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Normal variant
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Sepia version
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Cleopatra (1928)
→14th Logo (August 13, 2021-): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOHRMqRDsZo, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkxPWMBlyYU and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZY11Z2oB0c |
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{{redirect|MGM}}
{{PageButtons|Logo Variations=1|Trailers=1}}
{{PageCredits|description=MatthewLMayfield, Jess Williams, Kris Starring, Spidey016, Shadeed A. Kelly, Nathan B., Logophile, LJK193, TheLogoFan2004 and Blue2000|capture=Logoarto, Eric S., V of Doom, mr3urious, TVLogos2008, naxo-ole, Dean Stewart Rumsey, 20thCenturyFoxLover2, Logoboy95, snelfu, Logophile, thehugetvfan, filmbaza.net, indycar, RedheadXilamGuy, Jack Jackie Pomi and logofreak98|edits=Shadeed A. Kelly, Hoa, V of Doom, Logophile, MeesterFonnyboy, Nathan B., CuriousGeoge60, thehugetvfan, Vahan Nisanian, indycar, Muzzarino, lotsoflogos, KirbyGuy2001 (Logoblin), UniversalFlorida1990, Unnepad, Stretchgirl, gatoradeguy158, Ryan Froula, MatthewLMayfield, Logoarto, Blue2000, LogoDatabase, CrazySpruiker2001, Rainbow Puppy, Nico234, Jesse Coffey, MJ2003, Jack Jackie Pomi, TheLogoFan2004, Michael Kenchington, Trevor807, HolbyCity2023, TheRealMarcel2000, and
{{Infobox company
|name=Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc.
|image=[[File:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 2021.png]]
|founded=April 17, 1924 ({{age|1924|4|17}} years ago)
|founder={{Unbulleted list|{{w|Louis B. Mayer}}|{{w|Samuel Goldwyn}}|{{w|Marcus Loew}}}}
|predecessors={{Unbulleted list|[[Metro Pictures Corporation|Metro Pictures Corporation]]|[[Goldwyn Pictures|Goldwyn Pictures]]|Louis B. Mayer Pictures Corporation}}
|key people=Jennifer Salke (chairwoman/CEO)
|parent=[[Amazon MGM Studios]]<br>([[Amazon]])
|formerly= Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Corporation (1924-1938)<br>Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. (1938-1981)<br>Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Film Co. (1981-1982)<br>MGM/UA Entertainment Co. (1982-1986)<br>MGM Entertainment Co. (1986-1987)<br>MGM/UA Communications Co. (1987-1990)<br>MGM-Pathé Communications Co. (1990-1992)
|subsidiaries=[[MGM Television]]<br>MGM Music<br>MGM Sports<br>MGM On Stage<br>MGM Consumer Products
|country=[[:Category:United States|United States]]
}}
===Background===
In 1969, Kirk Kerkorian purchased the company. However, in 1973, MGM closed its distribution offices and signed
▲Dissatisfied with Metro's output following his purchase of the studio, Loew later purchased [[Goldwyn Pictures|'''Goldwyn''' Pictures]] in 1924 and combined the two studios in the hope of creating higher-quality content for his theaters. The same year, Louis B. Mayer sold Louis B. Mayer Productions to Loew for $75,000 (around $1.17 million adjusted for inflation). On April 17, 1924, the three studios were merged to become '''Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.''' ('''MGM'''). With Mayer serving as head of the studio, MGM became one of the major players in the Golden Age of Hollywood, and was one of the "Big Five" film studios, alongside [[Paramount Pictures]], [[RKO Radio Pictures]], [[20th Century Studios|20th Century Fox]] and [[Warner Bros. Pictures|Warner Bros.]] At its peak in the 1930s, the studio was releasing 50 films a year. In 1952, Loews Inc. was forced to relinquish control of MGM due to the outcome of ''[[w:United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc.|United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc.]]'', which forced studios and theaters to separate. By the time the split was completed in 1959, MGM was in decline due to a combination of the split, the decline of the old studio system, and the rise of television. In 1957, the same year Louis B. Mayer died, the company filed a loss for the first time ever.
