Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1335 Using Movies to Oppose Old George

"Let me confirm again, our cooperation cannot be known to others, right?"

"The company is anonymous. This is stipulated by Delaware law. The only document is in a bank safe on Wall Street. If you are worried, I can take it out and let you take it back. Just don't destroy it. This is the only legal proof of our company."

Little George went to Ronald's house, sent everyone away, and secretly discussed with Ronald something that made his mother Barbara very unhappy.

Since George Sr. led the CIA before becoming deputy president, and after becoming president, he transferred the head of the CIA to the FBI as director, he has very deep connections in the powerful system.

Recently, someone from the powerful department sent him a briefing, which said that someone was secretly investigating some scandals of George Sr. and his children and family. In addition to the fact that George Jr. withdrew his shares in the oil company before the last election, which was almost exposed, this secret investigation actually went deep into the secrets of how George Sr. and his wife made their fortune.

What annoyed Barbara the most was that the investigation also involved the President's extramarital affair with the secretary.

Who could do such a thing? The clues given by the powerful departments pointed to Perot, the billionaire who ran as an independent.

As to whether it was done by this billionaire, or by the candidate of the Donkey Party, or some military forces of the Elephant Party, who wanted to kill with a borrowed knife, lure the President to use his power to suppress others, and then expose the scandal, it is difficult to judge.

The commander-in-chief has already started thinking of countermeasures. The best strategy is to let the news spread quietly, so that Perot will be under great pressure. By then, whoever is causing the trouble will be exposed.

In addition to the secret investigation of the president's family, some disturbing things are also quietly fermenting. In short, George Sr.'s policies in the past year have not only offended the wealthy class, but also the military-industrial complex, an interest group that even Eisenhower had to point out before his retirement.

It is better to believe that such things are true. Old George is not a pushover. The power he can mobilize is not comparable to that of an ordinary commander-in-chief. It is estimated that a storm will soon blow.

"This kind of thing can be very troublesome if it gets even the smallest touch, so I accepted my mom's mission and came to the West Coast..." Little George was quite a brother. Ronald did things properly, so he specifically pointed out that people should not get close to the center of the nearest storm.

"By the way, what is your mission in Hollywood? What does Barbara want me to do?" Ronald asked.

"Someone has informed Barbara that someone is preparing a movie to be released on the eve of the election to discredit the couple. I am here to get to the bottom of this matter."

"What movie?" Ronald frowned. Movies have always been a powerful mass media, so it's not that difficult to discredit a great leader.

"The news just said that there was a follow-up to Die Hard, so I took the initiative to accept the mission..."

"Let's have dinner together? I happen to have guests here. They are here to seek cooperation with DC." Ronald nodded silently. It should not be difficult to find a framework that summarizes the characteristics of the movie.

"Ha, when my father was working as an assistant, I still had a bicycle, and I rode it out for fun on weekends..."

George and Deputy Director Fei hit it off right away and talked about their hometowns. The two sides got in touch. Anyway, George has done a lot of lobbying business outside the hospital, so he just treated it as another client.

……

"Jane, I can't give you an answer now. Everything has to wait until the audition and my casting director has seen it... Yes, Julia Taylor, you are familiar with her. She is very objective and insists on her correct views. To be honest, when I disagree with her, I always suspect that I am wrong... Well, of course I will take care of Bridget, don't worry."

"Hahahaha, as an aunt, I am finally of some use in little Bridget's eyes. When you are free, come to my house to meet me. I have a lot of dinner parties here, and Ted likes big occasions."

"Speaking of which, I have something else I want to ask. Is there any Die Hard-themed movie recently? Don't know? No problem, I'm just asking. I heard some rumors that someone wants to do a secret attack. I'm wondering whether to invest in a Die Hard movie in the subway..."

George went back to his home in Texas to rest and entrusted the investigation to Ronald. But to his surprise, Richard had no clue either. He asked the MPAA and the Film Critics Association, but there were no movies to be released recently for them to do previews.

There was no sign at all, as if the intelligence was a false alarm.

But Ronald was also a little nervous. If such a tight blockade was not a false alarm, it would mean that someone was planning to make a big move.

"Ronald, I heard that you are thinking of investing in a Die Hard in the Subway?"

However, Ronald didn't hear anything, but his own movements were known everywhere. Now, Harrison Ford also called to inquire.

