Bill Cunningham: New York Page #5

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That's... That's the key

to the whole thing.

Don't touch money.

It's the worst thing

you can do.

[Interviewer] There's a story

about the fact that Bill,

when you sold Details

to Cond Nast,

Bill refused to cash his check.

Yes.

And Si Newhouse was calling you

like every couple of months...

to say,

"Bill, your check is waiting."

Cond Nast bought it?

Yes, yes.

Newhouse bought it

a year ago.

Well, Newhouse is

taking the money.

Yeah, but they don't

own me, you see.

They don't own you.

That's the important thing,

never to be owned.

I know they don't own you.

I know they don't own you.

Money's the cheapest thing.

Liberty and freedom

is the most expensive.

No, you know

what I mean, Richard.

So you asked me... about not falling

into the traps of the rich.

I would think it was my first, uh, partner

in my fashion business.

A woman by the name

of Rebekah Harkness,

a very affluent New York family,

and she was looking to invest

in my hat shop and she did.

But then the army came along...

this is 1951...

I was drafted.

Well, they were appalled that I would go,

and their investment would be on hold.

Who knows what would happen?

I was appalled at them.

I thought, "You're drafted.

This is the country where you live,

who you are. You go. "

Well, they couldn't understand that at all.

Course I went in the army.

I wouldn't think otherwise.

They badgered me and they badgered

my family, and finally...

my aunt and uncle,

whom I lived with here in the city,

I think they returned the money

she had invested which... God...

Maybe it was a thousand dollars?

[Interviewer]

Which was a lot of money then.

To the Harkness family, I don't think

a thousand dollars was a lot of money.

Oh, they tried to have it...

I know what it was...

deducted from my army salary,

which would have taken about ten years,

'cause I don't know what you made...

You got paid maybe $90 a month

or something like that.

Some stupidity.

So my family paid it off,

and then when I got out of the army,

I paid my family back.

[Woman]

Don't take a picture of us.

[Woman #2] I'll break that

f***ing camera over your head.

Yeah, he wanted...

he wanted me...

to come up

and meet my replacement.

Your replacement.

Your...

Yes, you passed

on the torch to me.

You're just a trophy wife.

I was always there

at the beginning.

[John] I've showed her

some of your layouts.

Oh, you teaching, uh...

Uh, I don't teach.

Muffin or is she teaching you?

She's teaching me.

Now, see, you made those

too big, those flowers.

What flowers?

See, that's... that's too big.

Where's the love today, Bill?

Love? Just get the page done.

Show 'em where the love is, Bill.

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