Original sentence: Author and screen-writer George MacDonald Fraser offers an alternative story, told to him by Burt Lancaster's producing partner Jim Hill, saying Ebsen had refused to be painted silver and was fired
Edited sentence: However, in his book The Light's on at Signpost, author and screen-writer George MacDonald Fraser offers an alternative story (told to him by Burt Lancaster's partner Jim Hill) which explains Ebsen's departure, namely that Ebsen had flatly refused to be painted silver and was simply fired - as a result of which he did no movie work for the next eight years.Ironically, despite his near-death experience, Ebsen outlived all of the principal cast members by at least sixteen years, although his film career was damaged by the incident