Irving Thalberg: Boy Wonder to Producer Prince

"Boy Wonder to Producer Prince" is certainly the best and most detailed piece I have yet read on early MGM history. The author's prose is compelling, he reveals tidbits of information/trivia one has not encountered before, as well as new spins on things we've heard in other places. His depiction of Thalberg's deathbed vigil is so well written you feel you are actually there and shock resonates when the final moment arrives, even though you already may know the story. This is the fourth book I have read by Mr. Vieira and he never fails to impress with his knowledge and writing style. I heartily recommend this piece on early Hollywood history.

This is a book painstakingly researched, and written with the utmost respect and appreciation for his subject. Stars and executives at MGM are revealed in their day-to-day mortal lives, and presented clearly and fairly, even after all these decades. It is a must have addition to any Cinephile's library, and an engrossing read for anyone else who just loves the movies and how they are made. This should be a movie.

Irving Thalberg (1899-1936) was the legendary head of production at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during the "golden age" of film making in the 1930s. He was associated with a wide range of classic films ranging from silents (The Big Parade 1925), ensemble films (Grand Hotel 1932), adventure films (Mutiny on the Bounty 1935) and even Marx Brothers comedy (A Night At The Opera 1935). He became a lasting symbol of high quality film making and even today the Academy Awards periodically give the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to producers in recognition of their body of work. Irving Thalberg achieved all of this in a short life over shadowed by a chronic heart condition. This book, by Mark A. Vieira, is an excellent biography. It covers his early life, his drive in the face of a shortened life expectancy, his work at Universal under Carl Laemmle, his association with Louis B. Mayer and the formation of MGM, the building of the team that created the MGM style, his involvement in individual films, his battles for studio control with Louis B. Mayer and the New York office. The book also covers his personal life, notably his marriage to actress to Norma Shearer (1902-1983), his involvement with her films and her career sacrifices in the face of his ill health. Thalberg's lasting image has been as a producer of great artistic taste whose contributions to the cinema were tragically cut short by his early death. This biography generally confirms that notion but succeeds in painting a more complex image. Thalberg, a man of limited education but widely read, possibly a would be writer, could not explain his artistic gift. In each film he sought to achieve, by combination of writing, acting, editing etc. defining moments which would link the audience emotionally to the characters and their experiences. His "team" admired him for that perfectionism but he could be cold to anyone questioning his authority, strongly anti-union, demanding with money and, most surprisingly to me, aware of but indifferent to the plight of Jews in Nazi Germany (he thought the Jews would outlast the Nazis). All in all a more complex reality than his image. I think this is a great book for anyone interested in film and/or classic Hollywood. The material is well organized, the writing clear and the personalities well defined. I strongly recommend it.

Any book by Mark Viera is something to treasure and his Thalberg bio is no exception. This is a truly inspiring book-everything a bio should be. His companion pictorial on Thalberg published in 2008 by Abrams is also something to be savored. Bravo, Mr. Viera !

I pre-ordered this book several months ago and was not disappointed. Author Mark A.Viera has presented a detailed and insightful profile of Irving Thalberg, creator of such classics as Grand Hotel, Mutiny on the Bounty, and The Good Earth. A major plus for this book is the use of the heretofore unpublished memoirs of Thalberg's wife, Norma Shearer. Although there have been two excellent biographies of Shearer, this book provides an added dimension: a woman of kindness and strength. By all accounts a devoted wife, and mother of two young children who set aside her own career when necessary to care for her physically infirm husband. Still, she managed to garner 6 Oscar nominations (1 win) and set the standard for MGM glamour in the 1930's. In addition to Shearer, Thalberg made stars of: Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, Joan Crawford and Greta Garbo. Mark Viera adeptly chronicles their rise and much more.This book is a fine account of a great visionary, Irving Grant Thalberg who in life never sought public acknowledgement, but created a lasting legacy that has delighted movie fans for generations since. Great thanks to Mark Viera for a fine book.