The History of MGM Movies

For many years, MGM Studios was second to none in the pantheon of Hollywood. They boasted the biggest stars, produced the most glamorous movies and set the standard by which other studios were judged. They epitomized the Hollywood system of moviemaking and in the process created some of the most beloved motion pictures in history. Sadly, as the studio system faded, so too did MGM, and hard times forced their eventual sale. Today, they exist mainly as a library of classic films; Sony Pictures owns their Culver City Studios and movies are released with the MGM name only when their owners feel there is something to be gained by it.

Formation

MGM was founded on the strength of the studio system and the integration between motion picture producers and theatrical distributors. Movie theater owner Marcus Loews purchased three production companies in 1924--Metro Pictures Corporation, Goldwyn Pictures and Mayer Pictures--in order to generate content for his theater chain. Louis B. Mayer, founder of Mayer pictures, was placed in charge of the new studio, and generally accredited with cementing its early status.

Stars, Stars, Stars

From the beginning, MGM based its drawing power on the glamour of movie stars, and those which it didn't have, it created. Names under MGM contract included Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Gene Kelly, Clark Gable, Lana Turner, Joan Crawford, Paul Newman and Frank Sinatra.

Spectacle

Accompanying the high-profile glitz of its talent was an emphasis on spectacle. MGM was the first studio to produce a movie in Technicolor ("The Viking" in 1928), and its content often made full use of vibrant color. Elaborate musicals became a staple of its production in the 1930s, as did big-budget epics. Two of the most famous ever produced--"Gone With the Wind" and "The Wizard of Oz"--emerged out of this trend. It also had a tendency to stick to established formula, as evinced by its reliance on franchises and sequels such as the "Thin Man" pictures, the "Tarzan" pictures and Mickey Rooney's "Andy Hardy" pictures.

Decline

In the 1930s and 40s, MGM's formula proved unbeatable, but the studio found it difficult to change with the times. In 1948, the Supreme Court ruled that vertical integration of studios and theater chains constituted a monopoly and was therefore illegal. The move came as a severe blow to MGM, as did the rise of television in the 1950s. It continued to produce its share of classics in the 1950s, including the likes of "Singin' in the Rain," "Ben-Hur" and "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," but it increasingly banked success on fewer and fewer big-budget movies. When they started to tank, so did the studio.

Buyout

Nevada investor Kirk Kerkorian eventually purchased MGM in 1969. He had comparatively little interest in movies and wished to use its name recognition for a hotel/casino in Las Vegas. Production slowed and by the 1980s, MGM was left with little more than a library of great films. Ted Turner acquired the rights to the library in 1985, and it eventually landed in the hands of Warner Bros. Occasional films and television shows have been produced under the MGM name since then, in conjunction with an increasingly complex list of owners and partners, but it is no longer even a shadow of its former self.