Quotes from David L. Wolper

My roots are documentaries.

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.

There's a fine line between patriotism and corn.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.'

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.

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

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.

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 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.

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

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

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.

'Roots' did show that the audience would be receptive to black talent and a black story.

Relax! Life is beautiful!

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

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.