Bernard F. Dick

  • 10

    Catalog books

  • 5

    Works

  • 1989 to 2018

    Strongest span

Who This Author Is

Bernard F. Dick examines Hollywood’s studio system through close, archival-driven biography in The Merchant Prince of Poverty Row: Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures. His account focuses on Cohn’s business decisions, relationships, and the practical mechanics that shaped Columbia’s rise from low-budget programmer to major studio force.

Dick’s writing emphasizes institutional dynamics and personal leadership rather than gossip. By tracing production choices, distribution strategies, and managerial conflict, he paints a textured picture of how one executive steered a studio’s fortunes, offering readers a grounded study of power, compromise, and commerce in classic American filmmaking.

Best Place To Start

Author At A Glance

Best known for: Detailed studio history • Biography of Harry Cohn • Analysis of Hollywood business practices

Genres and themes: Film history • Hollywood biography • Studio system analysis

Who this author is best for: Ideal for readers who enjoy behind-the-scenes accounts of classic Hollywood and the business maneuvers that shaped studios.

Start with The Merchant Prince of Poverty Row to get a focused portrait of Columbia Pictures' power dynamics and leadership.

Top Books To Start With

  1. The Merchant Prince of Poverty Row : Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures

    Univ Pr of Kentucky • 1993 • standard commitment

    UPB note: one of the most common used-copy publishers for this author • year signal: 1993 • 218 pages.

  2. City of Dreams: The Making and Remaking of Universal Pictures

    Univ Pr of Kentucky • 1997 • standard commitment

    It helps anchor a specific period of this author’s publishing run instead of blending into the undated shelf clutter.

  3. STAR-SPANGLED SCREEN THE AMERICAN WORLD WAR II FILM

    Univ Pr of Kentucky • 1996 • standard commitment

    UPB note: one of the most common used-copy publishers for this author • year signal: 1996 • 297 pages.

  4. Radical Innocence: A Critical Study of the Hollywood Ten

    Univ Pr of Kentucky • 1989 • standard commitment

    UPB note: one of the most common used-copy publishers for this author • year signal: 1989 • 264 pages.

  5. That Was Entertainment

    University Press of Mississippi • 2018 • standard commitment

    UPB note: year signal: 2018 • 280 pages.

  6. Forever Mame

    University Press of Mississippi • 2006 • standard commitment

    UPB note: year signal: 2006 • 289 pages.

  7. Anatomy of Film

    Palgrave Macmillan • 2002 • longer commitment

    UPB note: year signal: 2002 • 400 pages.

  8. Engulfed

    University Press of Kentucky • 2001 • standard commitment

    UPB note: year signal: 2001 • 269 pages.

  9. Claudette Colbert

    University Press of Mississippi • 2008 • commitment varies by edition

    UPB note: year signal: 2008.

How The Picks Compare

  • The Merchant Prince of Poverty Row : Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures is the easier short commitment, while City of Dreams: The Making and Remaking of Universal Pictures asks for more reading time up front.
  • The Merchant Prince of Poverty Row : Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures gives you an earlier look at this author’s shelf, while City of Dreams: The Making and Remaking of Universal Pictures leans later in the catalog.

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