MacCann has shaped from 28 different memoirs and histories a cumulative story of the conflicts and achievements of the founders of the great movie studios. Carl Laemmle, Marcus Loew, William Fox, Samuel Goldwyn, Jesse Lasky, and Adolph Zukor are the stars of this history, some of them speaking in their own voices, others assessed by film historians. Zukor (described by Ramsaye as 'inwardly driven by Napoleonic ambition') becomes the central figure of the era. A source book for students and teachers and a treasure for general readers and classic film fans.