A decades-old Manhattan story from producer Mike Kaplan was posted a day or two ago by renowned film scholar and book author Joseph McBride.

HE to McBride: Fascinating story but what year did this happen? Or at least what decade? The ‘60s or 70s? Were they on the Fifth Avenue downtown bus? Lexington or Third Avenue? The great and confident Lillian Gish felt intimidated by an odd bus moment or by Garbo or what? How long were they together on that bus? How many average folks were with them? Was it raining?

This story cries out for more detail!

I’m thinking of Tom Cruise’s Collateral story about that dead guy doing laps around Los Angeles on a bus or metro car and nobody noticing. We live alone, and we’re gonna die alone…take it or leave it.