Synopses & Reviews
Joseph P. Kennedy’s reputation as a savvy businessman, diplomat, and sly political patriarch is well-documented. But his years as a Hollywood mogul have never been fully explored until now.
In Joseph P. Kennedy Presents, Cari Beauchamp brilliantly explores this unknown chapter in Kennedy’s biography. Between 1926 and 1930, Kennedy positioned himself as a major Hollywood player. In two short years, he was running three studios simultaneously and then, in a bold move, he merged his studios with David Sarnoff to form the legendary RKO Studio. Beauchamp also tells the story of Kennedy’s affair with Gloria Swanson; how he masterminded the mergers that created the blueprint for contemporary Hollywood; and made the fortune that became the foundation of his empire.
About the Author
Cari Beauchamp is the author of Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Powerful Women of Early Hollywood and other film histories. She has written for The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and Variety and lives in Los Angeles, California.
Table of Contents
Contents
List of Illustrations
Preface
1. “America’s Youngest Bank President”
2. “This is Another Telephone”
3. “I Have Just Reorganized the Company”
4. “Fight Like Hell To Win”
5. “We Have Valued Your Advice and Assistance”
6. “I’m Beginning to Think I Need a ‘Picture Man’”
7. “I Never Needed a Vacation Less”
8. “The Inner Cabinet of the Film Industry”
9. “All Records Have Been Broken”
10. “The Reigning Queen of the Movies”
11. “Together We Could Make Millions”
12. “Like a Roped Horse”
13. “Industry Wide Influence and Respect”
14. “I Have Gone into the Vaudeville Game”
15. “Another Big Deal in Prospect”
16. “You Ain’t Heard Nothing Yet”
17. “Swinging the Axe”
18. “Now He’s Back and Almost Anything Can Happen”
19. “The Dollar Sign Implanted in His Heart”
20. “Gilding the Manure Pile”
21. “Give Our Love to Gloria”
22. “Having Tea with His Wife and My Husband and the Vicar”
23. “Things are Bad Enough Here”
24. “A Good Trick If You Can Do It”
25. “I Am Now Definitely Out of the Motion Picture Industry”
26. “The Richest Irish American in the World”
27. “Wall Street Awaits Kennedy’s Findings”
28. “The Embers of Terror, Isolationism, and Racism”
Epilogue: “The First and Only Outsider to Fleece Hollywood”
Author’s Note
Notes
Bibliography
Index