In 2009 and 2010, MGM suffered financial problems and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on November 3, 2010. After
▲In 1969, Kirk Kerkorian purchased the company. However, in 1973, MGM closed its distribution offices and signed a distribution agreement with [[United Artists]] for distribution in the United States; the company also made a similar agreement with [[Cinema International Corporation|CIC]] for international distribution. In 1981, MGM purchased the failing United Artists before renaming itself MGM/UA Entertainment Co. a year later, with UA's distribution branch being renamed MGM/United Artists Distribution and Marketing (later MGM/UA Distribution Co.). MGM was also a founding partner in CIC's successor [[United International Pictures]]. On March 25, 1986, MGM/UA was purchased by Ted Turner (who temporarily renamed the company MGM Entertainment Co.), but after a large amount of debt, Turner sold it back on August 26, keeping the pre-1986 MGM library. MGM was then renamed MGM/UA Communications Co. In 1990, it became '''MGM-Pathé Communications Co.''' after Giancarlo Parretti purchased the company and merged it with Pathé Communications (not to be confused with [[Pathé|the French studio]], which Parretti attempted to buy but failed due to French governmental concerns over his business background). Due to lawsuits, it was sold back to Kerkorian yet again and the company became Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1992. In 2000, MGM broke off its international distribution agreement with UIP and instead signed with [[20th Century Studios|20th Century Fox]] to take over international distribution rights for MGM's films. On April 8, 2005, a consortium led by [[Sony]]'s American branch bought the company.
▲In 2009 and 2010, MGM suffered financial problems and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on November 3, 2010. After escaping from bankruptcy on December 20, Spyglass executives Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum became co-CEOs and co-chairs of the company. Birnbaum left on October 3, 2012, and Barber was fired in March 2018. For much of the 2010s, much of MGM's output was produced with and/or distributed by [[Columbia Pictures|Columbia]], [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]], [[Universal Pictures|Universal]], or [[Warner Bros. Pictures]] in all territories outside of the Nordics, Israel, Central Europe, the Middle East and Portugal. In 2017, MGM signed an agreement with [[Annapurna Pictures]] to distribute titles from both parties in the US, with third-party titles being released under the Mirror banner. MGM also signed an agreement with Universal that same year to handle the international distribution of MGM titles. In 2019, the partnership became known as [[United Artists Releasing]] and [[Orion Pictures]]' distribution staff was added to the venture.
On May 26, 2021, online shopping company Amazon announced its intention to acquire MGM for $8.45 billion, a deal that was finalized on March 17, 2022. On August 15, 2022, MGM announced a new distribution agreement with Warner Bros. for international markets outside of North America (including China), which excluded two titles from Orion and the 26th ''Bond'' film, which will be retained by Universal. As part of the deal, Warner Bros. will take over home video rights in all regions. In 2023, [[Amazon Studios]] was renamed into Amazon MGM Studios with MGM serving as a banner of the company for its films. As of 2024, its major film franchises include ''Rocky'' and ''James Bond'', while its most recent television productions include ''Fargo'' and ''The Handmaid's Tale''. ▼
The current company and studio location are located in Beverly Hills, California. MGM owned a more well-known set of studios in Culver City from 1925 until 1986 when the backlot was sold to [[Lorimar-Telepictures]]; the lot is now owned by [[Sony]] through the [[Sony Pictures Entertainment]] subsidiary of [[Sony Entertainment]] and is known as Sony Pictures Studios.▼
▲On May 26, 2021,
▲As of 2024, MGM's major film franchises include ''Rocky'' and ''James Bond'', while its most recent television productions include ''Fargo'' and ''The Handmaid's Tale''. The current company and studio location are located in Beverly Hills, California. MGM owned a more well-known set of studios in Culver City from 1925 until 1986, when the backlot was sold to [[Lorimar-Telepictures]]; the lot is now owned by
