BERRELLIS WAS THE MUSICAL GUEST.
>>> YOU KNOW A STAR HAS A GREAT
CAREER WHEN HE HAS GENERATIONS
OF FANS.
DANNY DIVITTO HAS "TAXI" FANS
WHO WATCHED THE ICONIC SHOW THAT
PREMIERED 40 YEARS AGO.
HE HAS FANS FROM "RUTHLESS
PEOPLE," "THROW MAMA FROM THE
TRAIN" AND "LA CONFIDENTIAL."
NOW DIVITTO IS WINNING OVER
ANOTHER GENERATION AS HE PLAYS
RING LEADER IN THE NEW LIVE
ACTION OF THE DISNEY CLASSIC
"DUMBO" DIRECTED BY TIM BURTON.
DANNY AND I GOT TOGETHER FOR A
SUNDAY SITDOWN TO TALK ABOUT
THAT MOVIE AND HIS LONG CAREER.
WE MET IN A BAR HERE IN NEW YORK
WHERE CONSTRUCTION CREWS WERE
WORKING ON A BIG, LOUD PROJECT
OVERHEAD.
WE COULDN'T GET THEM TO STOP BUT
LUCKILY I WAS WORKING WITH A
SEASONED PROFESSIONAL AND WE
POWERED RIGHT THROUGH.
>> WOW!
>> IT WAS SO MUCH FUN DOING
"DUMBO."
IT'S LIKE A BEAUTIFUL THING.
I JUST LOVE THIS.
>> WELCOME TO NEW YORK.
>> WE ARE IN NEW YORK.
>> THEY'RE GOING TO DRILL RIGHT
THROUGH THE CEILING.
>> THE DUST WILL START FALLING.
>> THERE'S GOING TO BE
PARTICLES.
SO LET'S GET BACK TO "DUMBO."
>> IS IT TRUE THAT YOU GOING
WAY, WAY BACK WERE A FAN OF
"DUMBO" LIKE IN YOUR YOUTH EVEN?
>> YES.
OH, YES.
I SAW IT, I MIGHT HAVE BEEN 10.
WHENEVER "DUMBO" CAME BACK I HAD
TO SEE IT.
I'VE SEEN IT 50 TIMES WITH ALL
THREE KIDS.
YOU KNOW HOW IT IS WITH KIDS?
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH
THEM?
STICK THEM ON THE COUCH, GIVE
THEM A LITTLE FOOD.
HOW'S IT GOING OVER THERE?
GOOD.
WHAT'S DUMBO DOING NOW?
>> IT'S BEEN NEARLY 80 YEARS
SINCE THE ORIGINAL ICONIC
"DUMBO" FIRST APPEARED.
ANIMATION TECHNOLOGY HAS
IMPROVED A BIT SINCE THEN, BUT
THE MESSAGE REMAINS THE SAME.
>> DUMBO'S BORN, HE HAS BIG
EARS, HE'S OSTRACIZED, PEOPLE
MAKE FUN OF HIM.
ALL OF THE THEMES EMBRACING THE
FACT THAT WE'RE ALL INDIVIDUALS
AND THAT WE'VE GOT TO TAKE
OUR -- WHATEVER STRENGTHS WE
HAVE, WHATEVER WE ARE AND BE
PROUD OF WHO WE ARE.
>> IS THERE A MONKEY IN YOUR
DESK?
>> JUST FOR EMERGENCIES.
>> I THINK YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY
RIGHT IT'S SCH A BELOVED MOVIE
THAT WE ALL HAVE SOMETHING THAT
IS THE BIG EARS.
>> I WOULD WALK IN A ROOM, I WAS
ALWAYS THE SMALLEST PERSON IN
THE ROOM AND I WAS ALWAYS -- IT
WAS KIND OF GRUFF KIND OF LIKE
SENSIBILITY ABOUT ME IF I WALKED
INTO A BAR.
LET ME HAVE A SCOTCH AND SODA.
THE WHOLE BAR WOULD LOOK OVER AT
WHAT'S IN THE CORNER OVER THERE?
>> THE 74-YEAR-OLD DeVITO GREW
UP IN ASBURY PARK, NEW JERSEY.
AFTER GRADUATING FROM HIGH
SCHOOL, DIVITTO, LIKE MANY OF
US, DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HE WANTED
TO DO WITH HIS LIFE.
HIS OLDER SISTER HAD AN IDEA.
>> I WAS CUTTING GRASS FROM THE
GARDNER DOWN IN NEW JERSEY.
SHE SAID, YOU SHOULD COME TO
WORK FOR ME IN MY BEAUTY PARLOR.
I SAID, WHAT ARE YOU, NUTS?
DO I LOOK LIKE A BEAUTICIAN.
I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
I LIKE GIRLS.
SHE SAID, I'LL SEND YOU TO THE
SCHOOL DOWN IN ASBURY.
SO ALL SUMMER I DRAGGED MY FEET,
I DIDN'T WANT TO DO IT.
SHE FORCED ME INTO THE PIN CURL
BUSINESS.
SO I DID IT.
I WENT TO THE SCHOOL.
I WALKED UP THE STAIRS WITH MY
BAG OF TRICKS AND I TURNED THE
CORNER AND IN THERE WERE 35
YOUNG WOMEN MY AGE ALL WANTING
TO BE HAIR DRESSERS AND I SAID,
GOD, MY PRAYERS HAVE BEEN
ANSWERED.
