Overview

"A woman in wartime Hollywood and her dream of the perfect motion picture. Renie Lee has climbed the ladder in a man's world to be head of the Story Department at Warner Bros. Studios. Renie is an idealist who believes that ""the perfect film"" can be created. When she pulls an unproduced stage play set in Morocco out of the slush pile, she has a feeling this one is special, maybe not perfect but special enough to secure her place as an equal to the studio's most powerful men. No one agrees with her until two brash young studio writers, Julius and Philip Epstein, decide to back Renie's gamble and bring the Morocco story to the screen. Their screenplay's name: Casablanca. Renie uses her charms on executive producer Hal Wallis until he finally agrees to her plan, but the problems seem insurmountable from the start, and Renie's gamble threatens to become a career killer for not only Renie but also her confederates, the Epsteins. Set against the backdrop of Pearl harbor and the first months of World War II, Season of the Gods careens across the Warner Bros. lot, from the Writers Building to the dressing rooms and soundstages to tell the spellbinding and unlikely story of Hollywood's greatest masterpiece through the eyes of all who made it happen."

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9781735273877

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Reviews

"""Story Editor Irene Lee as a star of this real-life drama is masterful. The supporting cast, consisting of the heat of the Los Angeles summer, nightclubs, the Hollywood Hills to the confined spaces of the Writer's Building at Warners, makes Season of the Gods an enticing tale. Here's looking at--and reading--this, kid!""--James D'ARC, Author, When Hollywood Ca to Utah ""Casablanca is, among other things, an accidental masterpiece that remains a primary testimonial to the studio system. Robert Matzen's novel about the film's chaotic production is like the movie in that it's both entertaining and a moving love story about a lost paradise: Hollywood.""--Scott Eyman, Author, Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise; John Wayne: The Life and Legend ""Absolutely fascinating! Robert Matzen is known for his meticulously researched non-fiction, but his first foray into fiction is not to be missed. You may think you know the beloved film Casablanca, but you'll be riveted by this story behind the story. Season of the Gods is must-read fiction for lovers of old Hollywood.""--Brenda Janowitz, Author, The Audrey Hepburn Estate ""Robert Matzen's intimate knowledge of the studio system era at Warner Bros. combined with his storytelling acumen brings the backstory of the making of Casablanca--the greatest Hollywood movie of all time--to life.""--Alan K. Rode, Author, Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film"

"""Matzen's casting of Warner Bros. Story Editor Irene Lee as a star of this real-life drama is masterful. The supporting cast, consisting of the heat of the Los Angeles summer, nightclubs, the Hollywood Hills to the confined spaces of the Writer's Building at Warners, makes Season of the Gods an enticing tale. Here's looking at--and reading--this, kid!"" --James D'Arc, Author, When Hollywood Came to Utah ""Casablanca is, among other things, an accidental masterpiece that remains a primary testimonial to the studio system. Robert Matzen's novel about the film's chaotic production is like the movie in that it's both entertaining and a moving love story about a lost paradise: Hollywood.""--Scott Eyman, Author, Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise; John Wayne: The Life and Legend ""Absolutely fascinating! Robert Matzen is known for his meticulously researched non-fiction, but his first foray into fiction is not to be missed. You may think you know the beloved film Casablanca, but you'll be riveted by this story behind the story. Season of the Gods is must-read fiction for lovers of old Hollywood.""--Brenda Janowitz, Author, The Audrey Hepburn Estate ""Robert Matzen's intimate knowledge of the studio system era at Warner Bros. combined with his storytelling acumen brings the backstory of the making of Casablanca--the greatest Hollywood movie of all time--to life.""--Alan K. Rode, Author, Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film"

Author Information

Robert Matzen is the internationally bestselling author of Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II, Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe, and seven other books. He is a Hollywood historian specializing in Warner Bros. Studios, and his byline has appeared in the Wall Street Journal among other publications.

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