Despite his controversial public image, Warner remained a force in the motion picture industry until his retirement in the early 1970s. An opponent of communism, after the war Warner appeared as a friendly witness before the House Un-American Activities Committee, voluntarily naming screenwriters who had been fired as suspected communists or sympathizers. He also opposed European fascism and criticized Nazi Germany well before America's involvement in World War II. Although he was a staunch Republican, he encouraged film projects that promoted the policies of Democratic President Franklin D. Throughout his career, Warner was viewed as a contradictory and enigmatic figure. Given to decisiveness, Warner once commented, "If I'm right fifty-one percent of the time, I'm ahead of the game." He recruited many of Warner Bros.' top stars and promoted the hard-edged social dramas for which the studio became known. Īlthough Warner was feared by many of his employees and inspired ridicule with his uneven attempts at humor, he earned respect for his shrewd instincts and tough-mindedness. He assumed exclusive control of the company in the 1950s when he secretly purchased his brothers' shares in the business after convincing them to participate in a joint sale of stocks. After Sam's death, Jack clashed with his surviving older brothers, Harry and Albert Warner. Studios, Warner worked with his brother, Sam Warner, to procure the technology for the film industry's first talking picture, The Jazz Singer (1927). Warner's career spanned some forty-five years, its duration surpassing that of any other of the seminal Hollywood studio moguls. Jack Leonard Warner (born Jacob Warner Aug– September 9, 1978) was a Canadian-American film executive, who was the president and driving force behind the Warner Bros.
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