A new film, “The Cat’s Meow,” has revived the speculation surrounding the death of movie producer Thomas Ince that occurred on the yacht Oneida, owned by William Randolph Hearst, during a pleasure cruise in November 1924.

The incident is considered to be one of the most famous scandals in the early days of Hollywood.

At the time of Ince’s death, news reports claimed that the 43-year-old had died of a heart attack or indigestion, but the swift cremation of his body fueled speculation of murder.

There are rumors that the Los Angeles Times, a Hearst paper, had originally published the headline “Movie Producer Shot on Hearst Yacht,” but the headline was dropped following pressure from the proprietor.

The film, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, stars Eddie Izzard as Charlie Chaplin, Kirsten Dunst as Marion Davies, and Joanna Lumley as Elinor Glyn, who were all passengers on the yacht.

The inconsistent accounts from the star-studded passenger list, which also included gossip columnist Louella Parsons, added fuel to the rumors of murder.

In a biography of Chaplin, Tramp, Joyce Milton suggested that Chaplin could have been responsible for the death.

At the time, Chaplin was said to be “almost suicidal” about his marriage to 16-year-old Lita Grey, and there were rumors that he may have accidentally killed Ince while playing with a revolver.

Historian David Nasaw has a different take on the incident.

He believes that the scandal was fabricated by one of Hearst’s magazine executives who was on the yacht and that the cover-up was created not to conceal a murder but to prevent the police from investigating the illegal consumption of alcohol.

Nasaw is unhappy with the film, stating that it is “not blending fact and fiction, it’s saying things they know to be untrue.”

He goes on to express his concern about the impact of Hollywood on historical accuracy.

“You can’t libel the dead, but you can libel history,” Nasaw said.

“We work so damn hard to teach students the difference between history and myth. And Hollywood forgets it all.”