City of Dreams: The Making and Remaking of Universal Pictures

In February 1906 Carl Laemmle, German immigrant and former clothing store manager, opened his first nickelodeon in Chicago. He quickly moved from exhibition to distribution and soon entered the realm of film production. A master of publicity and promotions, within ten years "Uncle Carl" had moved his entire operation to southern California, founded a city, and established Universal Pictures as one of the major Hollywood studios. His son took over in 1929 and the quality of the Universal product improved. In time Universal found its niche in horror films featuring Karloff and Lugosi, comedies starring Abbott and Costello and W.C. Fields, and low-budget musicals. But Carl Laemmle, Jr. proved less adept than his father at empire building. Eventually he was forced out by financial difficulties, opening the way for a string of studio heads who entered and exited one after another.