When Hollywood Had a King: The Reign of Lew Wasserman, Who Leveraged Talent into Power and Influence
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.42 (769 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0812972171 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 528 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-06-17 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
hank said Five Stars. good book. William Hare said A Larger Than Life Horatio Alger. When Lew Wasserman was growing up in his native Cleveland the Horatio Alger books were popular. They traced the rise of often penniless young men to the high pinnacles of economic and social power. I do not know if Wasserman read any of these stories in his boyhood, but he certainly ended up living them.Beginning as a theater usher and later becoming a musician, Wasserman hooked up with Jules Styne and began booking musical acts. The dynamic duo recognized that the swing era of ban. Bookreporter said A Respectful Look at Lew Wasserman. Cinema fans of a certain age will no doubt recall the grand films of the 19A Respectful Look at Lew Wasserman Bookreporter Cinema fans of a certain age will no doubt recall the grand films of the 1940s and 1950s with a wry thought of "They don't make them like that anymore." The current boffo box office consists of pyrotechnical sequels starring beefcake (and cheesecake) performers, not matinee idols like Peck, Hepburn, Bogart and Lancaster.But in the old days .Connie Bruck, a veteran writer for The New Yorker, has compiled this fulsome biography of Lew Wasserman, one of the most powerful movers and s. 0s and 1950s with a wry thought of "They don't make them like that anymore." The current boffo box office consists of pyrotechnical sequels starring beefcake (and cheesecake) performers, not matinee idols like Peck, Hepburn, Bogart and Lancaster.But in the old days .Connie Bruck, a veteran writer for The New Yorker, has compiled this fulsome biography of Lew Wasserman, one of the most powerful movers and s
Wasserman helped shift the balance of power to Hollywood, remaining with the firm despite being widely sought after by rival agencies and movie studios. 8-page photo insert not seen by PW.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. He also helped extend MCA's political influence, through extensive fund-raising and a longstanding connection with former client Ronald Reagan. . Much more than a celebrity-studded tale, Bruck's work offers a look at the corporate machinations behind the film industry's myths. Having started as an agent at MCA, he eventually became the firm's president, but not before he
In his signature black suit and black knit tie, Was-serman took Hollywood by storm. He was equally intimate with Hollywood royalty, from Bette Davis and Jimmy Stewart to Steven Spielberg, who began his career at MCA and once described Wasserman’s eyeglasses as looking like two giant movie screens.The history of MCA is really the history of a revolution. That Wasserman’s reach extended from the underworld to the White House only added to his mystique. There was only Washington left to conquer, and conquer it Wasserman did, quietly brokering alliances with Democratic and Republican administrations alike. In the hands of Connie Bruck, the story of Lew Wasserman’s rise to power takes on an almost Shakespearean scope. He shifted the balance of power from the studios—which had seven-year contractual strangleholds on the stars—to the talent, wh