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00:00:03,740 --> 00:00:04,875
[man 1] Quiet, please!
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00:00:04,975 --> 00:00:06,005
[man 2] Hold it!
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00:00:06,110 --> 00:00:07,311
[man 3] Action.
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00:00:07,411 --> 00:00:08,712
[Matthew Modine]
When you enter the lot,
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00:00:08,812 --> 00:00:12,050
you can't help but be overwhelmed
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00:00:12,148 --> 00:00:17,188
{\an8}by the generations of actors
and filmmakers, writers,
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00:00:17,287 --> 00:00:18,589
costume designers...
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00:00:18,689 --> 00:00:20,020
[man 1]
Put a single on number eight.
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00:00:20,124 --> 00:00:21,292
[man 2] Quiet down, boys.
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00:00:21,391 --> 00:00:23,328
[man 3]
Scene 26, take three.
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00:00:23,426 --> 00:00:25,897
[Modine] Everything that
the studio embodies
that happened here,
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00:00:25,997 --> 00:00:27,698
on this land, on this lot...
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00:00:27,798 --> 00:00:29,667
[woman]
You know how to whistle,
don't you, Steve?
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You just put your lips
together and blow.
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00:00:32,902 --> 00:00:34,739
[Modine]
...there's something magical
about it.
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00:00:34,838 --> 00:00:37,036
It feels like there's
something in the air.
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00:00:37,141 --> 00:00:38,309
[Hagrid]
You're a wizard, Harry.
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00:00:38,409 --> 00:00:40,478
[Modine]
You know, ghosts or something.
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00:00:40,577 --> 00:00:44,116
[Blanche] I've always depended
on the kindness of strangers.
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[Modine]
The excitement that you feel
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knowing that you're going
to be walking down the streets
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00:00:49,319 --> 00:00:54,025
that those incredible
filmmakers and those
incredible actors walked down,
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it's quite powerful.
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It's a magical place.
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[man 1]
Wait a minute, wait a minute.
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00:00:59,892 --> 00:01:01,500
You ain't heard nothing yet.
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00:01:03,768 --> 00:01:08,639
[fanfare playing]
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[Oprah Winfrey]
From the very first day
I walked onto the set,
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00:01:18,349 --> 00:01:20,618
and, you know, that big WB...
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{\an8}[exhales] Wow.
It felt like having made it.
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00:01:26,456 --> 00:01:28,326
Welcome to Sherwood, my lady.
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00:01:30,394 --> 00:01:34,433
{\an8}Warner Bros., to me, was Hollywood.
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00:01:34,531 --> 00:01:37,368
{\an8}The variety of films, the
movie stars...
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00:01:37,468 --> 00:01:42,174
{\an8}With all my heart,
I still love the man I killed.
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00:01:42,272 --> 00:01:43,875
{\an8}[Harvey Keitel] You don't even
have to see a logo.
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00:01:43,973 --> 00:01:45,945
{\an8}You say the name,
and you understand
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{\an8}it's one of the powerhouses
of Hollywood that gave us
the cinema.
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00:01:50,914 --> 00:01:53,618
{\an8}[Morgan Freeman]
Founded at the beginning
of the motion picture age
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00:01:53,717 --> 00:01:56,621
{\an8}by a family of high-rolling
visionaries...
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00:01:56,720 --> 00:01:59,591
{\an8}I think those guys were just
the right side of crazy.
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00:01:59,690 --> 00:02:01,593
{\an8}[Freeman]
...and jealous rivals...
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00:02:01,692 --> 00:02:04,096
{\an8}You don't hear many stories
of kindness
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00:02:04,195 --> 00:02:05,998
{\an8}involving Jack L. Warner.
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00:02:06,097 --> 00:02:09,434
{\an8}You're tearing me apart!
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00:02:09,533 --> 00:02:12,237
{\an8}[Freeman]
...Warner Bros. built a legacy
on celluloid...
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00:02:12,336 --> 00:02:14,273
{\an8}Here's looking at you, kid.
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00:02:14,372 --> 00:02:16,175
{\an8}...that holds a mirror
to our souls.
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00:02:16,272 --> 00:02:19,678
{\an8}Mainstream films always try to
reflect society to some degree.
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00:02:19,776 --> 00:02:22,014
{\an8}- Attica! Attica!
- [people cheering]
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{\an8}[Nolan] You see that in
Warner Bros. productions
over the decades.
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00:02:25,416 --> 00:02:27,119
{\an8}- I am...
- [crowd] I am!
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00:02:27,218 --> 00:02:28,520
{\an8}A revolutionary!
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00:02:28,619 --> 00:02:30,422
{\an8}That's what I think about
when I think of Warners.
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00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:34,759
{\an8}Very daring, artistic achievements
to great success.
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00:02:34,859 --> 00:02:37,296
{\an8}Whoo! Road trip!
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00:02:37,394 --> 00:02:39,831
{\an8}Warner Bros. is
a steward of stories
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00:02:39,931 --> 00:02:42,301
{\an8}to not just America,
but the world.
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{\an8}[Freeman] One hundred
years later,
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00:02:50,307 --> 00:02:53,979
{\an8}Warner Bros. is still
pushing the boundaries
of the medium...
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00:02:54,078 --> 00:02:57,649
{\an8}And here we... go.
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00:02:57,748 --> 00:03:01,486
{\an8}...with passionate storytelling
across all platforms...
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00:03:01,586 --> 00:03:02,621
{\an8}Yes!
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00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:04,523
{\an8}...shaping who we are...
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00:03:04,621 --> 00:03:06,525
{\an8}All my life, I had to fight.
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00:03:09,226 --> 00:03:11,063
{\an8}...and what we might become.
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00:03:11,161 --> 00:03:12,464
{\an8}We're in for one wild night.
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00:03:16,266 --> 00:03:19,404
{\an8}I think television needs
to show the rainbow
of what's out there.
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00:03:20,672 --> 00:03:21,907
{\an8}Bazinga!
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00:03:22,006 --> 00:03:23,408
{\an8}What's up, Doc?
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00:03:23,507 --> 00:03:26,545
{\an8}Go ahead, make my day.
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00:03:26,643 --> 00:03:28,780
{\an8}What a day!
What a lovely day!
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{\an8}- We're going ahead!
- [all screaming]
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00:03:31,882 --> 00:03:36,555
{\an8}Warner Bros. has endured
100 years because of
the original mission.
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00:03:36,653 --> 00:03:39,824
{\an8}Move the culture forward
by telling good stories.
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00:03:42,259 --> 00:03:44,329
{\an8}They've been in the battle,
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00:03:44,428 --> 00:03:46,731
{\an8}and, for that,
I think respect must be paid.
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00:04:07,851 --> 00:04:10,155
[David Zaslav]
We all go to the movies.
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00:04:10,254 --> 00:04:13,325
And we go with the idea
that we want to be entertained
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00:04:14,491 --> 00:04:16,595
and we want to be told
a story.
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00:04:17,494 --> 00:04:19,598
And stories are powerful.
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00:04:22,598 --> 00:04:25,804
And when
you tell a great story,
you can change minds.
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00:04:29,906 --> 00:04:32,777
{\an8}And the Warner brothers
understood that.
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00:04:35,244 --> 00:04:38,483
{\an8}Jack Warner had a policy,
which is, if you worked
on a movie,
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00:04:38,582 --> 00:04:41,453
{\an8}you had to come meet him
in this office.
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00:04:41,552 --> 00:04:44,023
All the great stars came
through here.
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00:04:47,291 --> 00:04:49,694
This is the famous
Maltese Falcon.
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00:04:51,262 --> 00:04:53,899
It has special meaning to me because,
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00:04:53,997 --> 00:04:58,938
at the end of the movie,
they ask Humphrey Bogart
what this is,
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00:04:59,036 --> 00:05:00,300
and he said...
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00:05:00,404 --> 00:05:04,209
{\an8}The stuff that dreams
are made of.
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00:05:04,309 --> 00:05:05,710
{\an8}Huh?
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00:05:05,809 --> 00:05:07,579
[Zaslav] And that's what
we get to do every day.
93
00:05:07,678 --> 00:05:10,983
It's the stuff that dreams
are made of.
So, the Maltese Falcon.
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00:05:11,081 --> 00:05:13,552
Here they are,
the original Warner brothers.
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00:05:13,651 --> 00:05:15,820
These were the guys
that built this place,
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00:05:16,721 --> 00:05:18,657
telling great stories.
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00:05:18,756 --> 00:05:20,993
Not just to entertain,
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00:05:21,092 --> 00:05:22,861
but to have a real impact,
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00:05:22,959 --> 00:05:24,930
is where the Warner brothers
made a difference
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00:05:25,029 --> 00:05:27,766
when you look back at the last
100 years.
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00:05:27,864 --> 00:05:29,834
It's an incredible American story.
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00:05:32,670 --> 00:05:34,974
[swing music playing]
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00:05:36,468 --> 00:05:38,610
[Freeman]
At the top of the 20th century,
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00:05:38,710 --> 00:05:40,946
Tinseltown was a boomtown.
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00:05:45,049 --> 00:05:46,451
The American public,
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00:05:46,550 --> 00:05:48,553
accustomed to new movies
every week,
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00:05:48,653 --> 00:05:51,790
clamored for more.
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00:05:51,888 --> 00:05:57,129
Anyone with a camera
and enough gumption
wanted in on the action.
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00:05:57,227 --> 00:06:00,632
{\an8}At that point, I think
Hollywood was barely
the Hollywood we know now.
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00:06:00,731 --> 00:06:03,002
{\an8}The streets were still dust.
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00:06:03,100 --> 00:06:05,905
They were not only
creating an art form,
but also an industry.
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00:06:07,971 --> 00:06:10,370
[Freeman]
By 1918, successful companies
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00:06:10,473 --> 00:06:15,514
that would become studios
like Paramount, Universal
and MGM,
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00:06:15,612 --> 00:06:17,616
were gobbling up
independent shops
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00:06:17,714 --> 00:06:20,752
and building walled cities
within the city.
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00:06:21,619 --> 00:06:22,988
Newly arrived,
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00:06:23,086 --> 00:06:25,590
a scrappy band of brothers
named Warner
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00:06:25,689 --> 00:06:29,228
were fighting
to get their business
off the ground.
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00:06:29,326 --> 00:06:30,963
[Scorsese] You got
to understand that
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00:06:31,060 --> 00:06:32,431
these men who were there
at the very beginning,
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00:06:32,529 --> 00:06:35,834
it's brutal,
clawing to success.
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00:06:35,933 --> 00:06:38,637
And you had to be tough.
I mean, they were tough
street guys.
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Absolutely ruthless.
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00:06:41,805 --> 00:06:44,109
{\an8}They were sort of not
considered the classy
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00:06:44,208 --> 00:06:46,311
{\an8}studio in the beginning.
It was all MGM.
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00:06:46,409 --> 00:06:49,881
[Freeman]
Without star talent in
a stiffly competitive market,
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00:06:49,980 --> 00:06:52,817
the Warners were on the verge
of folding
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00:06:52,917 --> 00:06:56,721
when fate threw them a bone.
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00:06:56,820 --> 00:07:00,392
{\an8}Famous Hollywood screen star,
Rin Tin Tin.
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00:07:00,491 --> 00:07:02,261
{\an8}[Clooney]
They were in real trouble,
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00:07:02,359 --> 00:07:04,696
and Rin Tin Tin was
really the movie
that saved the studio.
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00:07:08,131 --> 00:07:12,504
{\an8}An unlikely hero that you
don't see coming who does
something incredible.
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That's a classic movie!
We love dogs,
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00:07:15,467 --> 00:07:17,809
and we love stories of underdogs.
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00:07:17,907 --> 00:07:19,878
[Freeman]
As thousands of fan letters
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00:07:19,976 --> 00:07:24,516
and hundreds of thousands of
dollars poured in for
every movie...
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00:07:24,615 --> 00:07:28,687
Rinty's adventures padded
the brothers' bottom line.
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00:07:28,785 --> 00:07:31,490
[announcer] Rin Tin Tin,
animal idol of America.
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00:07:31,589 --> 00:07:34,927
[Freeman]
It was a major milestone
in a family story
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00:07:35,024 --> 00:07:38,230
that started a world away
from the glitter of Hollywood.
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00:07:40,563 --> 00:07:45,204
Harry, Abe, Sam, and Jack
were children of Jewish immigrants
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00:07:45,302 --> 00:07:48,908
who fled persecution
in Poland in the 1880s.
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00:07:50,274 --> 00:07:53,112
{\an8}They were dirt poor as kids.
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00:07:53,210 --> 00:07:55,647
They sold newspapers,
shined shoes.
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00:07:55,746 --> 00:07:57,682
They didn't graduate
from school.
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00:07:57,781 --> 00:08:02,087
But their father
had sat them down
very young and said,
147
00:08:02,185 --> 00:08:05,485
"Look, as long
as you stick together,
you'll be strong."
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00:08:05,588 --> 00:08:08,460
[Andy Garcia]
America has always been
a place where people come
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00:08:08,559 --> 00:08:11,830
{\an8}sometimes escaping
political repression.
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00:08:11,928 --> 00:08:14,494
The Warner brothers
came out of that tradition.
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00:08:14,598 --> 00:08:18,403
You have the opportunity
to work hard,
to have a dream,
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00:08:18,502 --> 00:08:20,739
no matter how crazy it is.
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00:08:20,836 --> 00:08:26,245
[Freeman] The brothers' dream
came to them on a flickering
beam of electric light.
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00:08:26,343 --> 00:08:29,848
[Cass] They're in Pittsburgh,
working in a clothing store.
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00:08:29,947 --> 00:08:32,251
Sam heard about nickelodeons.
156
00:08:32,349 --> 00:08:36,554
{\an8}Grabs Harry, they go and watch
The Great Train Robbery.
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00:08:43,660 --> 00:08:47,732
They sit and watch it
three times
until they're asked to leave.
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00:08:47,830 --> 00:08:52,071
They go outside, they look at
people putting their
nickels on the plate.
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00:08:52,169 --> 00:08:55,273
And they shake hands and they
go, "We're in the business."
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00:08:59,108 --> 00:09:01,446
[Freeman] The Warners' road
from PA to LA
161
00:09:01,545 --> 00:09:03,983
was paved with risky bets.
162
00:09:04,080 --> 00:09:07,519
They bought a movie projector
and parlayed it into a theater.
163
00:09:07,618 --> 00:09:10,355
They borrowed money
to get into distribution,
164
00:09:10,454 --> 00:09:14,927
and used that success
to start making films.
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00:09:15,026 --> 00:09:17,462
[Cass]
Harry was the financial wizard,
166
00:09:17,561 --> 00:09:21,561
Abe was in charge
of exhibition and distribution,
167
00:09:21,666 --> 00:09:24,003
Sam was the visionary,
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00:09:24,101 --> 00:09:26,538
and Jack was in charge
of production.
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00:09:26,636 --> 00:09:29,408
[Leonard Maltin]
Jack was the baby
of the siblings,
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00:09:29,507 --> 00:09:32,244
and Harry was the eldest,
171
00:09:32,342 --> 00:09:36,115
and so he sort of took
a leadership position early on.
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00:09:36,212 --> 00:09:40,085
And that set the stage
for many fireworks to come,
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00:09:40,183 --> 00:09:43,822
{\an8}but, initially, it seems
they worked very well together.
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00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:49,261
[Freeman]
In 1923, they incorporated
as Warner Brothers Studios.
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00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:51,130
The gang of outsiders
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00:09:51,228 --> 00:09:55,034
finally had a place
in Hollywood
to call their own.
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00:09:55,131 --> 00:09:58,670
But they were on the cusp
of something even bigger.
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00:09:58,769 --> 00:10:02,908
You have to understand, talkies
at the time were a disaster.
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00:10:03,007 --> 00:10:05,110
[unintelligible dialogue]
180
00:10:07,476 --> 00:10:12,117
[Freeman] Sound on film,
which had only been attempted
for newsreels and shorts...
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00:10:16,020 --> 00:10:18,523
was plagued with problems.
182
00:10:18,622 --> 00:10:22,027
People were going to
the theater and throwing
tomatoes at the screen
183
00:10:22,125 --> 00:10:24,329
because, you know,
the people's mouths weren't
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00:10:24,428 --> 00:10:28,233
moving in sync with the sound
coming out of it.
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00:10:28,326 --> 00:10:30,802
[Jacqueline Stewart]
Sam Warner was quite
passionate about sound.
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00:10:30,900 --> 00:10:35,740
{\an8}He really believed that this
sound technology could
revolutionize cinema,
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00:10:35,839 --> 00:10:37,276
and he felt that
it was integral
188
00:10:37,374 --> 00:10:40,612
to creating a really immersive
cinematic experience
189
00:10:40,711 --> 00:10:45,084
and to get Warner Bros.
out ahead of its competitors.
190
00:10:45,181 --> 00:10:48,648
Sam was the one who saw
the possibilities of sound.
191
00:10:48,752 --> 00:10:50,389
No one else
was looking for sound.
192
00:10:50,487 --> 00:10:54,726
Everybody was very happy
showing and watching
silent films.
193
00:10:56,592 --> 00:10:59,331
{\an8}[Freeman]
The Warners' first attempt
at synchronized sound
194
00:10:59,430 --> 00:11:03,035
{\an8}featured a full
orchestral score
and sound effects.
195
00:11:04,768 --> 00:11:09,274
A landmark achievement,
but only a taste of things
to come.
196
00:11:09,373 --> 00:11:13,845
{\an8}♪ Wonderful pals are always
hard to find ♪
197
00:11:13,944 --> 00:11:19,518
Next, they upped the ante
with a story that was
already a hit on Broadway,
198
00:11:19,617 --> 00:11:22,621
and a performer who was
famous around the world.
199
00:11:22,721 --> 00:11:24,389
{\an8}Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
200
00:11:24,488 --> 00:11:26,391
{\an8}You ain't heard nothing yet.
201
00:11:26,489 --> 00:11:30,996
{\an8}Al Jolson was probably
the most popular entertainer
in America at that time.
202
00:11:31,094 --> 00:11:34,399
[Freeman]
Jolson's own life had inspired
The Jazz Singer,
203
00:11:34,498 --> 00:11:36,735
the tale of
a Jewish cantor's son
204
00:11:36,833 --> 00:11:40,973
who goes against the
traditions of his family
to perform the music he loves.
205
00:11:41,070 --> 00:11:46,111
But when people see The Jazz
Singer now, they're often
shocked and appalled
206
00:11:46,210 --> 00:11:48,612
to see that Al Jolson
performs in blackface.
207
00:11:48,712 --> 00:11:52,217
It was not unusual,
certainly not shocking
at the time,
208
00:11:52,316 --> 00:11:54,253
to any Al Jolson fans because
209
00:11:54,351 --> 00:11:57,356
that's the mode of performance
that he was engaged in.
210
00:11:57,454 --> 00:12:00,025
♪ Mammy! ♪
211
00:12:00,118 --> 00:12:02,895
[Stewart]
Blackface on stage was
incredibly common.
212
00:12:02,994 --> 00:12:04,829
It was always controversial.
213
00:12:04,928 --> 00:12:08,133
Black audiences had problems,
many times,
214
00:12:08,232 --> 00:12:11,470
with the ways that blackface caricatured
215
00:12:11,568 --> 00:12:15,474
their identities and cultural practices.
216
00:12:15,573 --> 00:12:18,777
But this is
a more complex story
than I think people recognize
217
00:12:18,877 --> 00:12:20,712
when they decontextualize it.
218
00:12:20,812 --> 00:12:22,281
In fact, there are posters
219
00:12:22,379 --> 00:12:25,684
that show Jackie Robin
in his normal face,
220
00:12:25,782 --> 00:12:28,748
and then the character
that he plays in blackface,
221
00:12:28,852 --> 00:12:30,355
because that signified
the split
222
00:12:30,454 --> 00:12:34,994
between his real identity
as a cantor's son,
223
00:12:35,093 --> 00:12:37,229
and the emotional trajectory
that he had
224
00:12:37,328 --> 00:12:39,932
in trying to decide
what to do with his life,
225
00:12:40,030 --> 00:12:42,134
and then this stage persona.
226
00:12:44,234 --> 00:12:47,706
[Freeman]
By featuring blackface
in their riskiest bet to date,
227
00:12:47,805 --> 00:12:52,311
the Warners profited
from the popularity of racial caricature.
228
00:12:52,408 --> 00:12:56,815
{\an8}In the light of today...
The Jazz Singer is problematic,
229
00:12:56,913 --> 00:13:00,780
{\an8}but it doesn't mean that,
at the time,
it wasn't revolutionary.
230
00:13:00,884 --> 00:13:04,423
Didn't do a whole lot
of good for the respect
of Black people.
231
00:13:04,521 --> 00:13:07,826
In fact, the damage
232
00:13:07,924 --> 00:13:11,931
that the storytelling
of the era did...
233
00:13:12,028 --> 00:13:14,794
to cultures and culture
around the world...
234
00:13:15,867 --> 00:13:18,070
is pretty embarrassing.
235
00:13:18,162 --> 00:13:20,739
[Freeman] Despite its
deeply-troubling content,
236
00:13:20,838 --> 00:13:24,910
The Jazz Singer also
established the Warner
brothers as innovators
237
00:13:25,008 --> 00:13:29,548
whose vision and courage
would change
moviemaking forever.
238
00:13:31,281 --> 00:13:33,052
With Jolson on the marquee,
239
00:13:33,149 --> 00:13:35,654
the brothers knew
they would sell tickets.
240
00:13:35,752 --> 00:13:38,991
Everything else was riding on
the tech,
241
00:13:39,090 --> 00:13:42,194
which was expensive
and finicky.
242
00:13:42,292 --> 00:13:44,296
[Alan Rode]
Western Electric Corporation
243
00:13:44,394 --> 00:13:48,000
were developing a
technique for putting
sound and film together,
244
00:13:48,099 --> 00:13:50,002
named Vitaphone.
245
00:13:50,100 --> 00:13:54,306
The person
that really pioneered sound
on disc was Sam Warner,
246
00:13:54,405 --> 00:13:57,876
{\an8}and he worked almost
to the point of exhaustion.
247
00:13:57,976 --> 00:13:59,744
[Freeman]
To pull off Sam's dream,
248
00:13:59,843 --> 00:14:02,842
the Warners
had leveraged themselves
to the teeth.
249
00:14:02,946 --> 00:14:05,584
Sam got excited
about the technology,
250
00:14:05,677 --> 00:14:07,552
and Harry raised the money.
251
00:14:07,651 --> 00:14:12,992
He mortgaged the house
on Rossmoor to pay
for the production.
252
00:14:13,090 --> 00:14:15,127
These guys were gamblers.
253
00:14:15,226 --> 00:14:18,597
They gambled everything.
254
00:14:18,696 --> 00:14:22,234
[announcer] Ladies and
gentlemen, Warner Brothers'
supreme triumph,
255
00:14:22,333 --> 00:14:25,037
Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer.
256
00:14:27,003 --> 00:14:31,510
Warner Brothers' Theatre
is sold out for many weeks
in advance.
257
00:14:31,608 --> 00:14:36,380
{\an8}[Freeman] On opening night,
Sam's labors bore fruit.
258
00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:38,017
{\an8}[announcer]
How do you like that?
259
00:14:38,115 --> 00:14:41,553
{\an8}Well, you ain't
seen nothing yet.
260
00:14:41,651 --> 00:14:43,883
[Freeman] The brothers
had made history...
261
00:14:46,623 --> 00:14:49,261
...but none of the Warners
attended the premiere.
262
00:14:51,462 --> 00:14:54,499
Sam had died
the night before.
263
00:15:00,637 --> 00:15:05,744
[Maltin] Sam was so consumed
by wanting to perfect
the Vitaphone process
264
00:15:05,842 --> 00:15:10,049
and wanting to make sure
The Jazz Singer was as good
as it could be,
265
00:15:10,148 --> 00:15:12,617
but he drove himself
and drove himself
266
00:15:12,717 --> 00:15:14,419
into an early grave.
267
00:15:16,186 --> 00:15:17,856
[Gregory Orr] Sam Warner
was the great Warner.
268
00:15:17,954 --> 00:15:20,921
{\an8}He was the one
who got the Warners
into the movie business.
269
00:15:21,025 --> 00:15:24,163
{\an8}It's too bad he died so soon.
270
00:15:24,260 --> 00:15:28,367
Jack's lowest low was when
his brother Sam died, who
was his closest friend.
271
00:15:30,767 --> 00:15:35,807
The fact that Sam
died the night before
the film premiered,
272
00:15:35,906 --> 00:15:37,342
it's a tragedy.
273
00:15:37,441 --> 00:15:39,979
But it also seems as though
these brothers
274
00:15:40,077 --> 00:15:43,014
really understood the project
that they were engaged in
275
00:15:43,114 --> 00:15:46,285
as being bigger
than themselves.
276
00:15:46,383 --> 00:15:51,623
They were really invested
in a larger mission.
277
00:15:51,721 --> 00:15:54,426
[Freeman] Sam's death
left a hole in the family,
278
00:15:54,525 --> 00:15:57,129
but his legacy
was plain to see.
279
00:15:57,227 --> 00:16:00,732
[man] Al Jolson, whose picture,
The Jazz Singer, had started
the talkie revolution
280
00:16:00,831 --> 00:16:03,235
brings bride, Ruby Keeler,
to Hollywood.
281
00:16:03,334 --> 00:16:06,871
[Freeman] The Jazz Singer
cost $500,000 to make
282
00:16:06,971 --> 00:16:09,407
and raked in three million,
283
00:16:09,507 --> 00:16:13,312
catapulting Warner Bros.
firmly into the majors.
284
00:16:13,410 --> 00:16:14,914
[announcer] The rush begins.
285
00:16:15,011 --> 00:16:17,648
As more and more theaters
become wired for sound,
286
00:16:17,747 --> 00:16:20,519
frantically, producers struggle
to finish silent films
287
00:16:20,618 --> 00:16:23,388
still in production
before it is too late.
288
00:16:23,486 --> 00:16:28,627
[Freeman] In 1928 alone,
they made 36 movies
with synced sound,
289
00:16:28,725 --> 00:16:32,597
leaving the other studios
gasping to keep up.
290
00:16:32,696 --> 00:16:35,200
The idea of bringing sound
to movies
291
00:16:35,299 --> 00:16:39,704
was as big as introducing
the Internet to our society.
292
00:16:39,803 --> 00:16:43,943
It caused Hollywood
to have to almost
reinvent itself.
293
00:16:44,041 --> 00:16:47,412
Cameramen and technicians
had to relearn their business
294
00:16:47,511 --> 00:16:49,214
to accommodate a microphone.
295
00:16:49,312 --> 00:16:52,184
[Freeman]
Actors whose voices
didn't match their looks
296
00:16:52,283 --> 00:16:55,187
found themselves
out on their ears.
297
00:16:56,454 --> 00:16:58,018
[Maltin] What took their place
298
00:16:58,122 --> 00:17:00,125
was talent from the stage.
299
00:17:00,224 --> 00:17:01,994
Vital, brash personas.
300
00:17:02,093 --> 00:17:04,063
{\an8}What kind of a break you ever
given us?
301
00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:06,798
{\an8}Outside of kicking us around
every chance you could get.
302
00:17:06,896 --> 00:17:09,168
{\an8}If I find that
I've got a chance to crash
my way out of here,
303
00:17:09,266 --> 00:17:11,103
{\an8}and I have to rub somebody out
to do it,
304
00:17:11,202 --> 00:17:13,572
{\an8}I'd just as soon rub you out
as the next guy.
305
00:17:13,670 --> 00:17:16,208
{\an8}You're going to be in on this,
and you'll like it.
306
00:17:16,307 --> 00:17:17,943
{\an8}Ever since I was 14,
what's it been?
307
00:17:18,042 --> 00:17:19,979
{\an8}Nothing but men.
Dirty, rotten men!
308
00:17:20,076 --> 00:17:23,348
{\an8}[Maltin]
As well as writers who could
write dialogue.
309
00:17:23,447 --> 00:17:25,117
{\an8}Sharp, snappy dialogue.
310
00:17:25,216 --> 00:17:26,585
{\an8}Outside, countess!
311
00:17:26,684 --> 00:17:28,420
{\an8}As long as they have sidewalks,
you've got a job.
312
00:17:30,286 --> 00:17:33,325
{\an8}Of course, I know for some
women, men are
a household necessity.
313
00:17:33,423 --> 00:17:35,327
{\an8}Myself, I'd rather
have a canary.
314
00:17:35,425 --> 00:17:38,964
[Freeman] Awash in cash,
the brothers went on
a spending spree,
315
00:17:39,062 --> 00:17:42,167
snapping up theater chains,
and acquiring a rival.
316
00:17:42,265 --> 00:17:47,572
First National Studios
and its giant movie lot
in Burbank.
317
00:17:47,671 --> 00:17:50,475
But competition for top
talent was fierce
318
00:17:50,574 --> 00:17:53,812
because of the pressure
to build brand loyalty.
319
00:17:53,906 --> 00:17:55,480
A devoted audience who would
320
00:17:55,579 --> 00:17:59,751
keep coming back for more
of their favorite stars.
321
00:17:59,851 --> 00:18:01,987
To control labor costs,
322
00:18:02,085 --> 00:18:06,086
Jack Warner and execs from
the other studios devised
the contract system.
323
00:18:06,189 --> 00:18:10,829
A golden handcuff that
locked actors, writers,
and directors to studios
324
00:18:10,928 --> 00:18:13,966
for exclusive
seven-year stints.
325
00:18:14,064 --> 00:18:17,202
People in the '30s and '40s
that went to movies,
326
00:18:17,301 --> 00:18:19,939
they didn't look at reviews
for the plot.
327
00:18:20,037 --> 00:18:21,473
It was like...
328
00:18:21,571 --> 00:18:23,408
"I want to see
a Humphrey Bogart picture."
329
00:18:23,507 --> 00:18:25,344
"I went to see
a Clark Gable picture."
330
00:18:25,443 --> 00:18:29,381
Warner Bros. really understood
the star system.
331
00:18:29,479 --> 00:18:32,451
[Freeman]
Though some may have chafed
at the restrictions,
332
00:18:32,550 --> 00:18:34,753
no one wanted to be
out of work,
333
00:18:34,852 --> 00:18:37,556
especially after 1929.
334
00:18:37,654 --> 00:18:40,259
[reporter]
October 29th, Black Tuesday.
335
00:18:40,357 --> 00:18:42,594
Stocks collapse
in 16 million share day.
336
00:18:42,692 --> 00:18:45,064
{\an8}You know, this was a seminal
decade in American history.
337
00:18:45,162 --> 00:18:48,367
Something I don't think
any of us can relate to now.
338
00:18:48,466 --> 00:18:51,503
The extent of
the economic destruction
339
00:18:51,602 --> 00:18:55,674
that most families faced
in the 1930s.
340
00:18:55,773 --> 00:18:57,977
[Freeman] At the beginning
of the Great Depression,
341
00:18:58,075 --> 00:19:01,413
the pictures remained
relatively cheap entertainment
342
00:19:01,512 --> 00:19:04,449
and a welcome break
from the misery for the masses.
343
00:19:04,548 --> 00:19:08,087
But to the Warners,
who knew poverty personally,
344
00:19:08,185 --> 00:19:12,524
movies were also a way
to connect with viewers' lives.
345
00:19:12,623 --> 00:19:13,993
[Scorsese] The thing
about Warner Bros. too,
346
00:19:14,091 --> 00:19:16,128
it was like
the working-class studio.
347
00:19:16,225 --> 00:19:17,930
That's not to say
that other studios
were staying away
348
00:19:18,028 --> 00:19:19,398
from working-class life,
349
00:19:19,496 --> 00:19:21,066
but, at Warner Bros.,
350
00:19:21,164 --> 00:19:24,136
it was the banner that they
waved. It was their identity.
351
00:19:24,234 --> 00:19:26,105
{\an8}Well, it's bad news for you.
352
00:19:26,202 --> 00:19:29,641
{\an8}We're cutting down,
and the new men
will have to go.
353
00:19:29,740 --> 00:19:35,280
I took to walking the ties
when my Rolls-Royce broke down.
354
00:19:35,378 --> 00:19:39,218
{\an8}At least we don't have to wait
in line for a bowl of soup like
they do outside.
355
00:19:39,317 --> 00:19:41,181
[man] Why do we stay
in this racket?
356
00:19:41,284 --> 00:19:44,523
{\an8}We ain't going to make enough
out of it to buy ourselves
decent coffins.
357
00:19:44,620 --> 00:19:48,727
[Freeman] To write and produce,
the Warners turned to
Darryl F. Zanuck,
358
00:19:48,826 --> 00:19:51,330
a working-class upstart
like themselves
359
00:19:51,428 --> 00:19:53,265
whose sharp story instincts
360
00:19:53,362 --> 00:19:57,469
had made him
the brothers' chief lieutenant
for more than a decade.
361
00:19:57,567 --> 00:20:00,505
Darryl Zanuck had his ear
to the ground, so to speak,
362
00:20:00,603 --> 00:20:04,709
about what would motivate
an audience to go
and spend their 10 cents,
363
00:20:04,808 --> 00:20:08,647
25 cents for a movie ticket
when money was scarce.
364
00:20:08,747 --> 00:20:10,449
{\an8}Business is pretty good, huh?
365
00:20:10,549 --> 00:20:12,284
{\an8}Yeah, pretty good.
366
00:20:13,184 --> 00:20:14,214
How good?
367
00:20:18,389 --> 00:20:19,724
[indistinct dialogue]
368
00:20:22,893 --> 00:20:25,864
{\an8}Warner Bros. came up
making controversial pictures.
369
00:20:25,963 --> 00:20:28,100
{\an8}And they were willing
to go outside the norm.
370
00:20:28,199 --> 00:20:30,903
{\an8}And they just started with
gangster films.
371
00:20:31,001 --> 00:20:34,974
{\an8}Very gutsy movies that,
let's say, MGM
would never touch.
372
00:20:40,910 --> 00:20:42,781
{\an8}I wish you was
a wishing well,
373
00:20:42,880 --> 00:20:44,984
{\an8}so that I could tie a bucket
to ya and sink ya!
374
00:20:46,350 --> 00:20:48,087
[Scorsese]
The gangster as hero.
375
00:20:48,185 --> 00:20:50,822
People vicariously
want to see the rise,
376
00:20:50,922 --> 00:20:52,691
but they also want
to see the fall.
377
00:20:52,790 --> 00:20:56,061
The Public Enemy
had no sentimentality.
378
00:20:56,159 --> 00:21:00,799
It was the most
uncompromising ending
I had ever seen.
379
00:21:00,897 --> 00:21:03,602
It's just as truthful
as possible
to that world.
380
00:21:03,700 --> 00:21:05,604
The flamboyance,
the swagger,
381
00:21:05,702 --> 00:21:09,674
the exhilaration
of accumulating so much power
and money...
382
00:21:09,773 --> 00:21:12,744
and then things fall apart,
which it always does.
383
00:21:24,020 --> 00:21:27,592
{\an8}Warner Bros. films
became more daring
384
00:21:27,691 --> 00:21:30,595
{\an8}than anyone
had ever envisioned.
385
00:21:30,695 --> 00:21:32,431
They dealt with drugs.
386
00:21:33,898 --> 00:21:35,634
They dealt with prostitution.
387
00:21:37,435 --> 00:21:38,971
Domestic abuse.
388
00:21:39,068 --> 00:21:41,974
[Freeman]
Warner Bros. wasn't just
making movies.
389
00:21:42,067 --> 00:21:44,209
They were changing them.
390
00:21:44,307 --> 00:21:47,746
In contrast with the glossy
musicals coming out of
the other big studios,
391
00:21:48,878 --> 00:21:50,950
they introduced
a brash, new form.
392
00:21:54,718 --> 00:21:57,522
A mash-up of their trademark
tough guys
393
00:21:57,621 --> 00:22:00,592
and a heady dose of spectacle
and song.
394
00:22:03,193 --> 00:22:06,398
{\an8}♪ Naughty, bawdy
Gaudy, sporty ♪
395
00:22:06,497 --> 00:22:11,736
{\an8}♪ 42nd Street! ♪
396
00:22:11,835 --> 00:22:14,673
[Freeman]
The legendary backstage drama
42nd Street,
397
00:22:14,771 --> 00:22:17,776
set behind-the-scenes intrigue
at a Broadway show,
398
00:22:17,874 --> 00:22:21,981
against a picture
of New York ripped from
the city crime sheets.
399
00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:23,848
- All right, I'll tell him.
- Yeah, well...
400
00:22:23,948 --> 00:22:25,317
[woman exclaims]
401
00:22:25,416 --> 00:22:27,119
[Baz Lurhmann] You take
a film like 42nd Street.
402
00:22:27,218 --> 00:22:28,653
I mean, they're
a bit gangster-ish,
403
00:22:28,752 --> 00:22:30,555
{\an8}you know, in their DNA,
the brothers.
404
00:22:30,654 --> 00:22:34,459
{\an8}You know, like,
"Whatever it takes,
let's smash some walls down
405
00:22:34,558 --> 00:22:36,095
and hit the audience
between the eyes."
406
00:22:36,193 --> 00:22:38,998
I was really inspired by a lot
of those early musicals.
407
00:22:40,664 --> 00:22:42,501
♪ Islands, diamonds ♪
408
00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:44,169
♪ Trips round the world ♪
409
00:22:44,268 --> 00:22:48,173
♪ Don't mean a thing
if I ain't your girl ♪
410
00:22:48,272 --> 00:22:49,608
{\an8}♪ A little party ♪
411
00:22:49,708 --> 00:22:52,244
{\an8}♪ Never killed nobody ♪
412
00:22:52,343 --> 00:22:56,415
Gatsby is a very musicalized
gangster movie.
413
00:22:56,514 --> 00:23:00,585
Like, a lot of that
theatrical cinematic language
414
00:23:00,684 --> 00:23:03,422
comes from that period,
comes from the golden era
415
00:23:03,520 --> 00:23:07,960
of where Warners was doing both
musicals and gangster movies.
416
00:23:08,057 --> 00:23:10,329
[Freeman] Warner Bros.
would continue to explode
417
00:23:10,427 --> 00:23:14,900
and remake the musical form
through the end of the 1930s.
418
00:23:14,999 --> 00:23:17,336
The studio's not-so-secret
weapon
419
00:23:17,434 --> 00:23:21,306
was choreographer
and director Busby Berkeley.
420
00:23:21,404 --> 00:23:25,310
[man] Let's look in
on one of the stages
and see a chorus in rehearsal.
421
00:23:25,409 --> 00:23:27,679
Here's Busby Berkeley,
famous dance director
422
00:23:27,778 --> 00:23:31,016
and creator of some of
the screen's greatest
dance spectacles.
423
00:23:32,483 --> 00:23:35,988
{\an8}[upbeat dance music playing]
424
00:23:40,023 --> 00:23:41,994
The moment you start to see
those Busby Berkeley things,
425
00:23:42,093 --> 00:23:44,496
you go like, "What the--
How do you achieve that?"
426
00:23:46,429 --> 00:23:49,668
The kind of layering,
and the scale
and the precision,
427
00:23:49,768 --> 00:23:52,271
like, how do you do it?
428
00:23:52,368 --> 00:23:55,774
[Freeman]
Born in Los Angeles to a pair
of Vaudeville actors,
429
00:23:55,873 --> 00:23:57,709
Berkeley honed his craft
430
00:23:57,807 --> 00:24:00,079
in an entirely different kind
of theater.
431
00:24:00,177 --> 00:24:02,647
[announcer]
Beginning on April 25th, 1915,
432
00:24:02,745 --> 00:24:06,385
the battle for Gallipoli
and the Dardanelles
had begun in earnest.
433
00:24:06,483 --> 00:24:09,354
[Freeman]
As an infantry lieutenant
in World War I,
434
00:24:09,453 --> 00:24:12,291
he ran drills with a thousand
soldiers at a time,
435
00:24:12,390 --> 00:24:15,694
{\an8}practicing intricately
synchronized maneuvers.
436
00:24:25,936 --> 00:24:28,707
The thing about Bus
was that he had the gift
437
00:24:28,805 --> 00:24:31,676
of both being a great
choreographer, of course,
438
00:24:31,775 --> 00:24:33,845
but he's a really great mathematician,
439
00:24:33,944 --> 00:24:38,217
so his ability to work out
the mathematical equation
440
00:24:38,310 --> 00:24:40,319
of both how the dancers move
441
00:24:40,418 --> 00:24:42,054
and the mechanics
of the camera,
442
00:24:42,153 --> 00:24:44,656
like, that was
on another level.
443
00:24:44,755 --> 00:24:46,791
[Freeman]
To show off shapely legs,
444
00:24:46,890 --> 00:24:49,828
Berkeley patented
a revolving stage.
445
00:24:51,227 --> 00:24:54,099
In picture after picture,
he one-upped himself
446
00:24:54,197 --> 00:24:59,138
with kaleidoscopic feats
engineered to make a splash.
447
00:24:59,236 --> 00:25:01,941
[Busby Berkeley]
I rehearse very meticulously
448
00:25:02,039 --> 00:25:03,976
so that everything suits me
449
00:25:04,073 --> 00:25:05,945
and I know that they've got
it just right,
450
00:25:06,042 --> 00:25:08,847
then I tell them I'm going
to start to shoot tomorrow.
451
00:25:08,945 --> 00:25:13,818
{\an8}And I used to have to think and
think and think and think
452
00:25:13,918 --> 00:25:15,454
and try to create something
453
00:25:15,552 --> 00:25:18,590
that would be better
than what I had done before.
454
00:25:18,689 --> 00:25:21,360
And I'd done some
pretty good things before.
455
00:25:21,459 --> 00:25:24,997
[Freeman]
But while Warner musicals
wowed audiences,
456
00:25:25,096 --> 00:25:27,732
the strain on performers mounted.
457
00:25:27,831 --> 00:25:29,368
{\an8}Say, Mr. March, they've been
going all night long.
458
00:25:29,467 --> 00:25:33,205
{\an8}I'll keep them here till they
get it if it takes a week.
459
00:25:33,303 --> 00:25:36,375
You know, in those days,
the dancers would sleep
on the set.
460
00:25:36,473 --> 00:25:39,979
They had cots on the set,
like in your soundstages.
461
00:25:40,076 --> 00:25:44,749
They'd do the numbers and
they'd go over and sleep
for like three hours on cots
462
00:25:44,848 --> 00:25:47,819
because that's how hard
it was to do that.
463
00:25:47,917 --> 00:25:51,356
I mean, that's the level
of physical demand
464
00:25:51,454 --> 00:25:55,227
it took to get that
right, take after take,
working that out.
465
00:25:55,325 --> 00:25:59,231
[Freeman]
Still, not all talent
was easy to keep in line.
466
00:26:00,498 --> 00:26:01,934
George!
467
00:26:02,031 --> 00:26:03,402
[Freeman] Bette Davis was
a relative newcomer
468
00:26:03,501 --> 00:26:05,565
churning her way through
B-grade roles
469
00:26:05,669 --> 00:26:09,541
when she first rebelled
against working conditions
at the studio.
470
00:26:09,640 --> 00:26:11,076
I've never taken orders
from anyone.
471
00:26:11,175 --> 00:26:12,912
As long as I live, I'll never
take orders from anyone.
472
00:26:16,279 --> 00:26:20,352
I'd like to kiss you,
but I just washed my hair. Bye!
473
00:26:20,450 --> 00:26:24,584
[Freeman] Decades later,
well into her reign
as Hollywood royalty,
474
00:26:24,687 --> 00:26:30,395
she described her early
battles with Jack Warner
to director Ron Howard.
475
00:26:30,494 --> 00:26:32,564
[Ron Howard] As I got
to know Bette Davis,
476
00:26:32,663 --> 00:26:38,803
{\an8}you know, I talked about
how much I yearned
for the studio contract days.
477
00:26:38,901 --> 00:26:43,108
Because a director could be
under contract and make
two or three movies a year.
478
00:26:43,207 --> 00:26:46,078
And there was something
that I romanticized about that.
479
00:26:46,176 --> 00:26:48,747
And she said,
"Don't be foolish.
480
00:26:48,845 --> 00:26:51,283
Independence is something
to be cherished.
481
00:26:51,381 --> 00:26:56,488
It took me 14 years
to work off
my seven-year contract
482
00:26:56,585 --> 00:27:00,492
because they kept putting
me on probation because
I was refusing to do roles
483
00:27:00,590 --> 00:27:03,929
that Jack Warner would insist
that I should take."
484
00:27:04,028 --> 00:27:05,697
I know all the angles,
485
00:27:05,796 --> 00:27:09,801
and I think I'm smart enough
to keep one step ahead of them.
486
00:27:09,899 --> 00:27:14,073
[Howard] She said, "One day
they threatened suspension
if I passed on a movie,
487
00:27:14,171 --> 00:27:16,108
so I went
to Jack Warner's office
488
00:27:16,206 --> 00:27:18,710
and I stopped at
the secretary's desk
489
00:27:18,808 --> 00:27:21,280
and she said,
'No, Mr. Warner's busy,
490
00:27:21,378 --> 00:27:23,782
we'll have to set
an appointment,
Miss Davis.'"
491
00:27:23,881 --> 00:27:25,750
She said, "Nonsense."
492
00:27:25,849 --> 00:27:28,853
And went bursting by
the secretary,
went into the office,
493
00:27:28,952 --> 00:27:33,158
and pulled the door open
on his private bathroom.
494
00:27:33,257 --> 00:27:37,897
And he was sitting there
on the toilet, pants down,
495
00:27:37,995 --> 00:27:39,498
reading the newspaper.
496
00:27:39,597 --> 00:27:42,801
[chuckles] And she said,
497
00:27:42,899 --> 00:27:47,472
"I need to talk to you
about this lousy script
that you want me to do."
498
00:27:47,571 --> 00:27:50,609
And he just said,
"Suspended!"
499
00:27:50,707 --> 00:27:53,112
There's only one kind
of a break
we want from you.
500
00:27:53,210 --> 00:27:54,879
And that's to leave us alone
501
00:27:54,978 --> 00:27:57,382
and let us make our living
in our own way.
502
00:27:57,481 --> 00:27:59,484
Or is that asking too much?
503
00:27:59,582 --> 00:28:03,522
[Freeman] Jack Warner's
fights with his stars
made for juicy tidbits
504
00:28:03,620 --> 00:28:05,857
in the Hollywood trades.
505
00:28:06,558 --> 00:28:08,327
Morning.
506
00:28:08,425 --> 00:28:10,896
[Freeman]
But there was a lighter side
to life on the lot.
507
00:28:14,032 --> 00:28:16,902
Hey, you! Come back here!
508
00:28:20,299 --> 00:28:21,907
Oh, hello.
509
00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:24,944
Who do you think you are
driving through here like that?
510
00:28:25,042 --> 00:28:26,979
Why, I'm Porky Pig.
511
00:28:27,077 --> 00:28:29,781
♪ You ought to be
in pictures ♪
512
00:28:29,881 --> 00:28:32,451
♪ You're wonderful to see ♪
513
00:28:32,550 --> 00:28:35,020
[Freeman] Since their
earliest days in the business,
514
00:28:35,118 --> 00:28:40,192
the Warners' strategy for
dealing with economic dry
spells was cross-marketing.
515
00:28:40,291 --> 00:28:43,695
They had purchased
a record company in 1930,
516
00:28:43,793 --> 00:28:47,666
then launched
an animation department
to help sell hit songs.
517
00:28:47,758 --> 00:28:51,670
♪ I love to sing-a about the
moon-a and the June-a
and the spring-a ♪
518
00:28:51,770 --> 00:28:53,472
♪ I love to sing-a ♪
519
00:28:53,570 --> 00:28:55,840
[Freeman]
And promote Warner movies
at the same time.
520
00:28:55,940 --> 00:28:57,776
{\an8}♪ I love to sing-a ♪
521
00:28:57,874 --> 00:29:00,145
{\an8}♪ About the moon-a
and the June-a
and the spring-a ♪
522
00:29:00,244 --> 00:29:01,813
{\an8}♪ I love to sing-a ♪
523
00:29:01,906 --> 00:29:04,984
{\an8}♪ How about
a little celebration ♪
524
00:29:05,082 --> 00:29:08,153
{\an8}♪ To the jingle
of a wedding bell? ♪
525
00:29:08,251 --> 00:29:10,289
♪ This will put you wise
that you get service ♪
526
00:29:10,388 --> 00:29:12,891
♪ In the Honeymoon Hotel ♪
527
00:29:12,990 --> 00:29:16,561
[Freeman]
But when they saw Walt Disney's
success across town...
528
00:29:16,661 --> 00:29:18,263
I am a wabbit!
529
00:29:18,362 --> 00:29:22,101
...Warner animators got serious
about the funny business.
530
00:29:22,199 --> 00:29:24,937
{\an8}They took out full-page,
double-page ads in the trades,
531
00:29:25,035 --> 00:29:28,340
hyping it that this is
the funniest thing,
the greatest music.
532
00:29:28,439 --> 00:29:30,709
Strangely enough,
they weren't lying.
533
00:29:30,807 --> 00:29:34,446
[Freeman]
Cartoons employed not just
an army of visual artists,
534
00:29:34,539 --> 00:29:38,150
but entire symphony orchestras.
535
00:29:38,249 --> 00:29:40,285
[Hans Zimmer] These guys
knew what they were doing.
536
00:29:40,383 --> 00:29:45,357
{\an8}There's not just
an amazing craft in there,
there's art in it.
537
00:29:50,694 --> 00:29:54,266
There's so much anarchy
in this music and so much wit,
538
00:29:54,364 --> 00:29:56,201
and, at the same time,
so much knowledge.
539
00:29:56,300 --> 00:29:59,838
I mean, encyclopedic knowledge
of classical music.
540
00:30:10,347 --> 00:30:12,317
{\an8}For me, Warner Bros.
cartoons were the thing.
541
00:30:12,416 --> 00:30:14,119
{\an8}I mean, they were
more irreverent.
542
00:30:15,820 --> 00:30:17,756
They were funnier.
543
00:30:17,854 --> 00:30:20,960
They just had a much more
of a anarchic sort of feel
to them.
544
00:30:23,259 --> 00:30:27,166
[Freeman] Looney Tunes
kept America laughing
to keep from crying
545
00:30:27,264 --> 00:30:29,401
as the Great Depression deepened.
546
00:30:29,499 --> 00:30:34,073
The hard times hit Hollywood
in 1933 with a wave
of theater closings
547
00:30:34,171 --> 00:30:36,942
that knocked out movie screens
across the country.
548
00:30:38,342 --> 00:30:41,380
The big five studios,
including Warners,
549
00:30:41,478 --> 00:30:45,250
announced a 50% pay cut
across all departments.
550
00:30:47,684 --> 00:30:50,155
Pushback from top talent
was swift.
551
00:30:50,253 --> 00:30:53,725
James Cagney helped form
the Screen Actors Guild.
552
00:30:53,824 --> 00:30:56,828
Darryl Zanuck,
the Warners' right-hand man,
553
00:30:56,926 --> 00:31:00,699
learned the pay cuts
didn't extend to
the brothers themselves,
554
00:31:00,797 --> 00:31:04,069
and left to found
a new competitor,
555
00:31:04,168 --> 00:31:08,507
soon to be known
as 20th Century Fox.
556
00:31:08,605 --> 00:31:12,411
Then, on a breezy evening
in March 1934,
557
00:31:13,310 --> 00:31:16,015
a spark got loose...
558
00:31:16,113 --> 00:31:19,384
in a machine shop
on the Warner backlot.
559
00:31:19,483 --> 00:31:22,554
{\an8}A lot of the vaults
were stocked with nitrate,
560
00:31:22,653 --> 00:31:25,257
{\an8}elements, which, of course
are incredibly flammable.
561
00:31:25,356 --> 00:31:27,492
And before the fire even
got to the film vaults,
562
00:31:27,591 --> 00:31:30,595
the nitrate elements inside,
started to catch fire and burn
563
00:31:30,695 --> 00:31:32,431
just from the heat.
564
00:31:32,531 --> 00:31:33,999
[objects crashing]
565
00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:40,672
[Freeman]
The blaze took the life
of the Warner lot's fire chief
566
00:31:40,771 --> 00:31:45,144
and consumed more than 20 years
of silent era films.
567
00:31:45,242 --> 00:31:48,680
Of Rin Tin Tin
and the Warners' earliest work,
568
00:31:48,779 --> 00:31:50,515
only fragments remained.
569
00:31:52,082 --> 00:31:53,885
But across the globe,
570
00:31:53,985 --> 00:31:56,321
a catastrophe was underway
571
00:31:56,419 --> 00:32:01,760
that would put the brothers
and all of Hollywood
to the test.
572
00:32:01,859 --> 00:32:03,462
[orating in German]
573
00:32:05,996 --> 00:32:07,967
[people cheering]
574
00:32:10,366 --> 00:32:13,973
{\an8}[in English]
Harry was the spokesperson
for the company,
575
00:32:14,072 --> 00:32:16,675
so he traveled to Europe.
576
00:32:16,773 --> 00:32:21,013
He witnessed
the evolution of Hitler.
577
00:32:21,112 --> 00:32:24,383
Concentration camps
were beginning,
578
00:32:24,482 --> 00:32:27,786
and they were calling them
labor camps.
579
00:32:27,885 --> 00:32:30,489
[Zaslav] Germany had changed
the rules to say that
580
00:32:30,588 --> 00:32:33,858
{\an8}no American film company
can do business in Germany
581
00:32:33,957 --> 00:32:37,329
if there are any German Jews
in the film studio.
582
00:32:37,428 --> 00:32:40,299
Jack Warner and Harry made
the decision
583
00:32:40,397 --> 00:32:42,534
that they were going
to pull out of Germany.
584
00:32:44,901 --> 00:32:48,407
{\an8}At the time, the other moguls,
including Louis B. Mayer,
585
00:32:48,506 --> 00:32:50,775
did not want to lose
the German market,
586
00:32:50,875 --> 00:32:53,445
and Harry Warner said...
587
00:32:53,543 --> 00:32:57,682
"There's things that are
more important than money."
588
00:32:57,781 --> 00:33:01,220
[Freeman]
Jack's new second in command,
producer Hal Wallis,
589
00:33:01,317 --> 00:33:05,190
set out to deliver
well-crafted stories
in many genres
590
00:33:05,288 --> 00:33:10,695
and wake Americans up
to the danger rising abroad
and at home.
591
00:33:10,794 --> 00:33:14,934
{\an8}Wallis cast an almost
boyish Humphrey Bogart
as a factory worker
592
00:33:15,031 --> 00:33:20,039
{\an8}seduced by
the violent rhetoric
of white nationalist thugs.
593
00:33:20,136 --> 00:33:22,507
[man] You don't have
to be pushed around
by no foreigners.
594
00:33:22,606 --> 00:33:24,004
There are a lot of guys
in this town,
595
00:33:24,108 --> 00:33:25,877
Americans who feel
just like you and me.
596
00:33:25,976 --> 00:33:29,081
There was a lot of hate
for people that were Black
in America,
597
00:33:29,180 --> 00:33:30,749
for people that were Jewish
in America,
598
00:33:30,848 --> 00:33:34,486
for a lot of the immigrants
that had come to this country.
599
00:33:34,585 --> 00:33:36,922
But they fought through it
and they fought against it,
600
00:33:37,020 --> 00:33:40,525
to try and stand up
for the values of America.
601
00:33:40,624 --> 00:33:42,794
All right, my hearties!
Follow me!
602
00:33:45,896 --> 00:33:49,701
{\an8}[Gregory Nava]
Even in their so-called
escapist swashbucklers,
603
00:33:49,799 --> 00:33:52,071
{\an8}they always had
a social edge to them.
604
00:33:52,168 --> 00:33:54,773
Captain Blood
deals with slavery,
it deals with tyranny.
605
00:33:54,871 --> 00:33:57,009
It deals with bandits
and pirates
606
00:33:57,108 --> 00:33:59,144
overthrowing corrupt places.
607
00:33:59,243 --> 00:34:01,113
Break out those sails,
608
00:34:01,211 --> 00:34:05,550
{\an8}and watch them fill
with the wind that's
carrying us all to freedom!
609
00:34:05,649 --> 00:34:08,187
[Freeman] Warner movies
were pulling in audiences,
610
00:34:08,284 --> 00:34:12,191
but Americans seemed
reluctant to act on the
underlying message.
611
00:34:12,288 --> 00:34:15,427
[Charles Lindbergh]
We believe that the security
of our country
612
00:34:15,525 --> 00:34:19,059
{\an8}lies in the strength and and
character of our own people,
613
00:34:19,163 --> 00:34:22,167
{\an8}and not in fighting
foreign wars.
614
00:34:22,265 --> 00:34:28,107
{\an8}To say that the majority of
Americans were isolationist
is an understatement.
615
00:34:28,206 --> 00:34:29,874
Most people who read the paper
616
00:34:29,973 --> 00:34:33,412
knew that there was
an obvious aggressor in Europe.
617
00:34:33,510 --> 00:34:36,281
Still, most Americans
are unmoved.
618
00:34:38,582 --> 00:34:41,553
The other studios placated Germany,
619
00:34:41,652 --> 00:34:44,523
which had a consul here
in Los Angeles,
620
00:34:44,621 --> 00:34:46,891
who demanded to read scripts
621
00:34:46,990 --> 00:34:49,461
{\an8}and make sure there was
nothing unflattering said
622
00:34:49,559 --> 00:34:52,564
{\an8}about Hitler or Nazism
in general.
623
00:34:52,663 --> 00:34:54,499
[Freeman]
Germany's inside man
624
00:34:54,598 --> 00:34:57,502
reported directly
to Joseph Goebbels,
625
00:34:57,601 --> 00:35:00,739
{\an8}giving the Nazi Minister
of Propaganda
626
00:35:00,833 --> 00:35:03,775
{\an8}final cut on Hollywood movies.
627
00:35:03,873 --> 00:35:06,845
Well, the Warner brothers
weren't going to have it.
628
00:35:06,944 --> 00:35:08,880
And so, in 1939,
629
00:35:08,979 --> 00:35:13,552
they went ahead
and did a film called
Confessions of a Nazi Spy.
630
00:35:16,053 --> 00:35:19,791
[Francis Lederer]
Warner Bros. was
so secretive about that script
631
00:35:19,890 --> 00:35:22,861
{\an8}that they wouldn't send it
to the actor
632
00:35:22,961 --> 00:35:24,196
{\an8}or give it him on the set.
633
00:35:24,295 --> 00:35:26,631
{\an8}No, he had to come
to the studio,
634
00:35:26,730 --> 00:35:30,435
read the script in the office
of the producer.
635
00:35:30,534 --> 00:35:32,837
It was turned down
by several actors
636
00:35:32,936 --> 00:35:36,575
{\an8}who didn't have the courage
to do that.
637
00:35:36,668 --> 00:35:41,380
{\an8}- [interviewer] But why?
- Why? Because
it was anti-Germany.
638
00:35:41,479 --> 00:35:43,382
[Freeman] And they had reason
to be afraid.
639
00:35:43,479 --> 00:35:47,452
{\an8}It is only by knowing
who our enemies are
do we know whom to destroy.
640
00:35:47,551 --> 00:35:49,488
[Freeman]
Actor Edward G. Robinson,
641
00:35:49,586 --> 00:35:51,423
director Anatole Litvak,
642
00:35:51,522 --> 00:35:53,358
and the Warners themselves
643
00:35:53,456 --> 00:35:58,497
were all targets
of death threats during
and after production.
644
00:35:58,595 --> 00:36:00,365
[Zaslav]
When they opened that film,
645
00:36:00,464 --> 00:36:02,234
within the same few weeks,
646
00:36:02,333 --> 00:36:04,736
Madison Square Garden
was sold out
647
00:36:04,835 --> 00:36:08,273
with over 20,000
American Nazis.
648
00:36:08,371 --> 00:36:13,212
[Freeman] German influence
reached all the way
to the Senate floor.
649
00:36:13,309 --> 00:36:20,585
Harry was accused of
making movies that incited
Americans to go to war.
650
00:36:20,684 --> 00:36:24,656
His statement back to this
accusation was,
651
00:36:24,754 --> 00:36:28,994
"No one will ever accuse me
of being anti-American.
652
00:36:29,093 --> 00:36:31,130
I am definitely anti-Nazi.
653
00:36:31,227 --> 00:36:35,500
And no one's going to tell me
what movies I can make."
654
00:36:37,168 --> 00:36:42,807
[sirens blaring]
655
00:36:49,812 --> 00:36:55,420
[Freeman] On December 8th,
1941, the day after
the bombing of Pearl Harbor,
656
00:36:55,519 --> 00:36:58,023
a script analyst
in Hal Wallis' office
657
00:36:58,122 --> 00:37:00,625
picked up a story
about a pair of lovers,
658
00:37:00,724 --> 00:37:05,197
reunited by chance
in a city full of refugees.
659
00:37:05,296 --> 00:37:08,533
♪ You must remember this ♪
660
00:37:08,632 --> 00:37:11,470
♪ A kiss is just a kiss ♪
661
00:37:11,569 --> 00:37:15,235
♪ A sigh is just a sigh ♪
662
00:37:15,339 --> 00:37:17,676
[Freeman]
In November 1942,
663
00:37:17,774 --> 00:37:20,879
less than a year later,
the Warners released a film
664
00:37:20,978 --> 00:37:24,849
that captured the
fundamental question
of its time.
665
00:37:24,948 --> 00:37:27,452
My dear Rick,
when will you realize that,
in this world today,
666
00:37:27,551 --> 00:37:30,589
isolationism is no longer
a practical policy?
667
00:37:30,687 --> 00:37:33,492
♪ And when two lovers woo ♪
668
00:37:33,590 --> 00:37:36,461
♪ They still say I love you ♪
669
00:37:36,560 --> 00:37:41,133
♪ On that you can rely ♪
670
00:37:41,231 --> 00:37:43,835
Casablanca, it's the greatest
studio film ever made.
671
00:37:43,934 --> 00:37:47,339
It's not close. There's no...
Second place is way behind.
672
00:37:48,339 --> 00:37:50,375
Here's looking at you, kid.
673
00:37:50,473 --> 00:37:54,113
[Howard Koch] I always
looked upon Casablanca
a little mystically,
674
00:37:54,211 --> 00:37:56,848
that it had its own reason
for being.
675
00:37:56,947 --> 00:38:00,019
{\an8}It was a picture
the audiences needed.
676
00:38:01,518 --> 00:38:04,556
What it said was that there
were values
677
00:38:04,654 --> 00:38:07,859
that were worth making
sacrifices for.
678
00:38:07,957 --> 00:38:12,097
And it said it in a very
entertaining way.
679
00:38:12,196 --> 00:38:13,832
You despise me, don't you?
680
00:38:13,931 --> 00:38:16,101
If I gave you any thought,
I probably would.
681
00:38:16,199 --> 00:38:19,538
[Freeman]
Fresh from High Sierra
and The Maltese Falcon,
682
00:38:19,636 --> 00:38:22,707
and after years of
playing hard-boiled detectives
683
00:38:22,807 --> 00:38:25,077
and hard-bitten gangsters,
684
00:38:25,175 --> 00:38:28,180
Humphrey Bogart was not
the obvious screen partner
685
00:38:28,279 --> 00:38:29,781
for the divine Ingrid Bergman.
686
00:38:31,481 --> 00:38:34,819
Of all the gin joints
in all the towns
in all the world,
687
00:38:36,120 --> 00:38:37,522
she walks into mine.
688
00:38:39,289 --> 00:38:43,323
[Freeman]
But the biggest gamble
was the script itself.
689
00:38:43,427 --> 00:38:45,397
[Ingrid Bergman]
It's remarkable because,
when we did it,
690
00:38:45,496 --> 00:38:49,329
{\an8}we had no faith in it at all
because the script was so bad.
691
00:38:49,433 --> 00:38:51,703
{\an8}And it was written day by day.
692
00:38:51,802 --> 00:38:53,672
{\an8}There was nothing
clear about it,
693
00:38:53,771 --> 00:38:56,608
and I didn't know which man
I was supposed to really love.
694
00:38:56,707 --> 00:38:58,677
So they say, "Can't you do
the love scenes
695
00:38:58,776 --> 00:39:01,480
just a little in between?
Don't put too much
seriousness in it
696
00:39:01,578 --> 00:39:05,345
because we really
don't know with which man
you're going to end up."
697
00:39:05,449 --> 00:39:08,387
{\an8}In the end, they said,
"We're going
to shoot it both ways."
698
00:39:08,486 --> 00:39:09,888
You're saying this
only to make me go.
699
00:39:09,987 --> 00:39:11,756
I'm saying it
because it's true.
700
00:39:11,856 --> 00:39:13,625
Ilsa, I'm no good
at being noble,
701
00:39:13,724 --> 00:39:16,161
but it doesn't take much
to see that the problems
of three little people
702
00:39:16,259 --> 00:39:19,131
don't amount
to a hill of beans
in this crazy world.
703
00:39:19,229 --> 00:39:23,735
{\an8}[Koch] If Casablanca had
ended with Bogart going
off with Bergman,
704
00:39:23,835 --> 00:39:25,170
the romantic ending,
705
00:39:25,269 --> 00:39:27,739
there wouldn't be
any legend today.
706
00:39:27,838 --> 00:39:30,976
I think that people go back
again and again
707
00:39:31,074 --> 00:39:34,374
to find values they
don't find very easily today.
708
00:39:34,478 --> 00:39:36,015
Are you ready, Ilsa?
709
00:39:36,113 --> 00:39:37,049
Yes, I'm ready.
710
00:39:40,317 --> 00:39:44,656
[Freeman]
But for director Michael Curtiz
and many actors on the set,
711
00:39:44,756 --> 00:39:46,992
the story was personal.
712
00:39:47,091 --> 00:39:49,028
{\an8}When you see
that opening scene
713
00:39:49,127 --> 00:39:51,330
{\an8}and there's this wonderful
tracking shot,
714
00:39:51,427 --> 00:39:55,200
where you can see the
waiters moving around
in the cigarette smoke,
715
00:39:55,299 --> 00:39:58,337
this kind of choreography
of bustle...
716
00:39:58,435 --> 00:40:01,907
- To America.
- To America.
717
00:40:02,006 --> 00:40:03,775
To America.
718
00:40:03,874 --> 00:40:07,379
[Rode] The people who played
all those parts
were Jewish refugees.
719
00:40:07,478 --> 00:40:12,084
Dan Seymour,
the really massive actor
who played the doorman,
720
00:40:12,183 --> 00:40:14,486
he was on set
when Paul Henreid,
721
00:40:14,585 --> 00:40:16,788
as Victor Laszlo,
tells the band
722
00:40:16,887 --> 00:40:18,390
to play La Marseillaise...
723
00:40:18,489 --> 00:40:20,325
Play La Marseillaise. Play it.
724
00:40:20,424 --> 00:40:24,263
And all the French sing it
to drown out the Germans.
725
00:40:24,361 --> 00:40:25,931
[singing in French]
726
00:40:31,468 --> 00:40:34,406
[Rode] And he looked
and the people were crying
727
00:40:34,504 --> 00:40:35,540
and it was real tears.
728
00:40:35,639 --> 00:40:37,910
They were really refugees.
729
00:40:44,415 --> 00:40:47,052
To me, Casablanca...
730
00:40:47,151 --> 00:40:48,087
Get away from that phone.
731
00:40:48,185 --> 00:40:50,189
I would advise you
not to interfere.
732
00:40:50,286 --> 00:40:52,224
I was willing to shoot
Captain Renault, and
I'm willing to shoot you.
733
00:40:52,321 --> 00:40:56,828
...really epitomized
what it meant to be
on the right side...
734
00:40:58,696 --> 00:41:03,735
in a world
so distinctly divided
between good and evil.
735
00:41:03,834 --> 00:41:08,207
Louis, I think this is
the beginning
of a beautiful friendship.
736
00:41:10,841 --> 00:41:14,914
{\an8}[Freeman]
Hal Wallis and Michael Curtiz
turned out other popular
737
00:41:15,012 --> 00:41:17,182
patriotic movies throughout
the war...
738
00:41:20,084 --> 00:41:23,422
but none garnered more glory
739
00:41:23,521 --> 00:41:25,857
than Casablanca.
740
00:41:25,956 --> 00:41:29,228
The film was nominated
for eight Academy Awards,
741
00:41:29,325 --> 00:41:33,966
proving the brothers
had arrived
at Hollywood immortality.
742
00:41:34,064 --> 00:41:36,969
{\an8}Commercial success was not
enough for the Warner brothers.
743
00:41:37,068 --> 00:41:39,304
They also wanted prestige,
744
00:41:39,402 --> 00:41:44,443
and that came in the form
of Academy Awards
and other citations.
745
00:41:44,541 --> 00:41:46,078
[Freeman]
But Curtiz and the cast
746
00:41:46,177 --> 00:41:49,982
credited Hal Wallis
for the film's success,
747
00:41:50,080 --> 00:41:53,018
rankling Jack Warner's pride.
748
00:41:53,116 --> 00:41:55,754
[Rode] And this whole thing
reached critical mass
749
00:41:55,854 --> 00:41:57,722
at the 1944 Oscars,
750
00:41:57,821 --> 00:42:00,960
when Casablanca won
the Best Picture Oscar.
751
00:42:01,059 --> 00:42:03,562
Hal Wallis goes
to accept his Oscar,
752
00:42:03,660 --> 00:42:05,464
and he's sitting in a row
with the Warners,
753
00:42:05,562 --> 00:42:09,234
and they put their legs out
and blocked him
from going up there.
754
00:42:09,333 --> 00:42:12,972
And Jack Warner ran up
and took the Oscar
from Jack Benny.
755
00:42:15,905 --> 00:42:22,047
Hal Wallis said,
25 years later,
he could still feel the rage.
756
00:42:22,145 --> 00:42:25,150
{\an8}Jack really should have let
Hal Wallis accept the Oscar.
757
00:42:25,249 --> 00:42:26,986
{\an8}And you know what
Hal Wallis would've done?
758
00:42:27,084 --> 00:42:29,154
{\an8}He would've thanked his boss,
Jack Warner.
759
00:42:32,155 --> 00:42:34,393
The youngest Warner
was fixated on
760
00:42:34,491 --> 00:42:36,761
promoting the family brand,
761
00:42:36,861 --> 00:42:39,031
specifically his own.
762
00:42:39,130 --> 00:42:41,233
Jack Warner is my
step-grandfather.
763
00:42:41,326 --> 00:42:42,534
{\an8}He was a grandfather to me.
764
00:42:42,633 --> 00:42:44,369
{\an8}I never used the word
step-grandfather.
765
00:42:44,468 --> 00:42:48,707
{\an8}And I knew him till he died
when I was about 24.
766
00:42:48,807 --> 00:42:51,410
He was a ringmaster.
767
00:42:51,508 --> 00:42:53,045
Whenever you were around him,
768
00:42:53,142 --> 00:42:56,148
he would hold court
and take up all the oxygen.
769
00:42:56,246 --> 00:42:58,918
[man]
Are you interested in the men
who make your films?
770
00:42:59,015 --> 00:43:01,987
Well, here's a whole plane full
of them arriving from America.
771
00:43:02,086 --> 00:43:04,556
Mr. Clifford Work of Universal,
772
00:43:04,654 --> 00:43:07,326
Mr. Harry Cohn of Columbia,
and Mr. Jack Warner,
773
00:43:07,425 --> 00:43:09,294
being emphatic at the end of
the line.
774
00:43:09,393 --> 00:43:11,830
[Freeman]
On top of his medal
from the Academy,
775
00:43:11,928 --> 00:43:14,666
Jack got his stripes
as a lieutenant colonel
776
00:43:14,766 --> 00:43:16,268
after Warner Bros. trained
777
00:43:16,367 --> 00:43:19,939
and launched the first
US Army Motion Picture Unit.
778
00:43:21,105 --> 00:43:23,342
And in the darkest days
of the war,
779
00:43:23,439 --> 00:43:26,979
Colonel Warner and his
brother Harry were
summoned to Washington,
780
00:43:27,076 --> 00:43:32,051
where President Roosevelt
himself tasked them
with a serious mission.
781
00:43:32,148 --> 00:43:36,922
Make a movie that would
help Americans trust
their Soviet allies.
782
00:43:37,020 --> 00:43:39,658
Here, Russian soldiers keep up
the year-old fight
783
00:43:39,758 --> 00:43:42,661
against the despised Nazi.
784
00:43:42,758 --> 00:43:47,266
[Freeman] Based closely
on the memoir of former
Ambassador Joseph E. Davies,
785
00:43:47,364 --> 00:43:51,336
Mission to Moscow
painted a flattering picture
of life in Russia.
786
00:43:52,797 --> 00:43:54,573
What do you think
of today's demonstration?
787
00:43:54,672 --> 00:43:56,808
{\an8}I'll tell you how I feel. That
at least one European nation
788
00:43:56,907 --> 00:43:59,578
{\an8}with no aggressive intentions
is ready for anything
that comes.
789
00:43:59,677 --> 00:44:01,046
And I say thank God for it.
790
00:44:01,140 --> 00:44:02,847
Hear, hear!
791
00:44:02,946 --> 00:44:06,451
[man] Jack Warner looked
at it as, "Hey, this is
just a pro-Allied,
792
00:44:06,550 --> 00:44:09,154
pro-America movie
that we're making here...
793
00:44:09,253 --> 00:44:11,256
...because we want
to win the war."
794
00:44:11,355 --> 00:44:13,025
[Freeman] Service
to their country
795
00:44:13,122 --> 00:44:16,656
became the official
Warner brand in 1944,
796
00:44:16,761 --> 00:44:18,397
with the new company motto,
797
00:44:18,495 --> 00:44:22,101
"Combining good citizenship
with good picture making."
798
00:44:22,200 --> 00:44:25,304
But just a few years later,
Mission to Moscow
799
00:44:25,402 --> 00:44:28,207
would prove to be
a political landmine.
800
00:44:28,304 --> 00:44:30,475
[announcer]
The growing menace of
communism arouses
801
00:44:30,573 --> 00:44:34,246
the House of Representatives
Un-American
Activities Committee.
802
00:44:34,345 --> 00:44:36,315
[Freeman]
In October of 1947,
803
00:44:36,413 --> 00:44:39,084
with a new administration
in the White House,
804
00:44:39,183 --> 00:44:41,753
the Warners were again
called to Washington.
805
00:44:42,620 --> 00:44:43,989
Meeting will come to order.
806
00:44:44,088 --> 00:44:46,358
This time, to testify,
807
00:44:46,457 --> 00:44:50,129
before the House Committee
on Un-American Activities.
808
00:44:52,796 --> 00:44:55,067
[Rode]
When the Red Scare started,
809
00:44:55,164 --> 00:44:58,603
Mission to Moscow was used
as exhibit number one
810
00:44:58,702 --> 00:45:04,643
that Hollywood is infiltrated
by communists.
811
00:45:04,741 --> 00:45:07,612
[Freeman]
Harry Warner rejected
the committee's claims
812
00:45:07,712 --> 00:45:11,283
and refused to appear.
813
00:45:11,381 --> 00:45:15,220
While Warner stars
gathered outside
to protest proceedings,
814
00:45:16,687 --> 00:45:18,757
Jack Warner cooperated.
815
00:45:18,855 --> 00:45:22,361
My brothers and I will be happy
to subscribe generously
816
00:45:22,460 --> 00:45:24,329
to a pest removal fund.
817
00:45:24,428 --> 00:45:27,299
We are willing to establish
such a fund to ship to Russia
818
00:45:27,398 --> 00:45:30,903
{\an8}the people who don't like
our American system
of government.
819
00:45:31,001 --> 00:45:35,607
{\an8}Now, the other thing
about HUAC is you had
people on that committee
820
00:45:35,707 --> 00:45:37,776
like Representative Rankin
821
00:45:37,869 --> 00:45:40,445
{\an8}who were out-and-out
anti-Semites.
822
00:45:40,543 --> 00:45:43,949
{\an8}And many of the studio
heads, such as the
Warners, were Jewish.
823
00:45:44,048 --> 00:45:45,717
And so there was a fear factor.
824
00:45:45,816 --> 00:45:49,354
"The government could take away
everything that we built."
825
00:45:49,452 --> 00:45:55,727
Jack's reaction to that
was I think,
politely put, cowardly.
826
00:45:55,826 --> 00:46:00,065
{\an8}[Freeman]
Among the writers Jack named
were Philip and Julius Epstein
827
00:46:00,164 --> 00:46:04,669
{\an8}and Howard Koch,
authors of Casablanca.
828
00:46:04,768 --> 00:46:08,974
{\an8}Blacklisted in Hollywood
and unable to find work
in America,
829
00:46:09,072 --> 00:46:12,744
Koch moved to England,
where he wrote
under a pseudonym
830
00:46:12,843 --> 00:46:14,879
for the next five years.
831
00:46:16,247 --> 00:46:18,850
[Cass]
That was an ugly, ugly time.
832
00:46:18,949 --> 00:46:24,056
The golden years of Hollywood,
kind of disappeared after that
833
00:46:24,154 --> 00:46:26,358
because people
couldn't trust each other.
834
00:46:29,992 --> 00:46:34,199
[Freeman] Jack's reputation
was already in the dirt
with many in the industry.
835
00:46:35,366 --> 00:46:37,569
Jack Warner was the dictator,
836
00:46:37,667 --> 00:46:40,973
and he wanted actors to be
in the movies that
he wanted 'em to be in.
837
00:46:41,070 --> 00:46:46,345
[Freeman] Years before,
Bette Davis had sued the
studio for breach of contract
838
00:46:46,444 --> 00:46:47,512
and lost.
839
00:46:47,611 --> 00:46:52,051
{\an8}But another icon
had Jack in her sights.
840
00:46:52,148 --> 00:46:54,419
[Rode] Now, Olivia de Havilland
was so depressed
841
00:46:54,518 --> 00:46:56,816
at batting her eyes at Errol
Flynn all the time.
842
00:46:56,920 --> 00:46:58,657
She wanted to do
more meaningful work.
843
00:46:58,757 --> 00:46:59,758
She couldn't.
844
00:46:59,857 --> 00:47:02,594
So she sued Warner Bros.,
845
00:47:02,693 --> 00:47:06,465
on the basis that
she had signed
a seven-year contract.
846
00:47:06,563 --> 00:47:09,868
{\an8}But every time
she refused a picture,
847
00:47:09,967 --> 00:47:11,831
and didn't go to work...
848
00:47:11,935 --> 00:47:16,275
...they added
that amount of time
onto the seven years.
849
00:47:16,373 --> 00:47:17,977
{\an8}[interviewer]
How did you fight?
850
00:47:18,069 --> 00:47:21,113
{\an8}I went to court and I got free
from the contract.
851
00:47:21,211 --> 00:47:22,481
{\an8}That was the first thing.
852
00:47:22,580 --> 00:47:25,750
{\an8}She won the case
I had in England in America.
853
00:47:25,849 --> 00:47:29,421
{\an8}And she is totally responsible
for the seven-year limitation
854
00:47:29,520 --> 00:47:32,257
{\an8}on every actor's
contract today.
855
00:47:32,356 --> 00:47:35,027
Olivia did this in America.
856
00:47:35,125 --> 00:47:39,631
[Freeman] The de Havilland case
ended mandatory
contract extensions
857
00:47:39,729 --> 00:47:43,168
and would lead to an exodus
of top stars from the lot.
858
00:47:45,269 --> 00:47:47,439
{\an8}Among them,
Lauren Bacall...
859
00:47:48,539 --> 00:47:49,374
{\an8}Thanks.
860
00:47:50,207 --> 00:47:52,111
{\an8}...and Humphrey Bogart.
861
00:47:52,209 --> 00:47:53,678
{\an8}At the same time,
862
00:47:53,777 --> 00:47:57,249
the Justice Department
struck at the architecture
863
00:47:57,347 --> 00:47:59,284
of the Hollywood system itself.
864
00:47:59,383 --> 00:48:01,453
What really cracked
the studio system
865
00:48:01,552 --> 00:48:04,924
was the lawsuit predicated
on the Sherman Antitrust Act,
866
00:48:05,021 --> 00:48:07,927
where the studios
were controlling
the making of movies,
867
00:48:08,025 --> 00:48:12,364
and also the exhibition
of movies
with their theater chains.
868
00:48:12,462 --> 00:48:15,267
[Freeman]
Forced to spin off more
than 1,000 theaters
869
00:48:15,365 --> 00:48:19,138
and confronted with
the widening hole
in their revenue,
870
00:48:19,231 --> 00:48:22,474
the Warners could not hide
from the grim truth.
871
00:48:22,573 --> 00:48:25,978
Their studio
was no longer on top.
872
00:48:26,076 --> 00:48:32,417
The difference between what
Warner Bros. made between 1946
and 1952 is stunning.
873
00:48:32,516 --> 00:48:35,320
[Freeman]
The brothers were
increasingly at odds.
874
00:48:35,419 --> 00:48:38,423
I mean, Harry was
11 years older than Jack,
875
00:48:38,522 --> 00:48:41,994
which is almost a generation difference.
876
00:48:42,093 --> 00:48:44,496
Jack liked wine, women
and song.
877
00:48:44,594 --> 00:48:46,798
Harry was," You need
to stay home at night
878
00:48:46,897 --> 00:48:49,434
and be with your family.
Family's everything."
879
00:48:49,533 --> 00:48:51,770
The two of them
could not coexist.
880
00:48:51,868 --> 00:48:54,673
[Freeman]
And they were face to face
with a competitor
881
00:48:54,771 --> 00:48:57,576
that could break the world
as they knew it.
882
00:48:59,310 --> 00:49:00,879
[man]
One day, through television,
883
00:49:00,978 --> 00:49:03,715
the entire world will stream
into our living rooms
884
00:49:03,815 --> 00:49:05,817
with the velocity of light.
885
00:49:05,916 --> 00:49:10,951
[Freeman] In 1950,
3.8 million American families
had television sets.
886
00:49:11,054 --> 00:49:14,759
[man] Well, it's quite a story,
the story of television.
887
00:49:14,859 --> 00:49:16,395
[Freeman] By 1955,
888
00:49:16,493 --> 00:49:19,631
the number had grown
to 30 million.
889
00:49:19,730 --> 00:49:23,002
When TV came, they tried to
pretend that TV didn't exist.
890
00:49:23,099 --> 00:49:26,438
Mr. Warner, you're quoted
as saying the cinema industry
had nothing to fear
891
00:49:26,536 --> 00:49:29,008
from television. Now, do you
still hold that view?
892
00:49:29,106 --> 00:49:30,809
Yes, I positively do.
893
00:49:30,908 --> 00:49:32,477
{\an8}He hated television
so much,
894
00:49:32,576 --> 00:49:35,614
{\an8}he refused to have a TV in his
own house or in his office.
895
00:49:35,713 --> 00:49:37,049
Television was a threat.
896
00:49:37,142 --> 00:49:38,717
And now I'd like to show you
several scenes,
897
00:49:38,815 --> 00:49:41,353
from our CinemaScope pictures
already completed.
898
00:49:41,451 --> 00:49:43,255
They tried every means imaginable
899
00:49:43,354 --> 00:49:46,525
to lure people back
into movie theaters.
900
00:49:46,624 --> 00:49:49,861
CinemaScope,
stereophonic sound,
901
00:49:49,961 --> 00:49:51,630
3D.
902
00:49:51,728 --> 00:49:54,299
[Freeman] Warner Bros.
tested new talent, too.
903
00:49:55,066 --> 00:49:56,301
With better results.
904
00:49:56,400 --> 00:49:57,869
{\an8}♪ I'm in love, I'm in love ♪
905
00:49:57,969 --> 00:49:59,804
{\an8}♪ I'm in love, I'm in love ♪
906
00:49:59,904 --> 00:50:01,406
{\an8}♪ I'm in love ♪
907
00:50:01,501 --> 00:50:04,709
{\an8}Hey, Stella!
908
00:50:04,809 --> 00:50:06,278
{\an8}Brando was real,
909
00:50:06,376 --> 00:50:09,481
{\an8}and you felt
a real feeling from him.
910
00:50:09,580 --> 00:50:11,750
He had tapped
into something personal.
911
00:50:11,848 --> 00:50:13,718
You could connect
to it more.
912
00:50:13,817 --> 00:50:15,887
{\an8}It looks to me like
you've been swindled, baby.
913
00:50:15,986 --> 00:50:18,257
{\an8}And when you get swindled,
under Napoleonic Code,
I get swindled too.
914
00:50:18,355 --> 00:50:20,092
And I don't like
to get swindled.
915
00:50:20,189 --> 00:50:24,463
{\an8}When he came along,
everybody thought he was
the cat's rear end.
916
00:50:24,561 --> 00:50:27,366
{\an8}And he was.
He was good.
917
00:50:27,459 --> 00:50:30,702
[announcer]
Produced for television
by Warner Bros.
918
00:50:30,801 --> 00:50:33,538
{\an8}[Freeman]
Though Jack would eventually
give in to TV,
919
00:50:33,637 --> 00:50:36,275
{\an8}and find a lucrative
income stream
920
00:50:36,374 --> 00:50:37,977
{\an8}with serialized westerns,
921
00:50:38,074 --> 00:50:41,213
{\an8}the brothers still believed
in the magic of the big screen.
922
00:50:42,813 --> 00:50:45,484
Their hopes rested
on a blazing young actor
923
00:50:45,581 --> 00:50:51,190
{\an8}who touched a nerve
to a growing generational
divide in the mid-'50s.
924
00:50:53,958 --> 00:50:55,560
{\an8}- Eight.
- You have no repentance.
925
00:50:55,659 --> 00:50:58,830
{\an8}You're bad.
Through and through bad.
926
00:50:58,929 --> 00:51:01,033
[Scorsese] James Dean,
widescreen color.
927
00:51:01,131 --> 00:51:03,468
The struggle between
the father and the sons.
928
00:51:03,563 --> 00:51:04,603
Stop it now!
929
00:51:04,702 --> 00:51:05,770
The mother.
930
00:51:05,869 --> 00:51:07,572
- I was very beautiful once.
- Yes, ma'am.
931
00:51:07,671 --> 00:51:10,309
East of Eden was a film
that I revisited constantly,
932
00:51:10,402 --> 00:51:13,245
and lived through because I was
living through it myself.
933
00:51:13,344 --> 00:51:14,879
{\an8}I can't keep to myself anymore.
934
00:51:14,978 --> 00:51:17,016
{\an8}Well, you just get it
off your chest, son.
935
00:51:17,114 --> 00:51:20,452
{\an8}That's it.
That is not what I mean.
936
00:51:20,550 --> 00:51:23,488
[Freeman] East of Eden
and Rebel Without a Cause
937
00:51:23,587 --> 00:51:26,558
left indelible marks
on the cinema.
938
00:51:26,656 --> 00:51:32,564
But Dean would die tragically
before his third Warner
movie was complete.
939
00:51:39,203 --> 00:51:41,573
{\an8}[gunshot]
940
00:51:41,672 --> 00:51:45,310
Box office hits were few
and far between.
941
00:51:45,408 --> 00:51:50,715
To the elder Warners,
it seemed the time
had come to move on.
942
00:51:51,916 --> 00:51:53,385
{\an8}Jack did not want to retire,
943
00:51:53,484 --> 00:51:56,155
{\an8}and it was Harry and Albert
who were getting older.
944
00:51:56,252 --> 00:51:58,523
And people were always coming
to the studio saying,
945
00:51:58,622 --> 00:52:00,492
"We want to buy out
your stock."
946
00:52:00,590 --> 00:52:04,463
And so Harry and Albert
were happy to retire
if all of them retired.
947
00:52:04,561 --> 00:52:06,431
Jack knew he could
not be president.
948
00:52:06,530 --> 00:52:08,433
Harry would not allow that.
949
00:52:08,532 --> 00:52:10,502
I think it was a family thing.
950
00:52:10,601 --> 00:52:13,005
They grew up with a mandate,
951
00:52:13,104 --> 00:52:14,706
"All for one and one for all."
952
00:52:14,805 --> 00:52:17,242
Harry was very dedicated
to that.
953
00:52:17,341 --> 00:52:18,843
And Jack didn't like it.
954
00:52:21,077 --> 00:52:25,084
[Jack] My brothers and I
have been in the cinema
industry for about 50 years.
955
00:52:25,182 --> 00:52:27,987
{\an8}Jack devised
a very clever way
956
00:52:28,084 --> 00:52:31,490
to finally gain
complete control
of Warner Bros.
957
00:52:31,588 --> 00:52:34,426
If the Lehman Brothers,
or Louis Lurie, are listening,
958
00:52:34,519 --> 00:52:37,429
we're still open for an offer,
but this time, with money.
959
00:52:37,527 --> 00:52:42,067
[Muller] He found an outfit
that he could sell
the studio to.
960
00:52:42,166 --> 00:52:43,435
I think I'll blow by this.
961
00:52:43,534 --> 00:52:45,337
It's something to do
with selling the joints.
962
00:52:45,436 --> 00:52:48,440
He told Harry,
"Let's get out. We're done.
963
00:52:48,539 --> 00:52:51,376
The business is changing,"
and so forth.
964
00:52:51,474 --> 00:52:57,482
And they said, "Well,
we'll do that as long as
you sell your shares as well."
965
00:52:57,581 --> 00:52:59,985
Not unless you want
to break your neck.
966
00:53:00,083 --> 00:53:03,155
[Muller] So they were all going
to sell and get out,
967
00:53:03,253 --> 00:53:05,357
but Jack betrayed them
968
00:53:05,455 --> 00:53:08,593
by making a deal
with the buyer under the table.
969
00:53:08,692 --> 00:53:10,862
He gave the guy
a million bucks,
970
00:53:10,961 --> 00:53:13,498
and the guy sold
the studio back to him.
971
00:53:16,533 --> 00:53:20,639
Next thing Harry knew
is that he read in the trades
972
00:53:20,737 --> 00:53:22,975
that Jack was going
to be president.
973
00:53:25,276 --> 00:53:27,947
Him reading that
in the trades
974
00:53:28,045 --> 00:53:30,682
gave him a heart attack
and a stroke.
975
00:53:30,781 --> 00:53:33,718
It literally...
It broke his heart
976
00:53:35,018 --> 00:53:39,424
because he trusted Jack
so much.
977
00:53:43,027 --> 00:53:44,663
Jack's name was mud.
978
00:53:44,763 --> 00:53:47,332
You could not talk about Jack.
979
00:53:50,900 --> 00:53:53,005
[Maltin] What can you say
about that transaction?
980
00:53:54,538 --> 00:53:55,975
The ultimate shell game
981
00:53:56,072 --> 00:53:59,278
that not only betrays
your older brother,
982
00:54:00,411 --> 00:54:03,515
but sends him
to an early grave.
983
00:54:03,614 --> 00:54:06,151
[Freeman]
Jack didn't attend the funeral.
984
00:54:06,250 --> 00:54:10,089
Albert Warner
never spoke to Jack again.
985
00:54:10,188 --> 00:54:13,725
[Zaslav] In the end,
the family fell apart.
986
00:54:13,824 --> 00:54:16,195
Everything's possible
in Hollywood here,
987
00:54:16,293 --> 00:54:18,197
and they had
incredible success,
988
00:54:18,295 --> 00:54:22,467
and sometimes it can
be corrupting,
that kind of success.
989
00:54:24,033 --> 00:54:28,773
Jack, he got a chance to be
the guy that got to run it all,
990
00:54:30,641 --> 00:54:33,878
but he broke his promise
to his dad.
991
00:54:37,381 --> 00:54:39,518
[Freeman]
It was 1958,
992
00:54:39,616 --> 00:54:42,854
and Jack had all the power.
993
00:54:42,953 --> 00:54:48,093
But the lot was a ghost
of its former self.
994
00:54:48,192 --> 00:54:50,395
In a bid
to recapture better days,
995
00:54:50,494 --> 00:54:52,898
and refill the company coffers,
996
00:54:52,996 --> 00:54:56,936
he put his faith in an old
Warner standby.
997
00:54:57,034 --> 00:55:00,906
{\an8}♪ We got trouble!
Right here in River City! ♪
998
00:55:01,000 --> 00:55:01,907
[Freeman] Musicals.
999
00:55:02,006 --> 00:55:03,675
{\an8}♪ Let a woman in your life ♪
1000
00:55:03,774 --> 00:55:06,611
{\an8}♪ And your serenity
is through ♪
1001
00:55:06,710 --> 00:55:09,681
{\an8}♪ She'll redecorate your home
from the cellar to the dome ♪
1002
00:55:09,774 --> 00:55:13,485
♪ Then go on to the enthralling
fun of overhauling you ♪
1003
00:55:13,584 --> 00:55:15,020
{\an8}♪ How goes the final hour ♪
1004
00:55:15,119 --> 00:55:16,922
{\an8}♪ As he sees
the bridal bower ♪
1005
00:55:17,020 --> 00:55:22,461
{\an8}♪ Everything's coming up
roses ♪
1006
00:55:22,559 --> 00:55:29,834
♪ For me and for you ♪
1007
00:55:29,933 --> 00:55:32,004
[Freeman] There was some
notable high points.
1008
00:55:32,102 --> 00:55:36,141
The best picture of the year
is My Fair Lady.
1009
00:55:36,240 --> 00:55:37,809
Jack L. Warner.
1010
00:55:42,279 --> 00:55:46,851
I am indeed gratified
to be here tonight
to accept this high award.
1011
00:55:46,950 --> 00:55:49,288
It's something we will
always be proud of.
1012
00:55:49,387 --> 00:55:50,489
Thank you.
1013
00:55:52,021 --> 00:55:54,193
{\an8}[Scorsese] The last flowering
of the old studio system
1014
00:55:54,292 --> 00:55:57,462
{\an8}was happening with these
big-budget musicals.
1015
00:55:57,561 --> 00:56:00,265
{\an8}And some of these pictures
were very beautifully made,
1016
00:56:00,364 --> 00:56:02,362
{\an8}but they had a kind of decorum
1017
00:56:02,461 --> 00:56:05,737
{\an8}that was a holdover
from an earlier era.
1018
00:56:05,836 --> 00:56:09,674
{\an8}Have you jousted
with humility lately?
1019
00:56:09,772 --> 00:56:13,979
{\an8}[Jack] Our films are great,
and they still are great,
and they'll be greater.
1020
00:56:14,077 --> 00:56:18,083
I think the American producers
have learned to stop aping
1021
00:56:18,182 --> 00:56:21,220
the Italian and the French
and the Spanish,
1022
00:56:21,317 --> 00:56:27,359
and other undesirable films
that have art
and all that hokey-pokey.
1023
00:56:27,457 --> 00:56:29,194
[Freeman]
All alone at the top,
1024
00:56:29,293 --> 00:56:32,797
Jack felt the ground
shifting underneath him.
1025
00:56:32,896 --> 00:56:34,499
And the country
was really changing.
1026
00:56:34,598 --> 00:56:36,035
I mean,
you're talking mid-'60s.
1027
00:56:36,132 --> 00:56:38,137
The Civil Rights Movement,
the Vietnam War,
1028
00:56:38,234 --> 00:56:41,974
{\an8}student opposition
and the growing presence
of rock music.
1029
00:56:42,071 --> 00:56:48,180
{\an8}This kind of moviemaking
looked old and past its time.
1030
00:56:48,278 --> 00:56:51,183
[Gregory]
Jack's without the support
he had in the '30s and '40s.
1031
00:56:51,282 --> 00:56:53,618
He doesn't have the great
production executives,
1032
00:56:53,718 --> 00:56:55,554
who ran the place for him.
1033
00:56:55,652 --> 00:56:58,523
He doesn't have
the movie stars under contract
like he had before.
1034
00:56:58,621 --> 00:57:01,660
He makes deals with these
independent producers
who come to him,
1035
00:57:01,758 --> 00:57:05,864
{\an8}but he doesn't have
the same involvement or
the power to oversee it.
1036
00:57:09,532 --> 00:57:13,305
[Freeman] When a hungry,
young actor-producer named
Warren Beatty came to the lot
1037
00:57:13,404 --> 00:57:17,609
to shoot a rags-to-riches
gangster film set in the 1930s,
1038
00:57:18,376 --> 00:57:19,979
Jack could not relate.
1039
00:57:23,281 --> 00:57:24,116
Sheriff!
1040
00:57:27,851 --> 00:57:30,322
[Maltin] When he got wind of
Bonnie and Clyde,
1041
00:57:30,421 --> 00:57:32,024
and the level of violence,
1042
00:57:34,291 --> 00:57:35,594
he was not happy.
1043
00:57:41,198 --> 00:57:42,834
{\an8}Okay.
1044
00:57:42,927 --> 00:57:44,703
{\an8}[Tony Gilroy] You just read
about how difficult it was
1045
00:57:44,801 --> 00:57:46,371
{\an8}for them to get it
to the screen,
1046
00:57:46,470 --> 00:57:48,540
{\an8}but when they finally do,
it became
this cultural phenomenon.
1047
00:57:48,639 --> 00:57:50,375
{\an8}When you're a 12-year-old kid,
it's just everywhere.
I mean, it's...
1048
00:57:50,474 --> 00:57:52,511
It's not just the Mad
magazine parody.
1049
00:57:52,609 --> 00:57:54,546
It's on the cover
of everything,
1050
00:57:54,643 --> 00:57:56,181
and every girl at school
is trying to look
like Faye Dunaway.
1051
00:57:56,280 --> 00:57:58,918
It just was everywhere.
1052
00:57:59,015 --> 00:58:03,355
[Freeman] The movie was
the stuff the Warners' dreams
were once made of.
1053
00:58:03,454 --> 00:58:07,726
{\an8}But Jack could not see himself
in the renegades on screen,
1054
00:58:07,825 --> 00:58:09,794
{\an8}or the rebels
behind the camera.
1055
00:58:09,893 --> 00:58:13,865
{\an8}The memos from Jack Warner
in his later years
are full of frustration.
1056
00:58:13,964 --> 00:58:16,401
"No one ever listens
to me. I told you
not to do it this way.
1057
00:58:16,500 --> 00:58:19,071
Don't go off the lot.
Don't do this.
Don't do that."
1058
00:58:19,164 --> 00:58:21,006
And people just shrug
1059
00:58:21,104 --> 00:58:24,176
and keep doing what
they're doing 'cause they're
trying to make their movie.
1060
00:58:24,274 --> 00:58:27,913
[Freeman]
In 1967, he struck a deal
to sell his shares
1061
00:58:28,012 --> 00:58:30,149
to an ambitious production company
1062
00:58:30,248 --> 00:58:32,684
trying to make it
to the big leagues.
1063
00:58:32,783 --> 00:58:34,753
Seven Arts.
1064
00:58:34,852 --> 00:58:40,859
The story of the studio
had rolled past the family
that founded it.
1065
00:58:40,958 --> 00:58:42,694
The day my grandfather's
leaving the studio,
1066
00:58:42,793 --> 00:58:45,497
Francis Ford Coppola
was on the lot,
1067
00:58:45,595 --> 00:58:47,599
{\an8}shooting Finian's Rainbow.
1068
00:58:47,699 --> 00:58:49,334
{\an8}And standing with him
1069
00:58:49,433 --> 00:58:52,938
was a young guy
named George Lucas
helping him.
1070
00:58:53,036 --> 00:58:57,042
So it really was a transfer
of generational moviemaking.
1071
00:58:57,141 --> 00:59:00,012
{\an8}You almost wonder if they
figuratively or literally
1072
00:59:00,109 --> 00:59:02,281
{\an8}passed each other in the gate
like two big ships.
1073
00:59:02,379 --> 00:59:05,584
{\an8}One going off into the sunset
and one going into the sunrise.
1074
00:59:05,682 --> 00:59:08,720
Kind of the end
of the first act
of Hollywood history
1075
00:59:08,820 --> 00:59:10,822
and the beginning
of the second.
1076
00:59:10,921 --> 00:59:14,359
{\an8}[Freeman] The old power
structure had crumbled.
1077
00:59:14,457 --> 00:59:17,662
{\an8}What took its place
would decide
the fate of the company...
1078
00:59:17,762 --> 00:59:19,064
{\an8}Action!
1079
00:59:19,163 --> 00:59:21,866
{\an8}...and the future of the industry.