Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1412: Is Hollywood going to reshuffle again?

"The first lady of Broadway died in March," Jessica Tandy whispered to Ronald in the car, sitting next to him.

“Do you mean Ms. Helen Hayes? I saw the obituary and it was very sad.”

This Broadway and Hollywood actress, who has met Ronald several times, is the first woman to win the EGOT (Grand Slam of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards).

He died of heart failure at home in March this year at the age of 93. According to Chinese standards, it was a happy funeral, not a tragic event.

The last time she saw Ronald and appeared in public was at the Democratic National Convention when George Sr. was nominated for the presidency in 1988.

"Helen's last days were very painful. If she hadn't died so suddenly, she would probably have asked you to have an interview."

"Me? Why?" Ronald was a little surprised. He didn't have much connection with the old lady, so why did she go to him?
Jessica Tandy explained it in detail. This is still the greatest misfortune for an old man.

Helen Hayes had no adult biological children, only an adopted stepson named James MacArthur.

James MacArthur was a child star at Disney and acted in a TV series on CBS, but later semi-retired for various reasons. He had a bad relationship with his mother and rarely visited her home in Nyack, New York.

There was not much coverage of this in the news media, but one thing clearly showed Helen Hayes' distrust of her adopted son.

The executor of her will was not her adopted son, but her elder sister, Lillian Gish, who was the first big star of the silent film era and a disciple of Griffith, who established the narrative rules of Hollywood directors.

Lillian Gish was known as the "First Lady of Hollywood" and was on par with Helen Hayes at the time. She was also the godmother of her adopted son, James MacArthur. Gish's acting career was even more impressive than Helen Hayes's. Her last film was "The Whale of August" in 1986, in collaboration with Bette Davis.

Gish was already 94 years old at the time, but he could still compete with Bette Davis for the female lead on the set. The two of them could even fight over who should get the first signature on the poster, and Gish won.

But here lies the problem: Lillian Gish was born in 1893 and died three weeks before Helen Hayes.

Helen Hayes was grief-stricken and found Jessica Tandy, who had a say, to tell her about her will. Helen Hayes's white house in Nyack, overlooking the Hudson River, would be inherited by Gish. After Gish's death, it would be sold and the money would be donated to the charity project that Helen Hayes led throughout her life, the Helen Hayes Charity Hospital named after her.

However, Helen Hayes' sudden death made the old will invalid without a new will, so the house was inherited by her adopted son. Her life's work, the Helen Hayes Charity Hospital, would also lose its most caring godmother and would most likely face a financial crisis.

"Ms. Tandy, I also admire Ms. Hayes's charitable act, but there is definitely no way to solve this problem legally. I am not..."

"That house, Ronald... When Helen called me she said if anyone could save her hospital, it would be you."

"Oh..." Ronald agreed, and in his mind came the quiet house on the hill overlooking the Hudson River and Manhattan on the other side of the river. The white building was full of Latin style, and the location was very good. You could see the bustling city, but there was a river blocking it, so there was no interference. It was really a good place to find peace in the bustling city.

"Don't worry, Ms. Tandy. I'll call my lawyer and see what I can do. Even if it doesn't work out, I'll find another way to keep the Helen Hayes Charity Hospital going and use the name forever."

"My goodness, I know you will..."

After sending the Tandys home, Ronald showed up at the party and then consulted with lawyer Lindsay Doll. He could talk to the New York State Senator about the hospital. The house was in a very rare location, and having his own boat would make it very convenient to travel between Manhattan and Nyack.

Lindsay Doll will later approach Helen Hayes's adopted son on behalf of Ronald about buying the house. Because the house is too old and has been in disrepair for a long time, her adopted son has actually been listing it for a long time and cannot get the ideal price.

……

After finishing the premiere in New York, Ronald rushed back to Los Angeles to attend the premiere there, this time with Diane.

Director Nora Ephron, who was very nervous in New York, was all smiles at the premiere in New York. Her husband also attended with her, and he was completely different from the nervous look in New York.

