Amanpour and Company

>> WELL, HE REALLY WAS ONE OF A KIND. I MEAN, IF HE HAD NEVER WORKED A DAY IN HIS LIFE AFTER 1963, WE WOULD STILL BE TALKING ABOUT HIM 60 YEARS LATER AS A COMEDY PIONEER. BUT INSTEAD, THAT WAS JUST SORT OF THE APPETIZER ACTS TO THE MAIN COURSE OF HIS CAREER, WHICH WAS SIMULTANEOUS 50-YEAR MOVIE DIRECTOR CAREER AND 50 YEARS DIRECTING THEATER. >> WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT? SINCE YOU BROUGHT UP THE COMEDY, I ACTUALLY WANT TO PLAY A LITTLE CLIP THAT WE HAVE, BECAUSE THAT WAS WHAT SORT OF LAUNCHED HIM IN THE PUBLIC ARENA. MIKE NICHOLS, ELAINE MAY. HERE'S A CLIP OF ONE OF THEIR PERFORMANCES AND IT'S ABOUT A GUY WHO BREAKS DOWN AND HE'S CALLING ABOUT A BROKEN DOWN CAR. >> MY CAR IS STUCK. YOU SEE, STUCK OUT HERE. I'M ALREADY HALF AN HOUR LATE FOR A VERY IMPORTANT BUSINESS APPOINTMENT. >> THE INFORMATION, EXACTLY WHAT IS IT YOU WANT US TO DO? I MEAN, WHAT IS YOUR POINT? >> WELL, MISS, YOU HAVE MY DIME-- >> NO, WE DO NOT HAVE YOUR DIME. IF YOU WANT YOUR DIME YOU HAVE TO HANG UP. THAT'S THE WAY IT WORKS. >> LOOK, THE DIME IS-- I KNOW THAT SOUND. I'VE HEARD IT ALL MY LIFE. THE DIME IS IN THERE WITH ALL THOSE-- YES. >> INFORMATION CANNOT ARGUE WITH A CLOSED MIND. >> I LOVE THAT LINE, INFORMATION CANNOT ARGUE WITH A CLOSED MIND IS FANTASTIC. AND YOU SPENT SOME TIME OBVIOUSLY ON THAT PART OF HIS CAREER AND THEY WENT TO BROADWAY WITH A MAJOR BIG DEAL. AND YOU DESCRIBE HIS WIT AS-- IN FACT, YOU SAY MIKE NICHOLS WAS KIND OF A SCARY FELLOW TO A LOT OF PEOPLE BECAUSE HE DID HAVE A DEVASTATING WIT. TELL ME ABOUT THAT PART OF HIS LIFE AND CAREER. >> I THINK THE DEVASTATING WIT WAS DEVELOPED EARLY ON. I MEAN, HE HAD A VERY HARD START. HE WAS AN IMMIGRANT WHO GOT OUT OF BERLIN WITH HIS LITTLE BROTHER AT THE AGE OF 7 JUST IN TIME BEFORE WORLD WAR II. HE HAD A BAD REACTION TO A VACCINE AND LOST HIS HAIR AND ABILITY TO GROW HAIR FROM THE TIME HE WAS 4 YEARS OLD. SO HE REALLY GREW UP AS AN OUTSIDER IN TOUGH CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE A REALLY LACERATING CUTTING HUMOR ABLE TO CUT SOMEONE WITH ONE REMARK WAS SURVIVAL. WHEN HE GOT TO A POINT OF HIS CAREER WHERE HE NO LONGER NEEDED THAT, IT WOULD FLASH OUT OF HIM UNEXPECTEDLY. IT WASN'T SOMETHING HE WAS PARTICULARLY PROUD OF. AS HE BECAME A DIRECTOR AND BECAME MORE AND MORE SUCCESSFUL, IT WAS AN ASPECT OF HIS PERSONALITY THAT HE WORKED TO TEMPER AND CONTROL.