I became a son-in-law in the United States

Chapter 65 Veteran Players

Paramount Pictures, inside the boss's office.

The 54-year-old leader, Adolf Zuk, is of medium build, with a lean face and strong features, especially his hooked nose, which leaves a deep impression.

At this moment, what lay before him were the latest Hollywood newspapers, filled with news about box office hits and "Walden".

The assistant hesitated for a moment, then said:

"Mr. Zucker, Box Office Films is just a small company in Boston, and the person in charge is only in his twenties."

Upon hearing this, the sect leader nodded slightly, a gentlemanly smile on his face, seemingly not caring much.

He cooked a meal and then asked a completely unrelated question: "Why did old Joseph hand over the company to a younger person? Has he stopped making B-movies?"

Zhu Ke naturally looked down on old Joseph, and even despised him.

He was one of the three founders of Paramount, the "Shaw Brothers" of Hollywood, a true industry tycoon. How could he possibly look down on a small film producer who came from a poor neighborhood?

Even though its owner used to be old Joseph—that shameless guy who would do anything for money—he still couldn't think much of it.

"That's right," the assistant nodded, then explained, "back in July, the box office for this film was handed over to this young man named Luther?"

"So, he made the first sound film?"

"Yes, this movie... although the quality isn't great, its box office is amazing..." The assistant hesitated before continuing.

"So what?" Zucker interrupted his assistant, then slowly said, "In Hollywood, there are plenty of fleeting successes like this. We shouldn't waste our precious time and energy on these things. You have very important things to do."

"I understand, I'll be going now."

"Wait a moment," Zhu Ke waved his hand, signaling his assistant to stop temporarily. Then, after thinking for a moment, he said, "Keep an eye on this young man named Luther for me."

"Boss, do we need to do anything, like put a little pressure on them?"

"No need," Zhu Ke sighed and continued, "We just need to conduct a covert investigation, especially into Luther's background and their technological approach, and then we can discuss whether sound films are worth investing in."

"Okay, I understand."

After speaking, the assistant hurriedly left, leaving only the founder. He calmly looked out the window, lost in thought.

................

Meanwhile, at MGM, in the conference room...

Mayer sat in the chair, her face filled with anger and displeasure.

He is 43 years old this year. Although he is Jewish, he comes from Belarus and came to the United States a long time ago. He accumulated capital by buying and selling scrap metal, opened his first movie theater, and then founded MGM.

This guy wasn't tall, but he was exceptionally strong. He was fierce and reckless, and he was a force to be reckoned with no matter where he was.

When he's happy, he's a gentle elder and a kind father, but when he loses his temper, he's a tyrant and a demon king.

This is why Mayer is known as the "King of Hollywood," and some even say that Mayer was the best actor on the MGM set.

After listening to his subordinates' report on the recent film market, he smiled dismissively.

"Hmph, a second-rate manufacturer made a sound romance film; they just got lucky."

"Their shoddy stuff is crude and reckless; how can it compare to us? We're MGM!"

Although Mayer has a bad temper, his standards for film quality are unquestionable, and MGM has always pursued a quality-oriented approach, resulting in very positive audience feedback.

But the next moment, someone whispered, "But boss, they just made $234 million at the box office!"

"What?!" Meyer jumped to her feet, like a raging bull. "Damn it! Are the audience blind? How could they pay for a movie like this? What a bunch of idiots! And those who make box office hits are a bunch of despicable, shameless, and vile bastards!"

The people in the meeting room fell silent, because the boss had already lost his temper.

That's just the kind of person Mayer is—extremely emotional, short-tempered, and prone to yelling and shouting; everyone's used to it.

"They have celebrities, they have lavish productions, how do they make so much money!"

After thinking for a moment, Mayer came to her senses and said to the supervisors beside her:

"That female lead looks pretty good; you could try to get in touch with her."

"Boss, are we going to poach her?"

Maye thought for a moment, then finally nodded: "Okay."

..................

Of all the Hollywood studios, Warner Bros. was the most furious.

Originally, according to the timeline, Warner Bros. was the first studio to pay attention to sound technology and the first to bet on sound films. They would have released their first sound film at this time, becoming the world's first company to release a sound film.

But Luther's arrival ruined everything.

A million-dollar investment gone down the drain—anyone would be furious.

Before the eldest brother, Harry Warner, could speak, the fourth brother, Jack Warner, slammed his fist on the table and roared:

"That bastard! Everyone in Hollywood knows we're the ones making sound movies, how could they possibly have made one? It must be plagiarism!"

As the youngest of the four brothers, Jack Warner also had the most volatile temper and was quite domineering.

At this moment, Albert, the second son in charge of finance, also sighed and said with envy:

"$234 million at the box office, that's just too much!"

Upon hearing this, Sam Warner, the third son, couldn't stand it any longer. In fact, he was the one who was a staunch advocate for sound films.

Without his active promotion, Warner Bros. probably wouldn't have made sound movies.

They originally planned to release the movie and make a fortune by touting it as the "first in history," but now they never expected that someone else would beat them to it.

The actions of the current box office films are undoubtedly a slap in his face.

He was no longer just angry; he was determined to burn the other person to ashes.

He thought for a moment before speaking to Harry Warner, the eldest of the brothers:

"Are we just going to let them keep breaking records like this? Aren't we going to do something about it?"

Halliwara's face was serious, exuding an imposing aura. After a moment, he addressed his brothers:

"We've made so many movies, we never expected to be taken down by a small company this time. But before that, we'd better find out who this Luther is."

"He's just a minor nobleman from Europe; there are many people like him in America."

Harry Warner nodded, and then said:

"That's fine. We do have friends in Boston, and besides, I've recently heard that some old friends are quite dissatisfied with him. I can go and contact them."

The third brother nodded: "It's because old Joseph has made too many enemies. Now, we're not the only ones who want him dead."

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