Eugene David<br>...The One-Minute Pundit

Posted 9:16 AM by Gene

Speaking further of the superrich, we recall the ending to the 1930 Kaufman and Hart comedy Once in a Lifetime (which is pretty fair despite its age -- or the ending): George Lewis, a fool who has become a superproducer in Hollywood thanks to his supreme incompetence (sound familiar?), decides on a whim to buy two thousand "aeroplanes" -- whereupon his nominal boss the studio mogul Glogauer (read Jack Warner) bursts in and congratulates George for his "genius" (that word materializes quite often in this play) -- because no one else can make any "aeroplane" pictures! That scene popped up in beholding the superproducer Joe Roth and his "genius" at Revolution Studios. He is a modern-day George Lewis; he doesn't need "aeroplanes" when he can buy tons of turkeys. He is immortal alone for Gheeley -- er, Giggly -- er, Gigi? -- GIGLI, but anyone who's produced as many stinkers as Joe solely to spend money should attract lawyers the way movies attract flies. That he has since redeemed himself does not mean he has left his inner George behind; with luck it will give him new confidence to buy yet another batch of turkeys.