{{SeparateTOC
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|Iafw-sd-01.jpg|7th Logo (July 15, 1953-November 2, 1956)
|Ss-rm-01.jpg|8th Logo (April 26, 1956-February 27, 1959)
|
|MGM(24).jpg|10th Logo (April 3-October 13, 1968)
|MGM(20).png|11th Logo (June 22, 1984-April 28, 2009)
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==Metro-Goldwyn Pictures Corporation==
===Logo (November 9, 1924-June 14, 1928)===
<tabber>
Images=
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
File:MetroGoldwynPicture2.jpg|Normal variant
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File:Metro_Goldwyn_Mayer_(1928).jpg|''Cleopatra'' (1928)
</gallery>
|-|
Videos=
{{YouTube|id=SqVzEDHTsZ8|id2=d2Jp5QEo-8A|id3=BF2T7pZZQmU|id4=2cJUuTnvlso|id5=1ZH7UJB97qU}}
</tabber>
'''Visuals:''' Over a black background is a marquee with torches surrounding it, similar to the MGM print logo. A statue of a lion rests on top. There is text over the marquee reading
'''Trivia:''' This logo (with the word "Mayer") was used as a print logo until the 1950s, as well as on various films as late as 1984.
'''Variants:'''
*
* A <u>sepia variant</u> exists.
* On ''Cleopatra'', the logo reads "DISTRIBUTED BY Metro-
'''Technique:''' A printed graphic filmed by a camera.
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'''Audio:''' The closing theme of the film.
'''Availability:''' Seen at the end of
==Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc.==
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</tabber>
'''Visuals:''' Same as the final [[Goldwyn Pictures]] logo, but a new lion named "Slats" occupies the circle. Slats moves his head from right to left and then looks at the camera, and later looks around aimlessly. Instead of "A GOLDWYN PICTURE", the marquee below the logo now reads "'''Metro''' '''''Goldwyn''''' Mayer". "Metro" is in a plain serif font, "Goldwyn" is in a more fancy script font, and "Mayer" is in an Art Deco-esque font.
'''Trivia:''' Slats was born at the Dublin Zoo on March 20, 1919, and was originally named "Cairbre". He died in 1936.
'''Variants:'''
*Slats appears to move differently on every film in which the logo makes an appearance.
*On a <u>promotional film for the studio</u>, the words "METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER" appear word by word, with "<abbr title="STUDIOS">STVDIOS</abbr>" appearing underneath the words. After a few seconds, the words "CONTROLLED BY LOEWS INC." appear below "<abbr title="STUDIOS">STVDIOS</abbr>". Then the logo blinks twice with the mascot on top and a light below.
'''Technique:''' Live-action footage
'''Audio:''' None or the opening theme of the film.
'''Availability:''' It can be seen on the earliest films under the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer name. Some films were still around, while others are destroyed.
* Due to the 1965 MGM vault fire, existing prints of most films from this era have the 3rd logo plastering this one, and this is not easy to come across.
*
* It may have also been seen on some original prints of ''London After Midnight'', ''Lady of the Night'', and ''Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ'', respectively.
===2nd Logo (October 1, 1927-September 27, 1928)===
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</gallery>
'''Visuals:''' Nearly the same as before, but the ribboning has been slightly redone and a different lion named "Numa"<ref>https://calisphere.org/item/33aa2009c076c8900cc1e640aebb0e64/</ref>
'''Trivia:'''
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'''Variant:''' As seen in the first picture, there is a variant with copyright notices below the logo.
'''Technique:''' A printed graphic, with Numa being a
'''Audio:''' The only films this is known to appear on were silent, so either none or the opening theme of the film.
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* This logo would sometimes be sepia-toned.
* Some films in the early 1930s would feature the logo of the [[National Recovery Administration]] (NRA), a New Deal agency that existed between 1933 and 1935, on the left side, below the marquee.
