Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., or
MGM, is an
American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of
films and
television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur
Marcus Loew gained control of
Metro Pictures,
Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and
Louis B. Mayer Pictures.
[Eyman, Scott. Lion of Hollywood: The Life and Legend of Louis B. Mayer. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2005. ISBN 0743204816][Balio, Tino. The American Film Industry. 2d rev. ed. Madison, Wisc.: University of Wisconsin Press, 1985. ISBN 0299098745]
The studio's official
motto, "Ars Gratia Artis", is a
Latin phrase meaning "
Art for art's sake."
[Costanzo, Linda Cahir. Literature Into Film: Theory and Practical Approaches. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2006. ISBN 0786425970; Naremore, James and Brantlinger, Patrick. Modernity and Mass Culture. Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press, 1991. ISBN 0253206278][Wayne, Jane Ellen. The Golden Girls of MGM: Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Lana Turner, Judy Garland, Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly, and Others. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2003. ISBN 0786713038][Berliner, Barbara; Corey, Melinda; and Ochoa, George. The Book of Answers: The New York Public Library Telephone Reference Service's Most Unusual and Entertaining Questions. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1992. ISBN 0671761927] It was chosen by
Howard Dietz, the studio's chief publicist, in 1924.
[Sheed, Wilfrid. The House That George Built: With a Little Help from Irving, Cole, and a Crew of About Fifty. Reprint ed. New York: Random House Publishing Group, 2008. ISBN 0812970187][Silvester, Christopher. The Grove Book of Hollywood. Reprint ed. New York: Grove Press, 2002. ISBN 0802138780] The studio's logo is a roaring lion surrounded by a circle inscribed with the studio's motto. The logo, which features "Leo the Lion," was created by Dietz in 1916 for Goldwyn Pictures and updated in 1924 for MGM's use.
[Fricke, John. "For 70 Years, MGM Has Produced the Lion's Share of Classic Films and Hollywood Talent." Billboard. July 30, 1994; Flexner, Stuart Berg. Listening to America: An Illustrated History of Words and Phrases From Our Lively and Splendid Past. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1982. ISBN 0671248952; Rowsome, Frank. They Laughed When I Sat Down: An Informal History of Advertising in Words and Pictures. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1959.][Crabb, Kelly Charles. The Movie Business: The Definitive Guide to the Legal and Financial Secrets of Getting Your Movie Made. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2005. ISBN 0743264924] Dietz based the logo on his
alma mater's
mascot—the
Columbia University lion.
[Fordin, Hugh. M-G-M's Greatest Musicals: The Arthur Freed Unit. Cambridge, Mass.: Da Capo Press, 1996. ISBN 0306807300; Scarfone, Jay and Stillman, William. The Wizardry of Oz: The Artistry and Magic of the 1939 M-G-M Classic. Rev. ed. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard Corporation, 2004. ISBN 1557836248] Originally silent, the sound of Leo the Lion's roar was added to films for the first time in August 1928.
The studio's informal motto is "more stars than there are in heaven", a reference to the large number of
A-list movie stars under contract to the company in the 1930s.
[Doherty, Thomas Patrick. Pre-Code Hollywood: Sex, Immorality, and Insurrection in American Cinema, 1930-1934. Paperback ed. New York: Columbia University Press, 1999. ISBN 0231110952; Hark, Ina Rae. American Cinema of the 1930s: Themes and Variations. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 2007. ISBN 0813540828; Pitt, Dale. Los Angeles A to Z: An Encyclopedia of the City and County. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press, 1997. ISBN 0520205308] This second motto was also coined by Deitz,
[Dardis, Tom. Keaton, the Man Who Wouldn't Lie Down. 2d ed. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard Corporation, 1996. ISBN 0879101172; Walker, Alexander. Elizabeth. Reprint ed. New York: Grove Press, 2001. ISBN 0802137695; Fleming, E.J. The Fixers: Eddie Mannix, Howard Strickling, and the MGM Publicity Machine. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2004. ISBN 0786420278; Dietz, Howard. Dancing in the Dark. San Antonio, Tex.: Quadrangle, 1974. ISBN 0812904397] and was probably first used in 1932.
[Carey, Gary. All the Stars in Heaven: Louis B. Mayer's MGM. New York: Dutton, 1981. ISBN 0525052453] The METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER name was first used in 1924 and was officially granted trademark registration in 1961.
[www.trademarkia.com/trademark-details.aspx?tid=72090849] It was renewed in 2001.
