"The Last Tycoon" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, summary

The novel "The Last Tycoon" was written in 1940. The author died of a heart attack while working on the manuscript, leaving the book unfinished. The protagonist was based on executive producer Irving Thalberg. The story explores the backstage of Hollywood through the life of a talented executive dedicated to filmmaking.

In 1976, director Elia Kazan made a film adaptation of the same name, starring Robert De Niro. In 2017, an American streaming service adapted the film into a television series.

Night flight and meeting in Nashville

The story is told from the perspective of eighteen-year-old Cecilia Brady. A college student, she knows the inner workings of the dream factory well, as her father, Pat Brady, is the co-owner of a major film studio. In the summer of 1935, Cecilia is flying from college to Los Angeles. In the cabin with her are screenwriter Wiley White and former film producer Manny Schwartz, who has hit a dead end. Traveling in a separate cabin is Monroe Stahr, a leading producer and the de facto head of the Brady studio.

Due to a severe cyclone, the plane makes an emergency landing in Nashville. Wiley and Cecilia go to see President Andrew Jackson’s estate, The Hermitage. Schwartz refuses to continue the flight, passes a short note to Star through Wiley, and remains by the memorial’s columns. It is later revealed that Manny Schwartz shot himself right on the estate grounds.

Monroe Starr joins the passengers for the rest of the journey. Thirty-five years old, he’s renowned for his phenomenal eye for the perfect shot and controls the entire studio. Cecilia has long been secretly in love with Monroe, but the producer himself views her only as his partner’s daughter.

Earthquake and the mysterious face

After arriving, Cecilia visits her father at the studio. Their conversation about business is interrupted by a powerful earthquake. The earthquake damages water mains, and torrents of water flood the sets featuring jungle and New York street scenes.

Star and his assistant, Robinson, rush to the scene of the accident. In the spotlights, they see a giant papier-mâché head of the goddess Shiva, washed away by the water. On the top of the idol, two women, who had accidentally infiltrated the studio, are escaping the flood. As the statue is moored to shore, Star catches the eye of one of the strangers. The girl’s face shocks the producer: she bears an uncanny resemblance to his late wife, the famous actress Minna Davis.

Studio routine and the search for a stranger

The next day, Monroe Starr immerses himself in the familiar management pipeline. He reviews scripts, converses with English writer George Boxley, gives directions to directors, replaces cinematographers, and rescues actors from depression. Starr strives to maintain a balance between the artistic quality of the films and revenue.

At a production meeting, Starr announced to his partners that he was about to launch a film that would be unprofitable, with expenses of approximately $250,000. Pat Brady and co-owner of the Popolos theater chain objected to the expense. However, Starr insisted: the studio needed a prestigious project for the sake of high art and to attract discerning audiences.

Meanwhile, Star is trying to locate the girl from the flooded site. He only knows that her companion was wearing a silver belt. His assistants are calling recently connected subscribers with the last name Smith, and the producer soon manages to get in touch.

An affair with Kathleen Moore

The stranger’s companion, Edna, agrees to meet, but upon speaking with Star in person, he realizes he’s confused. His real lover is Kathleen Moore. She’s Irish and has lived in London for a long time. In the past, she had a complicated affair with an impoverished European monarch in exile.

Kathleen and Monroe instantly fall in love. They spend a Sunday together, driving to the coast in Santa Monica, where Star is building her new home. There, they witness a rare natural phenomenon — the nocturnal migration of the leurestes fish onto the sandy beach. Kathleen confesses that she is engaged to the American who rescued her after her breakup with her former benefactor and is due to arrive soon.

Star postpones the marriage proposal until tomorrow, hoping to clear up any doubts. However, the following day, he receives a farewell telegram from Kathleen: her fiancé has unexpectedly arrived early, and they are married immediately.

Clash with the union

The loss of Kathleen breaks Stahr. He immerses himself in grueling work, undermining his already fragile health. Cecilia tries to get closer to the producer and, at his request, arranges a meeting with Communist Party representative Brimmer. Brimmer is organizing an independent writers’ union.

A conversation about labor rights and the influence of capital on art quickly devolves into a verbal altercation. After several drinks, an exhausted Star tries to pick a fight with Brimmer in the garden of Cecilia’s house. The physically strong Brimmer easily knocks the producer down with a single punch.

The struggle for power and a tragic ending

Fitzgerald’s text ends in chapter six. Based on the author’s surviving detailed plans and drafts, the final part of the plot is reconstructed.

Monroe Stahr’s health is rapidly deteriorating. Meanwhile, Pat Brady begins an open war for sole control of the film studio. Brady schemes, uses blackmail, and allies himself with financial moguls to oust Stahr from the studio. Kathleen’s husband becomes a leader of the labor union movement opposing the studio’s management.

In response to Brady’s machinations, Star decides to hire hitmen to physically eliminate his rival. However, during the flight to New York, the producer’s conscience gets the better of him, and he decides to cancel the job. He fails to reach the airport: the plane crashes in the mountains during a snowstorm, and Star dies. The hired hitmen nevertheless carry out the original order, resulting in the death of Pat Brady. Thus, the era of individual creators in Hollywood tragically ends.