By Regina Sass
MGM was one of the pioneers of the movie business. Stars like Lucille Ball, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Joan Crawford, Lionel Barrymore, Paul Newman and dozens more got their start and became stars at MGM.
Opening
MGM opened in Culver City, California in 1915. The name at that time was Triangle Pictures. Triangle Pictures became MGM in 1924. Guests at the grand opening included Calvin Coolidge and Will Rogers.
The name
The name Metro Goldwyn Mayer comes from three separate entities. Metro came for one of the earliest film companies that was owned by Marcus Loew, Goldwyn from produces Samuel Goldwyn and Mayer from the other producer, Louis B. Mayer.
The Hay Days
The 1930s, 1940s and 1950s were the hay days for MGM when they made on average one movie a week with movies like "Gone with the Wind," "The Wizard of Oz" "Ben Hur" and series like "James Bond" "The Pink Panther" and "Rocky."
The End
Kirk Kerkorian bought MGM in 1969 who auctioned off the studio piece by piece including the Ruby Slippers from "The Wizard of Oz" and other memorabilia to build the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas. In 1979 he stated that MGM was now mostly a hotel company. He bought United Artists in 1981 and the company became MGM/UA. He then sold the library to Ted Turner.
The New Beginning
MGM and Sony, who already owned what was left of the old Culver City lot, merged. Sony has spent in the neighborhood of $100 million to fix up what was left of the studio and sound stages. MGM, which operates as a separate entity will once again be making movies.
About the Author:
Regina Sass is based in the Adirondack Region of New York State. She has been a writer for 10 years writing for publications in the real estate and retail industries. Online experience includes writing,advertising and editing for an educational web site. Sass is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
