From the Headlines to Hollywood: The Birth and Boom of Warner Bros.

This thorough, if workmanlike, account of the early history of Warner Bros. demonstrates how the movie studio developed into a major Hollywood player between 1927 and 1941. Film historian Yogerst examines these early years in a straightforward fashion, detailing how the studio maneuvered through two decades fraught with immense change and upheaval while building a brand that has endured for nearly 100 years. Drawing on newspaper accounts, film periodicals, legal documents, and the studio’s vast archives, the author examines the historic significance of Warner Bros.’s output. He also chronicles its numerous run-ins with industry censors and government officials; in the period before the U.S. entered WWII, a Senate subcommittee charged Warner Bros. and other studios with opposing the country’s policy of neutrality. Finally, Yogerst shows how the success of the studio’s headline-driven social dramas and its roster of stars, including Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, and James Cagney, established a lasting legacy. But despite the exciting subject matter, this meticulous accounting unreels much like the staid newsreels once played before feature films. It has facts and figures aplenty but lacks much of the passion and excitement found in Warner Bros.’s best movies. [em](Oct.) [/em]