You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story [Hardcover]

Richard Schickel (Author), George Perry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 9, 2008

From Rin Tin Tin to Casablanca to Harry Potter, the Warner Bros. story is the history of Hollywood. Eighty-five years of screen icons, legendary films, and history-making achievements are detailed in this comprehensive, photo-filled treasure trove, fully authorized by the studio.

No production company has had more legendary films, stars, or influence on the course of Hollywood than Warner Bros. Among the superstars who worked for the studio are Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Joan Crawford, Marlon Brando, James Dean, and John Wayne. Filmmakers like Martin Scorsese and Stanley Kubrick made history for the studio, and it has been home to blockbuster franchises like Superman, Batman, Lethal Weapon, and Harry Potter.

Produced in conjunction with Warner Bros., this volume is the ultimate guide to the greatest movie studio in history. You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story is also the companion to a five part documentary in the PBS American Masters series by author Richard Schickel that will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in the spring of 2008 and debut on PBS in the fall, to coincide with publication of the book.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Variety," September 8, 2008
"This handsome coffee table book is a tie-in to the five-hour PBS documentary that Richard Schickel wrote and produced to celebrate the studio's 85th anniversary. Here, he shares the writing honors with George Perry, providing essays on the studio's history from its 1923 beginnings through various changes in corporate ownership. His prose is accompanied by arresting images culled from lobby cards, local photography and publicity stills."

About the Author

Richard Schickel has been the film critic for Time magazine since 1972. He is also a prolific documentary filmmaker, movie historian, and author of over thirty books. He was recently given the National Board of Review award for contributions to film history.

George Perry is a film critic, journalist, and broadcaster who has interviewed a wide array of film greats. He is also a documentary film consultant and author of many books on film history and the stars who lived it.

Clint Eastwood is an Academy Award-winning filmmaker of over fifty films.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Running Press (September 9, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076243418X
• ISBN-13: 978-0762434183
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 10 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #476,971 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sumptuous and beautiful but..., September 9, 2008

By 

shelly silver (The Big Apple) - See all my reviews

This review is from: You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story (Hardcover)

No doubt about it-this is a gorgeous book and a must for classic film fans. However, I'm getting increasingly annoyed at how major errors are slipping through the cracks.. For example, it's listed that Bette Davis WON the Oscar for "All About Eve." Maybe in her own mind she did but not in reality. Also, did you know that "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" only won two Oscars? Not true.Im sure there are more errors of this nature. I'm not certain which author to blame, but I have a feeling it's not Schickel.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A very pretty puff piece and little more, January 16, 2009

By 

James Kunz (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story (Hardcover)

YOU MUST REMEMBER THIS certainly fulfills its role as a coffee table book: there are a ton of photos and many of them are very interesting. The poster art and lobby stills are gorgeous, and the quality is top-notch. However, if you want to sit down and read it from cover to cover (as I did) you'll be very dissapointed. The book begins as a legitimate "biography" of Warner Brothers, telling the story of the studio's creation. It quickly turns into a hagiography, however, lionizing the greatness of the studio and forgetting to tell any remotely negative stories. Basically, the book feels like The History of Warner Brothers as written by Warner Brothers.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Great photos....but very disorganized, December 29, 2008

By 

Book lover -Philadelphia - See all my reviews

This review is from: You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story (Hardcover)

While this coffee-table sized book has some great photos, especially of stars from the forties, and fascinating history of the early movie business, it did not have an editor or an organizing principle. Schickel writes some pages covering a period in movie history, then his co-author writes the story of the SAME PERIOD and the SAME MOVIES with some other details, as well as some of the SAME DETAILS. Then they do it again, and again. What was going on here? Didn't an editor read it all at the end and notice the repetition? Was there some organizing principle that escaped me?

Aside from the early history, there is very little depth in the book and not even very much gossip about either movies or movie stars. Not recommended, even for dyed in the wool fans like me.