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Hollywood Dreams Made Real: Irving Thalberg and the Rise of M-G-M [Hardcover]

Mark A. Vieira
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)

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Book Description

November 1, 2008
Nicknamed the “Boy Wonder,” Irving G. Thalberg was running Universal Pictures at the age of twenty, and he cofounded Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer at twenty-four. Between 1924 and 1936, he supervised 400 memorable movies, making stars of Lon Chaney, Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, John Gilbert, and Greta Garbo. By the time of his death at thirty-seven, Thalberg had lifted film to the level of fine art. In this groundbreaking book, Mark A. Vieira draws on newly discovered interviews and production records; the unpublished autobiography of Thalberg’s wife, superstar Norma Shearer; and a treasure trove of unseen images to vividly recount the making of Ben-Hur, The Big Parade, Tarzan the Ape Man, Grand Hotel, Mutiny on the Bounty, A Night at the Opera, and scores of other classics. Hollywood Dreams Made Real is a fresh portrait of the prime architect of the studio system and an enchanting tour of the magical world he created.

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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Photographer-historian Vieira is a particularly good example of the fan as writer. He is more literate (misusing only a handful of words herein), factually scrupulous (though, contra page 164, Faulkner’s “Turn About” isn’t a novel), careful (though “The unexpected success of Stroheim’s films” is broached on page 12 sans explanation of who Stroheim was), and stylistically consistent than most other pictorial historians of Hollywood. Other than on matters photographic, however, he is no critic. In the visually ravishing Greta Garbo (2005), he asserted the artistic distinction of the actress’ films but couldn’t argue the matter, and here he makes similar claims for the 400 films overseen by producer Irving Thalberg (1899–1936) and again makes no case, except to stress his subject’s desire to marry the best of stage and cinematic aesthetics and his remarkable ability to read popular taste, which assured that M-G-M made money every one of his dozen years with it. All that aside, Vieira’s account of Thalberg’s career is authoritative, and his choice of photos to illustrate it gorgeous almost beyond words. --Ray Olson

About the Author

Mark A. Vieira is a portrait photographer, a film historian, and the author of four other books published by Abrams: Hurrell’s Hollywood Portraits, Sin in Soft Focus: Pre-Code Hollywood, Hollywood Horror: From Gothic to Cosmic, and Greta Garbo: A Cinematic Legacy. He maintains a studio in the historic Granada Buildings in Los Angeles.


Product Details

  • Hardcover: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Abrams; 1st edition (November 1, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0810972344
  • ISBN-13: 978-0810972346
  • Product Dimensions: 0.9 x 9.2 x 11.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #869,329 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mark A. Vieira was born in Oakland, California on October 28, 1950. He is a filmmaker, photographer, and writer specializing in Hollywood history. He makes glamour portraits with George Hurrell's camera in the historic Granada Buildings, where Hurrell had his original studio.

In October 2009 Mark celebrated his fortieth anniversary as a professional photographer. In October 2010 the University of Southern California's ONE Archives Gallery and Museum presented a retrospective of his work entitled "The Glamorous Gaze."

Mark has lectured at USC, UCLA, at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Universal Studios, the Hollywood Heritage Museum, the Palm Springs Film Festival, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

He has appeared on camera in Photoplay Productions' "Garbo," in Turner Classic Movies' "Moguls and Movie Stars," Playboy's "Sex at 24 Frames per Second," in Universal's "Forbidden Film," and on "CBS Sunday Morning." In the 2011 BBC documentary "Shooting the Stars," he photographed Leslie Mann and interviewed Jane Russell.

In 2009 Mark guest-curated the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences exhibition: "Irving Thalberg: Creating the Hollywood Studio System, 1920-1936." In 2011 he co-curated "Harlow at 100" for the Hollywood Museum in the Historic Max Factor Building.

