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GRAND FATHER HARRY WARNER

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HARRY M. WARNER: HOLLYWOOD’S UNSUNG PIONEER

The history of Warner Brothers is the history of Hollywood itself.”

Their names were Harry, Albert, Sam and Jack. But it was through their adopted surname that they achieved immortality: Warner. As in Warner Brothers Pictures, one of the premiere motion picture studios of Golden Age Hollywood, and a name that even today, 90 years after its inception, remains instantly recognizable to a new generation of moviegoers.

Although perhaps not as well-known as his showman brother, Jack L., Harry M. Warner was the President of Warner Brothers and was responsible for overseeing the business operations of the company. In fact, if not for Harry, it’s fair to say there probably never would have been a Warner Brothers.

Entering the movie business as film distributors, the brothers eventually established a studio in Hollywood where they began producing their own pictures. But finances were often shaky for the enterprising Warners and they frequently found themselves at the verge of bankruptcy. It was in 1927 that the Warners’ fortunes changed. The studio’s 1927 production of The Jazz Singer introduced to the world the era of talking pictures, which would quickly revolutionize the movie business. When an enthusiastic Al Jolson blurted: “You ain’t heard nothin’ yet, folks, listen to this!” it was clear that movies with spoken dialogue were here to stay. The idea of adding synchronized sound to movies belonged to Sam Warner, who had to convince doubting Harry of their potential – and who, ironically, would not live to see his dream on the silver screen. The Jazz Singer was an enormous success, earning three-and-a-half million dollars and saving the studio from bankruptcy. A follow-up picture, again with Jolson, The Singing Fool (1928) brought into the studio’s coffers an astounding five million dollars and would remain the highest-grossing movie until Gone with the Wind in 1939.

Throughout the 1930s “A Warner Bros.–First National Picture” became a familiar sight to moviegoers, introducing such classic films as Little Caesar (1930), The Public Enemy (1931), I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) and They Won’t Forget (1937). Tough urban crime dramas and films dealing with social injustices proved extremely popular for the studio. So were the musicals: 42nd Street, Gold Diggers of 1933 and Footlight Parade (1933). And the swashbucklers: Captain Blood (1935), The Charge of the Light Parade (1936) and the Technicolor The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938).

Warners’ chain of successes continued into the forties with The Maltese Falcon (1941), Yankee Doodle Dandy, Casablanca (1942), To Have and Have Not, Mildred Pierce (1945) and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948). The 1950s saw Warners experimenting with a new process known as 3-D in House of Wax (1953) and showcasing an exciting new screen performer named James Dean in two films dealing with teenage angst in East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause (1955). They also, finally and reluctantly, decided to enter into the medium of television.

Sadly, despite Warner Brothers’ numerous onscreen successes, there was often turmoil behind-the-scenes. Harry frequently clashed with his ambitious and volatile younger brother Jack and eventually suffered a final crushing blow when Jack double-dealed to gain total control of the studio. Harry suffered a stroke and never completely recovered – either physically or emotionally - from his brother’s betrayal, and died just two years later.

The story of Warner Brothers is a fascinating one – and at its core fans of great motion pictures have Harry M. Warner to thank. The enduring popularity of Warner Brothers movies stands as his ultimate legacy.