{"product_id":"lion-of-hollywood-the-life-and-legend-of-louis-b-mayer-9780743269179","title":"Lion of Hollywood: The Life and Legend of Louis B. Mayer","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLion of Hollywood\u003c\/i\u003e is the definitive biography of Louis B. Mayer, the chief of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer--MGM--the biggest and most successful film studio of Hollywood's Golden Age.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAn immigrant from tsarist Russia, Mayer began in the film business as an exhibitor but soon migrated to where the action and the power were--Hollywood. Through sheer force of energy and foresight, he turned his own modest studio into MGM, where he became the most powerful man in Hollywood, bending the film business to his will. He made great films, including the fabulous MGM musicals, and he made great stars: Garbo, Gable, Garland, and dozens of others. Through the enormously successful Andy Hardy series, Mayer purveyed family values to America. At the same time, he used his influence to place a federal judge on the bench, pay off local officials, cover up his stars' indiscretions and, on occasion, arrange marriages for gay stars. Mayer rose from his impoverished childhood to become at one time the highest-paid executive in America. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDespite his power and money, Mayer suffered some significant losses. He had two daughters: Irene, who married David O. Selznick, and Edie, who married producer William Goetz. He would eventually fall out with Edie and divorce his wife, Margaret, ending his life alienated from most of his family. His chief assistant, Irving Thalberg, was his closest business partner, but they quarreled frequently, and Thalberg's early death left Mayer without his most trusted associate. As Mayer grew older, his politics became increasingly reactionary, and he found himself politically isolated within Hollywood's small conservative community. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eLion of Hollywood\u003c\/i\u003e is a three-dimensional biography of a figure often caricatured and vilified as the paragon of the studio system. Mayer could be arrogant and tyrannical, but under his leadership MGM made such unforgettable films as The Big Parade, Ninotchka, \u003ci\u003eThe Wizard of Oz\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e Meet Me in St. Louis\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eAn American in Paris.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFilm historian Scott Eyman interviewed more than 150 people and researched some previously unavailable archives to write this major new biography of a man who defined an industry and an era.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eScott Eyman was formerly the literary critic at \u003ci\u003eThe Palm Beach Post\u003c\/i\u003e and is the author or coauthor of sixteen books, including the bestseller \u003ci\u003eJohn Wayne\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003ePieces of My Heart\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eYou Must Remember This\u003c\/i\u003e with actor Robert Wagner. Eyman also writes book reviews for \u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, and has written for \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e The Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e, and the \u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e. He and his wife, Lynn, live in West Palm Beach\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50460920021266,"sku":"9780743269179","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_a394d12b-5107-4deb-8371-b610fa78d694.jpg?v=1730050309","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/lion-of-hollywood-the-life-and-legend-of-louis-b-mayer-9780743269179","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}