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
(13)
4.8 out of 5 stars
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Great photos from cover to cover. Marshell L. Elliott  |  4 reviewers made a similar statement
I think you will want this one as part of your library if you are into the movies. Stephen T. Luton  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 27 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Journey back to the heyday of MGM October 28, 2008
Format:Hardcover
I found this book delightful; chock full of photos rarely if ever seen. The accompanying text is up to this author's usual high standards. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the history and lore of old Hollywood. If you like this book,the other Hollywood books written by this author available at this website are equally informative, entertaining, and lavishly illustrated.
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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Ircing Thalberg was born in Brooklyn to a prominent Jewish family. He was a weak boy suffering from heart disease and a series of other ailments. Doctors thought he would never make it to age 30. Being forced into bed for months at a time the lad read classics with a voracious appetite. He loved the flickers. When he was 20 he went to Hollywood to work for Carl Laemmele at Universal Studios. Thalberg served as the old man's assistant and produced several silent films. Throughout his career the precocious Thalberg was a workaholic who ate, slept and breathed making high quality films which would have wide appeal. He enjoyed seeing the classics of his childhood on the silver screen such as "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" with Lon Chaney. He was a polite polished little man who could nevertheless be a tough. Thalberg was a perfectionist who demanded excellent and expertise from his staff, directors, writers and actors.
Thalberg left Universal to team up with the cagy Louis B, Mayer. Together they built MGM into the greatest and richest of the Hollywood dream factories. Thalberg produced over 400 MGM films including such classics as "Grand Hotel"; "Mutiny on the Bounty"; "China Seas"; the Garbo-Gilbert films and horror pictures. He also guided the career of his wife Norma Shearer who was known as the Queen of the Lot. She won an Oscar for the "Divorcee". Other prominent players included Joan Crawford who was Norma's greatest rival: Wallace Beery; Garbo and Gilbert; Johnny Weismuller: Robert Montgomery; Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontaine; Mary Pickford and the famous Barrymore siblings. Thalberg molded the careers of sex goddess Jean Harlow and Clark Gable.
Thalberg sired two children: Irving Jr. and Katherine with his beautiful wife Norma. The marriage was happy. MGM managed to make a profit in the Depression. Towards the end of his life Thalberg and Mayer had their differences but continued to work together. Thalberg died at 36 in 1936 but his films will live foreve in the hearts of classic movie fans. Many of his films can be viewed on Turner Classic Movies.
Mark Vieira has written several large sized picture books dealing with classic cinema. This book is beautifully illustrated with glamorous photos of the stars and a year by year account of Thalberg's tenure at MGM.
This book will transport you to the magical and distant land of MGM in the golden age of film. Enjoy!
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Step Back into Old Hollywood...it's worth the trip! November 14, 2008
Format:Hardcover
A book done with elegance and splendor! Mark Vieria captures the allure and magical time of Hollywood. The collection of photographs along with the writing allows us into the world of Irving Thalberg and ultimately...opens our eyes to how dreams come true.

I do podcast shows on Los Angeles and was very lucky to have Mark as a guest. You can listen and discover: [...]
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderous book for cinema lovers
I got this book as a gift and am astonished how stunning it is. I love the photographs and the look at the boy wonder who I knew little about except that there is a yearly award at... Read more
Published on August 6, 2010 by Pip
4.0 out of 5 stars Hollywood dreams made real:Irving Thalberg and the rise of MGM
Book is beautifully done. Great cover shot, quality paper, excellent writing. I would have appreciated more surrounding the field of the industry.
Published on December 8, 2009 by D. Major
5.0 out of 5 stars irving & norma
Another fascinating book about early Hollywood and the people who made great movies both silent and sound. I am only about half way through this book and enjoying it immensely. Read more
Published on November 16, 2009 by Thomas C. Kelly
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book on MGM's "Boy Wonder"
A prelude to the author's upcoming full-scale biography of Irving Thalberg, this book contains an overview of each year of Thalberg's career at MGM beginning in 1922 until his... Read more
Published on October 20, 2009 by W. Oliver
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Book-A Must-Have
This book was thoroughly researched and is full of wonderful photos, many rare. Anyone who is a fan of Pre-codes and early 1930s films will absolutely love this book. Read more
Published on March 9, 2009 by Marilyn Fan
5.0 out of 5 stars Hollywood Dreams Made Real
Easy reading with lots of great black and white photos highlight this wonderful book. Most everyone has heard of L.B. Read more
Published on March 3, 2009 by Stephen T. Luton
5.0 out of 5 stars Thalberg boy wonder
A very entertaining book about Irving Thalberg. Great photos from cover to cover.
Published on February 17, 2009 by Marshell L. Elliott
5.0 out of 5 stars Better than expected.
It isn't often that things in life exceed your expectations, but this book certainly did. The photographs were stunning, and the text was insightful and well written. Read more
Published on February 16, 2009 by Terry R. Barca
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Book
This is a wonderful book and I enjoyed reading about Irving Thalberg. The photographs are great. I loved the cover photograph of Joan Crawford.
Published on February 11, 2009 by Jason L. Hadley
5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous Pictures!
The book contains loads of great pictures, but I mainly bought it for the info about Irving Thalberg. Read more
Published on February 5, 2009 by Pioneer Woman
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