Miscellany and Trivia

Jack Warner, the movie producer and co-founder of Warner Brothers, was in the habit of taking an afternoon nap in his office at Warner Brothers, and it was an unwritten rule of the studios that he should not be disturbed. On one occasion, however, Bette Davis burst into the office while Warner was asleep and began ranting about a script that did not meet her approval. Without opening his eyes, Warner reached for the phone and called his secretary. "Come in and wake me up," he said. "I'm having a nightmare." Miss Davis could not help laughing, and the crisis over the script was resolved in a few minutes.

Place a child in a room, with a bible, an apple and a Rs 5 note. If he takes the bible, he will become a priest. If he takes the Rs 5 note, he will become a business man. But if he takes the apple in one hand and eats it, the 5 Rs note in the other and sits on the bible, he will become a politician.

When Silvio Berlusconi became Prime Minister of Italy in 2001, he continued to run his media empire. "There are no blind trusts, no meaningful guidelines on conflict of interest," Jane Kramer, an American journalist, explained. "No culture of divestment, no legal reason for a Prime Minister even to consider divestment..."
Berlusconi had an answer for such critics. "I wanted to do it," he once declared, "but my children won't let me."

Controversial documentary filmmaker Michael Moore was often advised to run for president. On one such occasion, Moore opened his arms, exposed his famous Big Mac belly, and replied: "You don't want this rolling around in the White House!"

Harry Truman was once asked by a young student how he might get started in politics. "You've already started," Truman replied. "You're spending somebody else's money, aren't you?

Karl Rove, George Bush's chief political strategist, once told an audience that, when he was nine years old, he put a Richard Nixon sticker on his bicycle - and was promptly beaten up by a little girl who supported John F. Kennedy.

The Woman's Touch

In 1980, Sherry Lansing became the first woman in history to run a major studio (20th Century Fox). Later, as Chairwoman of Paramount Pictures, Lansing encouraged employees to volunteer at Edwards Air Force Base. Their mission? To assist the Pentagon - by gardening and painting "nose art" on military aircraft.

The six most important words: I admit that I was wrong. The five most important words: You did a great job. The four most important words: What do you think? The three most important words: Could you please. . . The two most important words: Thank you. The most important word: We. The least important word: I.