Inside Warner Brothers

In the first half of the twentieth century Warner Brothers studio emerged as one of the most powerful film production and distribution companies in Hollywood. The four founding brothers, Harry Warner (1881-1958), Albert Warner (1883-1967), Sam Warner (1887-1927) and Jack Warner (1892-1978), built it from an exhibition business in Pennsylvania in 1903 to a giant in the industry. The house invested heavily in sound motion pictures in the 1920s and made the first "talkie," Al Jolson's "The Jazz Singer" in 1927. In the 1930s, Warner Brothers specialized in tough gangster films starring such actors as Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney. But it soon expanded into other genres with melodramas, cartoons, swashbuckling action movies, and in 1942 with the jewel in the company's crown, "Casablanca," starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. This book uses memoranda and other correspondence from the Warner archives--the brothers insisted on communicating in writing in the belief that it would lead to better understanding--to capture the essence of life at the studio during some of it most interesting years. As such, it offers a rare window into the experience of film making during the heyday of studio system. For instance, a chapter on the making of "Casablanca" unpacks the manner in which a film that started as little more than a romance set in desperate circumstances during the early days of World War II was transformed into an epic story of love, honor, and sacrifice. This is a worthwhile book for anyone interested in the details of move-making and the history of the industry. Enjoy!