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Oscar Levant Quotes

1906–1972 United States

Oscar Levant (December 27, 1906 – August 14, 1972) was an American pianist, composer, author, comedian, and actor. He was better known for his mordant character and witticisms, on the radio and in movies and television, than for his music.

United States
Actors
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Random Oscar Levant quote

38 quotes

Incompatibility. And besides, I think she hated me.

The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue.

The New Speaker's Treasury of Wit and Wisdom (1958)

An epigram is only a wisecrack that's played at Carnegie Hall.

A symphonic conductor should reconcile himself to the realization that, regardless of his approach or temperament, the eventual result is the same — the orchestra will hate him.

Zsa Zsa Gabor not only worships at The Golden Calf, she insists on barbecuing it for lunch.

The Unimportance of Being Oscar (1968)

I was once thrown out of a mental hospital for depressing the other patients.

Memorable Quotations: Jewish Writers of the Past (2005)

The difference between the Republicans and the Democrats is that the Democrats let the poor be corrupt, too.

A psychiatrist once diagnosed my troubles as “an abdication of will.”

The Memoirs of an Amnesiac (1965)

My last picture for Warners was Romance on the High Seas. It was Doris Day's first picture; that was before she became a virgin.

The Memoirs of an Amnesiac (1965)

In the middle and late 50′s I was in hospitals constantly. I was committed every time I drew a breath or took an extra twelve pills–which never affected me much because I’m not suicidal.

The Memoirs of an Amnesiac (1965)

Ballet is the fairies' baseball.

Instant unconsciousness had been my greatest passion for ten years.

The Memoirs of an Amnesiac (1965)

I rated the drug Demerol over sex as the ultimate pleasure at one time. Now I don’t have access to either.

The Memoirs of an Amnesiac (1965)

It's an advantage having a limited output. When George Gershwin is asked to play his repertoire, he plays all evening. I just play "Lady Play Your Mandolin" and I'm through.

Dancing in the Dark (1974)

Now that Marilyn Monroe is kosher, Arthur Miller can eat her.

I don't drink liquor. I don't like it. It makes me feel good.

I have seizures of momentary sanity.

The Memoirs of an Amnesiac (1965)

If George is around, it will.

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Oscar Levant (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.