Word: bioff
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...witness chair in Manhattan's Federal Court sat bland, wily Willie Bioff (pronounced Buy-off), blackmailer, pander, labor leader, and now star Government witness against eight ex-pals, who are charged with shaking down $1 million from the movie industry (TIME, Oct. 18). From wily Willie's reminiscences U.S. citizens learned much...
Question: Was it true that Bioff once had a five-year plan for taking over 20% of Hollywood's profits-and eventually a 50% interest in the studios themselves...
...Bioff: "I told Miller the exhibitors . . . would have to have two operators in each booth. Miller said, 'My God! That will close up all my shows...
...Bioff: "I said: 'If that will kill grandma -then grandma must die.' . . . Miller said that two men in each booth would cost about $500,000 a year. So I said well, why don't you make a deal? And we finally agreed...
...Bioff (beaming): "Why, Your Honor, to keep the booth costs down. . . . You see, Judge, if they wouldn't pay we'd give them lots of trouble. We'd put them out of business and I mean...