(The book takes its title from Herman’s 1926 telegram to New York playwright Ben Hecht: “MILLIONS ARE TO BE GRABBED OUT HERE AND YOUR ONLY COMPETITION IS IDIOTS. Herman absconded to Hollywood first prodigiously talented, he approached his job as a lark, drinking and gambling at least as much as he wrote. The father of the boys, Franz, had a gift for undermining their self-confidence. Mankiewicz in David Fincher’s drama about the origins of ‘Citizen Kane.’ Gary Oldman plays the Oscar-winning screenwriter Herman J. Review: ‘Mank’ is a gorgeous dive into film history - and a sharp reflection on our political present That disjunction between family lore and Hollywood reality compelled him to write his new book, “ Competing With Idiots,” a subjective dual portrait of the Brothers Mankiewicz. Only later did Davis, now a filmmaker as well, realize the truth was more complicated.
Herman, full of bonhomie Joseph, stiff and superficial. The good guy artiste and the bad guy sellout. The brothers had both come from New York to Hollywood, one after the other, to make some cash and flex their writing muscles, but they soon parted ways and forged starkly divergent careers. He was also taught to regard his great-uncle, Joseph, as a fraudulent, womanizing try-hard. Mankiewicz, was an iconoclast hero with no need for Hollywood posturing. Growing up, he was told that his grandfather, “Citizen Kane” screenwriter Herman J. The legend of the Mankiewicz brothers has always been with Nick Davis. If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from, whose fees support independent bookstores. President Theodore Roosevelt officially gave the White House its current name in 1901.Competing With Idiots: Herman and Joe Mankiewicz, a Dual Portrait.At various times in history, the White House has been known as the “President’s Palace,” the “President’s House,” and the “Executive Mansion.”.The White House requires 570 gallons of paint to cover its outside surface.The White House kitchen is able to serve dinner to as many as 140 guests and hors d’oeuvres to more than 1,000.There are also 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 staircases, and 3 elevators. There are 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and 6 levels in the Residence.The White House remains a place where history continues to unfold. From the Ground Floor Corridor rooms, transformed from their early use as service areas, to the State Floor rooms, where countless leaders and dignitaries have been entertained, the White House is both the home of the President of the United States and his or her family, and a living museum of American history. The reconstruction was overseen by architect Lorenzo Winslow, and in 1952, the Truman family moved back into the White House.Įvery president since John Adams has occupied the White House, and the history of this building extends far beyond the construction of its walls. Truman began a renovation of the building in which everything but the outer walls was dismantled. Less than fifty years after the Roosevelt renovation, the White House was already showing signs of serious structural weakness. Roosevelt’s successor, President William Howard Taft, had the Oval Office constructed within an enlarged office wing. The Roosevelt renovation was planned and carried out by the famous New York architectural firm McKim, Mead and White.
In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt began a major renovation of the White House, including the relocation of the President’s offices from the Second Floor of the Residence to the newly constructed temporary Executive Office Building (now known as the West Wing). Various proposals were put forward during the late 19th century to significantly expand the President’s House or to build an entirely new residence, but these plans were never realized. In 1829, Andrew Jackson oversaw the addition of the North Portico. James Monroe moved into the building in 1817, and during his administration, the South Portico was constructed. During the War of 1812, the British set fire to the President’s House, and James Hoban was appointed to rebuild it.
After eight years of construction, President John Adams and his wife Abigail moved into the still-unfinished residence. The following year, the cornerstone was laid and a design submitted by Irish-born architect James Hoban was chosen. Our first president, George Washington, selected the site for the White House in 1791.