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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 AH3RD, catbeast 2007, KidCairbre, phasicblu, TheDaVinci030, Asdfdailymotion898, and Eric S.

Metro Pictures Corporation

Background: Metro Pictures Corporation was founded in late 1915 by Richard A. Rowland (1880-1947) and Louis B. Mayer (1885-1957). The company started out distributing films made by Solax Studios but Mayer left soon after operations began to form his own company in 1918. Richard Rowland would continue to produce a number of films in New York City, Fort Lee, New Jersey, and in Los Angeles. In 1920, the company was purchased by Marcus Loew as a supplier of product for his theater chain.
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Goldwyn 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 changed to Samuel Goldwyn.

(1916-1923)

Nicknames: "The Silent/Quiet Lion" , "The Original Leo the Lion", "Slats the Lion"

Logo: We see Slats the original lion, nicknamed "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 were black & white and Sepia variants of the logo.

FX/SFX: Slats' 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.
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Louis B. Mayer Pictures Corporation

Background: Louis B. Mayer Pictures was formed in 1918 by Louis B. Mayer.

(1918-1924)

Logo: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: Rare.

Scare Factor: TBA
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Metro-Goldwyn Pictures Corporation

Background: In 1923, Goldwyn Pictures merged with Metro Pictures Corp. to form "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 rests 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 Sepia.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None, or the opening theme.

Availability: Very rare; occasionally seen on Silent Sunday Nights on Turner Classic Movies.

Scare Factor: None.
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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
(1924-1928)

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/SFX: 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.

2nd Logo
(1928-1956)

Nicknames: "Jackie the Lion", "The 1st Roaring Lion", "The 2nd 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:

Up until 1932, there was also an extended version where Jackie roared three times, then he looks away, then turns back to the camera and then fades out.
This logo would also appear in sepia tone.
1934: There is a color variant of this logo. The ribboning is in a brownish-gold color, the reef is green, and the mask is red.
1949: Silver Anniversary. There is a fancy napkin which reads "A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Silver Anniversary Picture". Jackie proceeds this. Seen on Adam's Rib.

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/SFX: 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:

Early variant has the sound of a lion yawning of some sort.
Another sound has a different lion roar.
In 1932, a new roar track for Jackie uses the roar of a cougar.
In the 1930s, a light fanfare composed by LeRoy Shield played under Jackie's roaring, chiefly at the beginning of the Hal Roach Studios output. In the 1940s, there was a more majestic fanfare composed by Franz Waxman heard with Jackie roaring (e.g., before The Philadelphia Story). None for the mid to later years as some had the intro music from any film playing with any Jackie roaring.

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.

3rd Logo
(1928-1932)

Nicknames: "Telly the Lion", "The 3rd 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.

Variants:

There is also a color variant of this logo.
On Crazy House (1930), the logo is in color, but has no sound.

FX/SFX: 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.

4th 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/SFX: 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.

5th 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:

There is a longer version of this logo. Tanner would growl first, then roar three times, then Tanner would then look at the camera while having his head leaning and would growl again and the final roar with a gasp-like sound and a growl at the end.
On some early animated shorts, the logo has Coffee's roar track. On the first roar for Tanner, it's Coffee's second roar, follwed by the third roar and the final roar is Coffee's growl.
1949: MGM celebrates its silver anniversary. This is basically the same as the version seen on Jackie's, but it's in color and Tanner proceeds this. Seen on In the Good Ole Yellow Submarine.

FX/SFX: 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.

6th 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 trademark symbol underneath the leftside of the filmstrip.

Variants:

There is a short version of Jackie with the last two roars.
For the Tanner version, there are two versions. One has the ribbons in silver and the other in gold.
One movie has Tanner with Jackie's roar.
Another version appears with the gold ribbon Tanner with copyright info on either side.

FX/SFX: Jackie and Tanner roaring.

Music/Sounds: Same as the 2nd and 5th 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 2nd and 5th logos.

7th Logo
(1956-1958)

Nicknames: "George the Lion", "Brief Mane"

Logo: A new lion by the name of George appears in the studio's logo. 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:

This logo would appear on either a blue or black background.
There is also a black & white variant.

FX/SFX: 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.

8th 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:

There is also black & white variant.
There's a frozen variant that's seen on Ben Hur.
From 1983-1987, the marquee above reads as "MGM/UA Entertainment Co.", following their acquisition of United Artists in 1981. Also, on UA releases of the era, this logo preceded the United Artists on-screen text.
A short version of both logos are used for MGM Television (1970-1982) and MGM/UA Entertainment Co. Television (1982-1991).
Closing: 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/SFX: 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 Variants:

From 1957-1960, Leo roars three times.
From 1960-1987, Leo roars only twice.
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. Lived for 30 years. 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. This logo even appears on several MGM shorts such as a few Gene Deitch's Tom & Jerry shorts among others. Though, the 1983-1987 films by MGM are owned by Turner/Time Warner, the lion may be replaced with the 2001 logo of those films by United Artists using the MGM/UA 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.

9th 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/SFX: The simple fade-in and fade-out of the 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.

Scare Factor: None.

