Ethel Waters
  • I had always loved John Ford's pictures. And I came to love him, too, but I was frightened to death working for him. He used the shock treatment while directing me.

  • Though I was excited about the Sojourner Truth play, it was not reassuring to think that my entire future might depend on the success of that one show.

  • Elia Kazan understood my problems. He was able to bring out the very best in me. He gave me credit for my intelligence.

  • We never had a bathtub. Mom would bathe me in the wooden or tin washtub in the kitchen, or in a big lard can.

  • Mom was the greatest influence of my childhood. She wanted to save me from the vice, lust, and drinking that was all about me.