Sal Mineo interview 7 of 9

Host: Who has been able to draw a good performance out of you?Mineo: “Their have been a couple of fine directors, and it’s hard to single them out; for instance Sidney Lumet. I worked with Lumet on live television — he directed DOG DAY AFTERNOON. Nicholas Ray was able to pull performances from everybody, but he worked differently with Jimmy Dean and with Natalie Wood and with myself.” “He psyched everybody out, which was marvelous, and made us think we were doing it on our own.” Host: Tell me about Opera. . Mineo: “My grandfather was a fabulous opera buff, and he couldn’t speak English, so what he did was on Saturdays he’d have all his grandkids over and we’d sit in his lap and he'd play the operas. He’d sing the arias and he’d teach us to sing the arias, and that was the way we communicated. And I’ve just loved them ever since.”Host: What about your records Mineo: Awful! Just awful.(This interview was conducted on the set of PS Your Cat is Dead, the play he was rehearsing when he was murdered on February 12, 1976)