HERE'S 'LOOKING AT YOU, KID: Fifty Years of Fighting, Working and Dreaming at Warner Bros

by James R. Silke ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 16, 1976

The star-studded silver jacket encloses a history of movie-making WB style that's broader and less tinseled than usual. The company's first real star was a dog, Rin Tin Tin, the second, Broadway's John Barrymore--foretelling a balance between the ""Warner' Bros. Classics"" (Dark Victory, Juarez, Casablanca, et al) and the big moneymakers like Footlight Parade and Captain Blood. Warners was the studio that introduced sound (dream of brother Sam, who died 24 hours before the Jazz Singer premiere) and then it had writers to contend with. ""They arrived at work late. . . drank too much coffee, made outside phone calls"" and were general nuisances, in Jack Warner's view. Also separately recorded for posterity are the musicians, producers, and directors (""The resistance of the studio was good for you,"" comments John Huston, ""It gave you something to fight""), along with the stars and supporting performers--all of them pictured in studio portraits and candid shots, in stills, on magazine covers and on billboards. As good as the cameo appearances, however, is the continuity.

Pub Date: Sept. 16, 1976

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1976

Categories: NONFICTION