One of the "Big Five" studios of Hollywood's golden age, RKO is remembered today primarily for the famous films it produced, from "King Kong" and "Citizen Kane" to the Astaire-Rogers musicals. But its own story also provides a fascinating case study of film industry management during one of the most vexing periods in American social history. "RKO Radio Pictures: A Titan is Born" offers a vivid history of a thirty-year roller coaster of unstable finances, management battles, and artistic gambles. Richard Jewell has used unparalleled access to studio documents generally unavailable to scholars to produce the first business history of RKO, exploring its decision-making processes and illuminating the complex interplay between art and commerce during the heyday of the studio system. Behind the blockbuster films and the glamorous stars, the story of RKO often contained more drama than any of the movies it ever produced.

About the Author
Richard B. Jewell is Professor of Critical Studies at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He is the author of The Golden Age of Hollywood, and The RKO Story, among others.

Reviews
"Jewell not only makes great use of this primary material, but presents a clear, fair-minded narrative that puts the facts into proper context." Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy "The author is clear and candid... A readable, thought-provoking analysis." -- S.R. Kozloff, Vassar College Choice



Book Information
ISBN 9780520271791
Author Richard B. Jewell
Format Paperback
Page Count 340
Imprint University of California Press
Publisher University of California Press
Weight(grams) 454g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 23mm