The Brothers Warner Page #4

When Edison tried to control

the East Coast market for two-reelers...

... Sam and Jack joined the exodus to

Hollywood, with Harry and Albert to follow.

Even though times were tough...

...they weren't interested in selling

their fledgling company.

World War I broke out.

Sam and Jack got hired

to make training films for the Army.

In their first film, Open Your Eyes...

...Jack played the part of a soldier

who caught the clap.

Tired of working for others,

Sam bought the bestselling book...

...written by the ambassador to Germany

called My Four Years in Germany...

... which told of the atrocities committed

by the Kaisers troops.

Their gamble paid off.

It was the company's

first politically conscious film...

...and their first moneymaker.

Although others offered more money,

Harry convinced the author...

... that Warner Bros. was the biggest

movie studio in Hollywood...

...and would deliver

the biggest box office.

The famous Hollywood back-end deal

was born.

With their profits,

they bought their first studio in Hollywood.

Each brother took on specific roles

within the fledgling company.

Harry served as president,

the financial wizard and strategist.

Albert oversaw distribution

and exhibitor relations.

Sam was the producer, acquiring books,

ideas and new technologies...

... while Jack oversaw

the day-to-day operations.

"Those were the good old days. Positively."

That's his handwriting.

Is it? Wow.

I think so.

-These are wonderful.

-That's right.

Yeah.

This one I love.

This one is so touching.

That's sweet, yeah.

This one is Hal Wallis.

A very young Hal Wallis.

-Yes, indeed.

Oh, look. This is your 6th birthday.

Society Cinema, Mom.

You got in Society Cinema...

-...on your sixth birthday.

-How about that.

Even when Grandpa took

time off, he was still making movies.

He produced a short about

my mom's 6th birthday in 1926.

God, everybody

was having such a good time.

That's my cousin, Jackie,

who was very close to me as a friend.

That's my mother and my sister.

And my dad.

He's so cute. It's funny to see him

excited and having fun.

- Yeah.

- Yeah, it's so cute.

My sister, Doris,

was eight years older than I was.

And my brother was 12 years older

than I was.

The truth is, I was unexpected.

Yeah, I was a surprise.

My mother and dad were married

for over 50 years...

...which in those days

was unusual in Hollywood.

He relied on her,

and he liked being with her...

...and he felt reassured

when she was with him.

Oh, that's Jack and lrma.

Jack's first wife.

That's Jack and Jackie.

That's Jack and his second wife, Ann.

Okay, you know the rest.

People in the family

disapproved of Jack's divorce...

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