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When Hollywood Had a King: The Reign of Lew Wasserman, Who Leveraged Talent into Power and Influence
In When Hollywood Had a King, the distinguished journalist Connie Bruck tells the sweeping story of MCA and its brilliant leader, a man who transformed the entertainment industry— businessman, politician, tactician, and visionary Lew Wasserman.
The Music Corporation of America was founded in Chicago in 1924 by Dr. Jules Stein, an ophthalmologist with a gift for booking bands. Twelve years later, Stein moved his operations west to Beverly Hills and hired Lew Wasserman. From his meager beginnings as a movie-theater usher in Cleveland, Wasserman ultimately ascended to the post of president of MCA, and the company became the most powerful force in Hollywood, regarded with a mixture of fear and awe.
In his signature black suit and black knit tie, Was-serman took Hollywood by storm. He shifted the balance of power from the studios—which had seven-year contractual strangleholds on the stars—to the talent, who became profit partners. When an antitrust suit forced MCA’s evolution from talent agency to film- and television-production company, it was Wasserman who parlayed the control of a wide variety of entertainment and media products into a new type of Hollywood power base. There was only Washington left to conquer, and conquer it Wasserman did, quietly brokering alliances with Democratic and Republican administrations alike.
That Wasserman’s reach extended from the underworld to the White House only added to his mystique. Among his friends were Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa, mob lawyer Sidney Korshak, and gangster Moe Dalitz—along with Presidents Johnson, Clinton, and especially Reagan, who enjoyed a particularly close and mutually beneficial relationship with Wasserman. He was equally intimate with Hollywood royalty, from Bette Davis and Jimmy Stewart to Steven Spielberg, who began his career at MCA and once described Wasserman’s eyeglasses as looking like two giant movie screens.
The history of MCA is really the history of a revolution. Lew Wasserman ushered in the Hollywood we know today. He is the link between the old-school moguls with their ironclad studio contracts and the new industry defined by multimedia conglomerates, power agents, multimillionaire actors, and profit sharing. In the hands of Connie Bruck, the story of Lew Wasserman’s rise to power takes on an almost Shakespearean scope. When Hollywood Had a King reveals the industry’s greatest untold story: how a stealthy, enterprising power broker became, for a time, Tinseltown’s absolute monarch.
The Music Corporation of America was founded in Chicago in 1924 by Dr. Jules Stein, an ophthalmologist with a gift for booking bands. Twelve years later, Stein moved his operations west to Beverly Hills and hired Lew Wasserman. From his meager beginnings as a movie-theater usher in Cleveland, Wasserman ultimately ascended to the post of president of MCA, and the company became the most powerful force in Hollywood, regarded with a mixture of fear and awe.
In his signature black suit and black knit tie, Was-serman took Hollywood by storm. He shifted the balance of power from the studios—which had seven-year contractual strangleholds on the stars—to the talent, who became profit partners. When an antitrust suit forced MCA’s evolution from talent agency to film- and television-production company, it was Wasserman who parlayed the control of a wide variety of entertainment and media products into a new type of Hollywood power base. There was only Washington left to conquer, and conquer it Wasserman did, quietly brokering alliances with Democratic and Republican administrations alike.
That Wasserman’s reach extended from the underworld to the White House only added to his mystique. Among his friends were Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa, mob lawyer Sidney Korshak, and gangster Moe Dalitz—along with Presidents Johnson, Clinton, and especially Reagan, who enjoyed a particularly close and mutually beneficial relationship with Wasserman. He was equally intimate with Hollywood royalty, from Bette Davis and Jimmy Stewart to Steven Spielberg, who began his career at MCA and once described Wasserman’s eyeglasses as looking like two giant movie screens.
The history of MCA is really the history of a revolution. Lew Wasserman ushered in the Hollywood we know today. He is the link between the old-school moguls with their ironclad studio contracts and the new industry defined by multimedia conglomerates, power agents, multimillionaire actors, and profit sharing. In the hands of Connie Bruck, the story of Lew Wasserman’s rise to power takes on an almost Shakespearean scope. When Hollywood Had a King reveals the industry’s greatest untold story: how a stealthy, enterprising power broker became, for a time, Tinseltown’s absolute monarch.
