Ars Gratia Artis

To try is to grow

Photo of “Leo the Lion” being recorded for his roar to be heard at the beginning of MGM films, 1928 (public domain — Wikipedia)

“If we pretend to respect the artist at all, we must allow him his freedom of choice, in the face, in particular cases, of innumerable presumptions that the choice will not fructify. Art derives a considerable part of its beneficial exercise from flying in the face of presumptions.” — Henry James, 1884

You’ve seen the famous MGM lion, right?

But have you taken the time to read what’s on the frame around him?

A quick story about the history of MGM’s famous lion, “Leo,” and then I’ve got a story for you about growth.

MGM was formed by Marcus Loew in 1924 by combining Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures, and Louis B. Mayer Pictures into a single company, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, or MGM.

To date, there have been eight lions who have been filmed for the MGM production logo. The first was Slats, in the silent era (1924–1928), who didn’t roar; he just looked around (I mean, what else do you expect a silent lion to do, right?).

Between 1928 and 1967, there were five others used in overlapping timeframes, for different subjects (animated shorts, Technicolor, sound-enhanced silent films, etc.). MGM experimented with Bill, Telly, Coffee, Tanner, and George.