Description
The sensational, lurid, and wickedly entertaining true story of the brothers who invented Hollywood to become the godfathers of cinema movie moguls Nicholas and Joseph Schenck studded with glamorous stars, scandals, mobsters, murders, and one legendary blond bombshell. . .
Groundbreaking pioneers of the Hollywood Dream Factory, Joseph and Nicholas Schenck may not have been household names like the Warner brothers or Louis B. Mayer, but they were infinitely more powerful, influentialand ruthless. A pair of Russian immigrants with giant ambitions, the Schencks turned their small nickelodeon business in New Yorks Bowery into a partnership with Loews movie theaters and a controlling interest in three major studios: MGM, 20th Century Fox, and United Artists. They painted the silver screen silver, laid the foundations for the all-powerful studio system, and ruled a global movie empire from their Gatsby-sized mansions on the East and West coasts. The Schencks had become moguls.
Their story is the stuff of legendsand their scandals are among the greatest stories Hollywood never told. This riveting, behind-the-scenes account reveals the suprising truth about:
The union-busting mob deal that landed Joe Schenck in federal prison for four yearson tax evasion charges including deductions for a menage a trois.
The cutthroat and merciless political maneuvering that defined the Hollywood studio heads.
The lurid murder charges against silent film star Fatty Arbucklewhose legal defense was paid for by Joe Schenck.
Joes secret infatuation with Marilyn Monroe, even though Marilyns mother named her Norma after Joes wife!
The brothers ingenious creation of the Academy of Motion Pictures and the Oscarsand indomitable control over the entire film industry.
From the earliest days of silent films and the swinging era of the Roaring Twenties, through the Golden Age of the studio system and the patriotic call of WWII, to the Red Scare paranoia of the McCarthy years, the history of the Schenck brothers is the story of Hollywood itselfand the endurng power of the American Dream. Moguls is a must-read for film fans, history buffs, and anyone who loves the movies.
Author: Michael Benson, Craig Singer
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Citadel Press
Published: 09/24/2024
Pages: 304
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 9.50h x 6.40w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9780806543086
Language: English
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