Simultaneously with the New York premiere, Samsung Pictures held a preview screening in 75 theaters across the country. The preview screening was very successful, with an attendance rate of % even without any large-scale publicity beforehand...

The biggest reason may be that the newly appointed President William and First Lady Rodham specifically requested to watch this movie. The President is also a movie lover, and the screening room in the West Wing of the White House has returned to the busyness of Ronald Sr.'s tenure. It is believed that William watches two or three movies every week.

After Columbia learned about this, it made this a selling point, highlighting that "Sleepless in Seattle" is a very rare date movie in the summer season. Unlike "Jurassic Park" which is suitable for teenagers and families, "Sleepless in Seattle" is a typical movie for a man and a woman to watch.

The marketing plan was also very good with this theme. Many theaters were signed by Columbia Distribution Company. Couples who watched the movie would receive a small chocolate gift.

The morning after the preview, Cinema Score audience ratings came out, and the romantic comedy received an A rating, which means it is very promising.

The marketing on TV used the slogan "When Harry Met Sally in 1993". Since the TV station mainly targets male audiences, Ronald and Tom Hanks became the main marketing targets. Encouraging men who have a crush on someone to ask a woman out to watch this movie may significantly increase the success rate.

What made Nora Ephron feel more at ease was that Roger Ebert gave the film three stars (which is a high score for a romantic comedy). He also used corny praises to say that it was a direct successor to the traditional romantic comedies of the 1940s. Nora Ephron directed a movie that made people happy physically and mentally with the brushwork of the golden age.

Albert also said that the casting of the film was particularly successful. Tom Hanks has a sense of alienation, which makes it easier for the audience to put themselves in his shoes, rather than a simple man who falls in love at first sight. Meg Ryan is particularly good at this kind of romantic love drama, and Ephron also keeps them apart for most of the film, creating expectations for the audience.

“As brief as a talk show, as deliberately staged as a late-night show, but so warm and tender that it made me smile the entire way through.”

Ronald dictated the last sentence of Ebert's review to Nora Ephron at the premiere, and it was enough to make her burst into laughter.

Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson also flew to Los Angeles. He happily chatted with Ephron and Ronald, and it was obvious that everyone was in a much more relaxed mood. With this box office expectation, their agents will receive more popular script invitations next Monday.

"What do other film reviews say?" Several main creators didn't know the reviews of other film critics yet, so they all asked Ronald, who had already seen the draft in advance.

"Vincent Canby of the New York Times likened it to the greatest romance since the Seventies' 'Love Story,' saying no movie has ever manipulated emotions so subtly and predictably to such delightful effect."

Ronald also smiled and shared some wonderful film reviews with the two of them.

"Oh, hahaha, Ronald, sorry..." Nora Ephron joked with Ronald with a smile. If the "love story" in the 1970s was counted, the New York Times film review would mean that her "Sleepless in Sidney" was better than Ronald's "When Harry Met Sally".

Ronald shrugged his shoulders exaggeratedly, making a funny gesture, which also filled the air with a joyful atmosphere.

"Why, what are you talking about?"

At the Los Angeles premiere, co-star Meg Ryan also attended, and her husband Dennis Quaid also attended.

"Hahaha..." Meg Ryan heard what they were discussing and joined in, saying that the film review was accurate. Everyone teased Ronald, knowing that he didn't mind the evaluation of the director's techniques for such a commercial film.

Ronald rubbed his eyes with his hands and pretended to cry, causing Diane to join in the laughter.

Among so many people present, there was only one person who was out of tune with the cheerful atmosphere, and that was Meg Ryan's husband Dennis Quaid.

He had a full beard and his face was swollen, as if he had just had a face reconstructive surgery. Not only did he not smile much, but he had a subtle expression when he looked at other people, as if jealousy mixed with resentment, but his face was stiff and Ronald was unsure of some of his expressions.

