Gary Dalkin
There’s a remark, quoted in many variations but frequently attributed to Hollywood comedian Red Skelton about the head of Columbia Pictures, Harry Cohn, or sometimes about Louis B Mayer, head of MGM. Commenting on the vast crowds which had turned out for a dramatic event, Skelton is reputed to have said: ‘Give the people what they want, and they’ll come out for it.’
The sting is that, Skelton wasn’t talking about the premiere of an eagerly awaited new film, but about a funeral. Both studio bosses were widely hated, and their funerals proved smash hits. Give ‘em what they want…