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different personalities, different backgrounds, different values. And since the episode that had come to be known as the Red Baron affair. Cliff actually had thoroughly despised and distrusted David.
    The Red Baron had been a genuine fiasco.
    Shortly after the success of Cha rly. Cliff had received a number of lucrative film offers but had declined them all because he wanted to write, direct, and star in a film centering on one of his hobbies— old airplanes. He had been approached by a man from Ireland who owned several World War I fighter planes in excellent condition. Cliff had persuaded Cinerama Incorporated, the company that had distributed Charly, to put up $150,000 to enable him to go to Ireland and film some aerial combat sequences. David Begelman had negotiated the deal on Cliffs behalf, and Cliff had written a treatment f or a script tentatively titled I Shot Down the Red Baron. I Think. As Cliff understood the arrangement, if Cinerama liked the combat footage, it would finance the rest of the movie. If not. Cliff would have the option of reimbursing Cinerama its $150,000 and owning the project himself.
    By the lime the filming in Ireland was completed several months later. Cinerama was in financial difficulty, chose not to proceed with the movie, and demanded that Cliff refund its money immediately. Cliff claimed that while he had an option to buy the film, he had no obligation to buy it. He promised, however, to try to obtain financing for the film from another company and reimburse Cinerama when and if he was able to do so. The argument dragged on, and to Cliffs consternation, David Begelman sided with Cinerama. Begelman even went so far as voluntarily to swear out an affidavit saying that Cliff indeed had an obligation to repay the money to Cinerama immediately. Robertson was enraged.
    "David, I want you to keep this straight and honest, this whole relationship, and I don't want you leading anybody down the garden path, and I don't want you in any way to indicate other than the truth. . . ." Cliff had warned Begelman at the time.
    Robertson and Begelman had disputes, as well, over David's agent's commission from Charly and over other issues. The agent-client relationship was terminated, and subsequently Cinerama used David Begelman's affidavit against Robertson as the basis for suing Cliff for the Red Baron money. Defending himself in a sworn deposition, Robertson called Begelman a liar. "It was more and more apparent to me that something wasn't right in the dialogue between Begelman and Cinerama," Cliff testified. "I had the feeling that I was gradually being sandbagged. ... I felt I had been completely subverted by my own agent in my moment of despair, anguish, and shock" (when Cinerama claimed Cliff owed the money).
    After a year of bitter wrangling, Robertson reluctantly agreed to pay Cinerama 52 5,000 plus an additional $25,000 if the Red Baron picture ever was made. The suit thereby was settled, but Robertson never forgave Begelman . They didn't speak again until an inconsequential meeting on another topic a few years later. Cliff thought David might take that opportunity to express at least a little regret over the Red Baron episode. Begelman not only failed to mention the incident but was so unabashedly friendly that Cliff later remarked to Dina that he had been appalled at David's insensitivity. There had been one or two other brief encounters. David had even stopped Cliff on the beach at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1976, to compliment him on Obsession. The next time they had spoken, however, was two weeks ago Saturday when Begelman had telephoned to assure Cliff he would "clarify" the $10,000 "misunderstanding" and then had invited Cliff to lunch. Now, David stood revealed as a forger, an embezzler, and again, a liar of staggering proportions.
    The man's gall is beyond all imagining. Cliff thought, as he nervously idled away the hours in the house in Hollywood.
    Airborne for New Zealand the next