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Film Review: The Brothers Warner (2008 Documentary)
Written by Gary Sweeney   

If you could spend a day asking people what they thought when they heard ?Warner Brothers?, you?re likely to get answers ranging from Bugs Bunny to Elmer Fudd. The WB logo has become synonymous with memorable personalities, unforgettable characters, and timeless films. What you?d be hard pressed to find, however, is someone who can name all four original brothers, or any of them for that matter. That?s exactly what Cass Warner, the granddaughter of Harry Warner, did as part of her new documentary, The Brothers Warner. In an almost comical fashion, she took to the streets with a microphone and questioned random strangers. The tongue-in-cheek approach was effective, yet a solemn reminder that few people of today understand the vision of those early film pioneers.

This 90-minute look at the humble beginnings of Warner Brothers gives new meaning to the word determination. Four brothers (Harry, Jack, Abe, and Sam) saw opportunity in the growing popularity of moving pictures. Their personalities, while very different, worked well in combining the various elements which would comprise their ultimate success. The film traces their childhood, upbringing and their ambition in a changing world through photographs and Cass Warner's heartfelt narration. Harry Warner's authentic love for his work is evident in the following quote: "It is not the challenge of dollars, it is the challenge of ideals and ideas. If the producers of pictures see only the dollar, I believe, those production efforts will fail". In those few words, he manages to capture the essence of every great classic released by the studio in its long history. The Brothers Warner is an intimate look at an empire, and four young men who caught lightning in a bottle.

Click here to purchase the documentary on DVD! 

 

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 Harlow in Hollywood...

Jean Harlow. The name resonates. Platinum Blonde. Blonde Bombshell. The labels applied by press agents during Harlow's seven-year career carry a charge 70 years later. An actress who died in 1937 has currency in 21st-Century culture. Harlow's films make new fans, whether in revival theaters, on cable television, or on DVD. Vintage Harlow photographs sell for as much as $14,000, and camera negatives for as much as $50,000. Chat room fans debate the cause of her husband's suicide and that of her own death. The movies' first blonde sex symbol has become a legend. In fact, Harlow is the very prototype of all the blonde icons who have followed, from Marilyn Monroe to Jayne Mansfield, an original blueprint for glamour and tragedy. In this, the centennial year of Jean Harlow's birth, Harlow expert Darrell Rooney and Hollywood historian Mark Vieira team to present the most beautiful -- and accurate -- book on Harlow ever produced. With more than 280 images, Harlow in Hollywood makes a case for Harlow as an Art Deco artifact in an iconic setting. Harlow in Hollywood is the first book devoted to both the Harlow image and the city that spawned it. Click HERE to order!