When Hollywood Had a King: The Reign of Lew Wasserman, Who Leveraged Talent into Power and Influence

Book Description

In When Hollywood Had a King, the distinguished journalist Connie Bruck tells the sweeping story of MCA and its brilliant leader, a man who transformed the entertainment industry— businessman, politician, tactician, and visionary Lew Wasserman.

The Music Corporation of America was founded in Chicago in 1924 by Dr. Jules Stein, an ophthalmologist with a gift for booking bands. Twelve years later, Stein moved his operations west to Beverly Hills and hired Lew Wasserman. From his meager beginnings as a movie-theater usher in Cleveland, Wasserman ultimately ascended to the post of president of MCA, and the company became the most powerful force in Hollywood, regarded with a mixture of fear and awe.

In his signature black suit and black knit tie, Was-serman took Hollywood by storm. He shifted the balance of power from the studios—which had seven-year contractual strangleholds on the stars—to the talent, who became profit partners. When an antitrust suit forced MCA’s evolution from talent agency to film- and television-production company, it was Wasserman who parlayed the control of a wide variety of entertainment and media products into a new type of Hollywood power base. There was only Washington left to conquer, and conquer it Wasserman did, quietly brokering alliances with Democratic and Republican administrations alike.

That Wasserman’s reach extended from the underworld to the White House only added to his mystique. Among his friends were Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa, mob lawyer Sidney Korshak, and gangster Moe Dalitz—along with Presidents Johnson, Clinton, and especially Reagan, who enjoyed a particularly close and mutually beneficial relationship with Wasserman. 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. Lew Wasserman ushered in the Hollywood we know today. He is the link between the old-school moguls with their ironclad studio contracts and the new industry defined by multimedia conglomerates, power agents, multimillionaire actors, and profit sharing. In the hands of Connie Bruck, the story of Lew Wasserman’s rise to power takes on an almost Shakespearean scope. When Hollywood Had a King reveals the industry’s greatest untold story: how a stealthy, enterprising power broker became, for a time, Tinseltown’s absolute monarch.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

A Pebble in the Pond.......2007-07-21

Absolutely first-rate bio-history. It is the story of this remarkable man, but also the story of a great deal more. As I read this well-written biography, I thought of "Once Upon In America," the film about the American Jewish mafia told by the Italian director Sergio Leone. This biography of Wasserman has all of the mythic power of that film chronicle of violence and dreams. Fear played such a role in the way Wasserman weilded power, it is a wonder that our political theorists have not included this book in their reading lists along with Machiavelli and Thomas Hobbes. There is something "Oriental" about the use of power, the willingness to ruthlessly destroy, the seemingly endless, insatiable greed. His connection to the mob and to American presidents, such as Johnson and Nixon, is terribly interesting, as is the continuing fascination of Hollywood with power. I can think of no comparable mix of dread and beauty than that of the relationship between Stalin and Russian poets. This book is haunting and scary. Sleep tight.

When Hollywood was King!.......2003-08-07

When Hollywood was King and MCA ruled through aggressive, imaginative, creative, dirty, underhanded, political ways. This is not my favorite Hollywood book as I found "Showman, the life of David O. Selznick" by David Thomson and Peter Biskind's "easy Riders, Raging Bulls" far more entertaining. But Connie Bruck's book is more epic, covering as it does the business careers of Jules Stein and Lew Wassermann from the 1920s into the 21st Century in addition to telling the history of their company MCA and the industry they "ruled". Note I reference business careers because these individuals did not seem to have a personal life that did not revolve around business. There is not much surprising celebrity scandal that unfolds, except some strong hints that Ronald Reagan was a charming empty suit who received many sweetheart deals from the industry and he gave back in return. In some ways the Wasserman life story told here is one of the rise and fall, the young mans glory being used by younger students against him. And even though MCA associated with the mob and the mob with them Wasserman gave heavily to his industry and charity. A book for anyone interested in the history of Hollywood as a business in the 20th century.
An epic work that I highly recommend.

