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Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Logo descriptions by Matt Williams, Kris Starring, Spidey016, and Shadeed A. Kelly Logo captures by Eric S., V of Doom, mr3urious, TVLogos2008, and naxo-ole Editions by Shadeed A. Kelly, Hoa, V of Doom, Logophile, and MeesterFonnyboy Video captures courtesy of catbeast 2007, phasicblu, macrosunshine, iloveentertainment, TheDaVinci030, Asdfdailymotion898, MrFb09, JoeCool85, and Eric S. Metro Pictures Corporation  Background: Goldwyn Pictures Corporation was founded in 1916 by Samuel Gelbfisz in partnership with Broadway producers Edgar and Archibald Selwyn using an amalgamation of both last names to create the name. Seeing an opportunity, Samuel Gelbfisz then had his name legally 1st logo (1916-1923)   Logo: We see the original lion, named "Leo" by Samuel Goldwyn, in the circle of a ribbon-like filmstrips which has four filmstrips flowing out the bottom side in twos. Underneath the circle is a drama mask. The circle has the phrase "ARS GRATIA ARTIS" [Latin for "Art for Art's Sake"] inscribed at the top and at the bottom is a marquee that reads "A GOLDWYN PICTURE". On the left side is the word "TRADE", and the right "MARK". The lions moves his head left to right throughout and does not roar because movies did not have sound until 1923 when the name was changed. The logo was designed by Howard Dietz, an advertising man and then-recent graduate of Columbia University (where lions are a fetish), who would go on to hold many offices at MGM. Variant: There was a black & white version of the logo. FX: The lion's head moving. Music/Sounds: Silent. However, there was a fanfare that was used in one of the films. Availability: One of the rarest logos ever. Can be seen on early Goldwyn Pictures movies, especially on Silent Sunday Nights on Turner Classic Movies. Scare Factor: None. 2nd logo (1923) Nickname: "Slats the Lion" Logo: We see Slats with the Metro Goldwyn Mayer 1st logo. But it appears of other mode. FX: None Music/Sounds: None. Scare Factor: TBA Louis B. Mayer Pictures Corporation Background: Louis B. Mayer Pictures was formed in 1918 by Louis B. Mayer. (1918-1924) Logo: TBA FX: TBA Music/Sounds: TBA Availability: Rare. Scare Factor: TBA _______________________________________________________________ Metro-Goldwyn Pictures Corporation (1923-1924)  Nickname: "The Marquee" Logo: On a black bacground, there is a marquee, similar to the MGM print logo. The lion resrs on top. On the first part is "A", on the midlle is "Metro Goldwyn" and on the bottom is "Picture". Variant: The logo has been seen in gold. FX: None, it's still. Music/Sounds: None, or opening theme. Availability: Very rare; occasionally seen on Silent Sunday Nights on Turner Classic Movies. Scare Factor: None. _______________________________________________________________ Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, Inc. Background: In 1924, Louis B. Mayer merged his company Louis B. Mayer Productions with Metro-Goldwyn Pictures Corporation (as well as with William Randolph Hearst's Cosmopolitan Pictures) to form Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc., or simply MGM. Today since April 8, 2005, led by Sony, Comcast, and other equity partners, MGM's ownership is as follows: Providence Equity Partners (29%), TPG Capital, L.P. (21%), Sony Corporation of America (20% including 45% of the total outstanding common stock of MGM Holdings), Comcast (20%), DLJ Merchant Banking Partners (7%), and Quadrangle Group (3%). 1st Logo (1924?-1925) TBA! 2nd Logo (1924-1928)  Nicknames: "The Silent/Quiet Lion", "Slats the Lion", "The 1st MGM Lion" Logo: We have a new lion named "Slats" inside a newly redone film-like ribboning logo. Slats moves his head from right to left and then looks at the camera and later looks around. On the circle has the phrase "ARS GRATIA ARTIS" [Latin for "Art for the Art's Sake"] inscribed on the top, On the left side is "TRADE," and the right "MARK". Below the logo has a marquee that reads "Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer". FX: Slats turning his head. Music/Sounds: None, or the music's intro. Availability: So far, it has been spotted on He Who Gets Slapped, but the other MGM films has Slats replaced by Jackie. Scare Factor: None. 3rd Logo (1928-1956)   Nicknames: "Jackie the Lion", "The 1st Roaring Lion", "The 3rd MGM Lion" Logo: A new MGM lion named "Jackie" appears in a slightly re-done film-like ribboning logo. Jackie roars three times and then looks at his trainer. The marquee "Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer" is seen below, the Latin phrase is inscribed on the circle and the words "TRADE" on the left and "MARK" on the right outside of the circle. Variants:
Closing Variant: After the MGM merger, a variant of the Metro-Goldwyn Pictures closing logo, with the appropriate addendum, was used on the studio's end cards from 1924-1950s. FX: Jackie roaring and turning his head. Music/Sounds: Jackie roaring. For silent films, it's the music's intro only without Jackie roaring. Music/Sound Variants:
