Whatever Happened to Hollywood?
Jesse Lasky Jr.
Screenwriter Jesse L. Lasky, Jr. tells his Hollywood tales as an insider, with stories and insights sparkling with poetry, humor and the heat of first-hand observation. The son of the man who produced Hollywood’s first feature film, Jesse’s book is the history of the film industry, the birth of an art form and a compelling personal memoir. There are revealing portraits of Lasky, Sr. and his partners Samuel Goldwyn and Cecil B. De Mille (for whom Jesse wrote 8 films, including The Ten Commandments)—and friends and colleagues such as Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Alfred Hitchcock, Harry Cohn, Darryl Zanuck, Nick Ray and Sam Fuller. From dating Jean Harlow to writing for Gary Cooper, Edward G. Robinson and Yul Brynner, here are the artists and the conmen, the breathtaking creativity and the destructive treachery, described by a man who knew everyone and saw everything.
New edition, music by narrator Richard Niles (richardniles.com) ©2021 Niles Smiles Music (BMI)
“Jesse Lasky, the son of one of filmland’s great founders, has written a bitter-sweet memoir of his life as a Hollywood screenwriter. It evaporates the mist of fantasy surrounding the Hollywood dream factory to reveal the realities that built the fairy-tale image.”—Joan Crawford
“It is certainly many notches above most of the other books on ‘Hollywood’.”—Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
“… a nostalgic, romantic and frequently hilarious account… impressive!”—Variety
“… a good, honest, readable, funny book. I loved it!” —Larry Adler, New Society
“…one of the best books about the growth and decline of Hollywood… written with insight, wit and an unusual lack of vanity.”—Films In Review
“Hollywood at its best—and worst… something special, an insider’s view, robustly witty, enlightening and full of charm, The next best thing to having been there!” —Cosmopolitan
“Lasky’s portraits of the greats with whom he has worked are razor sharp… his style is captivating.” —Films Illustrated
Duration - 14h 27m.
Author - Jesse Lasky Jr..
Narrator - Richard Niles.
Published Date - Sunday, 22 January 2023.
Copyright - © 2021 Niles Smiles Music ©.
Location:
United States
Description:
Screenwriter Jesse L. Lasky, Jr. tells his Hollywood tales as an insider, with stories and insights sparkling with poetry, humor and the heat of first-hand observation. The son of the man who produced Hollywood’s first feature film, Jesse’s book is the history of the film industry, the birth of an art form and a compelling personal memoir. There are revealing portraits of Lasky, Sr. and his partners Samuel Goldwyn and Cecil B. De Mille (for whom Jesse wrote 8 films, including The Ten Commandments)—and friends and colleagues such as Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Alfred Hitchcock, Harry Cohn, Darryl Zanuck, Nick Ray and Sam Fuller. From dating Jean Harlow to writing for Gary Cooper, Edward G. Robinson and Yul Brynner, here are the artists and the conmen, the breathtaking creativity and the destructive treachery, described by a man who knew everyone and saw everything. New edition, music by narrator Richard Niles (richardniles.com) ©2021 Niles Smiles Music (BMI) “Jesse Lasky, the son of one of filmland’s great founders, has written a bitter-sweet memoir of his life as a Hollywood screenwriter. It evaporates the mist of fantasy surrounding the Hollywood dream factory to reveal the realities that built the fairy-tale image.”—Joan Crawford “It is certainly many notches above most of the other books on ‘Hollywood’.”—Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. “… a nostalgic, romantic and frequently hilarious account… impressive!”—Variety “… a good, honest, readable, funny book. I loved it!” —Larry Adler, New Society “…one of the best books about the growth and decline of Hollywood… written with insight, wit and an unusual lack of vanity.”—Films In Review “Hollywood at its best—and worst… something special, an insider’s view, robustly witty, enlightening and full of charm, The next best thing to having been there!” —Cosmopolitan “Lasky’s portraits of the greats with whom he has worked are razor sharp… his style is captivating.” —Films Illustrated Duration - 14h 27m. Author - Jesse Lasky Jr.. Narrator - Richard Niles. Published Date - Sunday, 22 January 2023. Copyright - © 2021 Niles Smiles Music ©.
Language:
English
Opening Credits
Duration:00:00:12
Acknowledgements
Duration:00:00:26
Foreword by Richard Niles
Duration:00:21:54
Chapter 1: A barn in Hollywood
Duration:00:18:31
Chapter 2: My childhood, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., "The Thief of Bagdad"
Duration:00:23:41
Chapter 3: My Mother and Father, John Barrymore, "The Covered Wagon"
Duration:00:30:23
Chapter 4: 1920s Hollywood, Valentino, Maurice Chevalier
Duration:00:50:41
Chapter 5: Lasky, Elinor Glyn, Gloria Swanson, "Peter Pan", travels in Europe
Duration:00:41:00
Chapter 6: Zukor, Paramount, 1929 Crash, treachery of Mannie Cohen
Duration:00:40:20
Chapter 7: "Zoo In Budapest", Lasky at Fox, Jesse working for Sol Wurtzel, dating Jean Harlow
Duration:00:41:40
Chapter 8: "Private Beach", Sol Wurtzel, Harpo Marx, Sid Grauman, Ernst Lubitsch
Duration:00:18:51
Chapter 9: De Mille, H.B. Warner scandal, Carl Laemmle, Jr., gossip columnists
Duration:00:28:56
Chapter 10: London, Gaumont British, return home with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., reaction to Fascism
Duration:00:16:41
Chapter 11: Asking De Mille for a job, "The Buccaneer", Jeany Mac Pherson, Akim Tamiroff
Duration:00:17:40
Chapter 12: Looking for work, The Screenwriters Guild, rise of Fascism, prejudice, politics
Duration:00:29:26
Chapter 13: De Mille, "Union Pacific", the old railroad man
Duration:00:36:48
Chapter 14: De Mille, 'lunch with God', Paradise
Duration:00:20:24
Chapter 15: De Mille, 'business', "Union Pacific", Brian Donlevy's cigar
Duration:00:10:06
Chapter 16: De Mille, "Union Pacific", Akim Tamiroff & Lynne Overman, Anthony Quinn, The Actor's Studio
Duration:00:18:28
Chapter 17: "Land of Liberty", Jeany Mac Pherson
Duration:00:11:46
Chapter 18: "Northwest Mounted Police", Gary Cooper, Wilfred & Bill Buckland, Paulette Godard
Duration:00:27:52
Chapter 19: The Willows Affair, Lasky, De Mille, Randy Rogers
Duration:00:33:51
Chapter 20: The Seaward Yacht, "Reap The Wild Wind", Raymond Massey, Paulette Godard, the giant squid
Duration:00:25:37
Chapter 21: "Sergeant York," Gary Cooper, the Warner brothers, Pearl Harbour, "The Omaha Trail", "Rhapsody in Blue", Jesse in WWII
Duration:00:45:43
Chapter 22: Return from the war, "Spindrift", "Unconquered", the Fort Pitt drummer boy, "make needle point"
Duration:00:22:54
Chapter 23: "Samson & Delilah", Hedy Lamar, Victor Mature , Jesse fights the lion
Duration:00:28:10
Chapter 24: The McCarthy 'witch hunt', The Writer's Guild, Jesse accepts Academy Award for Dalton Trumbo
Duration:00:12:22
Chapter 25: Independent production in Europe, the airplane incident
Duration:00:36:30
Chapter 26: Return to Hollywood, Eddie Small, at Columbia, Harry Cohn, James Jones, at 20th C Fox, Sam Fuller
Duration:00:29:09
Chapter 27: "The Ten Commandments", Yul Brynner, Edward G. Robinson, the orgy scene
Duration:00:35:33
Chapter 28: "The Great Caruso", Louis B. Mayer, Dore Schary, Nicholas Ray
Duration:00:21:50
Chapter 29: Sam Bronston, "John Paul Jones", Ben Hecht, William Dieterle, Anthony Quinn, death of Lasky Sr.
Duration:00:44:11
Chapter 30: Funeral of Lasky Sr., death of old Hollywood, 'Pat Silver'. working at 20th C Fox, move to London
Duration:00:20:45
Jesse L. Lasky Jr. Credits in Movies, TV Series, Theatre, and Books
Duration:00:04:15
Closing Credits
Duration:00:00:52