The Fixers

Eddie Mannix, Howard Strickling and the MGM Publicity Machine

By: E.J. Fleming

Narrated by: Mike Hennessy

Eddie Mannix and Howard Strickling are virtually unknown outside of Hollywood and little-remembered even there, but as General Manager and Head of Publicity for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, they lorded over all the stars in Hollywood’s golden age from the 1920s through the 1940s—including legends like Garbo, Dietrich, Gable and Garland.

When MGM stars found themselves in trouble, it was Eddie and Howard who took care of them—solved their problems, hid their crimes, and kept their secrets. They were “the Fixers.” At a time when image meant everything and the stars were worth millions to the studios that owned them, Mannix and Strickling were the most important men at MGM.

Through a complex web of contacts in every arena, from reporters and doctors to corrupt police and district attorneys, they covered up some of the most notorious crimes and scandals in Hollywood history, keeping stars out of jail and, more importantly, their names out of the papers. They handled problems as diverse as the murder of Paul Bern (husband of MGM’s biggest star, Jean Harlow), the studio-directed drug addictions of Judy Garland, the murder of Ted Healy (creator of The Three Stooges) at the hands of Wallace Beery, and arranging for an unmarried Loretta Young to adopt her own child—a child fathered by a married Clark Gable.

Through exhaustive research and interviews with contemporaries, this is the never-before-told story of Eddie Mannix and Howard Strickling. The dual biography describes how a mob-related New Jersey laborer and the quiet son of a grocer became the most powerful men at the biggest studio in the world.

©2005 McFarland (P)2024 McFarland

Truth or Fiction

The story of MGM and Hollywood was interesting to say the least,but some of the stories have been heard before with various details and different endings. The most one can get from the Hollywood story is that there lives people with sordid and complicated lives but little interest is given to the motivating factors of these well known but tragic stories of these famous but tragic situations.

business

Great book, very helpful in business and economic. It is definitely very interesting and easy to understand and follow. Overall great interesting book to listen to.

In turns, interesting and exhausting

There are a lot of really interesting stories and anecdotes in this book. To hear some of the lesser known stories and facts is intriguing, but it's hard to believe many of them as, if this book is to be believed, nearly every single entertainer of these times was either gay or bisexual or at least having gay affairs for fun. Of course, many of them were - but all of them? I really can't agree. It takes away from the remainder of the information.
The narrator really isn't the guy for this book, either.

A good listen during commuting, but c’mon!

If you believe this author, EVERYONE in early Hollywood was either gay, lesbian or bisexual. It’s a bit overkill - but as a gay man - with more years behind me than in front of me - sexuality just doesn’t work that way. Maybe nowadays with fluidity, etc. But, I just don’t think it was such commonly accepted as this writer suggests. Also, with all the sex going on - how did they have the time to make movies? Call me out of touch - old, etc. It doesn’t matter to me.

Boring, Rambling

The narrator’s voice became irritating. Found it boring and had to stop listening. Do not recommend.