Moguls

The Lives and Times of Hollywood Film Pioneers Nicholas and Joseph Schenck

Michael Benson, Craig Singer

• Publisher: Citadel Press
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN: 9780806543086
• eBook ISBN: 9780806543109
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Film Direction & Production

The incredible true story of the most powerful brothers in Hollywood history—an wildly entertaining saga studded with glamorous stars, scandals, mobsters, murders, and one legendary blond bombshell. . . .

They were the Godfathers of the Movies. 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, influential—and ruthless. A pair of Russian immigrants with giant ambitions, the Schencks turned their small nickelodeon business in New York’s Bowery into a partnership with Loew’s 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 legends—and 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 years—on 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” Arbuckle—whose legal defense was paid for by Joe Schenck.

* Joe’s secret infatuation with Marilyn Monroe, even though Marilyn’s mother named her Norma after Joe’s wife!

* The brothers’ ingenious creation of the Academy of Motion Pictures and the Oscars—and 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 itself—and the endurng power of the American Dream. Moguls is a must-read for film fans, history buffs, and anyone who loves the movies.

Table of contents

• Also by
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• AUTHORS’ NOTE
• Table of Contents
• FOREWORD
• INTRODUCTION - SOME COMPELLING FACTS ABOUT THE SCHENCK BROTHERS
• CHAPTER ONE - YOUNG MEN OF GREAT BUSINESS ACUMEN
• CHAPTER TWO - MARCUS LOEW
• CHAPTER THREE - PALISADES PARK
• CHAPTER FOUR - EVELYN NESBIT
• CHAPTER FIVE - NORMA
• CHAPTER SIX - ARBUCKLE AND KEATON
• CHAPTER SEVEN - THE DESERT MIRAGE
• CHAPTER EIGHT - JAZZ SINGERS AND BROKEN HEARTS
• CHAPTER NINE - WONDER THEATERS AND BREAD LINES
• CHAPTER TEN - NEW WORLD OF IRIDESCENT SPLENDOR
• CHAPTER ELEVEN - MERLE OBERON
• CHAPTER TWELVE - HOT TODDY AND OTHER TRAGEDIES
• CHAPTER THIRTEEN - HOLLYWOOD VS. NAZIS
• CHAPTER FOURTEEN - MGM’S GREATEST YEAR AND LEGAL WOES
• CHAPTER FIFTEEN - THE SILVER SCREEN SKIM
• CHAPTER SIXTEEN - THE TRIAL OF JOSEPH SCHENCK
• CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - LIKE DEER TO A SALT LICK
• CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - HANGOVERS AND BLACKLISTS
• CHAPTER NINETEEN - THE NEW NORMA
• CHAPTER TWENTY - THE MONSTER IN AMERICA’S LIVING ROOM
• CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE - THE END
• APPENDIX - FILMS BILLED AS “JOSEPH M. SCHENCK PRESENTS”
• BIBLIOGRAPHY
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• ABOUT THE AUTHORS