Legendary Hollywood deal maker and would-be studio head Lew Wasserman oversaw Music Corporation of America's transition from talent agency to movie industry superpower, and blazed a trail in Hollywood's transition from the studio system -- where studios signed and developed in-house talent -- to the package system, where agents assembled attractive combinations of talents on a picture-by-picture basis. A divisive character who never granted interviews, Wasserman changed Hollywood forever.
Legendary Hollywood deal maker and would-be studio head Lew Wasserman oversaw Music Corporation of America's transition from talent agency to movie industry superpower, and blazed a trail in Hollywood's transition from the studio system -- where studios signed and developed in-house talent -- to the package system, where agents assembled...