Availability: Common. Seen on Turner Classic Movies, classic 1930s cartoons on Boomerang such as The Captain and the Kids and broadcasts of The Wizard of Oz on TNT, TBS, and TCM. The color variant is ultra rare and seen on March of the Wooden Soldiers. This logo may plaster Slats on current prints of old films. Scare Factor: Low boardering on medium. The mask on the bottom has freaked a few out as well. Although with the music playing while the lion is roaring could tame the scare factor a little. 4th Logo (1928-1932)  Nicknames: "Telly the Lion", "The 4th MGM Lion" Logo: Another lion named "Telly" appears in a new re-drawn film-like ribboning of the MGM logo. He is the first of the two two-strip technicolor lions. Telly appears with a longer snarl with two roaring sound effects. The usual MGM marquee is seen below. Variations:
FX: Telly snarling and a sound of Jackie's roar. Music/Sounds: The lion's roar. Some movies would only have the music's intro or the music and Telly's roar. Availability: Rare. Seen on live-action movies like The Mysterious Island (1929), Crazy House (1930) and The Viking (1928). Scare Factor: Low to high. 5th Logo (1932-1935)  Nickname: "Coffee the Lion" Logo: Another two-strip technicolor lion by the name of "Coffee" appears in a slightly re-drawn film-like ribboning and mask of the MGM logo. Coffee snarls by looking down and later roars. The Latin word is still shown inscripted on the circle. "TRADE" and "MARK" appears on different sides. The usual MGM marquee is seen below. Variant: There is also a longer version of this logo. FX: The snarling and roaring. The extended version has extra snarling and a brief third roar. Music/Sounds: Just Coffee's roar. Availability: Uncommon. Seen on several MGM's short subjects in color and animated cartoons of this era by Harman-Ising on TCM and The MGM Show on Boomerang. Plus on the movie Roast Beef and Movies. The long version appears on Wild People. Scare Factor: Medium bordering on high for the normal version and high for the long version. 6th Logo (1934-1956)  Nicknames: "Tanner the Lion", "The Angry Lion" Logo: The next lion named "Tanner" appears in this MGM logo. The Latin phrase on the circle is red, the words "TRADE" and "MARK" are yellow, the red mask and the ribboning are re-drawn slightly with the color orange on certain parts on the filmstrip ribbons. The reef is yellow and on the MGM marquee, the letters "M", "G", and "M" are red with the remaining of the letters are yellow. Tanner roars three times in this one. Variants:
FX: Tanner roaring. Music/Sounds: Some movies would feature Tanner's roar or Coffee's roar on animated features by MGM. Other live-action films would have the music's intro with Tanner roaring. For the long version, it's just Tanner roaring. Availability: Common. Seen on all color live-action films, short subjects, and animated features by MGM's "Golden Age" on TCM and Boomerang. The long version is seen on Star Night at the Cocoanut Grove as Tanner made his first debut which can be found on the DVD release of The Gay Divorcee. Scare Factor: High for the normal version and very high boardering on nightmare for the extended version as Tanner is known as one of the scariest lions ever used. The red mask on the bottom has freaked a few out as well. Although with the music playing while the lion is roaring could tame the scare factor a little. Medium with Coffee's roar. 7th Logo (1953-1956) Nicknames: "Jackie the Lion", "Tanner the Lion" Logo: This time, the MGM marquee has been dropped and the name "Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer" has been placed on top of the logo minus the hyphens (-) in between the names. Jackie appears in black & white films and Tanner in color films. There is a Registered Variations:
FX: Jackie and Tanner roaring. Music/Sounds: Same as the 3rd and 6th logos. Availability: Uncommon. Seen on the MGM films during this era on TCM. The short version of Jackie is seen only on The M-G-M Parade on TCM. Scare Factor: See the 3rd and 6th logos. 8th Logo (1956-1958)   Nicknames: "Jackie II", "Brief Mane" Logo: Two lions, both look the same but its real names are Al-Marah (earlier) and Tasti Moshe (later); around the studio. The ribboning in the logo looks more stretched out than the earlier versions. The red mask below looks re-drawn and the reef looks more stretched out below. The color of the letters "M", "G", and "M" are still red but looks faded. A registered trademark symbol has been added. The first version has the lion looking at the camera, then turns away and starts roaring. The it would later look back the camera and roar again and snarl. The other would look at the camera first, then would roar and by looking up by roaring and snarl at the end. Variants:
FX: The lion roaring and snarling. Music/Sounds: Tanner's redubbed roar or Tanner's roar with the music's intro. Availability: Uncommon. Seen on MGM films during this era on TCM. Scare Factor: Low bordering on medium, although the roar sounds a bit tamer since its a record from Tanner's roar. 9th Logo (1957-1987)    Nickname: "Leo the Lion" Logo: A new lion appears, but his real name is unknown. However to the world, he's known as "Leo". The script "Metro Goldwyn Mayer" is in a new font. The reef and the mask is re-drawn once again and the ribboning on the sides are stretched out even more. Leo roars at first, then turns his head to his right. He would roar again for the second time and look away and would do the same thing on his third roar and would look away for the final time. Variants:
