In 1917, William Fox, founder of the Fox Film Corporation, sent his personal secretary, Sol Wurtzel, to California to supervise the studios West Coast productions. Until 1923, Fox, who hated the trip west from New York, carried on an extensive mail and telegraph correspondence with his young protg, advising him on every element of the studios management, from how much to pay Tom Mix, to the editing needed for Theda Baras newest picture. The letters and telegrams from those years, between "My Dear Sol, " and "My Dear Mr. Fox, " paint a colorful portrait of early Hollywood, from hirings and firings to the nitty-gritty of early filmmaking. Their letters reveal much about Foxs personality, as well as showing Wurtzels development from secretary to a remarkable manager of a movie empire in its early stages. This detailed story of early Hollywood and the history of film production includes an index.