100 Years of Hollywood: Carl Laemmle and Universal Studios (Enhanced DVD)

Product Description:

A necessity for the true Hollywood film buff!

In the early 20th century German immigrant Carl Laemmle became a pioneer in the the birth of the film industry as we know it today. This dvd (chock full of rarely seen archival footage) shows us his growth into a Hollywood kingmaker. He began his work with film as a distributor on the east coast. This led to battles with Thomas Edison over patents. Edison was very diligent about protecting his inventions. A legal case ensued (secret)- Laemmle eventually won!

He then decides to leave Chicago to open shop in the then rural, Hollywood land, in the state of California. He dreams were large and his ambition ample!

The DVD chronicles his work with some famous names in early Hollywood, that film aficionado's will recognize, including Erich von Stroheim and Mary Pickford. He eventually founded what became the world famous- Universal Studios. It was originally called the Universal Film Manufacturing Company and was the biggest film studio in it's day.

Some of the legendary productions Carl Laemmle had a hand in are:

All Quiet on the Western Front
Dracula (the original)
Phantom of the Opera
Showboat

He received the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1930 for the classic, All Quiet on the Western Front. HIs studio, Universal, produced the very first horror movie that was a talkie- the original "Dracula," with Bella Lugosi at the helm. The DVD features among others, his relative- Carla Laemmle; Sarah Karloff and Bela Lugosi Jr. These children of renowned horror genre actors, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi Sr., shed light on information only they would have.

Also included: actor John Malkovich and famed director Peter Bogdanovich.

Not available in French-speaking Canada. (52 minutes)100 Years of Hollywood: Carl Laemmle and Universal Studios