Introducing: Glitter and Might

It Was Said

Audacy Podcasts | The HISTORY Channel

History, Society & Culture

4.7 • 3.9K Ratings

🗓️ 9 August 2023

⏱️ 2 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In Glitter and Might, a new series exploring the intersection of show business and politics, bestselling author Shawn Levy unpacks the story of Lew Wasserman, the shadowy legend who lorded over Hollywood for half a century. He was a feared deal-maker, credited with breaking the impasse that ended the 1960 actors’ and writers’ strike. Wasserman oversaw seismic innovations in the entertainment business, but none as impressive as the way he connected it to Washington. Every president from Kennedy to Clinton took his calls. And he was as comfortable dealing with gangsters as with politicians. Through original research and interviews with Wasserman's associates and the journalists who observed him, we learn how this mystery man definitively ruled many worlds. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	They called him the most powerful man in Hollywood and he really was and he really was for decades.
0:07.0	He extended his tentacles like an octopus throughout the entire entertainment industry.
0:14.0	Night believed that he was considered royalty.
0:18.0	We are proud to honor him tonight, Mr. Lou Wasserman.
0:25.0	We talk a lot today around disruption in business and whether it's Airbnb or Uber,
0:31.0	that's something that Lou is doing in the 40s and the 50s.
0:34.0	At a time and a place where everybody wanted to be a peacock,
0:39.0	Lou stood out by making himself such an unseen figure.
0:44.0	His famous line was, stay out of the spotlight, it fades your suit.
0:48.0	People look at Elon Musk today. Jeff Bezos, these are all very wealthy individuals
0:53.0	and we've confused wealth with power.
0:56.0	Lou had relationships with every president until he died, right up until Clinton.
1:00.0	My name is Ronald Reagan. I was a sports announcer on a radio station in Des Moines, Iowa.
1:05.0	One day I ran into one of these movie talent scots.
1:07.0	You have to kind of feel like Ronald Reagan to some degree was just an invention of Lou Wasserman.
1:12.0	Wasserman was the powerful shadowy figure, obviously somewhat in league with the mafia.
1:20.0	All the other studios deferred to Lou to handle the dirty work to get things done.
1:25.0	We have not had anyone of that ilk since he left us.
1:31.0	This is Glitter and Might, an Odyssey original podcast written and narrated by me, Sean Levy.
1:37.0	All episodes are available on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:42.0	I was at a party and met Lou and told him that my aspiration was to make a film about him
1:49.0	and he shoved his thumb deep into my neck and warmly said,
	...

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