The Genius of the System

by Schatz, Thomas

• ISBN13: 9780805046663
• ISBN10: 0805046666
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1996-03-01
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co

Summary

At a time when the studio is making a stunning comeback, film historian Thomas Schatz provides an indispensable account of Hollywood's tradional blend of business and art. This book lays to rest the persistent myth that businesspeople and producers stifle artistic talent and reveals instead the genius of a system of collaboration and conflict. Working from industry documents, Schatz traces the development of house styles, the rise and fall of careers, and the making-and unmaking-of movies, from Frankenstein to Spellbound to Grand Hotel. Richly illustrated and highly readable, The Genius of the System gives the definitive view of the workings of the Old Hollywood and the foundations of the New.

Author Biography

Thomas Schatz, Professor of Radio-TV-Film at the University of Texas in Austin, is also the author of Hollywood Genres.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Preface: The Center of Gravity	xi
Introduction: ``The Whole Equation of Pictures''	3	(12)
PART I THE 1920S: BEGINNINGS
Universal: The System Takes Shape	15	(14)
MGM: Dawn of the Thalberg Era	29	(19)
Selznick at MGM: Climbing the Executive Ranks	48	(10)
Warner Bros.: Talking Their Way to the Top	58	(11)
PART II 1928-1932: THE POWERS THAT BE
Selznick at Paramount: From Boom to Bust	69	(13)
Universal: Renaissance and Retrenchment	82	(16)
MGM and Thalberg: Alone at the Top	98	(27)
Selznick at RKO: At the Helm of a Foundering Studio	125	(10)
Warner Bros.: The Zanuck Era	135	(24)
PART III THE 1930S: GOLDEN AGE
MGM in the Mid-Thirties: Charmed Interval	159	(17)
Selznick International Pictures: Going Independent	176	(23)
Warner Bros.: Power Plays and Prestige	199	(29)
Universal: Playing Both Ends Against the Middle	228	(24)
MGM: Life After Thalberg	252	(19)
Selznick and Hitchcock: Balance of Power	271	(26)
PART IV 1941 - 1946: WAR BOOM
Warner Bros.: Warfare at Home and Abroad	297	(25)
David O. Selznick Productions: Packaging Prestige	322	(18)
Universal: The Best of Both Worlds	340	(19)
MGM: The High Cost of Quality	359	(22)
Selznick and Hitchcock: Separate Ways	381	(30)
PART V 1947 - 1960: DECLINE
Warner Bros.: Top of the World, End of the Line	411	(29)
MGM: Last Gasp of the Studio Era	440	(23)
Universal: Blueprint for the Television Age	463	(19)
Epilogue: Into the New Hollywood	482	(11)
Notes on Sources	493	(15)
Photograph Credits	508	(1)
Index	509

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