In the Shadows: The Tales of MGM’s Fixer, Eddie Mannix

Gaining Their Trust

However, Mannix was more of a “book-creator” than anything else. More often times than not, Mannix fudged the accounts of the company’s cash-only business. The owners were impressed with how much money Mannix made them and eventually promoted him to general manager.

A view the entrance of Palisades Amusement Park in New Jersey. Circa 1940.

Photo by R. Gates/Archive Photos/Getty Images

From there, he became the park’s problem solver—taking care of everything from broken rides to shady deals that went on behind the scenes. At the time, Palisades was owned by the Schenck brothers, and when they went on to form what would be known as MGM, Mannix was one of their most trusted workers. One of the brothers, Nicholas Schenck, didn’t trust that Louis B. Mayer would have the Schenck family’s best interest in mind.

© 2019 History by Day all rights reserved