Closing Variant: At the end of every MGM/UA releases, the movie's title would appear above and below would say "DISTRIBUTED BY" with the MGM/UA Entertainment Co. print logo below. FX: Leo roaring. Music/Sounds: Some movies would only have Leo's roar. Other movies would have the music's intro with the roar. Music/Sound Variant: In 1982, there is a new roar track for Leo. Leo's roar track becomes a synthesized one, which sounded more polished in theaters featuring Dolby/THX sound systems. Leo's image is unchanged. Availability: Common. Seen on such films like Jailhouse Rock, A Christmas Story, Ben Hur, King of Kings, the 80s James Bond releases, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, among others. Though on 1983-1987 films not owned by Turner/Time Warner, the lion may be replaced with the 2001 logo. Your best bet would be to check MGM/UA Home Video tapes. Scare Factor: Low to medium. This lion is one of the most famous icons of the movie industry. 10th Logo (1966-1968)  Nickname: "The Stylized Lion" Logo: On a blue background, we see a yellow-orange outlined drawing of a lion's head in an also yellow circle. Below it, are the letters "MGM" in yellow-orange. FX: None; it's a still logo. Music/Sounds: None. Availability: Seen only on three films: The Subject Was Roses, Grand Prix, and the legendary Kubrick movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. 11th Logo (1974) Nicknames: "Leo the Lion", "Golden Anniversary" Logo: Same as the last logo, but at the top, "Metro Goldwyn Mayer" in the same font as the 1957 logo is in yellowish-gold. Inside the circle has the phrase: "Beginning Our Next 50 Years" also in yellowish-gold as Leo roars. There would be a cross fade between the phrase and Leo. Instead of "TRADEMARK" seen on the sides of the circle, "GOLDEN" is seen on the left and "ANNIVERSARY" is seen on the right in the same color. Leo would roar again two more times. FX: The cross fade. Music/Sounds: Same as the 9th logo from 1957. Availability: Rare. Seen only on That's Entertainment! Scare Factor: See the 9th logo. 12th Logo (1984-1985)  Nicknames: "Leo the Lion", "Sparkling Name", "Diamond Jubilee", "Gold Ribboning" Logo: We have the 1957 MGM logo, but instead, the ribboning is in gold instead of white. On top of the logo has "DIAMOND JUBILEE" arched in a white font. On the circle has inscribed "METRO GOLDWYN MAYER/UNITED ARTISTS" in red instead of the usual Latin phrase. The mask is re-drawn once again and the mouth inside the mask is white. Below the mask has a ribboning banner that reads "ENTERTAINMENT CO." On the right side above the ribbon has a small trademark symbol "TM" and below the logo has the phrase "SIXTY YEARS OF GREAT ENTERTAINMENT" in white. Leo roars while there is a white spark on the letters "M", "E" and "J". FX: Leo roaring. Music/Sounds: The 1982 lion roar. Music/Sound Variants:
Availability: Rare: Seen only on MGM releases such as Red Dawn. The two lion roar variant was seen on 2010: The Year We Make Contact. This may be replaced with the 2001 logo on current prints not owned by Turner/Time Warner. Again seen on MGM/UA Home Video tapes. Scare Factor: Low. 13th Logo (1987-2008)   Nickname: "Leo the Lion", "Gold Ribboning II" Logo: MGM/UA Entertainment Co. is reverted back to "Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer". The logo is the same as the 1984 logo, minus the "Entertainment Co." banner beneath the red mask. The ribbons and the company name are now golden colored and will remain this way from this point forward. The mask appears in a darker red color. Leo roars twice as usual. Variants: There are different variants through the years.
FX: Leo roaring. Music/Sounds: Leo's roar. Music/Sound Variants:
Availability: Common. Seen on all MGM releases of this era. The MGM/UA Communications version appears on Spaceballs. The 1994 version is seen on the movies Clean Slate and Blown Away. The 1999 version is on The Thomas Crown Affair and The World is Not Enough. Though the earlier and mid versions may be replaced with the 2001 logo. Again, see MGM/UA Home Video and MGM Home Entertainment tapes. Scare Factor: A bit on the high side for those who don't like roaring lions, but low for those who are used to the roars. 14th Logo (November 14, 2008- )  Nicknames: "Leo the Lion", "Metallic Ribboning" Logo: The text, ribbons, and mask are now all in a lighter, more metallic-looking, shade of gold. The web address now reads "MGM.COM". Leo roars twice. Trivia: This logo was actually based off the print MGM logo that's seen on the MGM Home Entertainment/MGM DVD print logos as seen on VHS and DVD covers and other MGM merchandise. FX: Leo roaring. Music/Sounds: There is a new roar sound bite that also has elements of the 1995 MGM lion roar. Availability: Brand new so far. This logo started appearing on Quantum of Solace and Valkyrie. Scare Factor: Low to medium. The new lion roar track could throw people off, even if you're used to the recent lion roar.
Latest page update: Feb 8 2009, 6:17 AM EST
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