Review by Booklist Review
From film critic and historian Turan comes this irresistible story of the partnership (and friendship) between Mayer, a producer-turned-studio chief in the early years of the film industry, and Thalberg, a young-but-brilliant producer. Together they made some of Hollywood's earliest and biggest hits, and this wonderful book takes us behind the scenes of some of their more noteworthy productions. This really is a treat for fans of inside-filmmaking stories, but its real story is the relationship between these two very different men. Mayer was an impulsive risk-taker, a big-picture thinker; Thalberg was methodical and focused on the smaller details. Together, they formed the kind of moviemaking team Hollywood hasn't seen since Thalberg's death in 1936. Turan is a thoughtful writer, highly knowledgeable about his subject, and his enthusiasm for the history of movies, and the people who made them, is downright contagious. A splendid addition to the literature of film history.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A prolific partnership that established MGM and transformed Hollywood. In yet another lively entry in the publisher's Jewish Lives series, formerLos Angeles Times critic Turan casts an engagingly fresh light on two of old Hollywood's most powerful studio moguls: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Louis B. Mayer (1884-1957) and Irving Thalberg (1899-1936). Though both were Jewish, they came from markedly different backgrounds. The scrappier and more emotional Mayer was born in Russia and emigrated to the U.S. as a young child, building his empire from humble beginnings in the scrap metal business. Thalberg, born in Brooklyn to a family of German Jewish descent, struggled throughout his short life with a congenital heart condition. His intellectual acumen and innate understanding of storytelling would make him a wunderkind of the film industry. Together, they established MGM as Hollywood's premier studio, producing prestigious films during the silent era and beyond. Under their leadership, MGM became synonymous with glamour and excellence. The studio launched the careers of numerous luminaries, including Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, and Norma Shearer--who married Thalberg in 1927. They deftly navigated the transition from silent to sound pictures, with Thalberg bringing innovative practices: test-screening films, acquiring prestigious properties based on bestselling novels and classic literary works, adapting Broadway hits, and nurturing writing talent. Among the notable writers profiled is MGM veteran Frances Marion, whose credits include the Academy Award--winning filmThe Champ (1931). While several biographies of both Thalberg and Mayer exist, along with memoirs by Hollywood figures like Irene Mayer Selznick, who knew them personally, Turan's achievement lies in his thoughtful synthesis of these sources. Though he presents little new material, he weaves together stories and anecdotes to create both a vivid portrait of their complex personal and professional relationship and, for modern readers, an illuminating history of the MGM studio system. A thoroughly engrossing, well-documented biography of two Hollywood legends. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
