Driven to Succeed

The 1980 Honda Accord driven until recently by “Punchline” writer-director David Seltzer was such an eyesore that Columbia Pic Prez Dawn Steel jokingly threatened to bar it from the studio lot. Seltzer conceded that it had more sentimental than street value.

“Its antenna was broken, the transmission was falling out and it was badly dented,” he told us. “Still, I was very attached to it--it was my perverse status symbol.”

Then, shortly after negotiating a multipicture deal with Columbia last month, Seltzer did a power lunch with Steel. Afterward, she asked if he’d mind taking her claim check and getting her car.

Instead of Steel’s powermobile, the attendant brought Seltzer a 1988 BMW 325i convertible--a surprise gift from Columbia. List price: $35,000.

“I just collapsed, it was the most magnanimous, heart-felt gift,” Seltzer gushed. “She said she was so nervous when she went shopping for it that I’d wind up not liking it. But I was truly grateful and touched.”