Lion of Hollywood; the life and legend of Louis B. Mayer

By Eyman, Scott

Publishers Summary:
"Lion of Hollywood is the biography of Louis B. Mayer, the chief of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer - MGM - the biggest and most successful film studio of Hollywood's Golden Age." "An immigrant from tsarist Russia, Mayer began in the film business as an exhibitor but soon migrated to where the action and the power were - Hollywood. Through sheer force of energy and foresight, he turned his own modest studio into MGM, where he became the most powerful man in Hollywood, bending the film business to his will. He made great films, including the fabulous MGM musicals, and he made great stars: Garbo, Gable, Garland, and dozens of others. Through the enormously successful Andy Hardy series, Mayer purveyed family values to America. At the same time, he used his influence to place a federal judge on the bench, pay off local officials, cover up his stars' indiscretions, and, on occasion, arrange marriages for gay stars. Mayer rose from his impoverished childhood to become at one time the highest-paid executive in America." "Lion of Hollywood is a three-dimensional biography of a figure often caricatured and vilified as the paragon of the studio system. Mayer could be arrogant and tyrannical, but under his leadership MGM made such unforgettable films as The Big Parade, Ninotchka, The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St. Louis, and An American in Paris."--BOOK JACKET.

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ISBN
978-0-74320-481-1
Publisher
New York : Simon & Schuster, c2005.


REVIEWS

Library Journal

Reviewed on March 15, 2005

In its heyday, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) boasted a roster of "more stars than there are in heaven." Studio boss Louis B. Mayer believed in celebrities, high-gloss production values, and a conservative celebration of American family life. Using 150 interviews and previously unavailable archives, Eyman (Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford ) commendably ...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

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