This is the definitive biography of the most powerful man in Hollywood during the 1940s and ’50s, the man who founded the Hollywood Reporter and the most storied nightspots of the Sunset Strip,
Colorful capitalism: From rationing to prosperity: American advertising in a time of war and reconstructionWorld War II brought unprecedented pride and prosperity to the American people, and nothing better mirrors the new wave of consumerism and progress than the ads of the time.From Western Electric communication tools (for “the modern battle”) to Matson sea liners (“Discover a new life”) to Seagram’s whiskey (for “Men Who Plan Beyond Tomorrow”) to the Hoover vacuum (“For every woman who is proud of her home”), the flood of products and services for every occasion or whim was practically endless. It’s hard to believe that the company who made your ultra-compact mobile phone was once advertising portable radios with “Motorola: More radio pleasure for less money,” or that Electrolux didn’t have any qualms about using Mandy, the portly black maid, to promote their new silent refrigerators: “Lor-dy, it sure is quiet!” You’ll also find some familiar products that, amazingly, haven’t change
