He famously did not see his contract for "The Lady From Shanghai" until his first day of filming, which involved his playing dead whilst on a stretcher. He was still on the stretcher when he signed the contract, and claimed it was only then that he noted (with pleasure) that his salary for the film was to be $1250 per week.
[on Orson Welles]: I knew Orson pretty well, after meeting him at a benefit radio broadcast. Rita Hayworth was there, too, and I remember that they hadn't met as yet.