>> DID HE VETO WENT ON TO STUDY
MAKEUP AT THE AMERICAN ACADEMY
OF DRAMATIC ARTS IN NEW YORK
CITY.
IT WAS THERE HE CAUGHT THE
ACTING BUG LEAVING THE CURLERS
AND BRUSHES BEHIND FOR GOOD.
IN 1967 DIVITTO MOVED TO LOS
ANGELES HOPING TO LAND A ROLE IN
THE MOVIE VERSION OF THE TRUMAN
CAPOTE CLASSIC "IN COLD BLOOD."
HE STRUCK OUT AND EVENTUALLY
MOVED BACK EAST.
>> IF YOU BELIEVE IN TWISTS OF
FATE, DANNY, YOU CAME BACK FROM
L.A. BECAUSE IT WASN'T WORKING
OUT THERE.
>> YEAH.
>> CAME BACK AND MET YOUR WIFE,
RIGHT?
>> I MET REA, YES, EARLY '70s
WAS GREAT.
ALL THE UPS AND DOWNS AND ALL
THE AUDITIONING.
REA WAS WORKING AS A WAITRESS.
IF YOU WERE OFF BROADWAY YOU
WERE MAKING $68 A WEEK BUT
YOU'VE GOT TO LOOK AT IT IN
PERSPECTIVE BECAUSE THE RENT WAS
LIKE $52 A MONTH.
>> RIGHT.
RIGHT.
>> ALL OF THAT AUDITIONING PAID
OFF.
IN 1975 D1975 DIVITTO WAS CAST E
FLEW OVER THE KUCU'S NEST.
IT WON BEST PICTURE AND IT PUT
DIVITTO ON THE HOLLYWOOD MAP.
>> YOU'VE GOT TO GET THAT GOOD
FORTUNE, THAT LUCKY PART THAT
COMES FROM OUT OF THE BLUE.
>> THE LIFE CHANGING LUCKY PART
CAME IN 1978 WHEN DIVITTO WAS
CAST AS THE CANTANKEROUS LOUISDY
PALMA IN "TAXI."
>> WAIT OVER THERE.
UNTIL THEN KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT.
>> THE SHOW RAN FOR FIVE SEASONS
AND EARNED DIVITTO AN EMMY.
HIS REAL LIFE GIRLFRIEND REA
PEARLMAN PLAYED HIS GIRLFRIEND
ON THE SHOW.
THEY MARRIED IN 1982 AND HAVE
THREE CHILDREN.
>> TAXI WAS LIKE A GIFT.
WHEN THE THING COMES ALONG
YOU -- YOU KNOW, YOU'RE READY
FOR IT AND YOU EMBRACE IT AND DO
IT.
>> A GUY UPSTAIRS DRILLING HIS
WAY TO WHO KNOWS WHAT AND IN ANY
MINUTE HE'S GOING TO FALL
THROUGH.
THE IDEA IS WE DO IT.
>> IN "TAXI" YOU GET YOUR BREAK
BUT YOU GET THE LEAD.
>> ACTUALLY, THEY WROTE "TAXI,"
LOUIS AS A VOICE COMING OVER THE
PA SYSTEM YELLING AT THE
CABBIES.
IT WAS A GOOD ONE.
IT REALLY WORKED OUT GOOD.
>> THE SUCCESS OF "TAXI"
LAUNCHED DIVITTO INTO MOVIES
LIKE "TERMS OF ENDEARMENT."
>> I APPRECIATE ANY ADVICE YOU
CAN GIVE ME.
>> DON'T TALK WITH YOUR MOUTH
FULL.
>> "ROMANCING THE STONE" AND
"BATMAN RETURNS" WHERE HE
FAMOUSLY PLAYED THE PENGUIN.
>> YOU DIDN'T INVITE ME SO I
CRASHED.
DIVITTO HAS APPEARED IN MORE
THAN 80 MOVIES, BUT IN 2006 HE
RETURNED TO TELEVISION AS MASTER
MANIPULATOR FRANK REYNOLDS ON
THE FXX SHOW, "IT'S ALL THE
SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA" NOW IN
ITS 13th SEASON.
>> THE ART COLLECTOR.
>> WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE GUY IN
THE BEAUTY SALON IN NEW JERSEY
TO TODAY YOU THINK --
>> COOL, MAN.
>> PRETTY LUCKY GUY NOW?
>> WAY LUCKY GUY.
NO, YOU'VE GOT TO -- GOT TO -- I
DON'T KNOW WHY I'M LOOKING UP
BECAUSE I DON'T BELIEVE IN GOD
BUT THE THING IS --
>> DRILLING.
>> I'M LOOKING UP AT THE
DRILLING.
YOU'VE GOT TO LOOK AT THE
DRILLING GUY FOR GRACES TO SHINE
ON YOU.
>> AN INTERVIEW WITH CONSTANT
JACK HAMMERING OVERHEAD COULD
HAVE BEEN A DISASTER BUT DANNY
DID NOT FLINCH.
THAT MAN IS A PRO.
OUR THANKS TO THE SHIP HERE IN
NEW YORK FOR HOSTING OUR
CONVERSATION.
I ASSURE YOU IT'S MUCH QUIETER
WHEN YOU VISIT.
"DUMBO" IS IN THEATERS NOW.
TO HEAR HIM TALK ABOUT TIM
BURTON, TALK ABOUT OUR EXTRAS AT
TODAY.COM/SUNDAY.
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