* In Turner's
* There's another
* There's another
* In 1949, during MGM's 25th anniversary, an additional "Silver Anniversary" variant was used alongside the Jackie logo. There is a fancy napkin that has "MGM" in a ribbon at the top-right, and text reading "A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Silver Anniversary Picture" in the center (in the Commercial Script font). Seen on ''Edward, My Son'', ''The Great Sinner'', ''Any Number Can Play'', ''Scene of the Crime'', ''Madame Bovary'', ''The Doctor and the Girl'', ''Border Incident'', ''Adam's Rib'', ''Intruder in the Dust'', and ''Tension''.
* There is a variant where the logo is redrawn, Jackie has a shadow, and there is copyright information around the logo. This was seen on the ''Our Gang'' shorts "Teacher's Pet", "School's Out" and "Love Business", as well as the Laurel & Hardy short "Another Fine Mess".
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'''Closing Variants:''' 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 until the 1950s.
* In 1931, the
* From late 1938 to 1941, the closing logo features the reclining lion carving on a white (later grey) marble background, with "
* In 1942, during
<center>
"AMERICA NEEDS YOUR MONEY<br>
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</center><br>
This was used as the basis for the 1st [[MGM Cartoons]] logo.<br>
* Starting in 1949, the text "MADE IN HOLLYWOOD, U.S.A. by
* On some films, such as ''Red-Headed Woman''
'''Technique:''' Live-action footage, with the elements surrounding Jackie being a printed graphic composited over the footage.
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'''Audio:''' Jackie roaring; there are several variants. From 1928 to 1930, Jackie's actual roar was used. From 1930 to 1932, starting with the film ''Paid'', a panther's roar was used. From 1932 to 1953, another roar was used, which would also be used for the 4th logo. For silent films, it's the music's intro only without Jackie roaring.
'''Audio Trivia:''' Jackie roaring at the beginning of ''White Shadows in the South Seas''
'''Audio Variants:'''
* Many early sound films made in 1929 and 1930, such as ''The Broadway Melody'', ''The Single Standard'', ''They Learned About Women'', and ''The Big House'', have this logo without the roar, even though the films themselves have sound.
* Earlier variants of the logo have at least three different roar variations, some more often than the others.
* In the 1930s, a light fanfare composed by LeRoy Shield played under Jackie's roaring, chiefly at the beginning of films from Hal Roach Studios. In the 1940s, there was a more majestic fanfare composed by Franz Waxman, with Jackie roaring on some films (such as ''A Day at the Races''
* On Flip the Frog cartoons, the different fanfares were heard without Jackie's roaring. Starting in late 1932, a new roar was added.
* The Super 8mm version of ''The Wizard of Oz'' used Tanner's roar.
* On the 1993-1998 [[MGM/UA Home Video]] logo, Jackie roars with Tanner's roar instead of his own roaring sound.
* The aforementioned Dutch print of ''Dead Water'' uses the panther roar from the 1930 version instead of the standard 1932 roar for an unknown reason.
* The original print of ''Freaks''
'''Availability:''' Seen on films of the era, such as ''Freaks''
* The color variant is not as easy to find, as colorized versions are hardly ever shown on TV or on video. It is, however, seen on the colorized version of ''Babes in Toyland'' (1934), as well as colorized version of ''The Thin Man''
* This logo may plaster Slats on current prints of silent films such as ''The Navigator'', ''Greed'', ''Lady of the Night'', ''Go West'', ''Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ'', ''Torrent'', ''The Scarlet Letter'' (1926), ''Flesh and the Devil'' and ''The Unknown''; his first appearance as the full-time MGM lion was in ''Our Dancing Daughters''.
* In later years, clips from this logo were reused for the 1993-1998 MGM/UA Home Video logo.
* It was also seen on the reconstructed Turner Classic Movies version of ''London After Midnight''.
* The last few films to use this logo were ''The Affairs of Dobie Gillis'', ''Big Leaguer'', ''The Actress'' and ''Main Street to Broadway''.
