Hollywood Dreams Made Real: Irving Thalberg and the Rise of M-g-m

by Mark A. Vieira

Nicknamed the “Boy Wonder,” Irving G. Thalberg was running Universal Pictures at the age of twenty, and he cofounded Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer at twenty-four. Between 1924 and 1936, he supervised 400 memorable movies, making stars of Lon Chaney, Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, John Gilbert, and Greta Garbo. By the time of his death at thirty-seven, Thalberg had lifted film to the level of fine art. In this groundbreaking book, Mark A. Vieira draws on newly discovered interviews and production records; the unpublished autobiography of Thalberg’s wife, superstar Norma Shearer; and a treasure trove of unseen images to vividly recount the making of Ben-Hur, The Big Parade, Tarzan the Ape Man, Grand Hotel, Mutiny on the Bounty, A Night at the Opera, and scores of other classics. Hollywood Dreams Made Real is a fresh portrait of the prime architect of the studio system and an enchanting tour of the magical world he created.

Genres: Film, Photography, Biography, History, Nonfiction, Art

240 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2008

About the author

Mark A. Vieira is a photographer and writer. He makes glamour portraits in the classic Hollywood mode, working in the historic Granada Buildings, where George Hurrell had his first Los Angeles studio. He writes books about the artists, genres, and photographic technique of Hollywood’s Golden Era.

Reviews

[Kathy Burden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wonderful book is a must for anyone who loves classic film. The pictures are fascinating, many of which have never been seen. Such an inspirational look at the great Irving Thalberg, and how he was the first who imagined film as a magnificent form of ART. What a gift he was to all of us who love movies and look for more than just entertainment. Beautiful.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

An art book that is the companion to Viera's full biography of Irving Thalberg. I'm of two minds about Thalberg. He was obviously brilliant and was most responsible for providing the blueprint to what became known as "the genius of the system," but he also made his bones by bringing von Stroheim to heel, did everything he could to remove individual vision from the scripts and films that he commissioned at M-G-M and was basically an anti-auteur. I also found many of his films soulless although I think that of almost all of M-G-M's output of the early to mid-30s.

[Susan Liston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently this a thumbnail version and companion volume to a full length biography of Thalberg. I found it a tiny bit fawning, over both him and Norma, but whatever, the pictures are glorious. Many of them are by still photographers taken on the set. Not familiar ones seen in a million other books.
And just marvel at how photogenic Joan Crawford was. Guess that's what happens when a person has cheekbones. (I wouldn't know, personally)

[John Albers · Rating 4 out of 5]

the text is informative and well written, the photos are fantastic.

[David Anderson]

Any book on Thalberg is worth reading.

[Denis · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most beautiful art books of the last years, and also one of the most interesting: Vieira analyses with care, intelligence, and great knowledge the career of legendary producer Irving Thalberg, and the result is a feast for anyone interested in old Hollywood. The text is illuminating and does explore the work, impact, and life of Thalberg with many intimate details that do recreate the MGM of yesterday - it's wonderfully instructive and it helps in understanding the real influence that the somehow mysterious producer had, and the role that he played in the Hollywood system. Vieira relies also on a lot on images to underline what he writes about, and he's found some amazing and magical pictures, which are all magnificently reproduced. It says a lot, for example, that he's managed to found portraits of Joan Crawford or Jean Harlow by Hurrell that have never been seen before, or very rarely. Those photographs, beautifully illustrating the life and oeuvre of Thalberg year by year, from his beginnings to his early death, really make this book an exceptional work.

[Nancy Loe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a handsome volume, and I'll probably cave in and buy it, but I'll say at the outset that it makes me grumpy when publishers don't copy edit anymore. Thalberg "speaks his peace" and Gloria Swanson was a superstar at Liberty (really? news to William Wyler I'll bet) and a dozen other typos that are like a thumb in the eye.

Someone needs to write the definitive bio of Thalberg, because I'm afraid Vieira hasn't. This is a coffee-table book, pure and simple, with some very familiar stills in chronological order of some of the producer's greatest hits. Insight (or even dish) on Thalberg (and Shearer) are not in evidence.

The one thing I did learn was that "Letty Lynton," that trend-setting Crawford movie, was withdrawn after a successful plagiarism suit (by the authors of a play called Dishonored Lady). I've always wondered why this defining film was nowhere to be seen and now I'm glad I found a bootleg on the Web.

[Luke Devenish · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sumptuous coffee table book, luscious in fact. And that's just where I've put it: on my coffee table. The biographical information on Irving Thalberg's life is perhaps a little scant, but I suspect Mark Viera's OTHER book on the man is the one to read for greater details. The joy of this one is the pictorial journey the reader is taken on through Thalberg's legendary work for MGM. The photography, mostly production stills and studio portraiture, is a knockout. I'm compelled to use that work 'luscious' again. It's also refreshing to see Norma Shearer come off far more sympathetically here than she tends to in other books about MGM in the period. Film history has dealt her a real disservice. This was an excellent follow up read, for me, to Scott Eyman's 'Lion of Hollywood', about LB Mayer.

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous and sumptuous book totally deserving of the name "coffee table book" but also a great read. Gives some insight into the glory of Irving Thalberg's years defining MGM with his incredible instincts. A truly golden age for film is highlighted here---and shown for how very brief it was through gorgeous and often rare photos. The author makes the request that you read the book from start to finish to get a good view of how things played out and that is a good recommendation. A great book for film lovers, photography buffs and just general fans of classic film. Stunning.

[Kimberly Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

♥ This is an excellent book which not only speaks to the life of Irving Thalberg but to the history of MGM.

[Rick Rapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating.