Irving Thalberg: Boy Wonder to Producer PrinceHollywood in the 1920s sparkled with talent, confidence, and opportunity. Enter Irving Thalberg of Brooklyn, who survived childhood illness to run Universal Pictures at twenty; co-found Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer at twenty-four; and make stars of Lon Chaney, Norma Shearer, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, and Jean Harlow. Known as Hollywood's "Boy Wonder," Thalberg created classics such as Ben-Hur, Tarzan the Ape Man, Grand Hotel, Freaks, Mutiny on the Bounty, and The Good Earth, but died tragically at thirty-seven. His place in the pantheon should have been assured, yet his films were not reissued for thirty years, spurring critics to question his legend and diminish his achievements. In this definitive biography, illustrated with rare photographs, Mark A. Vieira sets the record straight, using unpublished production files, financial records, and correspondence to confirm the genius of Thalberg's methods. In addition, this is the first Thalberg biography to utilize both his recorded conversations and the unpublished memoirs of his wife, Norma Shearer. Irving Thalberg is a compelling narrative of power and idealism, revealing for the first time the human being behind the legend. |
Contents
3 | |
2 A Funny Little Man | 17 |
3 Three Shaky Little Stars | 23 |
4 A Studio Style | 35 |
5 Wicked Stepchildren | 44 |
6 A Business of Personalities | 52 |
7 Top of the Heap | 59 |
8 More Stars Than There Arein Heaven | 68 |
17 Honor with Credit | 245 |
18 To Hell with Art | 266 |
19 Napoleon Thalberg | 295 |
20 A Feverish Energy | 315 |
21 A Labor of Love | 335 |
22 The Gods Are Jealous | 354 |
23 Unfinished Projects | 377 |
24 Marie Antoinette | 383 |
9 The Golden Silents | 81 |
10 AllTalking AllSinging All Profitable | 89 |
11 The Production Code | 110 |
12 Visiting Royalty | 131 |
13 New Morals for Old | 161 |
14 Right to Be Wrong | 185 |
15 Hollywood Icarus | 199 |
16 The New Setup | 223 |
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Common terms and phrases
actor actress Albert Lewin Angeles asked Thalberg audience Barrymore began Bern Broadway bungalow called camera cast contract Creative Producer Cukor Culver City David director film Frances Marion Gable girl Gish Goldwyn Goulding Greta Garbo Groucho Harlow Hayes Hearst Henrietta Hollywood Hotel Howard Hunt Stromberg Hyman Ibid Interview Irving Thalberg Irving's Jack Jean Harlow Joan Crawford John Gilbert Keaton King Vidor knew Laemmle laugh Laughton Lewis Loew's looked Loos MacArthur Mannix Marie Antoinette Marion Davies Mayer and Thalberg Metro million motion picture movie never night Norma Shearer Paul Bern play preview Rapf recalled Romeo and Juliet Samuel Marx scene screen script Selznick shooting shot Sidney Franklin silent sound star Stewart story conference Strickling Stroheim Stromberg studio talkies talking tell Thalberg asked Thalberg told Thalberg's office theater Thomas Thomas/UCLA thought took wanted Warner week wife woman writers wrote York وو