Customer Reviews

The Brothers Warner

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I read "The Brothers Warner" with great interest and curiosity. Author, Ms. Cass Warner Sperling has kept her unspoken "promise" made to Grandpa Harry (patriarch of the Warner brothers) at his deathbed when she was a ten year old girl, to convey to others his deep beliefs and ideals.

I rate it 5 stars because the story and writing style paints an incredible picture of not just another "rags to riches" story but one of tragedy and great sacrifice leading to an enduring legend of the motion picture industry directly because of the "can do and make it go right" attitudes of the Warners.

From the family gold watch (later to be hocked in order to secure payment for the brothers first projector) placed in 1883 into the secret pocket of Benjamin Warner for his immigration to America into New York and the arrival of wife Pearl and children less than a year later, to a realization of a movie empire that had as its motto "Educate, entertain, and enlighten" which is a Hollywood legacy.

A must read for movie buffs and those interested in the beginnings of Hollywood. This is a book that has "all the right stuff" for the making of a fascinating mini-series as told by granddaughter Cass and others.

Shelley Abate, movie buff and avid reader.

The Brothers Warner

What an amazing story. I loved learning about the first days of film, hearing about the family that had so much to do with the first films and learning the true story of how the Warner Bros. came to be! Captivating.

I enjoyed the story becaue it is written by Harry Warner's beautiful grandaughter, who made a promise to her grandfather to tell his story---and she did.

For anyone who has a dream and a family, this book is an inspiration and a lesson worth learning.

As a member of the Warner family, though generationally removed from the brothers Warner, Cass Sperling has done a wonderful job on this book. Fortunately, for readers such as myself, she fulfilled a long ago promise to her grandfather Harry Warner and took it upon herself to dig deep and chronicle the history of Warner Bros.(the studio) and the brothers Warner.

Like many families, the Warners had their roots in eastern Europe (presumably Poland, but let's face it.....boundaries in those countries changed all the time). Jewish and poor, they landed in this country with not much more than the clothes on their backs. Pulling together, they got by on a variety of low paying jobs until they pieced together enough money to buy a small movie theater/nickolodeon.

Because syndicates controlled what films were available to small operators, the Warners came up with their own solution: make movies. By the seats of their pants more than real money, the Warners managed to hold things together and stay one step ahead of their creditors. Unlike their counterparts who were larger, more prestigious, and financially solvent, the Warners had chutzpah and ideas. Throwing themselves into the idea of pioneering sound films when other studios viewed the move as insanity, their bet paid off with the release of Don Juan and The Jazz Singer. However, it was a move that was not without a cost. Brother Sam Warner died from a compromised immune system (among other things) on the cusp of the theatrical release of The Jazz Singer. The remaining brothers.....Harry, Al, and Jack carried on with the shared vision and became fabulously successful and Warner Brothers emerged as one of the premier Hollywood studios that was later categorized as having its own style. Along the way, fractures in the family dynamic emerged as Jack Warner began viewing himself as THE Warner Brother. Jack was the figurehead and boss of day to day studio operations, Harry and Al played equally critical roles running the financial and business arms of the corporation. As Jack continued to distance himself from his extended family, the family dynamic was in virtual tatters. The whole operation of the studio as a family concern imploded when Jack tricked his remaining brothers out of the business as he tightened his control. You probably couldn't have dreamed up a story like this.

This was an absolutely fascinating tale of greed, treachery, and betrayal on a Hollywood backlot. What really did it for me was Sperling's inside knowledge and interviews with family members. She fleshed out the all deceased brothers in detail and the end product made me feel like I knew all these people.

Great read for anyone interested in early Hollywood or movie studios.

A truly fascinating story about one of the iconic families that participated in the creation of Hollywood. Great read. Well-written.

What an interesting book! Not only does it provide an intimate look at Hollywood's beginnings but also an insight into the tragic details of a struggle between two brothers that ultimately destroyed a dynasty. Told with compassion and humor without rancor by the granddaughter of one of the brothers, this story has needed to be told for decades.

Cass Warner has compiled photographs from her family's archives and interviewed many of the studio personalities that were there during that golden age of film to record a history that you will remember and refer to long after you finish the reading the book.

I had great hopes for this book, I was hoping it was going to be a fascinating look at early Hollywood partially as it was written by Harry Warner's grandaughter Cass, but unfortunately it was one of the worst books I've ever read. I learned nothing, there was no research, no bibliography , and even from the actual book to the genealogy in the back there were clearly mistakes with wrong dates and family members left out. The book consisted of just brief little paragraphs , with brief interviews from various people on Harry Warner and other people who played a role, but it wasn't sufficient to have built a whole book around this. A bit of that type of thing would have been ok but also combined with a lot of factual information and research to support things, not just basing the book on the author being Harry Warner's grandaughter and still having very strong feelings 50 years after his death. It wasn't sufficient.

I can't reccomend this book, there are other more scholarly books on early Hollywood, and Los Angeles, if someone is interested read one of them, don't bother with this book.