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It is one of the most famous last lines in movie history. As “The Maltese Falcon” comes to a close, Humphrey Bogart is asked what he holds in his hands. He replies, “The ... uh ... stuff that dreams are made of.”
Bogie could just as well have been describing the Warner Brothers motion picture studio, which is a monument to the dreams of four brothers. Their story is the subject of “The Brothers Warner” (Warner Brothers, 2008, $19.98), now available on DVD. The documentary is the work of Cass Warner Sperling, who directed, wrote and produced it and even supplies the narration.
Sperling is the granddaughter of Harry Warner, and the film completes a promise she made to him before he died. Harry was the president of the studio that he founded along with his brothers Sam (CEO), Albert (treasurer) and Jack (in charge of production).
“My grandfather was one of the most caring and loving people I’ve ever known,” Sperling said. “I think sometimes he is forgotten and I just wanted to get the truth out there.”
The brothers, sons of Jewish Polish immigrants, got interested in the movie business after their dad bought a Nickelodeon in 1903. Soon it became their passion. When there weren’t enough films to fill the bill at their theaters, the brothers started making their own. In 1918, they formed Warner Brothers studio and incorporated in 1923.
Warners’ big impact on Hollywood came in 1927, when they decided to bet the whole studio on talking pictures. In October of that year, “The Jazz Singer” starring Al Jolson premiered in New York City. It was the first feature film with synchronized sound sequences. It was a resounding success and signaled the end of the silent era. Other studios began scrambling to convert to sound.
Harry Warner saw the motion picture as a powerful instrument that should be used wisely. In the 1930s, Warners became noted for addressing social issues that other studios were reluctant to tackle.
“My grandfather said the studio’s mission was to educate, entertain and enlighten,” Sperling said. “He saw it as an instrument for peace. He liked stories that were based on real life situations.”
One of those was “I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang” (1932) starring Paul Muni, based on a true story about a man wrongfully convicted of a crime and sentenced to 10 years on a Southern chain gang. The film examined the brutality of the prison system while telling a compelling human story. It was responsible for inspiring the state of Georgia to make reforms in its prison system.
Another film, “Black Legion” (1936), focused on the ruthlessness of a Ku Klux Klan-like organization that wore black hoods and robes instead of white. The real-life Klan actually sued the studio over the film but lost the case.
Harry Warner was a man who lived by his convictions.
“After Hitler took over Germany, my grandfather decided in 1934 not to allow any of the studio’s movies to be shown in that country,” Sperling said. “Germany was a lucrative market for Hollywood, so when he pulled out of there that meant losing money.”
So devoted to the cause was Harry that he wanted to make a movie called “Concentration Camp” in 1935 but was unsuccessful.
“There was something in the Production Code about not offending other countries where America movies were shown,” Sperling said. “It was all about making money. My grandfather was really disgusted with that. He told the other studios, ‘They’re killing my relatives and your relatives over there.’ But they wouldn’t listen.”
Harry finally got a film made called “Confessions of Nazi Spy” starring Edward G. Robinson. When it was released May 6, 1939, Hollywood was still uneasy about such subject matter. That changed four months later after Hitler and his Nazis invaded Poland.
Although Harry Warner was the conscience of the studio, it was the youngest brother, Jack, who seemed to get all the publicity. It was something Jack thrived on.
“He was a Looney Tunes character,” Spelling said. “The guy was always on. He had this personality that was fun to be around for about 10 minutes. He should have been a standup comic but his timing was awful.”
Jack wasn’t exactly adored by everyone in the family, especially after he talked his brothers into joining him to sell their stock in the company in July 1956. The next day, Jack turned around and bought the shares from a “syndicate” he had secretly created and took complete control of the studio. When Harry died two years later, Jack passed up the funeral and went on vacation.
It’s all chronicled in the documentary from Sperling’s production company called – are you ready? – Warner Sisters. “Everyone seemed to like the name,” Sperling said with a laugh. Among those offering their memories of Warner Brothers are Dennis Hopper, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Samuel Goldwyn Jr., Debbie Reynolds, Norman Lear and George Segal.
For Sperling, this was a labor of love. “I always used to go to the (studio) lot with my grandfather every Saturday,” Sperling said. “Here was this wonderful world I was allowed into.”
Thanks to the documentary, Sperling allows us all to visit that world.
