My favorite anecdote about the late Peter O'Toole was the time he had a few too many at lunch with friends, and thoroughly drunk by evening, they decided to take in a play. He took a seat in the audience, looked at the program, and gasped, "I'm in this play!"
Maybe it's true, or maybe it was written to be told on the Carson show. Either way, it's a good one.
While others gush about "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Stuntman," the lines don't connect without "My Favorite Year." That was Mel Brooks' story from his early days as a writer for a live TV comedy. In the movie O'Toole played Alan Swann, a larger than life swashbuckling movie star who had seen his better days and who got booked for a guest spot on the show. All went reasonably well until the night of the show when he learned it was going to be broadcast live. A full fledged panic attack set in, and hilarity ensued. "I'm not an actor, I'm a movie star!" If you've already seen it, see it again.
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