David Janssen believed that the film industry was changing — for the worse

"Everybody wants to make Easy Rider for $1.95 and make millions," said the actor.

January 28, 2025, 10:00AM By MeTV Staff

Warner Brothers

As someone who had successfully performed in both television and film, David Janssen had more than earned his right to have an opinion on which medium was superior.

Although the actor performed in films like To Hell and Back and The Green Berets, there's no doubt that Janssen had a particular triumph in television. Janssen starred in multiple television series, including The Fugitive, and Harry O.

Janssen was particularly complimentary to television during an interview with the Saginaw News. "The thing is, I'm a professional actor," said Janssen. "I have no degree in anything. I may have played a doctor in The Fugitive, but I couldn't ever be one. The only thing I can do is act as a professional and, generally speaking, the most professionalism today you find in television."

While Janssen found safety and consistency in television, he saw the opposite in the film industry.

"The movie business has changed in the last year and a half," said the actor. "For one thing, there are a lot of themes going out that I don't agree with, that I don't like being associated with. Some of them are groovy, yes, and a lot of them aren't. Everybody wants to make Easy Rider for $1.95 and make millions, which is hard to do. Too many guys in Hollywood get out with a hand-held camera and they say, 'Man we're gonna make a picture about some people on the highway.' Now that's not filmmaking; that's a flip of the coin and I don't like the odds. As a professional, I like the odds to be stacked in my favor."

The tumultuous nature of the industry left Janssen preferring the protection that television provided.

"In many respects, they've gone backward in movie making," said Janssen. "They're putting out a pile of junk, and if it works it's good luck and most of the time it doesn't. Too many of the professional movie-makers have abdicated their authority, giving the field to the amateurs. So the professional goes back to television, where the odds are better. The odds, come to think of it, are always in favor of the pros."