Moguls

Praise

Praise for MOGULS:

“The book you are holding is a whirlwind tale, a roller coaster ride through Hollywood history. Its cast of characters includes names such as Chaplin, Keaton, Valentino, Talmadge and Monroe, lest we forget Hitler and Luciano. It’s got chills, thrills, romance, comedy, intrigue, and danger; it’s equal parts The Last Tycoon and Horatio Alger, except this story is real. Hell, somebody should make a movie out of this.” —From the foreword by Terence Winter, Writer of The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, and The Wolf of Wall Street

“Crime writer Benson (Gangsters vs. Nazis) and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Singer profile the Russian Jewish immigrant brothers Joseph Schenck (1876–1961) and Nicholas Schenck (1880–1969), who were executives in the studio system at MGM, 20th Century Fox, and United Artists. They worked in entertainment for much of their lives, beginning as nickelodeon and vaudeville entrepreneurs in New York; later, Nicholas remained on the East Coast to manage the Loew’s theater enterprise (which had acquired MGM) while Joseph worked in California as a producer. Even with their congruent careers, the brothers’ personalities and personal lives diverged. Joseph wed Norma Talmadge (becoming Buster Keaton’s brother-in-law), paid Fatty Arbuckle’s legal fees during a scandal, romped through successive romances, helped launch the career of Marilyn Monroe, and was convicted of tax evasion. Meanwhile, his lower-profile brother raised a family. The book also shows how the Schencks helped establish the Academy Awards, fought Nazi designs on and mob extortion of the studios, waffled during the Red Scare, and remained skeptical of television despite their innovative early careers. This illuminating book sheds light on brothers at least as influential as the Warners, but lesser known in cinematic popular culture.” —Library Journal

Praise for Michael Benson:

“Michael Benson’s nonfiction masterpiece Gangsters vs. Nazis reads like speculative fiction at its very best, even though the incidents the book portrays are very much real…One of the most rivetingly relevant reads I’ve ever encountered, chock-full of real-life heroes and villains who are every bit the match for the best that thriller fiction has to offer.” —Jon Land, The Providence Journal on Gangsters vs Nazis
 
  
“Carmine the Snake, written in a conversational style with street vernacular and sprinkled with Frank Dimatteo’s personal anecdotes and reminiscences, offers another look at the infamous crime boss.” —The Washington Times
  
“The authors give a detailed account of the suspected assassins…don’t shy away from discussing Gallo’s flaws…fans of true crime and mafia stories will appreciate the insider’s look at the figures and neighborhoods that comprised New York mob life in the 20th century.” —Library Journal on Mafia Hit Man

“The President Street Boys is nothing like any other mafia-related book I’ve ever read. I loved this book. I will be reading it again in the future. The level of detail is so high, to me, it requires multiple passes to absorb it all.” —Crimespree Magazine
 
“At times, this book is unsettling. Other times, it’s humorous. No matter what part you’re reading, it’ll remain a tour-de-force.” —Criminal Element on The President Street Boys
  
“This title will please Mafia fans looking for gruesome details.” —Library Journal on Lord High Executioner

“It is a colorful tale. It reads in many places like a mid-20th century Jimmy Cagney movie or Mickey Spillane novel come to life. It occurs in the same settings and the author uses the Runyonesque language of the genre. The mobsters deal out knuckle sandwiches and whack foes on the noggin. At one point Benson urges readers to think of one team as “The Dirty Dozen with some Yiddish thrown in.” —Ricochet on Gangsters vs Nazis

“Told in a colorful, Runyonesque style, the tale is about one of the strangest campaigns of the late 1930s. It shows how the Jewish American community organized to fight the German American Bund and other fascist groups in the United States in the years prior to America’s entry into World War II. To break up Nazi rallies and bust heads, the community enlisted Jewish gangsters, the author claims—not “good guys” protecting the American way. This is a fascinating and entertaining read.” —The Epoch Times on Gangsters vs Nazis

“Benson is a master of true crime.” —Robert Scott