"I'm hesitant. I heard someone has made a Die Hard-style movie, and I'm afraid of getting into trouble... So, have you heard any news?"

"No, it's not that you want to work with someone else and don't want me to participate? Is it Bruce (Willis) or Kevin (Costner)?" Harrison Ford said half-jokingly.

"No, Kevin has already started his own project. Bruce doesn't want to make Die Hard anymore. Eight out of ten scripts he receives now are labeled 'Die Hard in such and such a place'."

"Now that you mention it, I remember that someone gave me a chance to watch a preview of Die Hard on the Battleship. Could that be the one you're looking for?" Harrison Ford turned around and confirmed with his wife, and it was indeed what was said on the invitation.

"Oh, what's his name?" Ronald became interested.

"Let me see, the last person to surrender..."

"You must find a way to let me go and watch it. Only after I watch the movie will I know whether I have a chance to get that project."

"Okay, next Thursday afternoon, I'll pick you up then?"

……

"The last person to surrender, a project packaged by Ovitz, produced and distributed by Warner Bros., starring Steven Seagel, directed by Andrew Davis..." With the name of the project, Richard quickly found out about the project. All of this was connected.

"Warner Bros. is very strange. They did not invite any critics to watch the preview, nor did they hold a preview for the public. There were only two previews for a small group of industry insiders. The expected release date is October of this year..."

Ronald listened to Richard's introduction, especially the fact that the film would be released one month before the election, which was the most critical time and most likely to affect voters' perceptions.

"Yes, it is very likely. I have asked a friend to go to the internal preview. I will let you know if there is any news then."

"I am now very curious about what kind of movie they will make." Ronald was sitting in Harrison Ford's car and chatting with him.

"Me too, it's hard to find good scripts nowadays..."

"Actually, it's quite a lot, you..." Ronald glanced at him and didn't say anything directly.

"What? Tell me, is there any secret?"

"The secret is to find a professional script selection expert to recommend scripts to you, and don't let your wife help you screen scripts." Ronald thought about it and said it directly.

"Oh? Why? Martha is also a professional screenwriter?" Harrison Ford still didn't understand.

"Hey, when she selects scripts, will she screen out those that have... scenes?"

"Oh, shxt!" Harrison Ford suddenly understood why the quality of his recent scripts has been declining. His previous cooperation with Ronald also broke down inexplicably. When filming "Working Girl", his wife would come to watch him every day.

The two of them didn't speak along the way, each thinking about their own things.

"Ronald, I have to talk to you more. This is taking up too much time..." Harrison Ford parked his car in the Warner Bros. parking lot. He had decided to hire a full-time script reader as soon as he returned and to bring back all the scripts that had been rejected before for screening again.

"I wasn't originally going to be invited to watch the preview..." Ronald watched as some of the Warner Bros. staff members inside looked at him sideways as he entered the screening room.

"Who the hell cares about them? You're my friend. I was invited to watch the movie. If you're not welcome, I'll leave." Harrison Ford was going to work with Warner next, so after he said this, several people who looked like managers came up to arrange seats for the two of them, and one of them hurried out to inform them.

"Fifty years ago today, the Japanese Imperial Navy attacked Pearl Harbor and destroyed the Pacific Fleet. Today, the battleship Missouri revisits its old location. After completing the siege of Pearl Harbor, the Missouri also served as the site of the surrender ceremony a few days after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima."

After the movie opens, the battleship Missouri is seen cutting through the waves at sea. Accompanied by a very textured baritone, tracing the history of the battleship, people feel a sense of history.

“This director is really good…” Ronald watched the filming and knew that the director had a strong control ability and the editing rhythm was very smooth.

"Do you think so?" Harrison Ford silently noted Ronald's comments. This director named Andrew Davis is good. Maybe he can be asked to shoot the next movie. He likes Ronald's straightforward personality. Such people are rare in Hollywood. As he spoke, he picked up two bottles of Coke on the aisle table and handed one to Ronald.

"Definitely not bad, this director has something..." Ronald actually admires this kind of commercial film director. The camera language is never tricky, but takes care of the audience of commercial films, making it as smooth as possible, so that they don't have to spend extra energy to understand the plot. This kind of director may seem a bit ordinary in the eyes of film critics or award judges, but the plain style makes people feel that the director's presence is the highest praise for a commercial film director.

