“MGM: When the Lion Roars” is a comprehensive look at the history of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the biggest and probably the greatest movie studio that ever existed. This documentary was produced by TNT, and aired on that cable channel in 1992. Producer Joni Levin and director Frank Martin have managed to create a six hour documentary that is at least as entertaining as many of MGM’s classic films. It won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Series.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was formed in 1924 when Marcus Loew gained control of three studios and merged them: Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corp., and Louis B. Mayer Pictures. Leo the Lion was adapted for the new studio’s logo and fanfare. The iconic lion was originally created by publicist Howard Dietz in 1916 for Goldwyn Pictures.
The series is divided into three parts: “The Lion’s Roar” (1924-1936), “The Lion Reigns Supreme” (1936-1945), and “The Lion in Winter” (1945-1986). Topics covered include the iron rule of L. B. Mayer, the creative genius of Irving Thalberg, the decline of the studio system after World War II, among others.
Host Patrick Stewart is the narrator, with numerous interviews including Mickey Rooney, June Allyson, Lew Ayres, Jackie Cooper, Van Johnson, Roddy McDowall, Maureen O’Sullivan, Helen Hayes, Ernest Borgnine, Charlton Heston, Debbie Reynolds, Esther Williams, Ted Turner, George Murphy, and more.
The rapid decline of MGM after 1969 is chronicled in the third section of the series, when it was purchased by Kirk Kerkorian in that year. More than forty percent of MGM’s backlot in Culver City was bulldozed and sold to real estate developers. Ted Turner purchased MGM in 1986, only to sell it back to Kerkorian a few months later sans the pre-1986 film library. (Including classics like “The Wizard of Oz” and “Gone With the Wind.”)
Warner Bros. Pictures now owns this MGM library when Turner sold his media empire to them. Sony Pictures owns the physical studio, renamed Sony Pictures Studios of Culver City. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer still produces movies here and there, including the James Bond series, under a small company called MGM Holdings. Amazon Studios is now the full owner of MGM, since 2022.
This is a far cry from the heyday of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer when they employed over five thousand people from 150 different crafts and professions, turning out 50-60 motion pictures every year. “Make it good, make it big, and give it class” stated Louis B. Mayer, echoing across the decades. This era is long gone, but can be revisited when watching the MGM classic films and this informative documentary “MGM: When the Lion Roars.”
MGM: When the Lion Roars (1992)
cinema
My Review
“MGM: When the Lion Roars” is a comprehensive look at the history of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the biggest and probably the greatest movie studio that ever existed. This documentary was produced by TNT, and aired on that cable channel in 1992. Producer Joni Levin and director Frank Martin have managed to create a six hour documentary that is at least as entertaining as many of MGM’s classic films. It won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Series.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was formed in 1924 when Marcus Loew gained control of three studios and merged them: Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corp., and Louis B. Mayer Pictures. Leo the Lion was adapted for the new studio’s logo and fanfare. The iconic lion was originally created by publicist Howard Dietz in 1916 for Goldwyn Pictures.
The series is divided into three parts: “The Lion’s Roar” (1924-1936), “The Lion Reigns Supreme” (1936-1945), and “The Lion in Winter” (1945-1986). Topics covered include the iron rule of L. B. Mayer, the creative genius of Irving Thalberg, the decline of the studio system after World War II, among others.
Host Patrick Stewart is the narrator, with numerous interviews including Mickey Rooney, June Allyson, Lew Ayres, Jackie Cooper, Van Johnson, Roddy McDowall, Maureen O’Sullivan, Helen Hayes, Ernest Borgnine, Charlton Heston, Debbie Reynolds, Esther Williams, Ted Turner, George Murphy, and more.
The rapid decline of MGM after 1969 is chronicled in the third section of the series, when it was purchased by Kirk Kerkorian in that year. More than forty percent of MGM’s backlot in Culver City was bulldozed and sold to real estate developers. Ted Turner purchased MGM in 1986, only to sell it back to Kerkorian a few months later sans the pre-1986 film library. (Including classics like “The Wizard of Oz” and “Gone With the Wind.”)
Warner Bros. Pictures now owns this MGM library when Turner sold his media empire to them. Sony Pictures owns the physical studio, renamed Sony Pictures Studios of Culver City. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer still produces movies here and there, including the James Bond series, under a small company called MGM Holdings. Amazon Studios is now the full owner of MGM, since 2022.
This is a far cry from the heyday of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer when they employed over five thousand people from 150 different crafts and professions, turning out 50-60 motion pictures every year. “Make it good, make it big, and give it class” stated Louis B. Mayer, echoing across the decades. This era is long gone, but can be revisited when watching the MGM classic films and this informative documentary “MGM: When the Lion Roars.”