"Finally I’m gonna say The Wizard of Oz, because that movie, again, is not like any other film — it’s a completely original experience and it has stood up against the test of time. Children are still enchanted by it, adults are still enchanted by it, and nobody has ever been able to capture that feeling since; and it’s a musical. Plus, that first introduction to color film, that doorway sequence and going in to Munchkin land — it’s just mind-blowingly beautiful. And her performance, her voice, Judy Garland — you know, they don’t make ’em like that anymore. So, I would say those would be the top five."

"I had my operatic knowledge, and I had this interesting collection of artists I was dedicated to: Judy Garland, Nina Simone and so on – I could have put Nina Simone on this list – but this record by Bob Dylan was a way to relate to my parents a little bit. I wouldn't necessarily say I'm a huge Dylan fan, but I appreciate him, I understand his greatness, and it's really now that I'm starting to dig into his catalogue and cherish his existence. But in general, I'd say a lot of his recordings make me think of my dad – that's not the sexiest thing, but Blonde on Blonde broke through the barrier, and particularly the song 'I Want You' kept the thread going."

"W. C. Fields, with wife, mother-in-law, child, daughter, and son-in-law, played by the wonderful Grady Sutton. All this is pure enjoyment. When were movies ever more alive than in the thirties, when the great performers from the musical and vaudeville stage entered films? W. C. Fields, the Marx Brothers, Mae West, Maurice Chevalier, Fred Astaire, Marie Dressler, Mickey Rooney, and Judy Garland, among so many others. They were the real authors of their films, needing little help from their directors. American films began with audiences wanting to see performers, not directors, and this, perhaps, continues to separate American films from European films, but we’re lucky to have both, and who’s to say which is really better."

"A classic musical exploitation film, only with a good script, a good director and The Beatles at the height of their first flush of fame. It's got a slightly bullshitty plot, but it rolls along at a fantastic lick and obviously you get a lot of great musical performances. But it's those scenes where they're chased through Marylebone station that are the most amazing. The phenomenon of public youth hysteria is really interesting. The book documents three historical moments of it. The first was August 1926, when Rudolph Valentino died and tens of thousands of kids came on the streets, there's a brief snippet of it in the film, we actually found some footage. Then in 1939, when The Wizard Of Oz opened in Manhattan - Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland arrived in grand central and were mobbed by kids. And then obviously Sinatra at the Paramount which is the climax of the movie."