When Women Ruled Hollywood: The Untold Story Of How Actresses Took On The Hollywood Hierarchy - And Won

Bette Davis earned more than Humphrey Bogart, Joan Crawford more than John Wayne and Greta Garbo more than Clark Gable. At one point Mae West was the second-highest paid person in the whole of America and silent star Mary Pickford stole the financial limelight from Charlie Chaplin. In fact, Pickford earned so much that her salary would not be matched by any star (male or female) for another 70 years. In addition, at various times a woman was also the highest-paid screenwriter and the highest-paid director in Hollywood. This groundbreaking new study, which is bound to prove controversial, has drawn on new sources, including those supplied by the U.S. Government. Not only were women top earners in movies, they also topped male salaries in vaudeville and publishing. At a time when women in ordinary jobs earned far less than men, three-quarters receiving less than what was considered a living wage, the author explains how this was possible and who set the precedents for female movie talent earning phenomenal wages. The study covers the period from 1910 to 1948. Commented Hannan, “I am conscious of turning film history on its head. I started writing the book because while researching two others on the business history of Hollywood, I came across two reports that did not seem to support the standard view of women as second-class citizens in Hollywood, so I just started digging.” He added, “Given that some of my previous books have been on such male-oriented movies as The Magnificent Seven (1960) and The Guns of Navarone (1961), it is quite unusual for me to end up writing this kind of material, but it proved easily the most satisfying of the dozen movie books I have written.” From the author of The Making of The Magnificent Seven; The Gunfighters of ’69 - The Westerns’ Greatest Year; Paisley at the Pictures, 1950; and In Theaters Everywhere, A History of the Hollywood Wide Release 1913-2017.