But Ronald still didn't like him. He was dressed very smartly, but his wife, the protagonist of the movie, Meg Ryan, only wore a dress and a necklace. She looked haggard, as if family affairs had consumed too much of her mental energy.

After everyone left, Ronald sighed and shook his head secretly. Dennis Quaid's position has been surpassed by his wife. Whether it is the media, film reviews, or film pay, he has fallen behind Meg Ryan.

The scripts he received were far less important. Dennis Quaid started to increase the number of movies he acted in last year, but they were all very cheap and low-budget productions. The only one that made a little more money was with Meg Ryan, who, to put it bluntly, took advantage of his wife's star status.

Ronald also saw a bit of tug-of-war between the two people as they walked away, and Dennis Quaid raised his hand with a big movement, as if he wanted to shake off Meg Ryan.

"Oh God, don't fight here." Ronald thought how come these two people have no tolerance at all. Are they going to start a fight on the spot?

Fortunately, Meg Ryan swallowed her anger and comforted her husband. The two went in first and did not sit with everyone. Only Dennis Quaid's eyes were seen, staring at Tom Hanks with deep meaning.

"Are you jealous of Tom's film contract?" Ronald touched his chin.

"Did the plot of your movie offend him?" Diane had a different opinion and whispered while putting her arm around Ronald's arm.

"What?" Ronald didn't understand.

"In Sleepless in Seattle, didn't Annie dump her fiancé? She eloped with a man she had only met once..."

"No way? Not to the point... not to the point... right?"

Ronald was a little unsure, too. It was hard to say what would happen if the wife was more successful than the husband in her career. There were many precedents in Hollywood where the husband would become suspicious and sensitive... and many of them ended up getting divorced.

At the Los Angeles premiere, everyone saw that the film had good prospects. Guber was so proud that he invited many industry executives to attend. I think he wanted to take all the credit for himself.

Ronald met Tom Arnold who was preparing for "True Lies" and a few other stars who were familiar with him and came to show their support, and many of the others were company executives.

It turned out that Barry Diller, the junior boss of 20th Century Fox who recently resigned, was also present with his wife.

When he wanted to buy shares in Fox but was rejected by Australian Rupert, he knew he had no future there, so he sold his shares to cash in and start his own business. I think he hopes to use his rich connections in the industry to do something.

At the premieres of these major film studios, he might be able to get some information and reconnect with some of his old friends and subordinates. It was not surprising that Ronald appeared here.

Ronald was also surprised by another executive, Disney's Katzenberg, who came over with big black-framed glasses. He first greeted Ronald and then Barry Diller.

Seeing that the two of them seemed to be exchanging some information in their eyes, Ronald frowned and tried to probe directly, "What's going on? Is there going to be a big change in any major Hollywood studio?"

This sentence obviously caught both of them off guard. After exchanging glances, Barry Diller spoke up again and asked Ronald, "Why, what news did you hear?"

"Not at all. I just rarely see such heavyweights as you two at premieres in Columbia."

"Isn't that what Hollywood is like? Here today, there tomorrow," Katzenberg began with a laugh.

"That's right. When I was in DC, guess who I saw? Levi Wasserman!" Ronald's mind moved, and he also began to beat around the bush... "He is a legend in our industry. He started as an agent, then founded the largest agency in Hollywood, and finally became the owner of a major studio..."

Katzenberg and Barry Diller obviously remembered something when they heard Ronald say that. Ronald realized that his goal had been achieved, so he stopped pestering them...

……

"Wow, the marketing strategy is indeed effective..."

At the end of the first weekend, Ronald got the box office statistics for Sleepless in Seattle and he was very happy.

Sleepless in Seattle, which was screened in more than 1,500 theaters, earned $17 million in the first weekend box office, with the average per theater only a few hundred dollars behind Jurassic Park. It completely defeated the children's comedy "Dennis the Menace" which was produced by Warner Bros. and screened in more than 2,000 theaters and imitated the Home Alone series, and ranked second in the box office list.