This book is the story of the two Mankiewicz brothers, Herman and Joseph, who between them, created the Hollywood screwball comedy as a genre, and solidified the idea of the writer-director as auteur. The two brothers wrote or produced or directed: The Front Page, Duck Soup, Dinner at Eight, The Wizard of Oz, Citizen Kane, The Philadelphia Story, The Pride of the Yankees, All About Eve, Guys and Dolls, Suddenly Last Summer, Cleopatra, and Sleuth, to name only a few.
Herman was the better dialogue writer, whenever anyone could get him to sit down at a typewriter. An alcoholic and a problem gambler, practically everyone who knew him agreed that Herman was a great friend who wasted his talents on producing amusing banter and stories for his cronies, instead of paid writing work. When he was incapacitated by a car accident, sitting in a bungalow in Palm springs with nothing to do but write, Herman banged out the script for Citizen Kane, one of the greatest movies ever made. Which just goes to show you what he could do if he put his mind to it.
Joseph was 10 years younger than Herman, a productive workaholic who loved women so much he couldn't help but seduce them, practically non-stop. But he was not a casting couch producer. Joe really listened to his leading ladies. He understood them, captured their unique voice, and rewrote their dialogue to present each woman in the best light possible. He became known, quite rightly, as one of the best writer/producer/directors for women Hollywood has ever known. Of course, that kind of treatment made every Hollywood star who worked with him, from Joan Crawford to Susan Hayward to Katherine Hepburn to Lauren Bacall to Elizabeth Taylor, fall in love with him. at least a little bit.
In addition to some of the greatest Hollywood movies ever, The Brothers Mankiewicz also produced TV screenwriter Don, who created the show Ironside; political consultant Frank, who ran the Robert Kennedy and George McGovern Presidential campaigns, screenwriter Tom, who wrote a bunch of James Bond movies. Don and Frank also produced son John, the producer of the TV shows House, and House of Cards; son Josh, a television journalist working for NBC's Dateline, and the sardonic hipster movie nerd Ben, the host of Turner Classic Movies (where he has no problem praising his grandfather, uncle, and various cousins whenever their films come up for viewing).