528 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 28, 2013
My mother once said that a handful of men or people run the world. After reading this book…I have proof! Lew Wasserman sure did in his time!
He even made a President – Ronald Reagan. Lew aligned himself with the Mob, Hollywood (his reinvented version away from the moguls) and Washington.
Shrewd, never wrote anything done, stayed out of the public eye and was a total shark in business. Not someone I would ever wanted to know. And apparently he didn’t have friends. Although his friendship with Alfred Hitchkock seemed curious to me. Perhaps personnel relationships might be covered in another book.
He was mostly revered or feared. Jack Valenti worshipped him as per his book. Jack got the head job at the MPAA thru Lew. Jack was no slouch, still…Lew placed him.
I needed a spread sheet to and an accountant to understand the deals mentioned in this book. I wonder if there’s a Harvard business class just to study what Wasserman came up with. Business and laws has since changed, so his way of doing his deals are no longer legal. In his day he manipulated or influenced laws here and there. This man had an amazing mind.
He even made a President – Ronald Reagan. Lew aligned himself with the Mob, Hollywood (his reinvented version away from the moguls) and Washington.
Shrewd, never wrote anything done, stayed out of the public eye and was a total shark in business. Not someone I would ever wanted to know. And apparently he didn’t have friends. Although his friendship with Alfred Hitchkock seemed curious to me. Perhaps personnel relationships might be covered in another book.
He was mostly revered or feared. Jack Valenti worshipped him as per his book. Jack got the head job at the MPAA thru Lew. Jack was no slouch, still…Lew placed him.
I needed a spread sheet to and an accountant to understand the deals mentioned in this book. I wonder if there’s a Harvard business class just to study what Wasserman came up with. Business and laws has since changed, so his way of doing his deals are no longer legal. In his day he manipulated or influenced laws here and there. This man had an amazing mind.
August 10, 2025
I first heard about Lew Wasserman in Michael Ovitz's auto biography. Ovitz talks a great deal about Wasserman in his book, but the Wasserman described by Ovitz as someone who is losing his kingdom. Wasserman lived long enough to see himself becoming obscure by the industry he pioneered. To understand this mans's prime life and ruthless decisions, I gave this book a try, and it was well worth it. Hollywood history is still something that deeply intrigues me with its scandals, power tactics, unions, money, mob ties and of course power! This book has everything.
Before talking about Wasserman, the book follows the life of Jules Stein. He was the founder of Music Corporation of America, a talent booking agency which involved musicians. Slowly, Dr Stein (he actually went to medical school and quit that to start MCA, wow!) extends his business empire outside Chicago, thanks to exclusive deals with hotels, mob & unions, and ofcourse his business acumen. Soon Stein launched and promoted his artists when radio came around for the first time, increasing their popularity and making him more money. He built MCA on top of his army of agents emphasising on discipline and professionalism, sort of like a mob. When Jules Stein decided to expand his MCA to the Hollywood, he had trouble. There were already talent agencies in LA, and Stein had to work pretty hard to gain his first few clients. It was during this phase he met Lew Wasserman and employed him.
Lew never went to college, and for that reason Dr Stein was reluctant to hire him, but he soon proved his worth. Lew managed to impress popular talent agents of that time as well Jack Warner, who offered him vice presidency which he declined. Wasserman quickly became Stein's favorite. The reason Lew stayed with MCA without going anywhere else was the freedom Stein gave him. Lew could acquire other talent agencies and get in to contracts with clients without consulting Stein. Stein just wanted his business to expand, he never got involved in what his agents were doing. When Stein tried to hide his gang connections and labor ties, Wasserman embraced it, giving him more power and influence.
