they would not allow production to start on "show boat" unless the laemmles obtained a loan. universal was forced to seek a $750,000 production loan from the standard capital corporation, pledging the laemmle family's controlling interest in universal as collateral. it was the first time in universal's 26-year history that it had borrowed money for a production. production problems resulted in a $300,000 overrun. when standard called the loan in, a cash-strapped universal could not pay.