Overview

More than any other studio, Warner Bros. used edgy, stylistic, and brutally honest films to construct a view of America that was different from the usual buoyant Hollywood fare. The studio took seriously Harry Warner’s mandate that their films had a duty to educate and demonstrate key values of free speech, religious tolerance, and freedom of the press. This attitude was most aptly demonstrated in films produced by the studio between 1927 and 1941—a period that saw not only the arrival of sound in film but also the Great Depression, the rise of crime, and increased concern about fascism in the lead-up to World War II. In From the Headlines to Hollywood: The Birth and Boom of Warner Bros.,Chris Yogerstexplores how “the only studio with any guts” established the groundwork and perfected formulas for social romance dramas, along with gangster, war, espionage, and adventure films. In this book, the author discusses such films as ThePublic Enemy, Little Caesar, G-Men, The Life of Emile Zola, Angels with Dirty Faces,and Confessions of a Nazi Spy, illustrating the ways in which their plots truly were “ripped from the headlines.” While much of what has been written about Warner Bros. has focused on the plots of popular films or broad overviews of the studio’s output, this volume sets these in the larger context of the period, an era in which lighthearted fare competed with gritty realism. From the Headlines to Hollywood will appeal to readers with interests in film history, social history, politics, and entertainment.

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9781442262454

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Reviews

In its early years, which were also the early years of Hollywood, Warner Brothers was a film studio known for both gritty movies, often about crime and punishment (Little Caesar and The Public Enemy), and for award-winning, glossier films (The Life of Emile Zola and The Story of Louis Pasteur). What set the studio apart from its competitors? In this perceptive study, Yogerst suggests it was the approach: Warner Brothers told stories that managed to speak directly to their audience. The author backs up his thesis by looking at numerous movies, showing how the films' themes and even sometimes their scripts drew on issues being talked about in the media and in public discourse. It was a shrewd business model that paid off big-time, and the book is a shrewd look not just at one of the original Golden Age movie studios but also at the film industry's birth and early years. * Booklist *

In its early years, which were also the early years of Hollywood, Warner Brothers was a film studio known for both gritty movies, often about crime and punishment (Little Caesar and The Public Enemy), and for award-winning, glossier films (The Life of Emile Zola and The Story of Louis Pasteur). What set the studio apart from its competitors? In this perceptive study, Yogerst suggests it was the approach: Warner Brothers told stories that managed to speak directly to their audience. The author backs up his thesis by looking at numerous movies, showing how the films' themes and even sometimes their scripts drew on issues being talked about in the media and in public discourse. It was a shrewd business model that paid off big-time, and the book is a shrewd look not just at one of the original Golden Age movie studios but also at the film industry's birth and early years. Booklist

Author Information

Chris Yogerst is assistant professor of communication at the University of Wisconsin Colleges where he teaches courses in film, media, and popular culture. His work has been published in Senses of Cinema, Journal of Film and Video, Journal of Religion and Film, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and Atlantic Monthly.

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