Lew quickly went on to become the president of MCA. Using his connections, Lew managed to change some rules of Screen Actors Guild, and start producing TV shows exclusively for NBC. MCA was now a production business as well as talent agency, which brought scrutiny from the Justice Department. MCA then had to shutdown their talent agency to focus completely on production. MCA soon acquired Universal Studios, and the famous Universal Studio Tour was Wasserman's idea. Even though they started producing movies, it wasn't profitalbe for a lot of time. These were pretty tough times for Lew Wasserman. There was a point where was almost fired from MCA, but still prevailed thanks to some executive decisions. Universal then went on to make all time hits such as "Jaws", thanks to their talented director Steven Speilberg. But Lew and MCA made blunders as well, "Star Wars" franchise was neglected outright and so did a lot of other movies with potentials. Late into his life, movie making business started to get difficult due to intense negotiations by talent agencies for their stars. This talent agency system was created by Lew himself, but became his own burden. Universal was later acquired by Matsushita, which greatly sabotaged the business dreams of Lew Wasserman and his associates. Then another acquisition by Seagram, and another by Vivendi. Towards the end of his life, Lew's business kingdom was slowly dying out, but his legacy still remains. His ruthlessness, deals, and ideas changed Hollywood. I loved how his life was portrayed through the images of other personalities, both rivals and associates alike.
Overall, the books doesn't portray Lew Wasserman as much personally as you would expect, but his business decisions and Hollywood connections are well described. You get to see a lot of other interesting characters like Jules Stein, Taft Schreiber and also a lot of politicial stories in regards to Hollywood involving Kennedy, LBJ, Nixon and ofcourse Reagan.
Before talking about Wasserman, the book follows the life of Jules Stein. He was the founder of Music Corporation of America, a talent booking agency which involved musicians. Slowly, Dr Stein (he actually went to medical school and quit that to start MCA, wow!) extends his business empire outside Chicago, thanks to exclusive deals with hotels, mob & unions, and ofcourse his business acumen. Soon Stein launched and promoted his artists when radio came around for the first time, increasing their popularity and making him more money. He built MCA on top of his army of agents emphasising on discipline and professionalism, sort of like a mob. When Jules Stein decided to expand his MCA to the Hollywood, he had trouble. There were already talent agencies in LA, and Stein had to work pretty hard to gain his first few clients. It was during this phase he met Lew Wasserman and employed him.
Lew never went to college, and for that reason Dr Stein was reluctant to hire him, but he soon proved his worth. Lew managed to impress popular talent agents of that time as well Jack Warner, who offered him vice presidency which he declined. Wasserman quickly became Stein's favorite. The reason Lew stayed with MCA without going anywhere else was the freedom Stein gave him. Lew could acquire other talent agencies and get in to contracts with clients without consulting Stein. Stein just wanted his business to expand, he never got involved in what his agents were doing. When Stein tried to hide his gang connections and labor ties, Wasserman embraced it, giving him more power and influence.
Lew quickly went on to become the president of MCA. Using his connections, Lew managed to change some rules of Screen Actors Guild, and start producing TV shows exclusively for NBC. MCA was now a production business as well as talent agency, which brought scrutiny from the Justice Department. MCA then had to shutdown their talent agency to focus completely on production. MCA soon acquired Universal Studios, and the famous Universal Studio Tour was Wasserman's idea. Even though they started producing movies, it wasn't profitalbe for a lot of time. These were pretty tough times for Lew Wasserman. There was a point where was almost fired from MCA, but still prevailed thanks to some executive decisions. Universal then went on to make all time hits such as "Jaws", thanks to their talented director Steven Speilberg. But Lew and MCA made blunders as well, "Star Wars" franchise was neglected outright and so did a lot of other movies with potentials. Late into his life, movie making business started to get difficult due to intense negotiations by talent agencies for their stars. This talent agency system was created by Lew himself, but became his own burden. Universal was later acquired by Matsushita, which greatly sabotaged the business dreams of Lew Wasserman and his associates. Then another acquisition by Seagram, and another by Vivendi. Towards the end of his life, Lew's business kingdom was slowly dying out, but his legacy still remains. His ruthlessness, deals, and ideas changed Hollywood. I loved how his life was portrayed through the images of other personalities, both rivals and associates alike.
