Hollywood Tales from the Crypt
The director Joseph Strick had great admiration for dead literary lions. He made a film version of James Joyce's Ulysses that's worth watching.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_(1967_film)
Strick was maybe a cultist IDK but Charles Bluhdorn was deep in the feces and boss of Gulf and Western which owned Paramount Pictures.
Strick wanted Bluhdorn to let him make a movie of a French book called "Remembrance of Things Past."
"Never heard of it," said Charlie Bluhdorn.
"Check with your head of story development, Charlie, the book is well known. "
Exasperated Bluhdorn pushed the speed dial in his office atop the mob's Gulf and Western building which connected him with Paramount's head of story development (West Coast.)
"Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust!"
Paramount's head of story development (West Coast) stammered and said, "Uh, uh, uh, never heard of it."
Charlie looked at Strick.
Strick begged him to poll Paramount's head of story development (East Coast) because, Strick insisted "they're more literate in NY."
Bludhorn pressed speed dial again and when the stooge answered barked: "Remembrance of Things Past, Marcel Proust?"
"Ah, Ah it's about a fag…."
Bluhdorn hung up the phone and gave Strick a reproachful look.
"It's not about a fag," Strick pleaded, "it's by a fag."
"About a fag, by a fag; Paramount DOES NOT DO fag pictures. "
Times Change
Bluhdorn choked to death on the G&W jet on a 3 x 4 bolus of steak. The executive present who witnessed his death were ignorant of the Heimlich maneuver.
mob ties
>In 1979, after a three-and-a-half-year investigation, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil complaint against G.&W., Mr. Bluhdorn and Don F. Gaston, executive vice president, charging them with improper financial reporting and other fraudulent courses of conduct.
When the S.E.C. filed its complaint, Mr. Bluhdorn called the charges totally unwarranted and outrageous and vowed to litigate this matter to the end.
G&W was a cult operation then and now.
https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/20/obituaries/charles-g-bluhdorn-the-head-of-gulf-and-western-dies-at-56.html