An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood is a 1988 non-fiction book whose topic is the careers of several prominent Jewish film producers in the early years of Hollywood.[1] Author Neal Gabler focuses on the psychological motivations of these film moguls, arguing that their background as Jewish immigrants shaped their careers and influenced the movies they made.
An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood
Gabler's main thesis is that these producers (whom Gabler terms "Hollywood Jews") generally came from poor, fatherless backgrounds, and felt like outsiders in America because of their Jewishness. In Hollywood, these producers were able to run their own industry, assimilate into the American mainstream, and produce movies that fulfilled their vision of the American Dream. In an interview with LA Times, Gabler speaks about the title of the book and American Dream:
They had a hunger for assimilation and, in the face of resistance and exclusion, “the Jews could simply create new a country--an empire of their own, so to speak . . . an America where fathers were strong, families stable, people attractive, resilient, resourceful, and decent.” The 20th-Century American Dream was to a considerable degree depicted and defined by Hollywood.[2]
Gabler asserts that the nature of their business and their movies can often be traced back to their feelings of alienation as immigrants.
The book also explains that the business background of the Hollywood Jews in theatre-ownership, retail distribution, and the garment industry shaped the approach these studio owners took to crafting movies for a popular audience, one similar to the marketing of films as commodities as well as works of art.
The title of the book is a reference to F. Scott Fitzgerald's unfinished novel The Last Tycoon, in which Fitzgerald describes his protagonist, Monroe Stahr (a character inspired by the producer Irving Thalberg) as "coming home to an empire of his own—an empire he has made."[3][4][5] The book won the 1989 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for history[6] and the 1989 Theatre Library Association Award.[7]
Adaptations
The book was adapted into a documentary film in 1998, a decade after the book was published. The movie has two titles: Hollywoodism: Jews, Movies and the American Dream (original title for A&E) and Hollywood: An Empire of Their Own (title for video/DVD). The documentary won an award for Best Jewish Experience Documentary at the 1998 Jerusalem Film Festival.[8]
^Miller, Randall M. (1984). Friedman, Lester D.; Goldman, Eric A.; Cohen, Sarah Blacher (eds.). "Jews in (and on, behind, and around) Film". American Jewish History. 74 (2): 189–193. ISSN 0164-0178.
^Champlin, Charles (1988-09-25). "The Founding Fathers of Hollywood : AN EMPIRE OF THEIR OWN : How the Jews Invented Hollywood by Neal Gabler (Crown: $24.95; 491 pp.)". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
Langdon, Jennifer (2009). Caught in the Crossfire: Adrian Scott and the Politics of Americanism in 1940s Hollywood. Columbia University Press. ISBN0-231-14250-1.
Gabler, Neal. An Empire of Their Own at Google Books (preview)
January 31, 2023
empire, their, jews, invented, hollywood, 1988, fiction, book, whose, topic, careers, several, prominent, jewish, film, producers, early, years, hollywood, author, neal, gabler, focuses, psychological, motivations, these, film, moguls, arguing, that, their, ba. An Empire of Their Own How the Jews Invented Hollywood is a 1988 non fiction book whose topic is the careers of several prominent Jewish film producers in the early years of Hollywood 1 Author Neal Gabler focuses on the psychological motivations of these film moguls arguing that their background as Jewish immigrants shaped their careers and influenced the movies they made An Empire of Their Own How the Jews Invented HollywoodAuthorNeal GablerCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishGenreNon fictionPublisherCrownPublication date1988Media typePrint Hardback and paperback Pages502 pp hardback ISBN0 385 26557 3 Contents 1 Themes 2 Adaptations 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References 6 External linksThemes EditGabler s main thesis is that these producers whom Gabler terms Hollywood Jews generally came from poor fatherless backgrounds and felt like outsiders in America because of their Jewishness In Hollywood these producers were able to run their own industry assimilate into the American mainstream and produce movies that fulfilled their vision of the American Dream In an interview with LA Times Gabler speaks about the title of the book and American Dream They had a hunger for assimilation and in the face of resistance and exclusion the Jews could simply create new a country an empire of their own so to speak an America where fathers were strong families stable people attractive resilient resourceful and decent The 20th Century American Dream was to a considerable degree depicted and defined by Hollywood 2 Gabler asserts that the nature of their business and their movies can often be traced back to their feelings of alienation as immigrants The book also explains that the business background of the Hollywood Jews in theatre ownership retail distribution and the garment industry shaped the approach these studio owners took to crafting movies for a popular audience one similar to the marketing of films as commodities as well as works of art The title of the book is a reference to F Scott Fitzgerald s unfinished novel The Last Tycoon in which Fitzgerald describes his protagonist Monroe Stahr a character inspired by the producer Irving Thalberg as coming home to an empire of his own an empire he has made 3 4 5 The book won the 1989 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for history 6 and the 1989 Theatre Library Association Award 7 Adaptations EditThe book was adapted into a documentary film in 1998 a decade after the book was published The movie has two titles Hollywoodism Jews Movies and the American Dream original title for A amp E and Hollywood An Empire of Their Own title for video DVD The documentary won an award for Best Jewish Experience Documentary at the 1998 Jerusalem Film Festival 8 See also EditCinema of the United States Jewish Americans and popular culture List of Jewish American entertainers Film television directors and producers List of Jewish American businesspeople in media Television film and video The Big Five Hollywood s Golden AgeNotes Edit Miller Randall M 1984 Friedman Lester D Goldman Eric A Cohen Sarah Blacher eds Jews in and on behind and around Film American Jewish History 74 2 189 193 ISSN 0164 0178 Champlin Charles 1988 09 25 The Founding Fathers of Hollywood AN EMPIRE OF THEIR OWN How the Jews Invented Hollywood by Neal Gabler Crown 24 95 491 pp Los Angeles Times Retrieved 2021 01 29 Charles Champlin The Founding Fathers of Hollywood Los Angeles Times September 25 1988 Sander L Gilman 1997 Smart Jews The Construction of the Image of Jewish Superior Intelligence U of Nebraska Press p 175 ISBN 0 8032 7069 0 F Scott Fitzgerald Matthew J Bruccoli 1993 The Love of the Last Tycoon A Western Cambridge University Press p 199 ISBN 978 0 521 40231 6 1989 Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winners Archived 2011 02 22 at the Wayback Machine accessed March 31 2011 Theatre Library Association Award Winners 1974 2009 Archived 2011 11 05 at the Wayback Machine accessed March 31 2011 Review summary for Hollywood An Empire of Their Own 1998 Baseline entry reprinted in The New York Times accessed March 31 2011 References EditGabler Neal 1988 An Empire of Their Own How the Jews Invented Hollywood Crown ISBN 0 385 26557 3 Langdon Jennifer 2009 Caught in the Crossfire Adrian Scott and the Politics of Americanism in 1940s Hollywood Columbia University Press ISBN 0 231 14250 1 External links EditAn Empire of Their Own at IMDb Gabler Neal An Empire of Their Own at Google Books preview Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title An Empire of Their Own amp oldid 1130693033, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