Overall, the books doesn't portray Lew Wasserman as much personally as you would expect, but his business decisions and Hollywood connections are well described. You get to see a lot of other interesting characters like Jules Stein, Taft Schreiber and also a lot of politicial stories in regards to Hollywood involving Kennedy, LBJ, Nixon and ofcourse Reagan.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2022
Fascinating read.
January 4, 2025
Connie Bruck is simply one of the best business reporters of this century. I try to read everything she writes.
October 5, 2016
I heard so many good things about this book but it just isn't for me.
January 14, 2025
Connie Bruck goes deep into the weeds on Jules Stein and Lew Wasserman, architects of the MCA entertainment empire, which began as a Capone-endorsed musicians' cartel and ended as a major corporate force that advised heads of state.
MCA's legacy has shrunk in public memory, especially compared to the first generation of studio titans, who emerge semi-annually in prestige dramas. I guess the MCA golden age of the 50s, 60s, and 70s lacks the sexiness of the classical Hollywood era? Either way, we're overdue for that Wasserman / Sidney Korshak limited series.
That said, this book is really for the true nerds...(can I interest you in 20+ pages on Jack Valenti?) Bruck suggests (without direct indictment) a series of untoward arrangments that are, quite simply, interesting asf:
- The rise of Ronald Reagan at SAG, from crippling the radical CSU to his stake in the GE theater program to that oh-so-suspicious MCA waiver. (That nobody pushed over these rocks during Reagan's runs for governor and president is the book's best evidence of Wasserman's clout.) Bruck subtly repeats themes throughout the MCA story. MCA's relationship with Reagan in the 50s and 60s echos its relationship in the 30s and 40s with James Petrillo, the Chicago-based head of the musicians' union, who looked the other way at Stein's double dipping in the 1930s. (Anton Cermak was barred from hiring a high school band to play his inauguration as mayor of Chicago because it was non-union.) Bruck portrays Reagan in the 1960s as financially unstable and requiring the largesse of his MCA vassals to maintain his lifestyle. It's no surprise that Stein and Wasserman couldn't believe he rose to be president of the United States.
- The not-as-suprising-but-still-interesting DOJ action against the television networks, suspiciously filed after the studio heads dumped a bunch of money into Richard Nixon's 1972 re-election committee...the one you might remember from Watergate. (BTW, imagine a recording of Nixon's 1971 summit in San Clemente with the Movie People. What a great scene.) It’s easy to forget that the networks and studios bitterly competed with each other for fifty years, before becoming the same five companies. Wasserman played both sides of that one, too, effectively controlling NBC while owning Universal. It's interesting how much Bruck and the contemporaries of 1950s and 60s television blamed MCA's factory-like production model for TV's low-quality programming, as famously lamented by Newt Minow.
- The closing chapter of the book exploring the MCA sale -- where Bruck suggests Wasserman got got by Michael Ovitz -- is a fitting passing of the torch moment for a classic Hollywood story. Funny that one of the reasons Wasserman made that deal is that by the early 90s, he was convinced that America was due for major economic collapse. Not quite!
MCA's legacy has shrunk in public memory, especially compared to the first generation of studio titans, who emerge semi-annually in prestige dramas. I guess the MCA golden age of the 50s, 60s, and 70s lacks the sexiness of the classical Hollywood era? Either way, we're overdue for that Wasserman / Sidney Korshak limited series.
