Mikes Film Talk

Moguls is a story about two “bowery boys” making Good. Brothers Nicholas and Joseph Schenck pulled into the entertainment world with guns blazing. Author’s Michael Benson and Craig Singer took over the reins to bring these shadowy, to the public at least, two to the fore.

These Jewish immigrants came to America to survive. They ended up defining the film and entertainment world as we know it and left having shaped an industry. Not bad for two Russian Jews who, for the most part, invented Hollywood.

Vaudeville may be dead, something these two also dabbled in, but the movie business still going strong. Sure there have been bumps along the way, Covid-19 for instance, but the movie machine marches on and tries to entertain the masses.

Brothers in the thick of it

Benson and Singer lead us into the humble beginnings of these two gentlemen who became moguls. Like other immigrants who came to the USA to find dreams and solutions. Joseph and Nicholas discovered the “flickers” and their lives were never the same.

The brothers ran the industry. Joseph created 20th Century Fox, along with Daryl F Zanuck. He wound up in prison for tax evasion. Joseph also gave Marilyn Monroe her first significant role.

Joseph and Nicholas ran Hollywood as the world turned. Two world wars, and a communist witch hunt played out in the background. Benson and Singer researched their subjects well and paint a pretty full picture of not only the Schencks but old Hollywood as well.

Underbelly of LA

Moguls slinks occasionally to the underbelly of LA. How could they not? When looking at the outpourings of Kenneth Anger and his Babylon books, there are plenty of distasteful moments in Tinsel Town. Not too mention more recent tabloid type antics.

But disgraceful incidents aside, the authors show just how the Schencks ran the entire business pretty much in the shadows. As the press release states, these two stopped the Mob from infiltrating and bleeding the industry dry. They also took on Adolf Hitler’s Nazi brigade from taking over.

Film lovers paradise

Moguls is the type of biography that film lovers, or geeks if you prefer, love. While it may be about the men behind the studios moguls, plenty of stars and their stories are touched upon here.

The book; Moguls: The Lives and Times of Nicholas and Joseph Schenck is coming soon. September 24 the book will hit “the stands.” Give this one a look see. It surely has the record for the longest forward to a book I have ever seen and it is the most unusual one as well.

This is a good read all round. It is, as they say, “A keeper.”