10th Logo
(1974)

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures -Part 1- (1974)

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures -Part 2- (1974)

Nicknames: "Leo the Lion", "Golden Anniversary"

Logo: Same as the 8th 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/SFX: The cross fade.

Music/Sounds: Same as the 8th logo from 1957. As a closing logo, the closing theme with the 1960 roar track was used.

Availability: Rare. Seen only on That's Entertainment!

Scare Factor: See the 8th logo.

11th 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/SFX: Leo roaring.

Music/Sounds: The 1982 lion roar.

Music/Sound Variants:

One variant has the 1960 MGM lion roar.
Another variant has the 1960 and 1982 MGM lion roars blending in together.

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.

12th Logo
(1987-2008)

Nicknames: "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:

1987-1992: There is a byline that reads "An MGM/UA Communications Company".
1990-2001: The MGM/UA Communications byline isn't shown.
1994: 70th Anniversary logo; "70th Anniversary" is used. On this logo, the logo is pushed up to the top. "Anniversary" wipes itself on the bottom of the logo, then "70th" appears. Starting with this logo, the ribbons now appear ing a darker golden-brown color.
1999: 75th Anniversary logo; "75, a Legacy of Excellence" is used. The MGM logo is once again moved up. When it begins "75" zooms back and rests. "A LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE" appears. The words shine. There is a version on The World Is Not Enough without animation except for the lion roaring, of course).
2001-2008: A "www.mgm.com" web address is added below the logo.
Closing Variants: There's a white outline MGM print logo that would have the movie title (mainly those by 007) and would have the word "FROM" below the title above the logo. Below the logo would have a byline stating: "An MGM/UA Communications Company" then later "A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Communications Company". Starting in the mid to late 90s, it would say: "DISTRIBUTED BY MGM/UA DISTRIBUTION CO." then later "DISTRIBUTED BY MGM DISTRIBUTION CO."
Another closing wouldn't have the MGM print logo seen on the end of classic movies owned by MGM. They would carry a short version of the MGM logo. This would also be used for MGM Television.
There is a short black & white version of the 1995 logo that's seen after any classic MGM-owned movie in black & white such as those by United Artists and Samuel Goldwyn Productions.

FX/SFX: Leo roaring.

Music/Sounds: Leo's roar.

Music/Sound Variants:

1987-1994: The 1982 roar, but the final part is a bit different, ending with a growl.
1994-1995: The 1982 roar, with a more raspier sound. Sound close to the 1995 roar, but not quite the roar.
1995-2008: Starting with the release of Cutthroat Island, the 1982 lion track was remixed using digital audio technology which blended many roars together.
A silent variant of the short version has been spotted.

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. The silent variant was spotted on TCM's print of Topkapi.

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.

13th 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.

Variants:

In 2009, there is a bright gold logo, which is only seen on cable broadcasts.
In the closing variant, the logo is the bright yellow color. Leo roars once.
There is also a longer variant that is basically a 3-lion roar restoration, which will not be seen on films at all.

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/SFX: 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,Valkyrie, The Pink Panther 2, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, and Fame. Also certain old movies may have this, replacing the old logo.

Scare Factor: Low to medium. The new lion roar track could throw people off, even if you're used to the recent lion roar.

VofDoom	Latest page update: made by VofDoom , Oct 20 2009, 10:01 PM EDT (about this update About This Update Edited by VofDoom 2 words added 1 word deleted view changes - complete history)
	Keyword tags: Goldwyn Pictures Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. MGM Holdings Inc. More Info: links to this page

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TheMarkInside

MGM and the 'rare' logos

May 17 2009, 4:37 PM EDT by TheMarkInside

Thread started: May 17 2009, 4:37 PM EDT Watch

I've found the Goldwyn Pictures (with lion) on a DVD collection of Lon Chaney movies TCM and Warner put out a few years ago.

Also, logo #10 (the 'Golden Anniversary' logo) can also be seen on "The Passenger", which is now owned by Sony.

Logo #9 (the 'Stylized Lion' against blue background)... as far as I know, the only film on DVD that has it is "2001"; "Grand Prix" has logo #8 on it's DVD release.

1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you?

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Logophile

Tanner with Jackie's roar

Mar 29 2009, 8:26 AM EDT by PaPaLuigi

Thread started: Dec 3 2008, 1:06 PM EST Watch

I found one version of Tanner with Jackie's roar. I don't know the exact name of the film, but it was from 1956. I did have it on tape, but it was accidentally destroyed. Has anyone seen it?

2 out of 2 found this valuable. Do you?

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toad334

about telly

Feb 16 2009, 7:49 AM EST by PaPaLuigi

Thread started: Feb 15 2009, 10:54 AM EST Watch

I found the REAL roar track for telly!

1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you?

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Samuel Goldwyn Films	Not Rare At All	Embassy Film Associates
MGM Television	Heatter-Quigley/Merrill Heatter Productions	MGM Home Entertainment
Hemdale Communications	American International Television	MGM Kids Home Entertainment
MGM Interactive	American International Pictures	Goldwyn Pictures (tinted)

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures

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