That said, this book is really for the true nerds...(can I interest you in 20+ pages on Jack Valenti?) Bruck suggests (without direct indictment) a series of untoward arrangments that are, quite simply, interesting asf:
- The rise of Ronald Reagan at SAG, from crippling the radical CSU to his stake in the GE theater program to that oh-so-suspicious MCA waiver. (That nobody pushed over these rocks during Reagan's runs for governor and president is the book's best evidence of Wasserman's clout.) Bruck subtly repeats themes throughout the MCA story. MCA's relationship with Reagan in the 50s and 60s echos its relationship in the 30s and 40s with James Petrillo, the Chicago-based head of the musicians' union, who looked the other way at Stein's double dipping in the 1930s. (Anton Cermak was barred from hiring a high school band to play his inauguration as mayor of Chicago because it was non-union.) Bruck portrays Reagan in the 1960s as financially unstable and requiring the largesse of his MCA vassals to maintain his lifestyle. It's no surprise that Stein and Wasserman couldn't believe he rose to be president of the United States.
- The not-as-suprising-but-still-interesting DOJ action against the television networks, suspiciously filed after the studio heads dumped a bunch of money into Richard Nixon's 1972 re-election committee...the one you might remember from Watergate. (BTW, imagine a recording of Nixon's 1971 summit in San Clemente with the Movie People. What a great scene.) It’s easy to forget that the networks and studios bitterly competed with each other for fifty years, before becoming the same five companies. Wasserman played both sides of that one, too, effectively controlling NBC while owning Universal. It's interesting how much Bruck and the contemporaries of 1950s and 60s television blamed MCA's factory-like production model for TV's low-quality programming, as famously lamented by Newt Minow.
- The closing chapter of the book exploring the MCA sale -- where Bruck suggests Wasserman got got by Michael Ovitz -- is a fitting passing of the torch moment for a classic Hollywood story. Funny that one of the reasons Wasserman made that deal is that by the early 90s, he was convinced that America was due for major economic collapse. Not quite!
June 25, 2010
A fascinating look at the only Hollywood executive who could claim to have wielded power equal to that of the early moguls -- Mayer, Schenck, Zukor, Thalberg, Warner, etc. The problem with the book is its subject. Both Wasserman and his mentor, Jules Stein, were ice-cold, incredibly opaque, immensely secretive (especially about their mob ties, which are detailed in Gus Russo's blistering SUPERMOB). Here's how cold Stein was: his daughter, Jean, wanted desperately an antique music box on his desk for her birthday. He said, "It's going into inventory," meaning the inventory of MCA/Universal's assets. Then, on the 50th anniversary of MCA, his birthday present was the company's annual report, signed, "With love, Father."
So a bunch of stars for Connie Bruck's reporting skills, but one off for Wasserman himself, a relatively savage guy with a calculator for a heart.
So a bunch of stars for Connie Bruck's reporting skills, but one off for Wasserman himself, a relatively savage guy with a calculator for a heart.
September 4, 2016
I waited a long time to read this, and thoroughly enjoyed it. There are other Wasserman bios, but I'm pretty confident this is the best. The prose feels measured and authoritative. As I remarked to a friend, it's too bad The Mob hasn't opened its archives, yet. Then Bruck wd have had all the info at hand. Nick Tosches has his own, mesmerizing take on Sidney Korshak & Co., but, well, props to Bruck for taking a slightly straighter approach. No endnotes or footnotes, and I must say: I'm envious. Not for one second did I question a fact or quote in this book.
April 19, 2008
I'm not sure if I would recommend this book to people who aren't interested in the wheelings and dealings of Hollywood. I found it to be incredibly thorough and amazing. Lew Wasserman essentially ran Hollywood for many years... and this is his biography.
October 23, 2010
Lew Wasserman may have been the "King of Hollywood" in terms of business deals, but there is nothing in this book about filmmaking or the people who made movies during his career. People like Bette Davis, Jimmy Stewart, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are only briefly mentioned.
May 8, 2010
We learn from history.
November 16, 2012
An exceptionally interesting and unusual life turned into an average book.
February 5, 2013
A great book about the King of Hollywood, Lew Wasserman. He parlayed a talent agency (MCA) into a conglomerate (Universal), amassing tremendous power along the way. An SOB, but a talented one!
December 18, 2015
For those who are interested in crushing it in the entertainment world, it's worth the read!
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November 14, 2008Must read for anyone interested in the marriage of media and politics.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews