--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The movie people would have nothing to do…" description: "\"The movie people would have nothing to do with me until they heard me speak in a Broadway play, then they all wanted to sign me for the silent movies.\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fd/w-c-fields-1625_broadway_the-movie-people-would-have-nothing-to-d_230902.png" --- # The movie people would have nothing to do with me until… ![“The movie people would have nothing to do with me until they heard me speak in a Broadway play, then they all wanted to sign me for the silent movies.” quote by W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fd/w-c-fields-1625_broadway_the-movie-people-would-have-nothing-to-d_230902.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fd/w-c-fields-1625_broadway_the-movie-people-would-have-nothing-to-d_230902.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fd/w-c-fields-1625_broadway_the-movie-people-would-have-nothing-to-d_230902.png) > “The movie people would have nothing to do with me until they heard me speak in a Broadway play, then they all wanted to sign me for the silent movies.” [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He was ignored by film producers until his stage performance proved his marketability, after which they pursued him for silent movies. **In simple terms:** Stage success opened film doors. Key Takeaway Leverage any public showcase to gain industry attention. Themes career recognition opportunity media talent Mood hopeful strategic Type inspirational career When to use this quote - theatre auditions - industry networking - media exposure - career pivots Key Concepts social proof networking timing Questions to Reflect On - How can you showcase your skills to attract the right audience? - What platforms can amplify your visibility? A Different Perspective Success may depend on being in the right place at the right time, not just talent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Broadway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broadway/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Silent movies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silent-movies/) ## Related quotes > [I starred in a Broadway play that was Sidney Poitier's first directing job and the cast was Lou Gossett, Cicely Tyson, Diana Ladd and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-steinberg/i-starred-in-a-broadway-play-that-was-sidney-poitier-s-first/) [David Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-steinberg/) > [The only thing I have never done is a Broadway play. I'm not sure I have the discipline necessary to do a Broadway play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-newhart/the-only-thing-i-have-never-done-is-a-broadway-play-i-m-not-sure-i/) [Bob Newhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-newhart/) > [I would love to do a Broadway play. I would love to do big screen also, motion picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/latoya-london/i-would-love-to-do-a-broadway-play-i-would-love-to-do-big-screen-also/) [LaToya London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/latoya-london/) > [That's always - that's been another dream of mine, to do a Broadway play. An award winning Broadway play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/that-s-always-that-s-been-another-dream-of-mine-to-do-a-broadway-play/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [I would love to do a non-musical Broadway or Off-Broadway play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-patton/i-would-love-to-do-a-non-musical-broadway-or-off-broadway-play/) [Candice Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-patton/) > [I hate this idea in the Cinematheque that you must watch silent movies with no music, like it's a piece of art. It's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnaud-desplechin/i-hate-this-idea-in-the-cinematheque-that-you-must-watch-silent/) [Arnaud Desplechin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnaud-desplechin/) > [Guy asked me, 'Scat, what is there left for you to do?' And I said, 'A Broadway play, man!' Can you dig it? That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scatman-crothers/guy-asked-me-scat-what-is-there-left-for-you-to-do-and-i-said-a/) [Scatman Crothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scatman-crothers/) > [For a while, people couldn't understand why I'd find them so fascinating, but I'd rather go to a trial than to a Broadway play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-rule/for-a-while-people-couldn-t-understand-why-i-d-find-them-so/) [Ann Rule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-rule/) > [I love going to see the theatre whether it's a Broadway play or a Russian ballet company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ealy/i-love-going-to-see-the-theatre-whether-it-s-a-broadway-play-or-a/) [Michael Ealy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ealy/) > [I did my first Broadway play, 'The Vertical Hour,' in 2006, with Julianne Moore, who's always been one of my favorite actresses. My scene…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutina-wesley/i-did-my-first-broadway-play-the-vertical-hour-in-2006-with-julianne/) [Rutina Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutina-wesley/) > [I had never auditioned for Broadway - any play - and I was not familiar with what you're supposed to do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ednita-nazario/i-had-never-auditioned-for-broadway-any-play-and-i-was-not-familiar/) [Ednita Nazario](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ednita-nazario/) > [If I had my druthers, I'd do television movies, a Broadway play or maybe a miniseries like 'Columbo.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-connors/if-i-had-my-druthers-i-d-do-television-movies-a-broadway-play-or/) [Mike Connors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-connors/) > [The first Broadway play I ever saw was 'The Bad Seed' by Maxwell Anderson and with Patty McCormack. 'The Bad Seed' was from an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-harper/the-first-broadway-play-i-ever-saw-was-the-bad-seed-by-maxwell/) [Valerie Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-harper/) > [At 21, my career took a comedic turn when I was cast in a new Broadway play called 'Brooklyn Boy,' by Donald Margulies, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-graynor/at-21-my-career-took-a-comedic-turn-when-i-was-cast-in-a-new-broadway/) [Ari Graynor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-graynor/) > [I was doing a Broadway play, and I was really new to this business. The Broadway play was my first job, literally. The play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krumholtz/i-was-doing-a-broadway-play-and-i-was-really-new-to-this-business-the/) [David Krumholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krumholtz/) ## More by W. C. Fields > [Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house unless they have a well-stocked bar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/thou-shalt-not-covet-thy-neighbor-s-house-unless-they-have-a-well/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [Take me down to the bar! We'll drink breakfast together!