Woody Puts Money Where His Mouth Is

By Stephen M. Silverman

Wednesday June 05, 2002 11:00 AM EDT

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The laughs were few and far between on Tuesday as Woody Allen took his seat on the witness stand for his second day of testimony in his lawsuit against his former best friend and movie producer Jean Doumanian in New York State Supreme Court. Allen, 66, claims that Doumanian, her partner Jaqui Safra and their Sweetland Films owe him $12 million plus interest, his share of the seven movies he made for them. In his five hours on the stand, Allen, frequently complaining of having lost part of his hearing in his left ear, was often upstaged by Judge Ira Gammerman -- described by the Daily News's movie critic in its Wednesday editions as a "ham." Meanwhile, The New York Times wistfully noted Wednesday that the gathering of observers in Gammerman's courtroom Tuesday (which included PEOPLE.com as well as old Allen crony Dick Cavett) was still larger than the audience uptown for Allen's latest movie, "Hollywood Ending." Under oath, Allen attempted to put to rest the notion that all his films are unprofitable, despite the fact that this is something he himself has often stated. "This is a joke I make all the time (that) serves me well in interviews," he told Doumanian's attorney, Peter Parcher. "I've been making movies for 35 years, and it's not because movie companies have been chomping at the bit to lose money." Doumanian's side claims that Allen is owed no money at all, because his movies were unprofitable. Testimony resumes Wednesday, with Safra returning to the stand.