A Respectful Look at Lew Wasserman.......2003-07-26

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 shakers of an era when movies were virtually the only form of popular entertainment. The power wielded by Wasserman and his contemporaries could mean the difference between professional (and sometimes personal) life and death. (Bruck often discusses the Hollywood "gang" in terms of organized crime. Indeed, there was a great deal of dubious dealings with labor unions, often considered under the concern of the gangster trade.)

Wasserman was the type of leader who drew a mixture of respect and fear. He was "an entertainment mogul without peer," according to one admirer. To another, "he had an aura. He was my god." And like many such men, "his explosive tirades were legend."

Most of the book concerns the wheelings and dealings of the industry. For such a potentially juicy subject, Bruck dishes very little dirt/gossip. Instead she seems more concerned with the financial aspects, which readers will either find fascinating or tedious. There is often too much background that detracts from the overall sense of entertainment a book like this would seem to merit. In fact, Wasserman isn't even mentioned until well into the first chapter. Even the title is a bit hard to get through.

Another concern is that the author can't quite decide the direction of her book. The depth of research indicates a scholarly tome, but the voice seems more "popular" in nature.

Taken as a whole, however, Bruck offers a respectful look at Wasserman and a homage to the system when, to paraphrase a popular expression of today's younger crowd, "Hollywood ruled."

--- Reviewed by Ron Kaplan

A Larger Than Life Horatio Alger.......2003-07-23

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 bands, which was their bailiwick, would have a limited life span. The Music Corporation of America then expanded into the world of motion pictures, retaining the name of an organization that sounds like and began as a company rooted in the movie field. One of Wasserman's clients in the late thirties was a young actor under contract to Warner Brothers by the name of Ronald Reagan. He would later be in a major position to assist Wasserman and MCA both as president of the Screen Actors Guild and beyond that as U.S. President. Reagan would always remain a bit miffed, however, that Wasserman, who developed solid relationships with presidents Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton, would retain his reputation as a loyal Democrat and hence supported Reagan's opponents. The firm was crafty, however, in keeping a foot in each camp, with Jules Styne and Taft Schreiber supporting Republicans assiduously. This factor helped when Reagan and Richard Nixon were in office.

Connie Bruck has provided an impressive body of research, including numerous interviews with the late Wasserman as well as those who worked with him and knew him well. Her industry pays off in the form of a fascinating study of a man who rose meteorically through the agent's ranks to become the supreme giant of the motion picture industry, the man others feared and envied, often at the same time.

Masterful, gripping nonfiction.......2003-07-02

This fascinating book is not only a look at Lew Wasserman and the MCA Hollywood empire he created, but a stunning and incisively written piece of business history -- indeed, a look at U.S. commerce, politics, and entertainment in the modern era. Bruck has the great ability to write about complex business issues and deals in a lucid and readable way. This is a must-read book for those interested in business stories, in modern American politics (Johnson, Nixon, and Reagan play key roles in the book), in Hollywood history (the break of the studio system, the movie stars, the move into TV). Bruck's canvas is so wide, yet she manages to combine all these various elements in a dramatic and compelling narrative. It's a brilliant book.

When Hollywood Had A King - Reign Of Lew Wasserman, Who Leveraged Talent Into Power And Influence

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When Hollywood Had A King - Reign Of Lew Wasserman, Who Leveraged Talent Into Power And Influence
Connie Bruck
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000RJ2I22

Book Description

Using computers in live music performance is more popular than ever. More and more, musicians and bands working in a wide variety of musical styles are making great music with computers and today's powerful software. Laptop Music Power! provides comprehensive and much-needed information on this broad cutting-edge topic, including comparisons of various hardware and software setups, the musical advantages and disadvantages of each, and tips on getting started using computers to perform your own music live. The book includes numerous interviews with musicians - ranging from experimental underground electronica performers to big-budget rock and pop acts - that provide in-depth explanations of their gear and tell how they use computers as part of their music performance. Primarily focusing on the practical side of using computers to perform, this book also explores how the music creation process is changing and how computers and the Internet are affecting our relationship with music. This book provides in-depth coverage on: using computers in today's live music scene * choosing the right computer - Mac or PC * choosing an audio interface and a MIDI controller * DJing digitally using Traktor DJ Studio, Virtual DJ, and others * performing with Ableton Live and other looping software * sequencing with today's various applications * and much more!

