Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

MGM during its heyday

Period: 1920 to 1970

MGM begins

1924

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was founded in 1924. Marcus Loew combined Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures, and Louis B. Mayer Pictures and the company became known as MGM. Loew died in 1927, but he left his mark when forming MGM. Wikipedia. (2020). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer image:
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Experiment with Technicolor

1925

MGM released the film, Ben-Hur, in 1925, making a $4.7M profit in their first full year. The studio was one of the first to experiment with Technicolor.
Wikipedia. (2020). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer image:https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMmNkNDZjMzEtOWY5Mi00MTA0LWI4MTAtOGEwODUzOTAyYTMxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTcyODY2NDQ@._V1_.jpg

Sound Begins

1928

MGM released The Viking in 1928, the first complete Technicolor feature with a synchronized score and sound effects, but no spoken dialogue was included.
Wikipedia. (2020). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
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Talkies are Introduced

1929

MGM’s first “talkie” film was a musical produced in 1929, The Broadway Melody. This film was a box-office success and won the Academy Award for Best Picture of the Year. Wikipedia. (2020). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Image:
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Technicolor and Talking

1930

During the 1930s, MGM began routinely producing films in Technicolor, with The Rogue Song produced in 1930 all in color and “all talking.” This was noteworthy as the first of MGM’s films to include both newer filming capabilities.
Wikipedia. (2020). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
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Churning Out Hit Films

1939

During the 1930s, MGM began producing films at a rate of one every nine days, or a total of approximately 50 pictures a year. Their films received several Academy Award nominations and ended with a bang, producing films like Gone with the Wind and Wizard of Oz.

Wikipedia. (2020). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer_films
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Shorts and Features

1940

MGM released the short-subject programs and features produced by Hal Roach Studios, including Laurel and Hardy, Our Gang, and Charley Chase. Production of Our Gang moved to production in MGM in-house in 1938 to 1944.
Wikipedia (2019). Hal Roach Studios. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hal_Roach_Studios
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Stable of Stars

1943

A group photograph of MGM’s stars and starlets under contract, taken for the studio’s 20th anniversary in 1943. These actors were the stars of the era. The MGM studio is credited for inventing the Hollywood stable of stars system.
Kottke Home of Fine Hypertext Products—kottke.org (n.d.). MGM’s stable of movie stars 1943.
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Film Output Declines

1945

The late 1940s saw audiences moving toward television. MGM continued to produce popular films, however, and was awarded with Academy Award nominations and winners. Their annual output dwindled to 25 per year, making several well-known musicals, starring Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, and Frank Sinatra.
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Television Rights Begin

1956

The studio system faded during the 1950s and 1960s and MGM’s status declined along with it. MGM entered television, with the program, The MGM Parade. This program did not last long, but in 1956 MGM sold the television rights for The Wizard of Oz to CBS. The film became the first American fiction film to be shown in its entirety in one evening.
Wikipedia.(2020). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
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MGM Learns a Difficult Lesson

1968

The studio began to spend money on one big-budget film each year; some were successful, some not. This practice proved to be the beginning of the end. Corporate raiders smelled failure and MGM began to diversify. The production giant was no longer the force it once was.
Wikipedia. (2020). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
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