* The copyright notice variant of this logo was also seen at the start of a June 28, 2024 airing of ''The Little Rascals'' short "School's Out" on MeTV.
'''Legacy:''' Along with Tanner, Jackie rates at the top with logo enthusiasts as far as MGM lions go. He was the third-longest lion to be used behind Tanner and Leo.
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'''Visuals:''' Another lion named "Telly" appears in a newly redrawn film-like ribboning. He is the first of the two two-strip Technicolor lions. Telly first stares on camera for several seconds and then roars with a long snarl and two roaring sound effects. The usual MGM marquee is seen below. Everything but the lion is in a green hue (likely caused by the two-strip Technicolor process).
'''Variant:'''
'''Technique:''' Live-action footage, with the elements surrounding Telly being a printed graphic composited over the footage.
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'''Audio:''' A cougar's roar, which was also used for Jackie in the 1932 variant of the 3rd logo. Some films would only have the opening theme by itself or with Telly's roar.
'''Audio Variant:''' On ''Crazy House''
'''Availability:''' Seen on color films such as ''The Viking''
===5th Logo (February 4, 1932-May 25, 1935)===
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</tabber>
'''Visuals:''' Another two-strip Technicolor lion named "Coffee" appears in a slightly redrawn film-like ribboning with the mask redrawn. Coffee snarls while looking down and then roars. The Latin phrase is still shown inscribed on the circle. "
'''Variants:'''
* A longer version of this logo exists, which was only seen on ''Wild People'', where Coffee does a second roar.
* A B&W variant also exists on prints in said
'''Technique:''' Live-action footage, with the elements surrounding Coffee being a printed graphic composited over the footage.
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</tabber>
'''Visuals:''' A new lion named "Tanner" appears in this logo. He is the one of the three-strip Technicolor lions. The Latin phrase on the circle is
'''Trivia:''' In addition to this logo, Tanner also appeared in a few Three Stooges shorts such as
'''Variants:'''
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* The Silver Anniversary variant for this logo is basically the same as the version seen on Jackie's, but it's in color with Tanner preceding it. Seen on ''Neptune's Daughter'', ''In the Good Old Summertime'', ''Challenge to Lassie'' and ''On the Town''.
* A Cinecolor variant exists on ''Gallant Bess'', in which the logo is darker and most of the yellows look faded.
* This logo was
* On ''My Grandfather's Clock'', the logo has a slight red tint.
* A rare Soviet version also exists, which was seen on a print of the 1960 Russian dub of ''The Great Caruso'', during the opening credits of the film (the regular English version precedes it). This variant is a still painting, with the marquee redrawn slightly. Tanner's mouth is also wide open. The text on the ribboning, instead of the usual Latin phrase, reads "Производство Лоуз Инкорпорейтед", translating to "Produced by Loew's Incorporated".
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* On ''La Fiesta de Santa Barbara'', after Tanner's first roar, the roar track pauses until Tanner roars the second time, which resumes his roar track with just a growl.
'''Availability:''' Seen on color live-action films such as ''Lassie Come Home''
* The long version is seen on ''Star Night at the Cocoanut Grove''
* This logo was also
'''Legacy:''' As one of the more iconic lions, those who grew up watching ''Tom and Jerry'' may consider Tanner a favorite. However, he has gained some notoriety for frightening younger viewers, mainly towards those that grew up watching MGM cartoons such as the previously mentioned ''Tom and Jerry''.
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</tabber>
'''Visuals:''' This time, the MGM marquee below the logo has been permanently dropped, and the name "
'''Trivia:''' This marks the start of the more established design of the logo, although the more familiar lion wouldn't be introduced until four years later.
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'''Variants:'''
* A short version of Jackie with the last two roars exists.
* For the Tanner version, there are two versions. One has the ribbons in
* Another version appears with the
* Tanner was used for a 3D version that can be found on films such as ''Kiss Me Kate''.
