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The Man Who Definitely Didn’t Steal Hollywood

Who is the mysterious former waiter with a billion dollars in his pocket? The inside story of a scandal that rocked Hollywood.

When a former waiter called Giancarlo Parretti buys Hollywood's legendary MGM/UA studio (responsible for classics like The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind and the James Bond movies) for $1.3 billion in 1990, everyone hopes this charismatic Italian with a mysterious mountain of cash to spend can make the lion roar again.

But within weeks, the next 007 movie is put on ice. Pay cheques to Dustin Hoffman and Sylvester Stallone bounce, and hundreds of MGM staff are fired. Soon, Parretti is facing an FBI investigation for alleged financial irregularities, and Hollywood’s most famous studio spirals out of control.

Now, Parretti tells his side of the story for the first time, alongside Hollywood insiders and the federal prosecutors who brought him down, to reveal what really happened.

Available now

1 hour, 28 minutes

Last on

Thu 24 Oct 202400:30
BBC Two

Credits

DirectorJohn Dower
ProducerSilvia Sacco
ProducerMonika Ghosh
EditorPawel Slawek
EditorManuela Lupini
Production ManagerFelicity Wall
Line ProducerTheresa Lydon
Executive ProducerTom Anstiss
Executive ProducerSamantha Anstiss
Production CompanyWonderhood Studios

Broadcasts

  • Fri 18 Oct 202421:00
    BBC Two except Wales & Wales HD
  • Fri 18 Oct 202423:05
    BBC Two Wales HD & Wales only
  • Thu 24 Oct 202400:30
    BBC Two

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