"I like TV," Kirk Douglas confessed to 'Knight-Ridder Newspapers' in July 1984. "I'm interested in TV. I was interested in TV 35 years ago (in 1949). I did a movie called 'Champion'. And all the heads of the studios at that time said, 'Look, nobody in movies can be on TV'. Well, I never belonged to any studio and I couldn't understand why. As a matter of fact, I did a scene with Marilyn Maxwell from 'Champion'. Jack Warner and a lot of other people were annoyed until they figured out what to do and now (in 1984) every studio is making movies for TV."
Back in 1957, Tony Curtis told the Associated Press, "I believe that a television storyline has to be so simple that if you go away from your living room set for a couple of minutes you'll know what's going on when you come back. The trouble with a lot of TV shows is that they have too many characters. You go out to the refrigerator for a bottle of beer and when you come back there's somebody new on. You can't figure out what's happening."
Pamela Sue Martin told Lee Moore of 'Pop Scene Service' in 1978, "There were a lot of challenges to be faced (on 'Nancy Drew'), and new things always came up. Because we filmed so fast I had to do something very quickly but still make sure it was professional. It was a technical exercise in trying to be good, fast. It was a worthwhile lesson for me. Now I hope I'll have the chance to stretch out and think about a character, because that will feel really luxurious."
Kirk Douglas continued, "You see, I make movies. For me, theaters, theatrical avenues, is one way to release movies. TV is another way and cable, pay-TV, has become a very exciting way to release movies. From my point of view, the more avenues there are, the more variety you have." In 1984, Kirk's TV movie, 'Draw!' could be seen on HBO. "I tried to make 'Draw!' 10 years ago (around 1974) and it was a script that I always liked. I thought it was amusing, I thought it had been so long since anyone had done a Western. I wanted to get it made but wasn’t having much luck. To me, movies are movies. 'Draw!' took 5 weeks to shoot. We shot it in Canada. It was for me a great experience, the first time I ever worked with James Coburn. But I did a movie called 'Detective Story' in 5 weeks with William Wyler, who was noted for taking an awful long time to do movies."
Pamela had said in 1978, "Only 2 of the films I've done have really meant something to me, 'To Find A Man' and 'Our Time'. They were commercial, but they were a little bit more personal and about people. I want to go back to feature films, because I've just been through television and I've had it. I worked very hard, but it has its obvious limitations. I want to make the kinds of movies that I like to see, which are generally quiet and realistic pictures that take a close look at people's motivations and personalities."
Tony Curtis told United Press International in 1987, "I don't believe actors have any more potential for becoming painters simply because they have an artistic talent. You can find painters in all walks of life – doctors or ditch diggers. Painting is an unspoken language. It is the original language of the species. People who can't understand each other verbally can do it in drawings or pictures. It allows people to relate visually to describe a feeling or an idea. It transcends cultures and societies.
"To be a movie star and a painter is no more unique than being a dentist and a painter. The uniqueness is the painting itself, going back to the cave men. If I want to feel creatively secure as an actor, I've got to find a script, some other actors, a cameraman, film and then a critic to tell me if he likes it or not. It takes a whole company. As an artist you need only a pencil and paper – or a canvas, brushes and paints – to express yourself. It takes me 3 to 6 days to complete an oil painting, but I never leave a painting and get back to work on it later. I don't work on several paintings at one time."
In 1974, Paramount Pictures turned Ross Mcdonald's book, 'The Underground Man' into a TV pilot movie. Ross told the Associated Press, "This is my first close-up encounter with the movies. It's much more pleasant and exciting than I thought it would be. I was pleasantly surprised by the script. They managed to boil down a complex book into a simpler story without losing the essence of it. It's among my best books. It's not as dark as some of the others. I realize that a television series won't be a replica of my books. That's impossible in the transition from one medium to another. But my books aren't diminished by what's done on television."
In 1974, Paramount Pictures turned Ross Mcdonald's book, 'The Underground Man' into a TV pilot movie. Ross told the Associated Press, "This is my first close-up encounter with the movies. It's much more pleasant and exciting than I thought it would be. I was pleasantly surprised by the script. They managed to boil down a complex book into a simpler story without losing the essence of it. It's among my best books. It's not as dark as some of the others. I realize that a television series won't be a replica of my books. That's impossible in the transition from one medium to another. But my books aren't diminished by what's done on television."
