Even a fool knows you can't touch the stars, but it won't keep the wise from trying.
I did rough hustling, what they call 'playing against the wall.' I just played myself with the players, so I would pay; I would make them shill. I would pay certain players and then take from others.
In 'Night Court,' my name is still Harry, and I'm - my best friends are still three-card monte workers, and I still have spring snakes hidden everywhere and joy buzzers, but I'm the judge.
I'm not Hollywood. I'm a Quarter Rat. I belong here.
There's this perception sometimes around here that I'm this Hollywood guy.
The biggest challenge in New Orleans has been to find workers who can climb a ladder after lunch.
Chicago is a big town for magicians and card hustlers. So when I was very young, a fellow sat me down and taught me the Three-Card Monte. And that kind of put me in a - pointed me towards easy money.
Somebody saw me on 'Cheers' and thought that I was an actor playing a part as opposed to a guy just doing what he knew. And they gave me 'Night Court.' And by the time they realized I wasn't an actor, I had already signed a five-year contract.
I used to make my living by understanding people. And the way I learned to understand them was by observing them. I would sit in a train station or a bus station or a restaurant. And I would watch people. I would watch how they related to one another. I would try to get some insight into them and make them as predictable as I could in my mind.
I created this character that I still have of a guy who is a little bit of a nincompoop - I'm poking fun at street hustlers. I didn't quite make as much money as one would gambling, but it was a lot safer.