The film ends

with chimes, and there is a religiosity to William Holden’s final speech. It’s great to see Barbara Stanwyck in Executive Suite (1954), she is the Jodie Foster of her time, a lesbian whose masculinity is more than fascinating — we always love these creatures (so unlike us, we think) that are both male and female at the same time. In Executive Suite Stanwyck is truly scary, she has one of her great fits — so much anger, and so deeply felt. The movie is well directed by Robert Wise and very well written by Ernest Lehman; never was boardroom skulduggery so compelling. When Holden stands in front of rows of churchy windows at the end, telling us that a corporation should be about the integrity of the product not money — we are undeniably convinced. Understand, I don’t wish to see capitalism abolished. After all -- much like heterosexuality and motherhood -- it is a deeply flawed, but absolutely necessary system, and I don’t relish the alternative. But Executive Suite hints at present day corporate orthodoxy: that Bell Canada, TD Bank, Telus and Cogeco not only love your money but are cultural leaders celebrating causes like Black Lives Matter, Green Technology, LGBT folx everywhere, and anything else fashionable. Please note that one spanking new corporation is so concerned about your children’s emotional development they have initiated ‘Greenlight for Kids’ — an opportunity to provide children with their own debit cards. What a service to humanity! ‘Greenlight Financial’ stresses that it is  “The money app for families” so we may…. "raise financially smart kids.” The website features a beautiful  multi-racial family (the parents are even quite sexy!), and offers the ‘custom card’ which will feature a photo of your child, that will “show off their personality.” Surely you  knew that corporations are less interested in profits these days than social issues? Yes, it’s nauseating to see this slimy, smelly pack of lies paraded before us every day -- because in every smarmy email you get from GO, or Fido, or Horizon Utilities, they never forget to remind you yet again how concerned they are about COVID-19. But if you're feeling suicidal be prepared to be put on call waiting until just before you decide to actually slash your wrists. Let me talk about my own personal experience with greed. I’m not saying I don’t like money. I’m a middle class person who has air conditioning and food on the table. I can take a cab to the theatre --when there is actually theatre to see (remember though, I don’t walk-too-good-no-more) etc. I’m not poor, but I’m not rich either. I’m not suggesting that I would rather be living on the street, and I like my CDs (yes I’m that old) and books (now Kindle) but that’s the extent of my 'greed.' However, I will say, I'm very proud of this: I’m not Kathy Bivona. (I’m using her read name. I really hope she reads this, because she tortured my father to death. Well he was going to die anyway, but the emotional manipulation I’m sure did not help.) I met Kathy Bivona many years ago — she and her husband were friends of my father and my stepmother (Carol). Kathy was a nurse and so was my stepmother, so they were best friends. Kathy’s husband and kids became close as ‘family’ with my Dad and Carol — part of the bargain. Then my stepmother died. Kathy Bivona (now divorced) showed up at the memorial in my father’s backyard in Buffalo. My partner and I thought nothing of it--  except that she was being very open-minded when she came up at the wake and commiserated with us re: Carol’s death. We did think — wow, why was Kathy so nice? But it seemed like a cruel and catty observation. Little did we know. It only took a few years for my father to reveal that he was in love with her; he was in his 80s at the time, and went so far as to say “I think the only reason I’m still living is because of this little lady here.” Kathy didn’t have to do much to precipitate such devotion, she only had to continue being her pretty young self (she was 20 years younger than him). Soon, it became apparent that my father wanted to marry her, but Kathy would have none of it. Then she wouldn’t move to Buffalo where he lived, she wanted to stay in Kentucky (her home). Then it became clear that he was giving her quite a bit of money (I’m pretty sure he bought her a condo). Kathy had it all figured out; she had made it clear to me (and supposedly to my father? anyway she claimed she had…) that she was not in any way romantically inclined to a man who was clearly head-over-heels in love with her. But if so, why, when I visited them in their hotel room in Toronto, did they sleep in a king size bed and greet us in their pyjamas? It all seemed like a racket to me. Now I knew my father had put her in his will, but I honestly thought it wasn’t my place to interfere. The deal, as my father told me many times, was that Kathy -- a nurse after all -- had promised to be at his bedside and take care of him if things ever ‘got bad’. Well when he was 89 years old he suddenly developed cancer. Kathy dropped by from Kentucky to say a breezy hello and promptly disappeared. I called her and said ‘my father needs you, you need to be here” and she started screaming at me --  like a demon possessed -- i.e. Barbara Stanwyck -- “You don’t love him you never loved him I’m the only one who ever loved him now leave me alone!!!!" When he died, she received a sizeable potion of the inheritance -- which is all -- I’m convinced -- she ever really wanted. I’m not bitter about all this. Honestly. I’m just telling you because it’s important for you to know that such people do exist, in real life, not just in movies. What is even more interesting to me are two things -- my father’s devotion to her (so fanatically intense), and their 'romance' --  as real as the tears of a unicorn, or a castle on a cloud. My mother, in her own way (it’s called alcoholism) lived not in this world but another; I am the human product of these two demented dreamers. And that is why I am writing to all you invisible people, here.