The first novel in the series, The Liquidator, was made into a feature film of the same name in 1965, starring Rod Taylor as Boysie Oakes.
The liquidator of Hertie claimed the department store chain got into difficulties due to improperly high rent payments to the real estate owners, however as seen in the case of Arcandor's bankruptcy in June 2009, the whole German department store sector experienced severe difficulties during these times.
Then in March 1989, Shaklee Corporation received an unsolicited acquisition proposal from a group led by Irwin L. Jacobs, the Minneapolis financier known also by his nickname "Irv the Liquidator".