Peter Ustinov on Letterman, January 7, 1986

all right let's get on with it shall we anything you want to add here Paul before we launch this one we got a rocking show tonight and your hair looks you know it's stupid looking well you got a thing coming out to see I know I didn't ask for that thing a little kickstand - app on a bus folks there must be some confusion here my first guest is far too classy an actor writer director and human being to be on this program he is the winner of numerous Oscars and Emmys and he can be seen tomorrow night on another network of course in a movie called dead man's folly please say hello to Peter Ustinov Oh Peter again have a nice holiday yeah well it looks it yeah yes I do enjoying a good year so far yes sir but yes the first 20 minutes were you traveled you go away you were on vacation yes I was lying on a beach having a nightmare about a white Christmas where were you in San Martin you know somebody in the studio audience a young lady mentioned that she had run into Andy Williams in Leningrad yeah thence Jennifer Parker that's right [Applause] you're a small small community how do you know Jennifer yeah I know no I remember now G cuz I was looking at it Andy Williams briefly saying I know that person and then I said oh there's Jennifer Parker but she mentioned that Andy Williams was uh being featured on a show called lifestyles of the rich and famous and I believe you were also featured on that show if that's the the show in which I was shown in a some bathing trunks rather voluminous ones on the beach in Fort Lauderdale and plunged into the water for the benefit of the show between two Portuguese man-of-war then I think I've done the show why why did they want you to do that with the swimming in the water with a Manowar I don't know but I mean I've been asked to do many things in my time and it was okay with you separating the two men-of-war who obviously didn't know the rules in that stage when do you come out of your car I want us all there yeah uh did you ever see that broadcast no yeah no uh let's let me ask you a some about some movies you were in and about some people who worked with Laurence Olivier and Spartacus what about them oh well we had one scene anything memorable weldable oh yes yes we had one scene in which I was supposed to run up to his horse grab the bit told him of this thing is and then and say to him divinity I had to call him divinity divinity if I identify Spartacus for you will you give me the women and the children he was supposed to say Spartacus you found him and I'm supposed to say yes that was Nelson you're the slave trader I was asleep yeah yes and I came running in took the horse as best I could and said divinity if I identify spartacus spartacus for you will you give me the women and and the children and he said Spartacus you have found him so close I said yes yes sir could you come in little faster with your yes oh my did you uh you guys get along all right did you were your friends at the time oh yeah no we get home fine but we see through each other yeah yeah well that's a way of getting on well yeah what about uh you work with Humphrey Bogart if I'd known that he was going to become a cult figure I would have watched him much closer yeah because you never know no here you got to be careful I didn't always love Stan what are you saying hmm you were working on a film with him called uh uh weirdo end right yeah he was awfully nice man I enjoyed his company very much did you spend social time with him yeah well he didn't spend social time very much with anybody here he disliked social time yeah period but he was very engaging fella when he was off-duty did you drink with a guy don't remember well that could mean either yes or no good no he wasn't - he wasn't excessive in his demands yeah uh III really I mean I just treated him as a very nice fellow who was I was always glad to see he was sometimes a little bit surly in an interesting way such as what I was late to the party at his place cuz our second daughter had been born and I came straight from the maternity hospital and he was shaking a cocktail for some people out there what kind of drink would he mix up I did it then I don't really remember what he bought was a powerful though I think it was powerful but I think it's uncomplicated with some sugar around the rim and I really had to shoo the flies away before you thank you but I said it's a girl and he said oh no I thought this was part of his macho personality I said you don't like it being a girl he said yeah you're welcome to whatever you wish but I can just hear those women's voices when I go next door and tell and he winked and went in and he said folks Peters just had a girl oh look at me and said they all ruined his evening that was his yes yeah okay we will do a commercial and then it will be back here with the Peter Ustinov folks oh don't [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] you okay now try shake it shake it hold it next to your ear it's been amazing oh that's wonderful yeah so we don't we don't know why does that you're doing why I don't know I have no idea it's just some kind of a magic rock with the fairies in there I guess