"The battleship Missouri fired the first shots of the Gulf War, destroying Iraqi bunkers with its 16-inch guns and Tomahawk cruise missiles. It is the fastest and most powerful battleship in the world..."

The camera of the movie turned to the interior of the battleship Missouri, where Steve Siegel was wearing a funny chef's hat and joking with several cooks. It seems that in this movie, his role is the chef on a battleship.

Ronald noticed that his iconic ponytail was gone. It seemed that this movie was also produced in close cooperation with the Navy. They would never tolerate a sailor on a battleship having braids.

"Now, the battleship Missouri is about to be retired, and Commander George and his wife Barbara will make a final tour to pay tribute to the glorious history of the Missouri."

Images of real George Sr. and Barbara appeared on the screen, and Ronald twisted around in his chair in amazement. When was this filmed?
The two of them were definitely in person, and the speech that followed was also the President's original voice. And, most amazingly, this video was not edited from TV news footage like those low-budget B-movies.

This video of the president and his wife was obviously shot with a movie camera. The texture, color, and the level of the director and photographer are all very professional.

"Tsk..." Steve Siegel on the screen was watching the TV broadcast in the kitchen and telling dirty jokes, as if he was deliberately showing his disdain for the President.

"This is not only a remembrance of the war, but also an expectation for peace. General George Sr. signed an order to completely remove nuclear warheads from surface ships. Tomorrow, the Missouri will sail to San Francisco and become a naval museum after dismantling advanced weapons."

The camera moved to the scene where the President was speaking, "History has proven that the final victory will inevitably belong to us. God bless America..."

Old George's distinctive voice came over, and footage of him speaking appeared on the screen.

“How much taxpayer money is going to be wasted on this photo session?”

The camera pulls away and in the kitchen of the Missouri, the cook played by Steve Siegel begins to tease the current commander-in-chief in a sarcastic manner.

……

"Hi, why are you here? I remember I didn't invite you. Please..." The screening in the theater was suddenly interrupted, the lights came on, and Steve Siegel rushed in, walked in front of Ronald, raised his hand and gestured for him to go out.

"Steve," Harrison Ford couldn't stand it anymore. This is his friend. How could you, a second-tier star, be so disrespectful to him?
"Forget it, I've seen what I wanted to see..." Ronald reached out to stop Harrison Ford, stood up and walked out.

"Hey……"

As he walked past Steve Siegel, he suddenly stretched his hand forward and made a gesture to scare Ronald, as if he was going to grab his wrist and perform an Aikido throw attack.

"Pa..." Ronald's body reacted automatically. He turned around and slapped Siegel's hand that was stretched out to scare him. The slap was so loud that everyone in the screening room was startled.

"Don't you know who I am? I made my debut in a karate movie. Didn't your master teach you etiquette? I'm telling you, if you mess with me again, I'll let you taste what real kung fu is.

You need to know your true position. I will not tolerate your provocation of words or actions against me. If you try it again, I will teach you a lesson you will never forget. Do you think those navy people will support you? Or do you trust the promises of some people in CAA?
If you do it again, I will make sure no one in Hollywood dares to work with you again..."

The sudden toughness made Steve Siegel confused. He didn't know whether Ronald really had the ability to ban him or was just talking. But judging from the reaction of that palm strike, he was now indulging in sensual pleasures and taking advantage of female stars every day. If he made a move, he would probably not get any good results from Ronald.

"I, you..." Siegel was almost crying. He said something like he respected Ronald very much, but his words were redundant. He didn't know whether to apologize or just let it go. After all, such a clear threat made him feel that if it was true, wouldn't his Hollywood career be cut off?

"Whatever..." Ronald felt annoyed seeing Siegel dithering, so he waved his hand, said hello to Harrison Ford, and left.

……

"Ms. Barbara, yes, this is a confidential line." Ronald called the First Lady as soon as he got home.

"Indeed, some people in the movie accused you and the President of putting on a show, and they were also dissatisfied with the President's move to cut military spending. Yes, it's not a normal movie plot. They used the film used by the Navy's documentary photographer on the day the Missouri was decommissioned... Yes, it's a new film by Warner Bros...

Yes, this is a right protected by the First Amendment, and I think there is no way to interfere except by filing a lawsuit, which I regret.

OK, OK... this is what I should do."

Ronald hung up the phone. Barbara spoke in a very angry tone. It seemed that some people were going to be in trouble.

(End of this chapter)