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/take-me-down-to-the-bar-we-ll-drink-breakfast-together/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [There comes a time in the affairs of man when he must take the bull by the tail and face the situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/there-comes-a-time-in-the-affairs-of-man-when-he-must-take-the-bull/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [If pigs had wings, they would be pigeons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/if-pigs-had-wings-they-would-be-pigeons/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [I feel like a midget with muddy feet had been walking over my tongue all night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/i-feel-like-a-midget-with-muddy-feet-had-been-walking-over-my-tongue/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [What would you do if you were President, and, on the first day of May, the Russian Ambassador presented you with a beautiful cake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-president-and-on-the-first-day-of-may/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [My illness is due to my doctor's insistence that I drink milk, a whitish fluid they force down helpless babies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/my-illness-is-due-to-my-doctor-s-insistence-that-i-drink-milk-a/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [I am an expert of electricity. My father occupied the chair of applied electricity at the state prison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/i-am-an-expert-of-electricity-my-father-occupied-the-chair-of-applied/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [Bert Williams was the funniest man I ever saw and the saddest man I ever knew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/bert-williams-was-the-funniest-man-i-ever-saw-and-the-saddest-man-i/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [A comic should suffer as much over a single line as a man with a hernia would in picking up a heavy barbell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/a-comic-should-suffer-as-much-over-a-single-line-as-a-man-with-a/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [All my available funds are completely tied up in cash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/all-my-available-funds-are-completely-tied-up-in-cash/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [Back in my rummy days, I would tremble and shake for hours upon arising. It was the only exercise I got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/back-in-my-rummy-days-i-would-tremble-and-shake-for-hours-upon/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [Happiness means quiet nerves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/happiness-means-quiet-nerves/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [W. C. Fields, a lifetime agnostic, was discovered reading a Bible on his deathbed. ''I'm looking for a loop-hole,'' he explained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/w-c-fields-a-lifetime-agnostic-was-discovered-reading-a-bible-on-his/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [Marriage is better than leprosy only because it's easier to get rid of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/marriage-is-better-than-leprosy-only-because-it-s-easier-to-get-rid-of/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) [Explore all 221 W. C. Fields quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) ## More Broadway quotes > [When somebody mentions that I did a play with George C. Scott, I'm like, it can't have happened. What was I doing on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/when-somebody-mentions-that-i-did-a-play-with-george-c-scott-i-m-like/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [I thought my first few jobs would just be off, off, off, off, off broadway. And by chance and how the world works, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-dorfman/i-thought-my-first-few-jobs-would-just-be-off-off-off-off-off/) [Tommy Dorfman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-dorfman/) > [A lot of Broadway has that immigrant narrative of America as a place where you can become something else against all odds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-kass/a-lot-of-broadway-has-that-immigrant-narrative-of-america-as-a-place/) [Deborah Kass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-kass/) > [I would love to go back to Broadway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-finneran/i-would-love-to-go-back-to-broadway/) [Katie Finneran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-finneran/) > [“On Broadway it was still bright afternoon and the gassy air was almost motionless under the leaden spokes of sunlight, and sawdust footprints lay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/on-broadway-it-was-still-bright-afternoon-and-the-gassy-air-was/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [That's why I had to leave Hair on Broadway, because I did it for about a year, and one night I was doing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mcguire/that-s-why-i-had-to-leave-hair-on-broadway-because-i-did-it-for-about/) [Barry McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mcguire/) > [I starred in a Broadway play that was Sidney Poitier's first directing job and the cast was Lou Gossett, Cicely Tyson, Diana Ladd and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-steinberg/i-starred-in-a-broadway-play-that-was-sidney-poitier-s-first/) [David Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-steinberg/) > [All of a sudden, I was a young kid in my early 20s, and I had a couple of Broadway shows to my credit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-tenney/all-of-a-sudden-i-was-a-young-kid-in-my-early-20s-and-i-had-a-couple/) [Jon Tenney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-tenney/) > [When I was little, I saw the play 'Les Miserables' on Broadway, I thought it was the most amazing thing I have ever seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-tisdale/when-i-was-little-i-saw-the-play-les-miserables-on-broadway-i-thought/) [Ashley Tisdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-tisdale/) > [I never thought my life's path would take me to Broadway, but when I heard they were creating a musical based on one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-morgan/i-never-thought-my-life-s-path-would-take-me-to-broadway-but-when-i/) [Lorrie Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-morgan/) > [I aspired from early on to write a novel, to be in the 'New Yorker,' to be on Broadway, and at least in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-o-donnell/i-aspired-from-early-on-to-write-a-novel-to-be-in-the-new-yorker-to/) [Mark O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-o-donnell/) > [The Beatles have a deeper appreciation of all music. There's a humor, there's a Broadway sense, and later on, the Indian stuff came in.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-vivino/the-beatles-have-a-deeper-appreciation-of-all-music-there-s-a-humor/) Jimmy Vivino > [I remember going onstage on Broadway in this Leigh Bowery thing for a track like "Ich Bin Kunst." I've got breasts, this latex dripping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boy-george/i-remember-going-onstage-on-broadway-in-this-leigh-bowery-thing-for-a/) [Boy George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boy-george/) > [I am an off-Broadway, nonprofit kind of guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/i-am-an-off-broadway-nonprofit-kind-of-guy/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [I never wanted to just be on Broadway, I wanted to be Simba.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caleb-mclaughlin/i-never-wanted-to-just-be-on-broadway-i-wanted-to-be-simba/) [Caleb McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caleb-mclaughlin/) [Browse all 1,139 Broadway quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broadway/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The movie people would have nothing to do with me until they heard me speak in a Broadway play, then they all wanted to sign me for the silent movies.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "W. 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