here's another thing you do is hold it up to your ear this is fascinating for the folks at home isn't it now tap it put it right next year and tap it and thanks for phoning team that's something yes I don't know what that is it I don't know we don't know but it's great you everybody didn't find it oh by our drummer Steve Jordan gave this to us where'd you get this Steven McGrath from Nebraska oh it's from Nebraska Nebraska uh you you have a UH you hold a position of honor in the British Empire what is the the the award the head British Empire's no no no yes money latter sort of place I would have the position no no no what is the what is the what is it the it's not the legion of merit is the high what are you a commander of the British Empire you knew it all the time is that what it is yes it is samandar of the ritter never know what does that mean what are you entitled to there know you're told but you're you're asked to contribute occasionally to the maintenance of the gods chapel uh-huh I and it's a bit me I haven't I haven't taken any gnomes interesting or is it it's like knighthood below just below the low yeah and is it to presented to you by the Queen yes yeah and is it a nice ceremony or is it like you I didn't I wasn't there it was i well you're not taking this too seriously then are you it was done as an embassy as far like when I was and how do you become eligible for this could i I couldn't get it yep I have no idea this is like asking why you were invited to a party or the last person to answer yeah why did they invite you well equipment I didn't know yeah in my good in in my case the question is how did I get a show um now do you know the Queen do you know the the royal family yes yeah and and you know there was a huge to do about what's-his-name and Princess died uh his print out not Albert Princess what's his name Donald presents Ella you've got him the first time Robert no no it's uh Charles right when they came to this country people just falling all over themselves yes Irish I sign now are you a supporter Editora detractor of the royal family but I think I think they do a hell of a child yeah a very difficult job and I remember I was over here a long time ago when was a jinx Fulton burg show does that ring a bell yeah it does also nice people but they were roaring with laughter because Malcolm Muggeridge or someone had attacked the Queen and they say what is this you can we can laugh at our president you can't laugh at your Queen huh you do the American that's an American there that's right yeah yeah we need to do it you make American sound stupid we sent a little stupid when you do that do it again no I don't want to rub it in I said it isn't quite the same thing because we can criticize our Prime Minister which is the same thing as you criticizing your president technologist but the Queen is slightly different she's more like the embodiment of the flag can you criticize the American flag and all the laughter of course to submit advance everybody yeah everybody bridled us there I'd said something absolutely impossible and I said I think we're a little more civilized than you because I read in information please Almanac that if the American flag drops to the ground by mistake during some ceremony or forced to burn it right whereas if the Queen stumbles and falls why did we tend to help her to her feet she doesn't automatically have to share the fate of Genova now a little different a little freer but that's it really what's the living embodiment of her yeah you know I saw the the Queen Mother a year ago in Italy she was touring around and she goes in this huge the royal yacht is a very impressive uh vessel and then she's accompanied by another big naval ship and I actually got to see her her hand she was walking through a crowd we can see right and I must admit it was sort of a thrill to see her although I you know all I did see was oh she's a wonderful woman and I said oh she's absolutely adorable and tremendously open-minded I was the rector of university for six years in Scotland of which she was the Chancellor and at the inauguration those were the stormy days of 1968-69 we were pelted in our official robes with floppy hats and things I had a mortar board with a tartan top because it was a Scottish University we were pelted with toilet rolls but by students would kept the end of the thing and said to me like a carnival Irish and she was picking these things up as though somebody had dropped something does this and he absolutely disarmed as rabid students who became like Landry wanted to return them to their rightful oh yeah yes ha Peter it's nice to see you again I'm glad you're having a good year so far dead man's folly this is on what I guess when is this gonna be on tomorrow night that's a good good film yes it was with Jean Stapleton whose wonderful she's terrific oh she's terrific okay nice to see you again thank you very much resigned by you you're doing it again [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Oh

Channel: Don Giller

Views: 185,733

Rating: 4.7111716 out of 5

Keywords: Peter Ustinov

Id: uW1N16VGdbA

Length: 12min 52sec (772 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 28 2016