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" 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. "

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" 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. "

David L. Wolper

Television

Pictures

Director

" 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. "

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

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

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

" 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. "

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

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

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

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

" 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 couldn't get my first film on the air. The first film I did was called 'The Race For Space,' about the U.S.-Soviet space race. The networks had a policy that I found out about the hard way. I even had a sponsor for my program, but the networks wouldn't put it on because it was independently produced. "

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

" 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. "

" 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. "

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

" 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. "

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

" My main contribution has been that I have educated and entertained people at the same time. "

" 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

" Relax! Life is beautiful! "

" My definition of a producer is 'the man with the dream.' "

" I don't call four hours a miniseries. "

" I believe a mini-series has two audiences. The first is the media. Then I go for the television audience. "

" The minute I went into business, I was a success, and I've done well ever since. "

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

" 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. "

" My roots are documentaries. "

David L. Wolper

Roots

Documentaries