SINGAPORE (Mar 12): Danny DeVito portrayed the ruthless ethos of financial markets with comedic perfection in the role of Larry “The Liquidator” Garfield in the 1991 movie Other People’s Money.
In the movie, Garfield discovers a company called New England Wire and Cable, which could be worth $25 a share if it were to shut down its loss-making core business and scrap the assets. He begins buying the stock at $10, then approaches the management of the company and demands that they get rid of the cable and wire business.
Management baulks at the idea and attempts to assuage Garfield by pointing out he is already making money as a result of the stock having run up to $14. That’s when DeVito delivers one of the most memorable lines of the movie: “The stock is $14 because I’m buying it. I’m doing my part. Now you do yours.”
