Surely no-one could more aptly fulfil the meaning of ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ than Woody Allen! He depicts ‘the little guy on the beach with bad fitting trunks and a concave chest, the big guy kicks sand at’ – and yet, what an incredibly talented, intelligent man he is! On the 23rd/24th July, I watched the revealing documentary on Woody, made by Robert Weide for TV. Woody still touch-types on the electric typewriter he bought in the fifties…”An Olympia portable SM3.” And if you’re worried about your haphazard way of writing… it was interesting to learn that he types ideas and pieces of prose on scraps of paper or sheets – sometimes ‘cutting and pasting’ with scissors and a stapling machine! Most of his books and many film-scripts evolved in this way. The fact that he also directs films, plays the clarinet, and occasionally performs stand-up comedy, reveals the man’s range of talents. I have seen many of his films – the most recent being ‘Midnight in Paris,’ which I loved – and seen him perform as an ‘entertainer/comedian’ (on film that is). Long may he reign.
Classic Woody Allen lines:
“His lack of education is more than compensated for by his keenly developed sense of moral bankruptcy.”
“If you’re not failing now and then, it’s a sign you’re not doing anything very innovative.”
“Not only is there no God – try getting a plumber at weekends!”
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