Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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!

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: [...]

This is a wonderful book and I enjoyed reading about Irving Thalberg. The photographs are great. I loved the cover photograph of Joan Crawford.

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. Thalberg was a very powerful man at MGM, and this book shows you the man behind the films. Loads of information on Norma Shearer (Thalberg's wife), Crawford, Barrymore, Garbo, etc. Great information on Grand Hotel, The Divorcee, etc.
You will not be disappointed.

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 untimely death in 1936. The highlight of the book are the wonderful film stills and portraits of the notable MGM stars during this period - Norma Shearer (Thalberg's wife), Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Ramon Navarro, Jean Harlow, Clark Gable and many others. The book is sure to whet your appetite for the author's upcoming book on Thalberg.

Easy reading with lots of great black and white photos highlight this wonderful book. Most everyone has heard of L.B. Mayer, yet without Irvihg Thalberg, Metro Goldwyn Mayer (M.G.M.) would not have been the power studio it was in the 20's and 30's. You will love the full page glamor shots of all of the MGM stars of Classic Studio Hollywood. I think you will want this one as part of your library if you are into the movies.

A very entertaining book about Irving Thalberg. Great photos from cover to cover.

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.
The only thing that spoilt the experience was finding that the book had been damaged BEFORE it had been shipped, but they shipped it anyway!

The book contains loads of great pictures, but I mainly bought it for the info about Irving Thalberg. For a man who really molded early Hollywood, there has been little written about him (or about his wife Norma Shearer). I hope the author will go ahead and write a bio of Irving that is more complete, but this book is a great start.