Joseph P. Kennedy Presents: His Hollywood Years

Cari Beauchamp

Vintage Books, 2010 - Biography & Autobiography - 506 pages

Joseph P. Kennedy’s reputation as a savvy businessman, diplomat, and sly political patriarch is well-documented.  But his years as a Hollywood mogul have never been fully explored until now. 

InJoseph P. Kennedy Presents, Cari Beauchamp brilliantly explores this unknown chapter in Kennedy’s biography.  Between 1926 and 1930, Kennedy positioned himself as a major Hollywood player. In two short years, he was running three studios simultaneously and then, in a bold move, he merged his studios with David Sarnoff to form the legendary RKO Studio.  Beauchamp also tells the story of Kennedy’s affair with Gloria Swanson; how he masterminded the mergers that created the blueprint for contemporary Hollywood; and made the fortune that became the foundation of his empire.

What people are saying

Review: Joseph P. Kennedy Presents: His Hollywood Years

User Review  - Simon - Goodreads

Well researched, but the writing is a little clunky in places. Beauchamp clearly doesn't like Kennedy, Swanson or Rose, and after awhile, it becomes a little tedious to read about their escapades.

Review: Joseph P. Kennedy Presents: His Hollywood Years

User Review  - Stephanie - Goodreads

This book sheds further light on how all the money was made, the man behind it, and the fallout he left behind. Interesting book about this particular era in both Kennedy's life and the film industry in it's infancy.

About the author

Cari Beauchamp is the author of Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Powerful Women of Early Hollywood and other film histories. She has written for The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and Variety and lives in Los Angeles, California.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Joseph P. Kennedy Presents: His Hollywood Years; Vintage Series
• Author: Cari Beauchamp
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Vintage Books, 2010
• ISBN: 0307475220, 9780307475220
• Length: 506 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Business; Biography & Autobiography / Entertainment & Performing Arts; Biography & Autobiography / Historical; Biography & Autobiography / Political