The Genius of the System

InThe Genius of the System, Thomas Schatz recalls Hollywood's Golden Age from the 1920s until the dawn of television in the late 1940s, when quality films were produced swiftly and cost efficiently thanks to the intricate design of the system. Schatz takes us through the rise and fall of individual careers and the makingand unmakingof movies such asFrankenstein,Casablanca, and Hitchcock'sNotorious. Through detailed analysis of major Hollywood moviemakers including Universal, Warner Bros., and MGM, he reminds us of a time when studios had distinct personalities and the relationship between contracts and creativity was not mutually exclusive.

Thomas Schatz is professor of communication at the University of Texas, Austin. He is the author of several books, including Hollywood Genres and Boom and Bust: American Cinema in the 1940s.

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Preface: The Center of Gravity	p. ix
Introduction: "The Whole Equation of Pictures"
The 1920s: Beginnings
Universal: the System Takes shape	p. 15
MGM: Dawn of the Thalberg Era	p. 29
Selznick at MGM: Climbing the Executive Ranks	p. 48
Warner Bros: Talking Their Way to the Top	p. 58
1928 - 1932: The Powers That Be
Selznick at Paramount: From Boom to Bust	p. 69
Universal: Renaissance and Retrenchment	p. 82
MGM and Thalberg: Alone at the Top	p. 98
Selznick at Rko: At the Helm of a Foundering Studio	p. 125
Warner Bros: The Zanuck Era	p. 135
The 1930s: Golden Age
MGM in the Mid-Thirties: Charmed Interval	p. 159
Selznick International Pictures: Going Independent	p. 176
Warner Bros.: Power Plays and Prestige	p. 199
Universal: Playing Both ends Against the Middle	p. 228
MGM: Life after Thalberg	p. 252
Selznick and Hitchcock: Balance of Power	p. 271
1941-1946: War Boom
Warner Bros.: Warfare at Home and Abroad	p. 297
David O. Selznick Productions: Packaging Prestige	p. 322
Universal: The Best of Both Worlds	p. 340
MGM: The High Cost of Quality	p. 359
Selznick and Hitchcock: Separate Ways	p. 381
1947-1960: Decline
Warner Bros.: Top of the world, end of the Line	p. 411
MGM: Last Gasp of the studio Era	p. 440
UNIVERSAL: Blueprint for the Television age	p. 463
Epilogue: Into the new Hollywood	p. 482
Notes on Sources	p. 493
Photograph Credits	p. 508
Index	p. 509
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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The Genius of the System

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials