Edie and Lew Wasserman and Their Entertainment Empire (Carroll & Graf, 2004) is the scintillating tale of how super-agent Lew Wasserman, captain of MCA’s stable of stars and champion of Universal’s blockbusters, and his politically shrewd wife, Edie, created Hollywood as we know it today. It includes stories of actors Jimmy Stewart, Barbara Stanwyck, and John Belushi; directors Billy Wilder, George Lucas and Alfred Hitchcock; industry leaders Roy Brewer, Jim Petrillo and Jack Valenti; and the politicos within the Kennedy, Reagan and the Clinton families, all of whom played roles in elevating Hollywood’s first conglomerate, Universal Studios.
The Reviews:
“Dramatic and enthralling, Lavish and extravagant, gossipy, yet even-handed, maximizing a great story; Likely to become the standard text on the Wassermans.” Kirkus Review (starred)
“A business success story with gossip as its glue.” Rocky Mountain News
“A book sure to be eagerly gobbled up!” Liz Smith, New York Post
“Entertaining…eye-opening…This isn’t just Lew Wasserman, the ‘king’ of Hollywood, but Edie, who mixed the drinks, gossiped with the stars and wives and was nothing less than vital.” David Thomson Author, The New Biographical Dictionary of Film
“(A) gripping portrait of the original power couple.” Publishers Weekly
“A must-read, a real-life ‘Access Hollywood’…a brilliant and gripping study of Hollywood’s charming and corrupt First Couple.” Clancy Sigal, Film critic and author of Going Away
