FOUNDED: 1924
TWO-SENTENCE HISTORY: For a three-decade period spanning the ’30s and ’50s, MGM could lay claim to being the biggest and best studio in Hollywood, with “more stars than are in the heavens.” The company had difficulty adapting to changes in the film industry and since 1966 has had a wide number of owners.
MEMORABLE FILMS INCLUDE: The Wizard of Oz (1939), An American in Paris (1951), Ben-Hur (1959), Doctor Zhivago (1965) and Thelma & Louise (1991)
THE LOGO: In 1916, Howard Dietz, a publicist for Goldwyn Pictures, created the basic version of the logo we know today: a proud lion surrounded by a ring and scrollwork of film, and capped by the studio motto Ars Gratia Artis (or, “art for art’s sake”). Seven different lions have been used in the logo—the last, Leo, was first filmed in 1957.
VERSIONS: A terrific collection of the logo, from 1921 to 2008 can be seen here.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nq2BTuSOq4]