If vaudeville had died, television was the box they put it in.

Gelbart-scripted films for television included Barbarians at the Gate (1993) a true story about the battle for control of the RJR Nabisco corporation starring James Garner that was based on the best-selling book of that name; Weapons of Mass Distraction (1997) starring Ben Kingsley and Gabriel Byrne as rival media moguls and And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003) starring Antonio Banderas as the Mexican revolutionary leader. Receiving lousy reviews and box office during its previews in Washington D.