The Merchant Prince of Poverty Row: Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures [Hardcover]

Bernard F. Dick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 5, 1993

" Ben Hecht called him "White Fang," and director Charles Vidor took him to court for verbal abuse. The image of Harry Cohn as vulgarian is such a part of Hollywood lore that it is hard to believe there were other Harry Cohns: the only studio president who was also head of production; the ex-song plugger who scrutinized scripts and grilled writers at story conferences; a man who could look at actresses as either "broads" or goddesses. Drawing on personal interviews as well as previously unstudied source material (conference notes, memos, and especially the teletypes between Harry and his brother Jack), Bernard Dick offers a radically different portrait of the man who ran Columbia Pictures -- and who "had to be boss" -- from 1932 to 1958.

Editorial Reviews

Review

""The broadest and most insightful look at Cohn and Columbia we are likely to have for some time." --Film Quarterly" --

""Ever since Cohn died in 1958, writers have been trying to sort out Cohn-the-myth and Cohn-the-man but no one has yet done it in more fascinating detail that Bernard Dick." --The Hollywood Reporter" --

""Writers have been trying to sort out Cohn, the myth of Cohn, the man, but no one has yet done it in more fascinating detail than Bernard Dick." --Now Playing" --

Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky; 1St Edition edition (October 5, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813118417
• ISBN-13: 978-0813118413
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #543,056 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Another solid film book by Bernard F. Dick, September 19, 2000

By 

K. Corn "reviewer" (midwest, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Merchant Prince of Poverty Row: Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures (Hardcover)

Although not as detailed or as well-written as it could be, this is a sold book focusing on one of the most talented (as well as one of the toughest) studio presidents ever. Vulgar, often hated, Cohn is still a fascinating figure in Hollywood history. Highlights of this book include Clifford Odets actual Eulogy for Cohn and information about the relationship between Frank Capra and Cohn.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Business Business and Business, February 1, 2010

By 

J. Matthews "SHOWADDICT" (MIAMI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Merchant Prince of Poverty Row: Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures (Paperback)

I was expecting backstage stories and details about his arguments with Roz Russell and his insatiable lust for starlets.

I suppose I was looking for a grood sloppy Hollywood tell-all.
What I got was something entirely cerbral and concerned with mergers and wheelings and dealings of the studios going back to the Nickolodeon days.

If you are an accountant, you'll love it. If your looking to get to know Harry Cohn....forget it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Factual ... but a bit Difficult, February 5, 2010

By 

Bill Mack - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Merchant Prince of Poverty Row: Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures (Paperback)

Harry Cohn has been a study in Hollywood reality for decades. Since the foundation of Columbia Pictures, Cohn has been referred to as everything from "mean" to "monster". The many memorable stories about "Horrible Harry" have been made public by various reliable sources --- from stage-hands, producers and directors --- to the top stars under contract to the little company once isolated to a small section of Gower Street in Los Angeles. Of course, Columbia Pictures is no longer a Poverty Row film outlet. The company is now recognized as being superior to Cohn's "dream-studio", Metro-Goldywn-Mayer. However, Harry Cohn still retains the reputation as being "the meanest man in Hollywood" to many of those who collect and cherish movie rumors.

This book presents a fair study of Cohn, although the author leaves the impression that he is more dedicated to a "word study" than he is to the subject. To me, the pages fail to fall into the category of "easy-reading" material. Harry Cohn was not only one of Hollywood's leading movie merchants, he was also a "character" who reflected fierce determination. The limited education achieved during his youth seemed to cause extreme anger after he had become a huge success in the complex motion-picture community. It obviously bruised his ego to a point where he seemed to be "searching for a fight" with anyone falling short of his difficult demands.

Granted, Bernard F. Dick has done a very good study of Harry Cohn, but falls short of Bob Thomas' book, "King Cohn". Bob presented more simplicity while creating words to describe this tough movie boss and his diversified antics.