LEADER 04300pam 2200217 a 4500
001 891908
005 20181210092822.0
008 181226s2018 nyu g b 001 0beng
010 $a 2017278417
020 $a9780062456779 (hbk.) :$cNT$1015
040 $aTWTNM$beng$dTWTNM
050 00$aHC102.5.K47$bR46 2018
082 04$a332.092$222
100 1 $aRempel, William C.,$eauthor.
245 14$aThe gambler :$bhow penniless dropout Kirk Kerkorian became the greatest deal maker in capitalist history /$cWilliam C. Rempel.
246 30$aHow penniless dropout Kirk Kerkorian became the greatest deal maker in capitalist history.
250 $aFirst edition.
260 $aNew York :$bDey St., an imprint of William Morrow,$c[2018].
300 $axvi, 414 p. ;$c24 cm.
504 $aIncludes bibliographical references (pages 393-396) and index.
505 0 $aI. The making of a man. Gambling on the wind ; The kid from Weedpatch ; Bet of a lifetime ; Scraps, craps, and John Wayne ; On a wing and a spare tank ; Bugsy Siegel's last fight ; Art of the junk deal ; Gambling on gambling ; Jack Magic and the Blade ; A crapshooter's dream ; His first million ; The Armenian connection -- II. The making of a billionaire. Trouble with mobsters ; A clash of tycoons ; A $73 million side bet ; Hello, World! ; Cary and Kirk and Barbra andElvis ; The smiling cobra ; A kick in the ass ; Making Debbie Reynolds cry ; The rival vanishes ; Putting on the moves ; A view to the abyss ; Extra risk factor ; Punch, counterpunch ; MGM spells disaster ; Villain of the actuaries ; One roll of the dice ; Ted Turner's ticking time bomb ; A burial at sea ; Among the billionaires -- III. The making of a legend. Babe Ruth at bat ; The Iacocca nuisance ; She persisted ; Rifle right takes Iron Mike ; Genocide and generosity ; Wynn and lose ; Fateful attraction ; A God among deal makers ; Breaking bad ; After "the fall" ; Epilogue: Kirk's last deal.
520 $a"The rags-to-riches story of one of America's wealthiest and least-known financial giants, self-made billionaire Kirk Kerkorian--the daring aviator, movie mogul, risk-taker, and business tycoon who transformed Las Vegas and Hollywood to become one of the leading financiers in American business."--Jacket flap.
520 $a"Kirk Kerkorian was a pioneering American aviator, movie mogul, risk taker, and business tycoon who transformed Las Vegas and Hollywood to become one of this country's leading financiers. His life story demonstrates the cool daring of a World WarII pilot, the grit of a scrappy boxer, the cunning of an inscrutable poker player, and an unmatched genius for making deals. While he never put his name on a building, Kerkorian owned most of the major hotels and casinos in Las Vegas by the time he died in 2015. He envisioned and fostered what he called the new leisure industry. Three times he built the biggest resort hotel in the world. Three times he bought and sold the fabled MGM Studios, forever changing theway Hollywood does business. His early life began as far as possible from his eventual place on the Forbes list of billionaires, when he and his Armenian immigrant family lost their California farm to foreclosure. Kirk was about five when they moved to Los Angeles flat broke--and kept moving, staying one step ahead of more evictions. Young Kirk learned English on the streets of L.A., made pennies hawking newspapers, and dropped out of school after eighth grade. How he went onto become one of the richest and most generous men in America--his net worth as much as $20 billion--is a story largely unknown to the world. That's because what Kirk Kerkorian valued most was his privacy. His friends and associates, however, were some of the biggest names in business, entertainment, and sports--among them Howard Hughes, Ted Turner, Steve Wynn, Michael Milken, Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Elvis Presley, Mike Tyson, and Andre Agassi. In this engrossing biography, investigative reporter William C. Rempel digs deep into Kerkorian's long-guarded history to introduce a man of contradictions--a poorly educated genius of deal-making, an extraordinarily shy man who pursued the boldestof business ventures, a careful and calculating investor who was willing to bet everything on a single roll of the dice. [This book] illuminates as never before this little-known self-made entrepreneur and his inspiring legacy."--Jacket.
600 10$aKerkorian, Kirk,$d1917-2015.
650 0$aBillionaires$zUnited States$vBiography.
650 0$aCapitalists and financiers$zUnited States$vBiography.