“She sleeps alone at last!” Suggested epitaph for a dead movie queen offered by the humorist Robert Benchley.

Benchley was the man who originated the remark about getting out of wet clothes into a dry martini.

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Now, here is a story of starstruck luck and clever ambition. It should inspire everybody who ever hoped to succeed.

A New Yorker named Bonnie Timmermann grew up loving all entertainment. She became a casting director for the theater and television in her early days, and hired actor after actor. Many went on to become superstars. Eventually, Bonnie was casting for Broadway and became involved in setting up the drama “Death and the Maiden.”

Seeking an actress to play a hat-check girl, Bonnie saw a photo of a blonde woman in the newspaper. She thought this person was perfect for the role, searched her out and asked her to read for the part.

It turned out the woman was Gladys Nederlander of the famed theatrical producing family.

Gladys was thrilled at the thought of acting, told all her friends and arrived before Ms. Timmermann, who instantly realized she was “too glamorous” for the role. So the two women had a laugh together, and then Bonnie, seized by ambition, thrust the play script into the hands of Gladys. She said abruptly, “Read this and if you like it, I want a million-five to put into this play for us to produce it. I have to have your answer by next Monday.”

When Gladys, surprisingly, came back with the dough, Bonnie went from casting director to producer in a heartbeat. She says now of the experience, “I got a great magical break out of an impulsive gesture. I loved casting, but I needed to forge ahead. There has been a lot of magic in my life ever since. And – I still miss Gladys, who died last July. What a loss to me!”

I suppose one could call this story “grasping the nettle.” Bonnie, Gladys and other producers had a grand success with “Death and the Maiden” and none other than Mike Nichols directed the play. Then, in the early ’90s, they went to Paris and Spain, turning it into a movie with Roman Polanski directing.

So, no wonder, Bonnie Timmermann is now considered a formidable producer. She knows how to make things happen. This week, Bonnie is off to L.A. to work on a new movie, titled “Taxi Wars,” to star Djimon Hounsou. (He has already been twice Oscar nominated. One of those nods was for his unforgettable acting with Leonardo DiCaprio in “Blood Diamond.”)

While she is in La-La Land, Bonnie and Mike Medavoy will also be talking to Shirley MacLaine about a project written by Antwone Fisher, which is to be directed by Scott Prendergast.

I was introduced to Bonnie at Michael’s restaurant, by the dynamo of Page Six, Paula Froelich. It turned into a fascinating meeting. One never knows where the next story is coming from.

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I have tried to stop describing parties like this — “Everybody who is anybody was there!” This is just a cheap way of avoiding having to list too many VIP names and it sounds horribly exclusionary.

But this makes it difficult to describe the Tina Brown/Harry Evans bash tossed for Suzy Welch and her new book 10-10-10 – a mysterious and appealing title to be sure. It means Suzy has dreamed up a life-transforming idea based on “10 Minutes – 10 Months – 10 Years.” (You have to read the book, or maybe you read Suzy’s own piece about it, which she put up on wowOwow.com the other day.)

Suzy is wed to the super-tycoon Jack Welch who once ran GE and NBC. Some people made a big deal and headlines out of sensationalizing the romance that brought them together, but I’m more naïve and I always think of them as two people who finally found each other when they should have been together all along.