That deal catapulted Cardinale to the center of the Ellisons’ inner circle and put him at the forefront of the fight for Warner. Inside Paramount, some call Cardinale “The Godfather,” a nod to the studio’s famed film, because of his role as a guru of sorts to its top brass, people who work with him say.

Warner Bros. blasted Paramount, saying the David Ellison-led company's lawsuit was "yet another unserious attempt to distract and the Judge saw right through it."

If past is present in Hollywood, there's lessons for both David Ellison and David Zaslav from merger mania 100 years ago.