Procter (History/Texas Christian Univ.) completes his two-volume
biography of the man whose ego and empire and sense of entitlement
ballooned to proportions so vast that it took the Great Depression
and time's stiletto to puncture them.Throughout, Procter (William
Randolph Hearst: The Early Years, 1863-1901, 1998) is kind to his
subject. Hearst was a genius (or nearly so), a wonderful cook,
fiercely loyal to both women in his life (his wife and the actress
Marion Davies), highly creative and innovative with a "seemingly
inexhaustible work ethic." He loved art and amassed one of the
greatest collections ever. Procter reminds us of Hearst's
innovations not only in journalism but in Hollywood. He created The
Perils of Pauline (and wrote scripts for the serial); he insisted
on historical accuracy in sets and costumes. Hearst also had
ferocious political ambitions. He served two terms in Congress but
failed repeatedly to win the White House and seemed to have a
genetic incapability of backing a winner in state or national
elections. He believed in "America First" and urged the country to
stay out of both world wars. He had an audience with Hitler in the
early 1930s and came away very impressed, says Procter. The author
does show Hearst's great weaknesses, principally his inability to
control spending. If he wanted it (a rare work of art, an English
castle, a private compound at San Simeon, whatever), he bought it.
For years, he invested $50,000 per month in the construction of a
San Simeon property. Frequently, he took long and luxurious trips
to Europe with dozens of his closest friends.Procter does not
ignore Hearst's ruthless dishonesty, his reptilian professional and
personal ethics, but the author does sometimes succumb to the
subject's celebrity and toxic charm. (Kirkus Reviews)
William Randolph Hearst was a figure of Shakespearean proportions,
a man of huge ambition, inflexible will, and inexhaustible energy.
He revolutionized the newspaper industry in America, becoming the
most powerful media mogul the world had ever seen, and in the
process earned himself the title of "most hated man in America" on
four different occasions. Now in the second volume of this sweeping
biography, Ben Procter gives readers a vivid portrait of the final
40 years of Hearst's life. Drawing on previously unavailable
letters and manuscripts, and quoting generously from Hearst's own
editorials, Procter covers all aspects of Hearst's career: his
journalistic innovations, his impassioned patriotism, his fierce
belief in "Government by Newspaper," his frustrated political
aspirations, profligate spending and voracious art collecting, the
building of his castle at San Simeon, and his tumultuous Hollywood
years. The book offers new insight into Hearst's bitter and highly
public quarrels with Al Smith (who referred to Hearst papers as
"Mudgutter Gazettes") and FDR (whose New Deal Hearst dubbed the
"Raw Deal"); his 30-year affair with the actress Marion Davies (and
her own affairs with others); his political evolution from a
progressive trust-buster and "America first" isolationist to an
increasingly conservative and at times hysterical anti-communist.
Procter also explores Hearst's ill-considered meeting with Hitler,
his attempts to suppress "Citizen Kane," and his relationships with
Joseph Kennedy, Charles Lindbergh, Louis B. Meyer, and many other
major figures of his time. As Life magazine noted, Hearst
newspapers were a "one-man fireworks display"-sensational,
controversial, informative, and always entertaining. In Ben
Procter's fascinating biography, Hearst shines forth in all his
eccentric and egocentric glory.
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