Customer Reviews:

Cool but Ableton Live Centered.......2006-07-21

Alot of good info in this one...great for someone who is wanting to perform in a live setting using Ableton Live...I don't however use Live. Some other tips on using other sequencing programs though.

Average customer rating:

I've never fell so in love with a series

Fantastic journey from our unpleasant modern reality

Forgotten Realms Starlight & Shadows: Gift Set (Daughter of the Drow, Tangled Webs, Windwalker)
Elaine Cunningham
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0786938161
Release Date: 2005-08-25

Book Description

Beloved series by The New York Times best-selling author Elaine Cunningham is now in a gift set!

This collection of Daughter of the Drow, Tangled Webs, and Windwalker brings together for the first time three magical books about a member of one of the most popular Forgotten Realms races.

Customer Reviews:

I've never fell so in love with a series.......2007-01-09

I read this entire set and was completly blow away. The characters really came to life for me , I would love to see this series made into a movie.Everything you could ask for in a book, adventure,romance, suspense, heartache and humor.I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

Fantastic journey from our unpleasant modern reality.......2006-05-09

Trial Tribulations, plots in Plots, surprise this has them all and the writing style of Elain Cunningham once again tied me to this trilogy until I had finished it, which then prompted me to hunt for more of the same from this author, especially having read all of her earlier works. I hope there is more to come

Daughter of the Drow (Forgotten Realms: Starlight and Shadows, Book 1)

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Undiscovered Gem!
If you love Drizzt you'll go ape for Liriel!
Great book
Simply Amazing.
Great story

Daughter of the Drow (Forgotten Realms: Starlight and Shadows, Book 1)
Elaine Cunningham
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0786929294
Release Date: 2003-02-01

Book Description

Beautiful as she is deadly, Liriel Baenre flits throught the shadows of Menzoberranzan, city of the dark elves. Amid treachery and murder that are the drow's daily fare, she feels something calling to her ... something beyond this dusky world far removed from the sun. Yet as she ventures toward the surface and the lands of light, enemies pursue her unceasingly.

And one enemy amy offer her the only hope of salvation.

Customer Reviews:

Undiscovered Gem!.......2007-03-07

After several dull Realms adventures, this one proved interesting and fun! When this book was published in 1995, I passed over it thinking how bad the artwork on the cover was! I also thought this was about Dritzz child he left in the underdark. What a mistake! Times changed, as well as the cover art. I began this tale, savoring every page.

Liriel creeps out of the Underdark, and into my heart. She is humorous, curious and dangerous. This is not a rewrite of the original tale of Dritzz, who was aready good, yet trapped in an evil society. Liriel demonstrates many of the evil traits expected of a Drow. Curiosity gets the best of her and catapults her to the surface world. There she meets up with Fyodor, a Rashemi. Trust me, its not an easy partnership.

This story was published when old TSR was at its peak. Hardcovers were being cranked out as well as up to 3 Forgotten Realms titles a month! Quantity, not quality was the problem. Other than a few editing problems, this is written very well. Elaine is in the top 3 of Realms authors, with a distinct feel for the setting, and a potential for liturature! Ironic, despite the fact that the entire series get critically dismissed as being pulpy rubbish.

I have been buying these titles since they went to press in 1987. There have been some really good reads and some stinkers. I have passed up on Harry Potter and its best seller status. These titles are not aimed at a specific audience(young readers). For the most part, these fantasies can be read by anyone 12 or older. The Realms is still a really cool place for me, and always will be as long as really fun reads like this are published!!!

If you love Drizzt you'll go ape for Liriel!.......2006-07-20

This is a great twist/turn on the Drizzt series, but this time it's a GIRL! Wonderful book all the way through to book 3. Must get, must buy!!

