Documentary currently showing on turner classics. Think oskar schindler. Written and directed by james freedman. Laemmle had founded universal studios by merging a bunch of smaller studios. Interesting to learn that there was a stigma against the jewish people in germany dating back to the 1700s. I had though that had started in the 1900s. Laemmle had come to the states in the 1880s. Before telephones, movies, before so many inventions. He took on edison's "patent trust", which was actually a monopoly. Instead of paying edison's patent fee, laemmle just started making his own films. And was among the first to allow actors to be credited in the film. Even had many women in positions of power, which was rare in those days. He enjoyed making the horror movies, when most studios were scared to touch them. It's educational, interesting, and fun to watch. One improvement I would have made, is to always show who is speaking. There are many times when someone is speaking, either with or without a picture of the speaker, and we aren't sure who it is. This story outlines the various battles and monopolies that laemmle had to fight. In addition to his contributions to film, he helped many jews to leave germany. He also donated time, money, and much effort to rebuild his hometown in laupheim, germany after the war. Really interesting to watch. What a life! Cousin to william wyler.