Title: MOGULS: The Lives and Times of Hollywood FilmPioneers Nicholas and Joseph Schenck
By: Michael Benson and Craig Singer
Publisher: Citadel Press
ISBN 978-0-8065-4308-6 (hardcover)
ISBN: 978-0-8065-4310-9 (ebook)
When you think about movie moguls from Hollywood’s Golden
Age, who comes to mind? You’ve probably heard or know something about Louis B.
Mayer, Darryl F. Zanuck, Samuel Goldwyn, and maybe Harry Cohn. All of these men
were the public faces of powerful movie studios. But were they really the
ones in charge?
Authors Michael Benson and Craig Singer examine the lives of
two brothers: Nicholas and Joseph Schenck. Russian Jewish immigrants, both came to America with dreams and ambitions and fulfilled them in ways almost
impossible to believe.
The brothers grew up on the mean streets of New York City’s Lower
East Side. Eventually, the Schenck family moved uptown to Harlem. An upgrade for
sure, but not an easy life. The boys helped their families by selling
newspapers and working other odd jobs to earn money.
Joe got his high school diploma by attending night classes
while working during the day. Later he took night courses at the New York
School of Pharmacy and became a licensed pharmacist.
Together the brothers worked in several pharmacies in the
city and worked hard to purchase one of their own. Eventually, they owned
several pharmacies and could have made a comfortable living but they wanted
more.
They opened a beer hall with dancing and Paradise Park, an amusement park that would eventually be called Palisades
Amusement Park atop the cliffs of New Jersey. It became one of the most famous
amusement parks on the East Coast and the United States. It had rides to
rival Coney Island and the world’s largest saltwater pool. But the success of the
amusement park wasn’t enough for brothers Nick and Joe.
 |
| Norma Talmage |
The two were always drawn to the movies. From the early days of the Nickelodeons, the brothers were eager to get into the movie business. As if by fate, the brothers met Marcus Lowe who owned penny arcades, nickelodeons, and movie theaters. He told the Schenck brothers he wanted to open a concession at their amusement park. Before you knew it, Nick and Joe were in the movie business and developed a life-long friendship and business association with Lowe. Lowe would become a legend in his own right as the head of Lowes, Inc., the parent company of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He was Louis B. Mayer’s boss.
Joe eventually became a vaudeville talent booker and movie producer. Fatty Arbuckle, a silent film comedian whose films were produced by Joe, whose popularity rivaled that of Charlie Chaplin, introduced Joe to Norma Talmage, an actress Arbuckle felt could be a major movie star. It was love at first sight for Joe. They eventually married and Joe spent most of his time doing everything he could to promote Talmage’s career.
Where Joe was outgoing and everyone’s friend, brother Nick was more reserved and conservative. Joe loved publicity and being in the public eye, but Nick hated it. In fact, Nick had a “publicist” whose job was to keep his name out of the papers. Joe was liked by everyone and everyone was afraid of Nick. Nick was a family man and Joe, before and after his marriage to Talmage, was a playboy. Despite their differences, they were devoted to each other and worked well together.
The brothers became entrenched in the movie business. They held controlling interests in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Twentieth Century-Fox, and United Artists. Unlike the moguls we know, the brothers preferred being behind the scenes, often pulling the strings of Louis B. Mayer, Irving Thalberg, and Darryl F. Zanuck.
 |
| Buster Keaton |
So many film legends passed through the brothers’ lives: Buster Keaton, Fatty Arbuckle, Thelma Todd, Merle Oberon, and Marilyn Monroe. So many in fact that it’s hard to keep track and almost unbelievable.
The authors have written a nonfiction account of the Schenck
brothers that reads like a novel. They have presented Nick and Joe in a way
that brings their characters alive; you come away feeling like you know them.
The book is filled with so much fascinating history of film and Hollywood that it’s hard to
put down.
Nicholas and Joseph Schenck may not be household names. However, without the grit and determination of the
brothers, classic Hollywood, as we know it, may never have existed.
. During the play’s run, she understudied for Martha Scott, who had the lead role of Emily. When Martha Scott left for Hollywood, Wright stepped into the lead. After her success in Our Town, she was cast as Mary Skinner in an even bigger success, 
. During one performance, a talent scout from the Samuel Goldwyn studios noticed something special about Wright. 
, someone who would be able to stand up to the formidable Miss Davis on the big screen. The talent scout thought Wright was up to the task. Before long, she was brought to Hollywood and signed a long-term contract with Goldwyn.
at MGM starring Greer Garson and Walter Pigeon. After she completed that film, she was costarring opposite Gary Cooper in 
, directed by Sam Wood. Both Mrs. Miniver and The Pride of the Yankees were released in 1942 and Wright was showered with critical accolades once again. 
, he considered Wright for the lead role of Charlotte (Charlie) Newton. He wanted her for her obvious talent, but Hitchcock also wanted her because she was considered a hot property and her appeal would add to the box office. He was correct on both counts. From the start Hitchcock was impressed not only with Wright’s talent, but her professionalism on the set. Wright’s characterization is a tour-de-force. She begins the film as a naive, innocent girl and ends it as a mature worldly-wise young woman.
). During the late 1940s, Wright lost out on two important film roles that hurt her career. 
and adapted the screenplay for producer David O. Selznick. Wright was set to star as the half-breed Pearl Chavez. The role was to be a change of pace for the actress. During production, Wright became pregnant and had to drop out. Jennifer Jones, another actress with a girl-next-door image picked up the role and a Best Actress nomination to boot. 
. The role eventually went to Loretta Young, and again, another box office hit slipped through Wright’s fingers.
. Goldwyn had high hopes for the film and Wright had one of the key roles. When production wrapped, Wright didn’t particularly like the result. Scheduled to travel to publicize the film, Wright said she was ill and couldn’t participate. Goldwyn didn’t believe Wright and he fired her. Overnight, Wright was a star without a studio. Used to making $5000 a week and $200,000 per picture, Wright was now a freelance artist during a turbulent time in Hollywood. The major studios were losing money because they were forced to give up their theater ownership, which reaped them huge profits. 
. The film was an independent low-budget production for which Wright accepted a salary of $25,000. Wright said that after she made that film for that low fee, she was rarely given A-list material again. She still had starring roles in movies, but none matched the quality of her early successes.
five years before the film version was made. Later she portrayed famed photographer 
in a 1960 TV production. In addition to her TV work, Wright went back to Broadway starring in 
, 
, The Heiress, and 
opposite George C. Scott.
and 
. Her last major role was playing Miss Birdie, Matt Damon’s landlady, in 
in 1977.
