:11]
Why shouldn't young artists also appear in a minute or two of their
[20:11 - 20:16]
performance at various public functions that have maybe only the Star-Spangled Banner moment of rock or
[20:16 - 20:17]
something.
[20:17 - 20:21]
Well the fact is that many do or they do many of them do
[20:21 - 20:26]
appear popular but I guarantee you have in many of the city functions
[20:26 - 20:31]
for instance. You do have young people performing in virus
[20:31 - 20:36]
ways. Pianists violinists. Oh sure if you wander around the city let
[20:36 - 20:41]
me just tell you this. Just let me tell you that during our summer programming for
[20:41 - 20:45]
instance. There have been twenty four hundred
[20:45 - 20:50]
different performances throughout this city some done by amateurs.
[20:50 - 20:55]
Some of them done by young people some of them done by professionals.
[20:55 - 20:59]
So there's a real wide range of opportunity.
[20:59 - 21:04]
Let me just ask you this. Many thoughtful people at present find that in rock
[21:04 - 21:09]
and roll we now have the true musical expression of our times and not just the
[21:09 - 21:14]
popular side of music but a type of music to be taken very seriously as an art
[21:14 - 21:18]
form and to be considered perhaps
[21:18 - 21:23]
the true expression of today and possibly of the coming future how do you feel and
[21:23 - 21:27]
what I think that rock and roll does express the the
[21:27 - 21:32]
attitude to particular of our young people today just as various forms of popular
[21:32 - 21:37]
music expect expression excuse me the
[21:37 - 21:42]
concepts of young people years ago that's just what I mean all that was considered in popular music now they're trying to
[21:42 - 21:45]
make it into a serious thing they really are.
[21:45 - 21:49]
While I'm not sure that that's true that you'll find in rock n roll.
[21:49 - 21:54]
It's a kind of development I find in some of the more quiet
[21:54 - 21:59]
rock and roll songs in the form of English madrigals
[21:59 - 22:05]
which I think will remain permanent. There are many songs that will remain part
[22:05 - 22:10]
of American musical folklore some of them however meant most of them
[22:10 - 22:15]
will be forgotten. Just as when you wrote we were in case some of the best yet only
[22:15 - 22:16]
debate live will survive.
[22:16 - 22:21]
You mention Sherry among your many interests. Several activities of community and national interest I know you
[22:21 - 22:26]
have been honorary are not honorary but just CHAIRMAN Well I think honorary and chairmen
[22:26 - 22:31]
of the Anti-Defamation League the Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial Foundation president of the dramatists guild fun
[22:31 - 22:36]
member of the National Citizens Committee for broadcasting the citizens crusade against poverty.
[22:36 - 22:37]
These are but a few.
[22:37 - 22:45]
Is there something that you might feel very keenly about in connection with some of these activities that you'd like
[22:45 - 22:46]
to say a word about.
[22:46 - 22:51]
Well I believe that any any person concerned with the arts has a
[22:51 - 22:56]
responsibility to involve themselves in a much broader sense with the community
[22:56 - 23:00]
life around him. My chief interests have been my
[23:00 - 23:05]
work with the Anti-Defamation League. I work with interfaith groups and with
[23:05 - 23:09]
interracial groups. And these concerns me very deeply. I don't get as much
[23:09 - 23:14]
time right now to do as much as I'd like to do on the outside but my work
[23:14 - 23:19]
fortunately and one of the reasons it made me accept Mayor Lindsey's invitation to
[23:19 - 23:23]
take this job was because it would put me in a
[23:23 - 23:29]
in an atmosphere and in the environment where I could do the kind of work I'm most interested
[23:29 - 23:33]
in which is to deal with interaction between people.
[23:33 - 23:38]
I imagine that you have a secret and that is how you have time to do
[23:38 - 23:42]
even half the commanders that you have done in these
[23:42 - 23:45]
well in the last 20 years.
[23:45 - 23:49]
Wow. I think number one you have to have I suppose you don't waste a second I'm
[23:49 - 23:53]
sure I have to be very very busy.
[23:53 - 23:58]
I do find time I must find time and I have found time all my life for
[23:58 - 24:01]
my family too and I'm very devoted.
[24:01 - 24:06]
But I think it's a question of. Up priorities.
[24:06 - 24:10]
I don't have many hobbies. My only sport is tennis and I don't play that
[24:10 - 24:15]
nearly as much as I'd like to be able to play. I have to sacrifice
[24:15 - 24:20]
things like bridge playing which I like to do and I just have to give time to
[24:20 - 24:25]
those things that I think are important in this very troubled world. I think we
[24:25 - 24:30]
all have this kind of priority the fact is I always have a sense
[24:30 - 24:34]
that I'm not doing quite as much as I'd like to do and
[24:34 - 24:41]
I suppose that's a good way to feel it prevents you from giving up.
