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" 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. "

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" 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. "

David L. Wolper

Story

Roots

Family

" Continuity is a wonderful thing, and it is a very rare thing in show business. "

" I was the first independent to walk in with a documentary. "

" 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.' "

David L. Wolper

Think

Roots

" 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. "

" People don't buy and sell art based on the personality of the artist. Or there wouldn't be much art bought and sold. "

" You need an actor who can maintain a character over a long period of time. If you have a weak actor, it won't be obvious in two hours, but you'll begin to see his weaknesses over four or five days. "

" 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. "

" Some psychiatrist told me I was interested in sculpture because I dealt in flat surfaces and needed something with dimension. "

" My roots are documentaries. "

David L. Wolper

Roots

Documentaries

" I did not intend for there to be an incisive historical lesson in 'North and South.' Basically, it's just a good, juicy story. "

" 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. "

" 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 believe that religion and politics should not mix. Both should be a part of somebody's life - but not together. "

" I don't want to make an 'Animal House.' I'm not interested in making 'Ghost Busters.' "

" There's a fine line between patriotism and corn. "

" Sometimes if you tell me what a story is about in just a few sentences, I can tell you if it's going to be a success. "

" 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. "

" When they did the Olympics in Seoul - or elsewhere - didn't each host country try to show its greatness to the world viewing audience? "

" My philosophy as a filmmaker is to inform and entertain at the same time. And when I went away from documentaries into miniseries like 'Roots,' I did the reverse. Instead of just entertaining, I want to inform at the same time. "

David L. Wolper

Want

Philosophy

" 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. "

" I make the money, and I don't have to take the abuse some of the stars do, opening up their personal life. I can go into a restaurant, sit down, and have a nice meal without being harassed. Arnold Schwarzenegger can't do that. "

" I can possibly say I have entertained and educated more people than anyone else in the world. "

" I don't fall in love with inanimate objects. I don't bond with them. I only fall in love with people. "

" I'm not a kid trying to make an impression in the business. I do have 600 films out there that are playing constantly. "

" If people perceive 'Roots' to be a black history show, nobody is going to watch it. "

" 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? "

" I've asked every grammar schoolteacher in the nation to have their students write on the meaning of the Statue of Liberty. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the winning kid got up to the microphone and, in front of the world, had to dig into a pocket to pull out a crumpled sheet of paper containing the words that would move us all? "

" 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. "

" My initial goal for the 1984 opening ceremonies was a show that would be majestic, inspirational, and emotional - a 20 goosebump experience. "