How To Celebrate The Centennial Of One Of Hollywood’s Greatest Movie Studios At Home
What do these classic films “The Wizard of Oz”, “Singing In The Rain”, “Gone With The Wind”, “Easter Parade”, “Gaslight”, “The Postman Always Rings Twice”, “Ben-Hur”, “Meet Me In St Louis”, “Tarzan the Ape Man”, “Brigadoon”, “Dinner At Eight”, The Women”, “Forbidden Planet”, “Gigi”, “David Cooperfield”, “North By Northwest”, “The Philadelphia Story”, “Viva Las Vegas”, “Doctor Zhivago”, and “2001: A Space Odyssey” all have in common? They were all made by the largest and most prestigious movie studio of Hollywood's Golden Age - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - cue the roar of Leo the Lion!
Founded on April 17, 1924, by Marcus Loew who merged Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures, and Louis B. Mayer Pictures into one company, M-G-M, was Hollywood's most prestigious filmmaking company, producing popular musical films and winning many Academy Awards (12 Best Picture Academy Award winners), including Hamlet (1948). M-G-M also owned film studios, movie lots, movie theaters and technical production facilities. From the outset, MGM tapped into the audience's need for glamor and sophistication. Its most prosperous era, from 1926 to 1959, was bracketed by two productions of "Ben Hur" - the first one starring Ramon Novarro and the latter one starring Charlton Heston.
M-G-M is about to make cinematic history again by turning 100 this month! For as long as I can remember I’ve always loved watching films from the studio's heyday, reading all about their colorful history, and following the careers of their most beloved stars. So if you’re a HUGE Metro buff like me there are several ways you can celebrate the studio's centennial (aside from paying a visit to the old studio lot in Culver City - which is now owned by Sony Pictures) from the comfort of your comfy couch.
One way you can celebrate the birth of the studio that claimed to have “more stars than there are in heaven” is to watch some of M-G-M’s greatest films on Turner Classic Movies. For the entire month of April, TCM will celebrate the 100th anniversary of MGM by devoting each Monday of the month to daylong lineups of the studio’s classic films from the past 100 years! As an added plus, airing in between the movies they will air the Emmy-winning 1992 documentary "MGM: When the Lion Roars", a history of the studio narrated by Patrick Stewart. I love that friggin documentary!
Aside from watching some of the studio’s greatest films, you can also read one of the following books (I have personally read and highly recommend) that will give you some insight into the biggest, richest, and most glamorous film factory of the studio era. Enjoy!
LION OF HOLLYWOOD: THE LIFE AND LEGEND OF LOUIS B. MAYER BY SCOTT EYMAN (2012)
The definitive biography of Louis B. Mayer, the chief of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer—MGM—the biggest and most successful film studio of Hollywood’s Golden Age. A three-dimensional biography of a figure often caricatured and vilified as the paragon of the studio system. Mayer could be arrogant and tyrannical, but under his leadership, MGM made such unforgettable films as “The Big Parade”, Ninotchka”, “The Wizard of Oz”, “Meet Me In St Louis”, and “An American in Paris”.
Film historian Scott Eyman interviewed more than 150 people and researched some previously unavailable archives to write this major biography of a man who defined an industry and era. As a huge M-G-M fan myself, I can honestly say that no cinephiles library should be without a copy of this fascinating book.
A PORTRAIT OF JOAN BY JOAN CRAWFORD AND JANE KESNER ARDMORE (1962)
One of M-G-M’s greatest stars - Joan Crawford - recalls her fabulous life in this entertaining autobiography: at nine, scrubbing floors in a Kansas City school; at twenty, motion picture stardom and marriage to Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.; in 1945, the Academy Award for her sensational comeback-triumph in Mildred Pierce; and when the book was written, a glamorous “double life” as Hollywood star and corporation executive.
Through four marriages, countless cocktail parties, and more than 100 appearances in film and television, Joan lived the life of a legend from the first day she stepped onto the back lot. After becoming famous in the silent era, by 1938 she was dubbed "Box Office Poison," and her career was considered over - but Crawford never quit. Over the next 40 years, she clawed her way back to the top, and in this engaging autobiography, she tells her story - her way.
Published when she was filming “Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?” with Bette Davis this straightforward autobiography is nowhere near as fun as her second (and last) book “My Way of Life” published in 1971. It doesn’t give readers any juicy tidbits or dirt about Joan’s life - it is more like a whitewashed M-G-M technicolor movie version of her life - but it is told in Joan’s voice so if you’re a huge Joan Crawford fan (like me) its a “must read”.
The Audible version is also worth checking out as Joan reads the book herself!
C'MON, GET HAPPY: THE MAKING OF SUMMER STOCK BY DAVID FANTLE & TOM JOHNSON (2023)
Calling all Judy Garland and Gene Kelly fans! You’re going to lose your mind when you read this fascinating new book about the third and final screen teaming of Garland and Kelly starring together in the 1950 M-G-M musical “Summer Stock” - which was the end of the road for Garland at the studio she called home for 15 years.
Written by David Fantle and Tom Johnson, film historians, and award-winning authors, the book tells the backstory of how this film was brought to the screen—a tale with enough drama, heartache, and genuine selflessness to fuel the plots of a score of M-G-M melodramas. It took a herculean effort and the bottomless empathy of Kelly, co-star Phil Silvers, Eddie Bracken, Carleton Carpenter, and director Charles Walters to “pull” a performance out of a drug-addled and emotionally spent Garland who was the focus of some production delays, and made completing the fraught project one that defied the odds makers.
Despite its riveting production history, charismatic lead actors, and classic musical moments, the movie has not received the same attention as other musicals from M-G-M’s storied dream factory. This “must have” book for any diehard Garland or Kelly fan is a comprehensive study of this 1950 motion picture, from start to finish and after its release.
NOTE - I recently had the opportunity to interview the authors David Fantle and Tom Johnson for my podcast so make sure to subscribe to it so that you don’t miss their two fabulous upcoming episodes on Hollywood Obsessed Podcast.
CAPTAIN OF HER SOUL: THE LIFE OF MARION DAVIES BY LARA GABRIELLE (2022)
The spectacular biography of M-G-M star Marion Davies by author Lara Gabrielle pulls back layers of myth to show a complex and fiercely independent woman, ahead of her time, who carved her path.
Through meticulous research, unprecedented access to archives around the world, and interviews with those who knew Davies, Captain of Her Soul counters the public story. This book reveals a woman who navigated disability and social stigma to rise to the top of a young Hollywood dominated by powerful men. Davies took charge of her career, negotiating with studio heads and establishing herself as a top-tier comedienne, but her proudest achievement was her philanthropy and advocacy for children. This biography brings Davies out of the shadows cast by the William Randolph Hearst legacy, shedding light on a dynamic woman who lived life on her terms and declared that she was "the captain of her soul."
I had the pleasure of interviewing the author Lara Gabrielle for my podcast. To listen to our wonderfully enlightening conversation about all things Marion Davies click HERE
MGM: HOLLYWOOD'S GREATEST BACKLOT BY MICHAEL TROYAN, STEPHEN X. SYLVESTER, AND STEVE BINGEN (2011)
Have you ever wondered what the vast M-G-M backlots (spread across six separate locations, totaling 165 acres) looked like before they were razed in the 1970s and the land was sold to build housing developments in Culver City?
Well, you’re in luck. This “must have” book is an illustrated history of the soundstages and outdoor sets where Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced many of the world’s most famous films like “Singing In The Rain”, “Meet Me In St Louis”, “Showboat” and “Raintree Country”.
The book is formatted as a "virtual tour" of M-G-M Studios during its heyday including hundreds of unseen photos of the studio's massive backlot. Film-buffs, historians, sociologists, and economists will swoon at the intricacy and insider information here; detailed balance sheets of frequently over-blown production budgets are even included. Readers will be educated, inspired, and enthralled by this fantastic 312-page book.
It's truly a historical gem! I promise you’ll love it!
ELEANOR POWELL: BORN TO DANCE BY PAULA BROUSSARD AND LISA ROYÈRE (2023)
When considering the best dancers in Hollywood's history, some obvious names come to mind—Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, and Bill Robinson. Yet often overlooked is one of the most gifted and creative dancers of all time, Eleanor Powell - whose top-rate MGM musicals including Born to Dance (1936) with James Stewart and Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940) with Fred Astaire can still excite viewers when they see her incredibly breathtaking dance sequences on screen!
This wonderfully researched biography by authors Paula Broussard and Lisa Royère is an all-encompassing work following the American dance legend from her premature birth and upbringing by a single parent in Springfield, Massachusetts, to her first Broadway performance at age fifteen, through her days as a blazing icon in the world of Hollywood, and finally, to her inspiring comeback. With access to rare documents, letters, and production files, as well as insights drawn from their relationships with Powell the authors shine a light on one of the greatest dancers of the Golden Age of Hollywood.
If you’re a fan of M-G-M movie musicals (like I am) you don’t want to miss reading this fabulous behind-the-scenes look at one of the studio’s great dance icons!
To listen to my fascinating conversation with authors PAULA BROUSSARD and LISA ROYÈRE about their new biography "Eleanor Powell Born To Dance" on my podcast - click on the links below. Enjoy!
Episode 59 - HERE
Episode 60 - HERE
Happy 100th birthday Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer! Even though your golden age is sadly over, you’re still going strong, and Leo the Lion’s roar continues to be heard around the globe!
