My journey into stories behind famous movie related things we take for granted continues, this week’s choice is the MGM Logo. Turns out the lion has been roaring for a long time.
So how did MGM became the company that it is today? Marcus Loew was a very succesful enterpreneur who steadily built his chain of Loew’s Theatres, one of the most prestigious in the US. He needed to have a steady flow of movies for his theatres and founded People’s Vaudeville Company, which later changed its name to Loew’s Consolidated Enterprises, which became Loew’s, Inc in 1919.
Part of his expansion was buying Metro Pictures Corporation (founded in 1916) and Goldwyn Pictures (founded in 1917). He also bought Louis B. Mayer Pictures. Loewe is German for lion, so using it as the logo was appropriate. The official name is Leo the Lion, but he has been “played” by various lions.
1916-1924
As you can see the first logo isn’t that different from the current one (even when it wasn’t called MGM yet). The lion is called Slats and for those wondering what “Ars Gratia Artis” means: It’s Latin for “Art for art’s sake”. It was designed in 1916 by Howard Dietz, the studio’s chief publicist. He chose a lion because it was the Columbia University’s mascot.
1924-1928
1924-1928
Mayer added his name to Metro Goldwyn to complete the three letters we take for granted now. Slats the Lion still appears.
1928-1956
Slats was replaced for this updated version by Jackie the Lion and it was the first logo where you would hear him roar.
1927-1932
Telly the Lion was used in the all the color version movies of MGM.
1932-1934
Coffee the Lion was another lion used for the color versions of MGM movies.
1934-1956
The next lion to appear in the logo was called Tanner. The logo didn’t change much except for the coloring and filmstrip details.
1956-1958
George the Lion was used here and he clearly seems a bit different in his look compared to the other lions.
1966,1968
This logo wasn’t very popular and only used on two movies, Grand Prix and 2001: A Space Oddysey
1957-Present
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHU53NedhkQ&feature=endscreen&NR=1]
The logo as it has been for a very long time with Leo roaring, there have been subtle changes, but the lion has not changed.
Very interesting! I love how they slightly changed over the years… thanks for sharing!
Thanks Matt!
So did they just film a lion poking his head out of a backdrop?
That is what I imagine!!
This was funny to see:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZCI39NWZ5g]
But seems that was added later
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ns3k8C4GZ_8/TaMxiJ8SiFI/AAAAAAAAAbg/CHomJ8isHSo/s640/shooting-the-mgm-logo-1924.jpg
Dammit Nostra, I thought that you were going to explain why there is a gimp mask below the lion in all of these logos! It’s one of those things that when you notice it, it glares at you every time you see the logo!
Shame about the version that was used on 2001; I think that looks really cool.
Of course I don’t want to disappoint you, so I did a quick google. It’s a drama mask which was used in classic Greek theater (other ones were used there as well to show various expressions). Hope that answer makes you happier 😉
I quite liked that version too, even though it’s very old I think it does look very modern.
Drama mask eh? That does make more sense. Thank you for taking the time to look it up. I think I’ll still end up picturing it with a snooker ball in its mouth though!
Well, maybe someone will try to do that in the future for some horror film made for MGM 😉
To me it always looked Polynesian and I wondered if there was a Hawaiian or Maori connection.
I love that that awful blue logo wasn’t all that popular… just ugly!
I’m left with 1 question… how did they “audition” the lions? Roar please!
Agreed, it was terrible, wasn’t it?
I actually quite like it and don’t think it has aged.
It looks like a logo for a bank or some other financial sector company. I’m glad they didn’t stick with it. Doesn’t have the classic feel their current logo has. Which is probably why it hasn’t changed much and has stood the test of time.
I think the blue logo was used on a third movie; “The Subject Was Roses” comes to mind.
You are sooo right!
It is interesting how the change has been so subtle over the years. Great article Nostra.
Yeah, I didn’t know there were different lions so it was interesting to find out. Thanks Dan!
It’s been fun to see how the logo has been amended, changed and modified over the journey – it’s still one of my favorite logos alongside Fox and Universal’s.
I enjoy this series as much as everyone else, find out new stuff every week.
This is one of the most iconic studio logo, I kind of like hearing the lion roars everytime I watch an MGM movie. Thanks Nostra!
It’s a classic one and I like the roars too, although I think they should add a bit of noise in between them as the sound disjointed.
I know someone who was terrified of that lion as a kid. and no it wasn’t me… honest!
Hahaha, sure it was “a friend” 😉
Was the lion chosen for the logo because of the “Loewe” connection, or because it was the Columbia University mascot, and the “Loewe” was just a fortunate coincidence?
I’ve read about both stories so I think it might be a combination of the two.
I like how in the earlier versions each of the original company names (Metro, Goldwyn and Mayer) had their own fonts. They gradually moved away from that, though, and the current logo only retains a subtle difference with the elongated stylized letters in the name Goldwyn. You can see the letter Y in Goldwyn is different from the Y in Mayer.
But in the older ones, the difference in the fonts is much more pronounced. The M of Mayer is completely different from the M in Metro, for example, even though they’re both at the start of the name and therefore should both be capital letters.
I never noticed it, nice one! Thanks for commenting 🙂
talk about the mask which appeared with Mayer
some sort of illuminati connection?
I don’t know anything about that…
Do you know anything about the early roar of Jackie the lion it sounds a yawn
No, unfortunately can’t help there…
Didn’t HItchcock direct one of the lions roaring?
I never read about that myself, so I can’t confirm that.
http://www.retronaut.com/2011/08/alfred-hitchcock-directs-the-mgm-lion/
Not much info about it, it seems
I don’t know, seems like a real bad photoshop….
Yeah, the picture itself isn’t convincing but I heard about this MGM lion thing when I was young, pre-Photoshop days, so I’m not so sure anymore
MGM recently debuted a new logo where the various elements come together, then you hear Leo’s roar. I don’t know if it debuted with the latest Bond film, “Skyfall,” but that’s one of the movies it’s attached to.
Hmm, I hadn’t noitced that, nice to hear.
I have always enjoyed that Poor-Puddy -Tats roar,it seem I grew up with it.When I was in the care of my nanny, I asked why the roar, and was told someone was trying to bit the big cats tail.That I should take heed and never hurt or bite a cats tail.Funny how you remember things. Thanks so very much for all the wealth of information.
That’s a nice story! You are welcome 🙂
Did the lion roar on Q? That is what my Dad told me. Thanks
I don’t know how they did that, it could be that they were trained…
I seem to remember an “I Love Lucy” episode where Fred Mertz explains that the writer/producer Dore Schery was one of the people that the studio employed to twist the lions tail to make him roar.
Doesn’t that “Greek theatre” mask under the lion represent the Devil, while the Lion represents the “defeated” Christ (lion of Judah)?
I don’t know the story on that, but it could be possible.
You didn’t know the 1918 WB logo with no shield but has two torches at the sides and books at the middle.
No, have not come across that one. Thanks for letting me know, I’ll see if I can find it.
Do you know any movies with “Telly” because Telly is my favorite lion on MGM.
Hi Charles, unfortunately I won’t be able to help you with that question.
I think the super-stylised logo is a perfect fit for ‘2001’, if nothing else.
Thanks for your comment Oliver!
you missed the 2012 logo “From the eye”
Was it a variation (have not included those in these articles)?
It wasn’t
Just discovered your fantastic website. Great stuff!
I read somewhere that Howard Dietz was inspired by the lion statues in front of the New York Public Library.
Interestingly, the lion at the beginning of the 1925 ‘Ben-Hur’ roars silently, while the lion at the beginning of the 1959 (sound!) ‘Ben-Hur’ is silent – just a still photo.
Tanner is by far the most ferocious!
The revised ‘from the eye’ logo at the beginning of ‘The Hobbit’ is brilliant, I think.
The ‘2001’ logo was best used for posters and print ads, but I agree that it was perfect for two such ‘modern’ films. A variation was used for the Vegas/Reno casino operations.
In the late 30s to 40s, Franz Waxman composed a modest but appealing fanfare for Leo.
All the classic logos are great, and it’s reassuring that the studios still have the sense to preserve them, variations and all.
Also one of my favorites: the Selznick Studio, with its elegant sign in front of the Mt. Vernon-style office building. Several variations, including the most famous: ‘Selznick International Pictures’ for ‘Gone With The Wind’. In some, the camera tilts up to the sign, while in others, the camera tilts from the sign to the building. The great Alfred Newman composed the remarkable ‘gamelan chimes’ fanfare. In Selznick’s 1956 ‘A Farewell To Arms’, though released by 20th-Fox, the Selznick logo opens the picture, done over in CinemaScope, with the fanfare revised by Mario Nascimbene, who scored the film.
Selznick himself was never satisfied with his logo. He thought the 20th-Fox logo was ‘crummy’!
Newman also composed a fanfare for the logo-less Samuel Goldwyn, which was equally as good as his 20th-Fox & Selznick fanfares.
Thanks a lot for the compliment and also for the great extra information, love reading about this stuff!
MGM United Artists Are The Best
I Love MGM
I have a photo of the original lion with my grandfather for info call me 561-860-1291
Thanks, but I’m currently not interested in this.
Thank you. Interesting stuff. I love history.
You’re welcome!