# Peter O'Toole appreciation **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 18, 2019, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-otoole-appreciation/831294 "2019-03-18T04:18:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-otoole-appreciation/831294/1 "2019-03-18T04:18:01Z")
I think this may be his greatest scene. I loved him in Lawrence of Arabia, The Stunt Man, My Favorite Year. This one, from his last film Venus, moved me. He is reciting Shakespear’s sonnet “Shalll I compare thee to a summer’s day…” I knew it but not every word, and I had to look it up, and remember every word of the sonnet, when I watched the scene again. “So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/iRIxb6_ELNg/maxresdefault.jpg "Venus (9/12) Movie CLIP - Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day? (2006) HD") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRIxb6_ELNg) ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-otoole-appreciation/831294/2 "2019-03-18T04:45:51Z")
Just found this One nitpick, in this interveiw, O'Toole gives great credit to Churchill. "We shall fight on the beaches...." It is very common to lionize Churchill. There have been a couple of recent movies. He was execrable human being, a white nationalist to his dying day defended the British domination of India. Without Churchills speaches rallying the British people, WWII been lost? I don't think so. But Peter O’Toole was a very young man then. And inspired. And maybe I am wrong, maybe without Churchilll’s speeches, Britian would have fallen. Opinons? ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-otoole-appreciation/831294/3 "2019-03-18T04:58:09Z")
ETA. Forget about my last post. That is for another discussion, Can we just talk about the movies? Moderator can you delete? ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-otoole-appreciation/831294/4 "2019-03-18T21:13:23Z")
My favorite line of his was from My Favorite Year. As I recall, he was urinating in a women’s bathroom - possibly in the sink. An offended woman says something like, “This is for ladies only.” He looks down at his dick in his hands and says, “So is this, but every once in a while I like to run a little water through it.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-otoole-appreciation/831294/5 "2019-03-18T21:44:05Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > My favorite line of his was from My Favorite Year. As I recall, he was urinating in a women’s bathroom - possibly in the sink. An offended woman says something like, “This is for ladies only.” He looks down at his dick in his hands and says, “So is this, but every once in a while I like to run a little water through it.” 😃 Came in here to quote just that. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-otoole-appreciation/831294/6 "2019-03-18T21:48:48Z")
“I’m not an actor - I’m a MOVIE STAR!!” I LOVE LOVE LOVE _My Favorite Year_! One of my husband’s favorite movies is _Becket_, with O’Toole as Henry II - I like it even better than _The Lion in Winter_. And even the rather silly \*Creator \*shines because of him. Yeah, I’m a fan. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-otoole-appreciation/831294/7 "2019-03-18T21:52:20Z")
> [@simster](#): > > Came in here to quote just that. As had I. 😃 Here’s the scene: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7z-M92N4L8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7z-M92N4L8) The woman in the scene was played by Selma Diamond, who later played Selma the bailiff on _Night Court_. And, since FairyChatMom mentioned it – _The Lion in Winter_ is one of my favorite movies of all time, and he’s awesome in it. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-otoole-appreciation/831294/8 "2019-03-18T22:19:58Z")
A great actor who could do both comedy and drama. I found he was great in _The Ruling Class_ and _The Stunt Man_ “If God could do the tricks we can do, he’d be a happy man.” ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-otoole-appreciation/831294/9 "2019-03-18T22:43:53Z")
I loved The Ruling Class. The Creator was good too. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-otoole-appreciation/831294/10 "2019-03-18T22:44:32Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > “I’m not an actor - I’m a MOVIE STAR!!” > > I LOVE LOVE LOVE _My Favorite Year_! > > One of my husband’s favorite movies is _Becket_, with O’Toole as Henry II - I like it even better than _The Lion in Winter_. And even the rather silly \*Creator \*shines because of him. > > Yeah, I’m a fan. That whole scene is worth quoting: “Usually it takes me two or three takes to warm up, but tonight I think we’ll get it on the first take.” [His handler] “We always get it on the first take. This is live television.” “Live? Live? What does “live” mean?” [Handler] “It means when you’re leaping and cavorting on that stage, twenty million people are seeing it at home.” [as the blood drains completely out of his face] “Wait a minute! _Wait! A! Minute!_ You mean it all goes into the camera lens and then just spills out into people’s _houses??_ Why didn’t anybody explain this to me before?!” [Handler] “Don’t worry! Our audiences are always terrific.” “Audience? What audience? Nobody said anything about an audience?” [Handler] “What did you think all those seats were for??” “I haven’t played in front of an audience in twenty-eight years! I played a butler. **i HAD ONE LINE!!** I forgot it!” And, you know the rest…😃 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-otoole-appreciation/831294/11 "2019-03-18T22:52:37Z")
The best line in _ **The Lion in Winter** _: “My, God, I love being King!” ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-otoole-appreciation/831294/12 "2019-03-19T00:38:14Z")
“How tall is King Kong?” “That door is the looking glass, and inside it is wonderland. Have faith Alice, and enjoy.” ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-otoole-appreciation/831294/13 "2019-03-19T03:37:38Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > The best line in _ **The Lion in Winter** _: > > “My, God, I love being King!” Someone asks why he’s ordered the royal household to immediately decamp to Rome, and he declares, “That’s where they keep the Pope, isn’t it?” ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-otoole-appreciation/831294/14 "2019-03-19T04:11:04Z")
Why start a new thread; couldn’t you have posted this in the existing [Peter O’Toole thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=51892)? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-otoole-appreciation/831294/15 "2019-03-19T15:18:18Z")
You call that a thread? It’s barely a couplet. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-otoole-appreciation/831294/16 "2019-03-19T15:34:00Z")
I, too, loved him in **Creator**. He once said that he wanted to be remembered for two roles – Lawrence of Arabia and the Roman Commander Silva in the TV series **Masada**. He might have been exaggerating for the publicity, but he did do a really good job in that one. I also loved him as Reginald Johnston in Bertolucci’s **The Last Emperor**. ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-otoole-appreciation/831294/17 "2019-03-19T15:34:28Z")
IN My Favorite Year when the older gentlemen approaches O’Toole’s character and explains that his wife is a huge fan and could Swann say hello, and Swann/O’Toole asks her to dance and my god, what a panty dropper, the way O’Toole looks directly into her eyes as he dances with her with that famous wry smile. While his handler is planning a “distraction.” I loved him in King Ralph as well, not to mention the TV movie Svengali. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-otoole-appreciation/831294/18 "2019-03-19T21:05:49Z")
He does have one of the best porn names in the business. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-otoole-appreciation/831294/19 "2019-03-20T01:44:56Z")
He’s magnificent in everything. Even _Lassie._ ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-otoole-appreciation/831294/20 "2019-03-20T02:24:19Z")
Peter O’Toole was almost always great, even in otherwise crap movies. He was great in **Creator** , a basically crappy movie if not for him. He was great in **High Spirits** a completely terrible movie except for his parts. In **Lion in the Winter** he was magnificent, he stood his own in Ham to Ham combat with Katherine Hepburn. And in **How to Steal a Million** he did a high concept Rom Com with Audrey Hepburn and they were both brilliant of course. Another crappy script saved by great actors, **King Ralph** is a stupid movie, thanks to Peter, John Goodman and John Hurt is works and is funny. But those are 3 awesome actors. Do you know where he wasn’t good? I’ll tell ya … He wasn’t good in Man of La Mancha [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-otoole-appreciation/831294.md?page=2)