experiences while filming Beware! The Blob (1972), and another recalls an encounter with writer L. Ron Hubbard, author of horror and science fiction, and founder of Scientology. Eric Spitznagel wrote about when he heard Close recount his alleged meeting with L.Ron Hubbard, in which Close claimed to have suggested to Hubbard, "Well, if you’re worried about taxes, you should just turn Scientology into a religion" (an anecdote that Spitznagel claimed many others have heard Close recount also). In the 2020 documentary, For Madmen Only: The Stories of Del Close, one of the interviewees, Charna Halpern, recounts that she had heard Close say the same anecdote about himself and Hubbard. There have been a number of different individuals that have claimed for themselves, or been attributed with, giving Hubbard the suggestion of turning Scientology into a religion in order to make a lot of money. In 2004, writer/comedian R. O'Donnell wrote "My Summer With Del" for Stop Smiling magazine #17 Comedian Issue. The feature was an account of O'Donnell's visits at Del's Chicago apartment as well as recounting highlights of their time spent at CrossCurrents, the theater that housed both their comedy groups. In 2005, Jeff Griggs published Guru: My Days with Del Close detailing their friendship during the last two years of Close's life. Due to Close's poor health (in part caused by long-term alcohol and drug use), Halpern suggested that Griggs run errands with Close. Guru gives a particularly detailed and complete picture of Close based on those shared hours. At the beginning of their relationship, Griggs was a student of Del's, and the book includes several chapters in which Griggs depicts Close as a teacher. The book has been adapted into a screenplay, and as of 2006 Harold Ramis was attached to direct the script. Ramis (who died in 2014) wanted Bill Murray to play Close. Close co-authored the 1994 book Truth in Comedy: The Manual of Improvisation (with Charna Halpern and Kim "Howard" Johnson), which outlines techniques now common in longform improvisation and describes the overall structure of "Harold", which remains a common frame for longer improvisational scenes. In 2007, Eric Spitznagel wrote an article in the September issue of The Believer magazine reflecting on Close's life and his propensity for storytelling. In 2008, Kim "Howard" Johnson published The Funniest One in the Room: The Lives and Legends of Del Close, a full-length biography. Johnson himself was