If you are looking for the definitive history of the Warner brothers, search no further. Chris Yogerst charts the family’s migration from Poland to the United States, where Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack would build an entertainment empire. Working at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, peaked the innovative Sam’s interest in films – where he operated the film projector. Brother Albert also worked at the amusement park selling tickets.
As described in detail in the book, the Warner brothers pooled their money and opened the The Cascade Movie Palace, which became an instant success. In 1907, the brothers opened the Duquesne Amusement Company in Pittsburgh. However, the brothers had larger aspirations, turning their efforts to making films, rather than simply showing them. The brother’s first film was My Four Years in Germany, which was completed during World War I, and is generally considered propaganda.
Yogerst discusses the studios path from silent films to the successful transition to sound movies. Unfortunately, a short time later, the technician of the Warner brothers, Sam, passed away at age 40. At the family’s insistence aided with six figures, Sam’s daughter Lita would be raised by Harry and his wife. Sam and his actress spouse Lina Basquette had agreed to raise their daughter as Catholic. The Warner’s were Jewish, and wanted Sam’s offspring to be raised in the same faith.
There were some lean years for the brothers as they operated in the red, but turned a profit by the end of the 1920’s The Warners were producing about 80 movies a year, producing films that were on the cutting edge of social commentary. The author documents the brothers trial and tribulations through the Great Depression and the second World War, including their decision to pull out of Germany in 1933, and producing “Confessions of a Nazi Spy” in 1939.
In “The Warner Brothers,” Yogerst also discusses the Warner’s relationships with many of their top stars, such as Betty Davis, Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, James Dean, and future president of the United States, Ronald Reagan. Additionally, Yogerst covers the success of the Looney Tunes cartoons with Mel Blanc, and the solid working relationship they developed with the “Master of Suspense” Alfred Hitchcock.
In the end, the author revisits the tumultuous relationship between brothers Jack and Harry. Jack seized control of the company, and ousted Harry as President. The skirt chasing Jack even had his son removed from the company when he showed loyalty to his uncle Harry. As documented by Yogerst, Jack was cut from a different cloth. The author covers all the family drama, and the research here is meticulous.
Written by: Chris Yogerst
Narrated by: Daniel Henning
Duration: 13 hours 7 minutes
Release date: September 12, 2023
