For whatever reason it took me about ten or something goes to finish this book. No criticism of the author or subject matter - it was just one of those cursed books. Maybe also it was the size of the print. Or all the detail.
It's a very good book. Exhaustive. Thorough. I learned a hell of a lot. Joseph Kennedy often pops up in movie history books as a support character - he's there wrecking Gloria Swanson's career, or Fred Thomson's, or helping found RKO, or bailing on it to go and become ambassador to England.
This is surprisingly the first book to focus on Kennedy in Hollywood - maybe serious Kennedy historians didn't take it seriously. Which is silly because Hollywood provided a large slab of his fortune, not to mention high public profile.
Kennedy is a fascinating creature. A sociopath who demanded loyalty from people he'd discard when he no longer needed them; a womaniser who was apparently poor in the sack; a genuinely loving and devoted father (as devoted as you can be not actually being around) who took intense interest in his kids; a ruthless capitalist who nonetheless realised, after the Depression, the need for more equitable distribution of wealth or you'd have a revolution, and turning Democrat; someone who figured out the economic basis of movies v quickly and could actually make money out of it (lots of low budget programmers).
It's got to be said, Kennedy may have engaged in insider trading and been a sneaky fox and ruthless - but it was the fault of people for getting involved with him. Fred Thomson was clearly a bit of a dill, as was Gloria Swanson. People who got close to him should've known better it was always about his kids and his money. And it's a shame he didn't go back to running a Hollywood studio later in life - say RKO in the late 40s, who could've used him.
Film wise, Kennedy's legacy isn't that awesome - a lot of silent Westerns, mostly. The only two films of his that buffs are like to remember are two from Gloria Swanson - The Trespasser and Queen Kelly (the latter made with Eric Von Stroheim). His real passions were obviously elsewhere.
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