At MGM's height in the late 1930s, Mayer became not only the richest man in Hollywood, but the . Louis B. Mayer himself, and a crowd of hired young ladies, greeted the drunken salesmen at the train station in Pasadena. With those working underneath him, he was usually patient and preferred to leave department heads alone, and would fire executives if they failed to produce successful films over a long period. My heart breaks for all that she had to endure and suffer in her lifetime, and it greatly angers me that Marilyn wasnt allowed to live a full lifetime and have the chance to find true love, joy, happiness, and become the awesome serious actress she was working extremely hard to become when she wasnt being treated like a cheap prostitute by so many unscrupulous famous and powerful people. In 1956, the residence was purchased by British-born actor Peter Lawford and his wife, Patricia Kennedy, for $95,000. The following is of interest to Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy fans. The meal included fried chicken, suckling pig, roast beef, spaghetti and meatballs and sauerkraut and frankfurters. Louis B Mayer is commonly known as The Monster Of MGM, and for good reason. In public, behave. [69] In the late 1940s, she began having personal problems which affected her acting, and Mayer tried his best to protect her star reputation while continuing to have her overworked and making money for MGM. Mayer, with his proven success as a producer, was an obvious choice. "[84], Defying those pleadings, MGM produced Mrs. Miniver, a simple story about a family in rural England trying to get by during the early years of the war. [88] He read from the script, having her visualize the image she would present to the world, "a woman who survives and endures. During the summer of 1929, Fox was severely injured in an auto accident. Because of the notoriety of the house, we would get some weird characters dropping by at times. As he explained to his daughter, "when. [73], While MGM's films during the 1920s and 1930s were often known for containing adult themes and strong female stars, such as Greta Garbo, after Thalberg's early death in 1936, Mayer promoted a change in emphasis to more male leads, family themes, and child stars. [96] The elder of these, Edith (Edie) Mayer (19051988), whom he would later become estranged from and disinherit, married producer William Goetz (who served as vice president for Twentieth-Century Fox and later became president of Universal-International). Used to getting his way, Mayer was much too impatient to deal with troublesome architects. Louis B. Mayer Theatre - 390 to 571 seats. The pilot, Charles Foster, recalled his visit: "Mary's driver took me through the gates, and I saw this little man come running down the steps of the Thalberg Building. [31]:47 According to Flamini, Thalberg was hired because, although Mayer was an astute businessman, he lacked Thalberg's strong ability to combine making films of quality with gaining commercial success. Louis B Mayer was a film producer and executive also known as the 'lion of Hollywood'. "[44] Director Clarence Brown compared him to newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst: Louis B. Mayer made more stars than all the rest of the producers in Hollywood put together. "He really thought of the people under contract as his boys and girls. [59], For leisure activities, he liked going to the Hollywood Bowl, especially the annual John Philip Sousa concert. And even if we lose $100,000, that'll be okay."[86]. Just don't do it in public. Years later, Mayer's daughter, Irene Mayer Selznick, found it hard to believe that anyone "so boyish could be so important". David Silverman writes about Hollywood real estate history at lahousehistories.com. "[91] "L.B. her early, tragic death is often considered to be the result of the abuse she received while working at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer under Mayer's control. His funeral was a major news event in Los Angeles. Louis Burt Mayer (/ m e. Film King Louis B. Mayer Was The Gem At MGM. I had been to his hometown. CriticalPast is an archive of historic footage. In 1952 these vaults were the first of their kind in a private museum. Her sister, Irene, married Gone With the Wind producer and studio exec David O. Selznick. . Last week, the Grim Cheaper emailed me a fabulous Vanity Fair article about the genesis of the most iconic night in Hollywood the Academy Awards. In his overall management skills, Mayer was considered a great executive, someone who could have run General Motors equally as well as a large studio like MGM, said producer Joseph L. Eventually Mayer sold off the stable, partly to finance his divorce in 1947. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Louis B. Mayer (born Lazar Mier) was a Russian-Jewish immigrant who eventually became well known for founding the Metro Goldwyn Mayer film company. In 1967, the Los Angeles Times profiled five couples who were at the top of what it called The Hollywood Establishment, including the Goetzes and Russell and Frederick Brisson. Few Jewish immigrants have wielded the cultural power of Louis B. Mayer . But even as she was becoming a recognizable face, MGM's famously mercurial boss, Louis B. Mayer, didn't feel the need to reward her with a raise in salary. The former home of Edie Goetz, the socialite who reigned over Old Hollywood, is on the market for $79 million, and new photos released by the listing agents offer a look inside the storied estate . Louis Burt Mayer (; born Lazar Meir; July 12, 1882 or 1884 or 1885 - October 29, 1957) was a Canadian-American film producer and co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios (MGM) in 1924. We lived there for three years. Jfk was a one nite stand at Bing Crosbys estate in PS and Bobby she never slept with at all despite what all the books say. . It was all he cared about", said Sidney.[91]. Mayer's big breakthrough was in April 1924 when his company subsequently merged with two others to become Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). After Mayer's death in 1957, the St. There's also a screening room inside, where Goetz the daughter of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cofounder. In 1918, Mayer moved his family to Los Angeles, where Louis B. Mayer Productions set up shop in half of a studio on Mission Road in East L.A. and started assembling a roster of stars. "All right", he said. [70], After the studio fired her, she attempted suicide. "[55], When meeting a new employee, he always told them to come to him personally for help with any problems. In his wonderfully readable biography of Mayer, "Lion of Hollywood," Scott Eyman paints a vivid portrait of Mayer and the studio he ran with blood, bile and singular common sense. The article states, Their flight of fancyand what some might call anti-union maneuveringswiftly took wing. Lion Of MGM. According to E.J., Warren Beatty also owned the property at one point in time and it was once rented by Led Zeppelin, as well. [37], After Thalberg died, many in Hollywood expected Mayer to "stumble and fall". On a quiet. [98] Mayer also enjoyed ballet and opera, and concerts where violinist Jascha Heifetz or pianist Arthur Rubinstein performed. Currently, Louis B. Mayer is 138 years, 7 months and 8 days old. (The Goetzes art collection sold at auction that year for $85 million.) [61] In August 1932, after an "exclusive" interview with Mayer in New York, The Film Daily reported the movie mogul's assertions that such potential developments would never impact motion pictures in substantial, meaningful ways: Peering into the industry's future, Louis B. Mayer sees no great production development or invention which will again revolutionize the business, as in the instance of sound. Posted on January 8, 2014 by Martin Turnbull. [3][13] In addition he gave his birth year as 1882 in his marriage certificate[17] while the April 1910 census states his age as 26[18] (b.1883). [98], At his home on Saint Cloud Road in the East Gate Bel Air neighborhood, Sundays were reserved for brunches in what was an open house, which often included visiting statesmen or former U.S. presidents, along with various producers, directors or stars. Mayer understood that the Germans could ban or boycott Hollywood films throughout much of Europe, with serious economic implications, since 30 to 40 percent of Hollywood's income came from European audiences. For the next ten years, MGM grew and thrived. [65][78], Mayer knew that formula in his themes and stories usually works. [82], From September 1939 until January 1940, all films that could be considered anti-Nazi were banned by the Hays Office. "[56] British director Victor Saville remembered him as being "the best listener. Such a legendary life, however, has many secrets. Mankiewicz. All the studios observed five minutes of silence, while MGM closed its studio for the entire day. For more than 40 years, Edie maintained notebooks never before publicly seen filled with the details of every party she hosted, listing the guests, food served and movie screened. Thalberg, eventually called the "boy wonder", took charge of all MGM productions. Louis Burt Mayer1884 712 - 1957 1029 . [77] Author Peter Hay states that Mayer "cherished the Puritan values of family and hard work. He loved making "discoveries"he was the man behind screen sirens like Greta Garbo, Hedy Lamarr, and Norma Shearerand insisted that he made the stars. Louis B. Mayer, in full Louis Burt Mayer, original name Eliezer Mayer or Lazar Mayer, (born July 12, 1884, Dymer, Russian Empire (now in Ukraine)died October 29, 1957, Los Angeles, California, U.S.), Russian-born American businessman who, for nearly 30 years, was the most powerful motion-picture executive in Hollywood. [39] Some actors were affected, such as Luise Rainer, winner of Hollywood's first back-to-back Oscars, who felt that the death of Thalberg marked the death of her career: "Had it not been that he died, I think I may have stayed much longer in films. [76] Trees Of Money. Examining the possibility of the wide screen, Mayer said that it eliminates the intimacy allowed by the standard-sized screen. Mayer made himself head of production as well as studio chief. Eve Johnson said that their marriage had been engineered by Louis B. Mayer at MGM. Mayer then grabbed young Rooney by his lapels and said, "Listen to me! 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