The Universal Story: The Complete History of the Studio and Its 2,641 Films

by Clive Hirschhorn

They sent chills down your spine with Dracula; made you laugh with Abbot & Costello and cry with ET; and nearly scared you to death with The Birds, Jaws, and Jurassic Park. Universal Studios' phenomenal success didn't come easily, and theirs is a tale worthy of a movie itself. Founded in 1912 by the legendary Carl Laemmle, Universal struggled hard in the early days to compete with its rivals, finally succeeded in the 1920s, and then began a roller coaster of ups and downs that climaxed in the new millennium with its status as a true industry leader. The major players included directors Hitchcock, Ford, Scorsese, Stone, and Lee and actors De Niro, Pacino, Streep, and Sarandon. Through an analysis of each movie, from the golden silents to Schindler's List, the exciting history of one of the world's greatest studios comes alive.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Media Tie In, Biography

399 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Diane]

Like "The Paramount Story", a beautifully presented book with
every movie made by Universal given a write up, photo or at a
least a mention. Universal Studio was a real family affair
and nepotism was rife (Laemmle Jnr's efforts to make a star
of his "muse" Sidney Fox (a petite little actress) with lots
of encouragement from dad, was one of the studio's big mistakes
as well as their "brush off" of starlet Bette Davis - she and
Fox made their debut in "The Bad Sister" but Fox was given the
flashier title role while Davis was dismissed as having as much
sex appeal as Slim Summerville!!)
Up until the sound era films were coded - Red Feather, the low
budget, Bluebird were the A features and Jewels were the prestige
productions. Because it was a smaller studio than it's rivals,
it could take chances and Lon Chaney, Universal's first major
star, got the roles of a lifetime with "The Hunchback of Notre
Dame" and "The Phantom of the Opera" before he went to the more
staid MGM.
Mary Philbin, Reginald Denny, Laura La Plante, Mae Clarke and
Gloria Stuart all owed their start to Universal and just when it
seemed that all the studios were struggling with sound, Universal
landed on it's feet with dynamic director James Whale and his
"re-invention" of the horror cycle. Again, when bad times did
come to Universal they were able to pull a rabbit out of the
hat with the discovery of child soprano Deanna Durbin who
actually saved the studio from bankruptcy (much to
the anger of L.B. Mayer who always felt he had been handed the
second prize with Judy Garland).
All in all a wonderful book in the "Story" tradition.

[Scott]

Wonderful history of the Universal studio and its many changes of management and owners.
Great resource for any film buff.

[TrumanCoyote]

Would've given it more, but ol' Clive's opinions once again started to grate after a while. Particularly annoying was the fate he relegated to Fast Times.