[24:41 - 24:46]
And I'm sure you never waste willingly a second so many of us do.
[24:46 - 24:51]
I sometimes realise that in hours gone by and I've done almost nothing with it I'm sure I never
[24:51 - 24:54]
have and it's not you know it does happen you know and you have to do that you have to have that
[24:54 - 24:57]
that hour we were talking about before.
[24:57 - 25:02]
I don't know why a meditation of recharging your batteries you have to have
[25:02 - 25:07]
that and that gives you renewed energy to get at those things you want to just carry Is there
[25:07 - 25:12]
anything that we the people of New York can do to make art
[25:12 - 25:17]
in this city a more vital force even than it is. And while I
[25:17 - 25:22]
think yes I think everyone should become involved
[25:22 - 25:27]
in support of organizations or associations
[25:27 - 25:33]
that deal with various art forms they have to involve themselves in
[25:33 - 25:38]
that art to which they respond by supporting various musical
[25:38 - 25:43]
groups or artistic groups or dramatic groups and
[25:43 - 25:47]
do something about attending those shows that they hear are good
[25:47 - 25:53]
and supporting them helping them along they have to go out of their way to give aid to
[25:53 - 25:56]
young artists who are starving.
[25:56 - 26:01]
There are many things they can master but he can graduate them we the people get to go back
[26:01 - 26:03]
to the right.
[26:03 - 26:11]
Let me I don't have to ask you whether you have any plans for getting back to films after being in
[26:11 - 26:16]
Hollywood so long being such a vital force there I should think you'd hate to kind of leave it or do you
[26:16 - 26:17]
feel Hollywood is finished.
[26:17 - 26:21]
While Hollywood isn't finished Hollywood has changed it's not the Hollywood I know
[26:21 - 26:26]
and some of these change for the better some is change for the worst.
[26:26 - 26:30]
I had 24 quite marvelous and extraordinary years in
[26:30 - 26:35]
California and I loved it very much my children grew up there. But
[26:35 - 26:39]
Hollywood as it is today is not an attractive medium for me
[26:39 - 26:46]
and I'm busy now with another job. I pray that I have time in the future
[26:46 - 26:51]
to try my hand at doing something else in the theatre or perhaps a motion picture.
[26:51 - 26:56]
Well for a final question do you feel that the films have been an important influence on
[26:56 - 27:01]
music today such a tremendous What shall I call it as thing in our
[27:01 - 27:05]
lives this film do you think that it would seem to me that of course it's been a lot of background music
[27:05 - 27:10]
mood music. Certainly they've introduced a lot of popular songs and rock and so on but I
[27:10 - 27:14]
wonder has it been as big an influence as you might think it had it would.
[27:14 - 27:19]
While I think certain films have again one it's very hard to draw a generalization
[27:19 - 27:24]
I found in the years I worked in Hollywood an executive. Very often I'd say look
[27:24 - 27:29]
we want no music in this picture. No music no music at all. Pictures such as executive
[27:29 - 27:34]
suite. I spoke to the producer John Houseman I said let's make this picture
[27:34 - 27:39]
with no musical score at all we just use sound and it was very important when you talk
[27:39 - 27:44]
about for instance rock n roll a picture that we worked on and MGM Blackboard
[27:44 - 27:49]
Jungle we used to rock around the clock
[27:49 - 27:54]
clock and we know that that kind of spurred a whole sort of
[27:54 - 27:59]
thing because the picture and the music meshed. There are certain films that
[27:59 - 28:03]
you see today in which there's an over use of film where they go back to
[28:03 - 28:08]
cliches that we tried to abandon many years ago and we used to have
[28:08 - 28:13]
fun I know and the old days watching certain musical cues we
[28:13 - 28:17]
knew that at that moment would be a crash of cymbals or suddenly there'd be
[28:17 - 28:23]
a lone kind of low brass you know and we knew
[28:23 - 28:27]
just where the music was going to come in. And it's gotten very cliche and I'm
[28:27 - 28:32]
sorry to say. And some of the new pictures I see there's nothing new
[28:32 - 28:37]
about them at all they use the same old cliches about musical scoring.
[28:37 - 28:42]
I have a very interesting commissioner story Sherry. It's been
[28:42 - 28:47]
my great privilege to have had this chat with you and to learn about the current projects and the future
[28:47 - 28:52]
plans that you envisage in your new post of New York's commissioner of Cultural Affairs.
[28:52 - 28:57]
And I think that Marilyn he should be congratulated for inducing you to take over this important
[28:57 - 29:02]
position. Thank you for joining me. This has been Bernard Gabriel Wishing all a
[29:02 - 29:06]
most musical. We thank you.
[29:06 - 29:11]
This program was acquired with funds provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
[29:11 - 29:14]
This is the national educational radio network.