One day, down on his luck, the screenwriter Michael Arlen went to NYC in 1944. To drown his sorrows, he went to the famous restaurant “21.” In the lobby, he ran into Sam Goldwyn, who offered the somewhat impractical advice that he should buy racehorses. At the bar, Arlen met Louis B. Meyer, an old acquaintance, who asked him what were his plans for the future.

“I was just talking to Sam Goldwyn…” began Arlen.

“How much did he offer you?” interrupted Mayer.

“Not enough,” he replied evasively.

“Would you take fifteen thousand for thirty weeks?” asked Meyer.

“Yes,” said Arlen.