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 Michael Keaton plays Ray Kroc, a hard-drinking, somewhat
desperate middle-aged milkshake equipment salesman who 60 years
ago out-hustled the McDonald brothers to gain control of their
namesake brand in "The Founder," which is opening in U.S. movie
theaters on Friday.
Kroc, who died in 1984, convinced Richard and Maurice McDonald
to let him franchise their clean, quick-service restaurants that
helped end the U.S. carhop era. He then wrested so much control
over the brand that the brothers agreed to be bought out in 1961
for $2.7 million.
"I'm drawn to stories about polarizing, difficult men," said
screenwriter Robert Siegel, who also wrote "The Wrestler."
"Keaton is good at that oily charm," Siegel told Reuters.
The film closes with the bombshell allegation that Kroc cheated
the McDonald brothers out of what would have been a massive
annual royalty payment.
The McDonald brothers' survivors, who struck a rights deal with
the film's producers, have made that charge. However, it was not
confirmed by other sources or in media interviews with the
brothers themselves, whose major complaint appeared to be Kroc's
appropriation of the McDonald's founder title.
McDonald's Corp declined comment on the issue.
"The Founder" arrives on screens on the heels of "Ray & Joan:
The Man Who Made the McDonald's Fortune," a 2016 book by
journalist Lisa Napoli that turns the spotlight on Kroc's third
wife.
Joan Kroc, who died in 2003, lived lavishly while using Kroc's
billion-dollar fortune to promote causes sure to have sent her
husband, a pro-business conservative who supported U.S.
President Richard Nixon, spinning in his grave.
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The book traces their tumultuous relationship, which blossomed
through a mutual love of music and business. But Napoli says it was
Ray's unwavering devotion to bargain-barrel "Early Times" whiskey
that fueled both conflict in the marriage and aspects of Joan's
charitable giving.
In keeping with the times, Joan did not speak openly about Ray's
drinking, which "doesn't square well with the mythology of
McDonald's," Napoli said.
"She couldn't get him to quit, so she helped other people like
herself to deal with people who drink," Napoli said.
Joan supported addiction research, awareness and treatment through
gifts to major universities and facilities such as the Hazelden
Foundation and the Betty Ford Clinic.
Other major recipients include the Salvation Army, National Public
Radio and the Ronald McDonald House Charities.
(Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles, Editing by Jill
Serjeant and Lisa Von Ahn)
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