Great book.......2005-05-07

I personally loved this book. The only reason I rated it as a four star book was because the first few pages were hard to follow. The beginning, and I mean in the VERY beginning, there is a lot of characters to be introduced. I had to do a bit of back skimming to remember them, but it worked out fine. Its easily followed as soon as you get out of the first few pages of the book. i love the idea of a rebel drow, one who dreams and aspires to have adventure. Liriel is a dynamic character who loves to party, but still has ruthless drow qualities. Fyodor is a simple human feeling simple feelings for this Drow girl, even though he knows the drow are ruthless beings. I highly recommend this book for someone who is patient and can follow a plot. you will get into the very heart of the book and hardly want to put it down.

Simply Amazing........2005-04-10

After years of reading books that simply scream, "Happy, Happy!! Joy, Joy!!" I picked up this book simply because I saw there was a lot of other books that said, "Forgotten Realms," and it seemed to be the first in a series. After reading the first few pages I was in awe. The first pages, describing the Underdark is the best description I have ever read. It slaughters anything written by any other author, including Rowling and Tolkien. The complexity of the characters is astounding. The plot is exciting, and original. This is simply the best book ever written.

Great story.......2004-07-21

This book was my introduction to the Forgotten Realms and I am glad it was! This story, as well as Tangled Webs and Windwalker, were a great start for me for this setting as well as this genre of writing. Liriel is a neat character, and it is a pleasure to watch her develop throughout this series.

Daughter of the Drow :Frealms Starlight1

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Daughter of the Drow :Frealms Starlight1
Elaine Cunningham
Manufacturer: WIZARDS OF THE COAST@
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000Q1I78U

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Daughter of the Drow
Elaine Cunningham
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000SP15UG

Amazon.com

As stated in the preface to this concise primer, any weekday edition of The New York Times contains more information than the average person living in 17th-century England was exposed to in a lifetime. In acknowledgement of the modern world's information glut, leadership expert John C. Maxwell has produced Attitude 101, a 99-page companion volume to one of his previous bestsellers, Leadership 101. In this new book, Maxwell examines the importance of attitude in determining a leader's success or failure, the forces that shape a person's attitude, and the seven choices necessary if one is to change his or her attitude. Fans of Maxwell's earlier books will enjoy his pithy advice, and will no doubt look forward to the third and fourth volumes in this series (Relationships 101, Equipping 101), both available in 2004. --David Bombeck

Book Description

John Maxwell firmly points to attitude as the key in making or breaking a leader. Leadership has less to do with position than it does with disposition, because it will influence the way the followers think and feel. Great leaders understand that the right attitude will set the right atmosphere, which enables the right responses from others. Maxwell addresses what shapes a person's attitude and whether or not attitude can be changed. He addresses the common feeling of failure and shows how to overcome obstacles. Understanding success as a journey rather than a destination, he explains, is the key to good leadership. He concludes Attitude 101 with practical ways readers can take their attitude to the next level.

Customer Reviews:

Authority On Leadership Sees Attitude As Key.......2007-09-16

The author, leadership authority John Maxwell, says "Attitude is always a 'player' on your team....Your attitude and potential go hand in hand....A lot goes into an attitude--but a lot more comes out of it!....The key to having a good attitude is the willingness to change....The greatest battle you wage against failure occurs on the inside, not the outside....Every successful person is someone who failed, yet never regarded himself as a failure....Attitude determines how far you can go on the success journey....Leaders have to give up to go up."

Maxwell's book is full of commonsense aphorisms that are both thoughtful and appropriate. Taken together, along with personal reflections and apt quotations from people who are famous and/or insightful, they provide an excellent roadmap to analyzing the attitudes that people have, and taking practical steps toward improving them.

Attitude impacts leadership. "Attitudes have the power to lift up or tear down a team....An attitude compounds when exposed to others....Attitude is catching....Bad attitudes compound faster than good ones....Attitudes are subjective so identifying a wrong one can be difficult."

"Common rotten attitudes that ruin a team" include "an inability to admit wrongdoing....failing to forgive....petty jealousy....the disease of me...a critical spirit....a desire to hog all the credit....Rotten attitudes, left alone, ruin everything."

