Joseph P. Kennedy reigned in Hollywood from 1926 to 1930, when he ran three movie studios, led the revolution in sound pictures, and created the first modern entertainment empire. Sorting through the archives of Kennedy deals, letters, and memos, Cari Beauchamp tells for the first time how he made it all happen, a miracle of smoke and mirrors that resulted in a gambit never seen before or since: the merger with RCA that resulted in RKO Studios. Beauchamp writes about the pictures Kennedy produced; the stars he made and ruined (including his lover, Gloria Swanson); and the Hollywood titans he charmed, cajoled, and battled, including William Randolph Hearst, in this fascinating tale of greed and business genius that shows how Kennedy not only made a fortune but changed the very nature of the business of moviemaking.