A.C. LYLES:
On my 10th birthday, in 1928, I saw a picture called WINGS, the
first picture to win the Academy Award, I saw it twice, and I
fell in love with it, and I just wanted to work with Adolph Zukor
and Paramount. It was at a Paramount theatre, called the Florida
theatre, but it was owned by Paramount, and I got a job running
errands (there), and I wrote Mr. Zuker a letter, and that day, I
said ‘I’m now your employee.’ Well he came
through Jacksonville by train, on his way to Miami, and I talked
to him, I said, ‘I’m working for you, I’m sure
you got my letters,’ and I said “will you teach me to
make movies?” And he said O.K., you’re a bright kid,
keep in touch.” SO I wrote him letters, and it came about
where I got on the train, day coach, one way, and had to sit up
four days and four nights then, and I had three jars of peanut
butter, a big sack of apples, and three loaves of bread, and came
out here, and Mr. Zuker gave me a job.
BRUCE EDWIN: That’s amazing. That’s
great.
A.C. LYLES: So I’ve been with Paramount
since 1928 when I with the theatres, then I came out here, I
think I was just about to turn 17, and Mr Zukor, I became his
office boy, and he and Cecille B. DeMille were my mentors, and
taught me to make movies, and so it was Mr. Zukor and DeMille who
really educated me, because when I was in school, I worked all
the time, so I didn’t have much (formal) schooling, and
when I’m asked about my education, I say, The University of
Paramount 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood California, and
that’s about the truth of it, because next month, may, I
will be 91 years old, and I’ll be 81 years at Paramount.
So, my short resume, 1928 to 2009 at Paramount.
BRUCE EDWIN: Wow. That’s incredible.
A.C. LYLES: Yeah, it’s probably a record.
I’m not sure.
BRUCE EDWIN: You put everything on the line so
to speak, when you were young, to come out here. Did you have any
doubt in your mind at that time, that it wouldn’t work?
That Mr. Zukor wouldn’t hire you?
A.C. LYLES: Oh now, because at the time I wrote
Mr. Zukor every Sunday, I knew he was waiting for me. Of course
he was, he was getting my mail every week. No, I never had any
doubts. I’ve never had any doubts at all in my life.
I’ve always been a very positive person. I’ve always
thought in big terms. When I was little, you know, the school,
they thought me 2 +2 was 4. I didn’t believe it. It’s
twenty two. And the bottle was always half full. I’ve
learned that from my friend Ronald Reagan. I’ve just always
been like that. And when I first moved here, I wanted to be
aggressive without being intrusive. And I’ve never never
ever used the word ‘if.’ That’s the thing.
I’ve always said ‘when.’ I never said
‘if’ they make me a producer, I said
‘when’ they make me a producer. And they’d say
when I was little, like they always say, “It’s who
you know that counts,’ and you know, that’s not true,
‘It’s who knows YOU that counts.’ So that was I
think, the three words in this business I learned; OBSESSION,
OBSESSION, OBSESSION, and at the time since I was 10 years old, I
was just obsessed with Paramount, and being at Paramount and
making movies.
BRUCE EDWIN: Wow. What do you think instilled
that level of confidence and attitude in you then, because I
think that’s really perhaps unusual for that for a kid that
age?
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