Clara Barton, when asked to recall a wrong that was done to her, replied "I distinctly remember forgetting that." NBA basketball great Bill Russell said "The most important measure of how good a game I played was how much better I made my teammates play." These are examples of exemplary attitudes. The visionary Thomas Jefferson believed in the importance of attitude himself, saying "Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude."

"Attitude determines success or failure," the author believes. He has seven attitude axioms: "Our attitude determines our approach to life...Our attitudes determines our relationships with people....Often our attitude is the only difference between success and failure....Our attitude at the beginning of a task will affect its outcome more than anything else....Our attitude can turn our problems into blessings....Our attitude can give us an uncommonly positive perspective....Your attitude is not particularly good because you are a religious person."

The author believes that attitudes are shaped by the interrelationship between one's personality, environment, expression, feelings,self-image, opportunities for growth, associations with others, phiysical appearance, marriage, job and family. "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care, " he says.

To change one's attitude, one should evaluate your present attitude, realize that faith is stronger than fear, write a statement of purpose, including what you desire to accomplish each day, verbalizing to an encouraging friend what you intend to accomplish each day, and taking action on your goal every day. One must have the desire to change, to fall in love with the challenge of change and watch the desire to change grow. One must live one day at a time,change your thought patterns, develop good habits, and continually choose to have a right attitude.

Attitudes can be strengthened by the overcoming of obstacles, by regarding failure as an event and not as a description of one's character, by seeing success as a journey and not as a destination, and by recognizing that leaders have to make sacrifices in order to go where they want to go. Martin Luther King and Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton are both exemplified in this book; King is viewed as typical of the best possible type of leaders because he so devoted his life to the service of others.

This is an excellent book for persons, organizations, corporations, and groups stuck in a rut and needing renewal. The simple writing here contains many simple truths, with an emphasis on the belief that there is a large element of personal control in one's destiny. Those who read this book will find the investment of time to be well spent.

Attitude adjustment.......2007-07-23

"Your attitude and your potential go hand in hand." -From the book.

This is a great book, packed with good advice! First of all, I liked the size of this. It's a small book of 97 pages. The publishers preface says that this is a companion book to "Leadership 101, Relationships 101, and Equipping 101, and is a short course on attitude."

Subtitled to leaders and what they need to know, but it's for all of us. As always, to change the world, we need to begin at home with ourselves -This is a good way to learn more about attitudes and how to change ours and then (hopefully) the positive change will be contageous. The short examples are highly effective in getting the points across.

This is a beneficial little book. I doubt you could read this and not want to make some changes in yourself. This is a great book to keep by your bedside for some inspirational reading before bed. The small size makes this (I think) even more attractive to read, knowing that you don't have to plow through some thick volume to get the benefits of the message.

This would be great for companies/employers to hand out to their employees for christmas gifts, or even new hire gifts. Which would let your people know that you care enough about your business and their part in it to educate them on how to be a better person/worker/leader. It could make a big difference in someone's life.

Pretty good read!.......2006-09-10

I am glad I read this book - it doesn't tell you things you didn't know (At least not to me) but it puts it in such a light that it really has a more permanent impact. The writing style is easy to read, and almost rhytmic & poetic. It's a quick read, a good read for emerging leaders, or for anyone who wants to better understand true secrets to success......I recommend it if you come across it!

Attitude determines Altitude.......2004-03-24

This is a great book. I am a big Maxwell fan, and I loved reading this book. It is a compilation of chapters from some of Maxwell's other bestsellers. This book serves as a great reminder of how important our attitude is in every area of life.

90% attitude and 10% situation!.......2003-11-29

There is NOTHING more important than attitude when it comes to success in leadership! No, I mean it. In general this is just an all around true point: success is 90% attitude and 10% situation. How you deal with things as a leader has a profound impact on those around you and once again, John has produced a wonderful work that conveys all kinds of fantastic points that will help you develop and grow as a leader. I highly recommend it.

(...)

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