* A CinemaScope variant exists. After the logo fades out is the golden text "IN '''CINEMASCOPE'''", with "
'''Technique:''' Live-action footage, with the elements surrounding either lion being a printed graphic composited over the footage.
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</tabber>
'''Visuals:''' A new lion named George appears in the studio's logo. The ribboning is more stretched out than in the earlier versions. The
'''Trivia:'''
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'''Variants:'''
* This logo would appear on either a
* A B&W variant also exists, which can be seen on some B&W films, such as ''The Fastest Gun Alive''
'''Technique:''' Live-action footage. Unlike previous and future MGM logos, the graphic surrounding the lion is actually a physical cutout as evidenced by the behind-the-scenes photos.
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'''Audio:''' Tanner's re-dubbed roar or Tanner's roar with the music's intro.
'''Audio Variant:''' A slightly different tone of Tanner's roar with an extra growl was heard twice on ''Barnacle Bill''
'''Availability:''' Seen on MGM films during this era, starting with the film ''The Swan'' (released on April 26, 1956).<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer_films_(1950–1959)</ref>
* This is also seen on the aforementioned ''First Man Into Space''
* It was also seen on a January 20, 1996 airing of ''Designing Woman''
===9th Logo (September 6, 1957-July 10, 1987)===
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</tabber>
'''Visuals:''' A new lion named "Leo" appears. The script "
'''Trivia:'''
* Leo was born at the Royal Burgers' Zoo in Arnhem, Netherlands. The reason why his mane is shorter compared to all the other lions is that he was the youngest at the time when he was filmed. He also appeared in several films, such as ''King of Kings''
* This marks the start of a definitive design for the logo, as it would only receive minimal changes in the following decades.
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* On films shot in the Cinerama format, the logo is curved to accommodate the format and the ribboning is also enhanced.
* By the 1970s, the logo looks a little more enhanced and the lettering on the marquee has more of a grey color.
* May 23, 1974-July 4, 1975: A special variant was used to commemorate MGM's 50th anniversary. At the top, "
* June 3, 1983-February 21, 1986, July 10, 1987: The marquee name was altered to read "
** A prototype variant where the MGM/UA marquee is slightly off center and Leo also has a greenish tint also exists.
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* ''Reckless'' has the growls heard between the roars muted out.
* The DVD release of ''The Beastmaster'' and the Shout! Factory Blu-ray releases of ''Poltergeist II: The Other Side'' and ''To Live and Die in L.A.'' use the 1995 roar. However, the 2.0 audio tracks of the latter two films have their original roar tracks.
* The 1994
* The VCI Blu-ray and streaming prints of ''Gorgo'' blend the 1957 and 1995 roars, possibly due to sloppy plastering. Since the 1995 variation had only two roars, the second roar is used at both the beginning and the end.
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* The MGM/UA closing variant debuted on ''Diner'', while the opening variant made its debut on ''WarGames'' and made its final appearance on ''9 1/2 Weeks''.
** MGM/UA releases between March 1982 and June 1983, which feature the closing variant, still open with the standard MGM version on MGM releases, while UA releases from the period open with the standard United Artists logo.
** Starting with the release of ''Dream Lover'' on February 28, 1986, it reverted back to the
* The 1960-1982 version was also plastered over with the 1983-1986 version on ''Two Weeks in Another Town'' on an international TCM airing.
* This logo was seen on original theatrical prints of ''Where the River Runs Black'', but video releases replaced it with the 11th logo.
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* Older VHS releases of ''Running Scared'' also retain this logo.
* The Golden Anniversary version is seen on films such as ''That's Entertainment!'', ''Mr. Ricco'', and U.S. prints of ''The Wind and the Lion''.
** It also makes
'''Legacy:''' It's seen as one of MGM's most iconic logos, with Leo considered the most famous out of all the MGM lions.
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</gallery>
'''Visuals:''' On a
'''Trivia:'''
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'''Variants:'''
* A variant has the background color
* On trailers for the studio's films that were released by United Artists, an inverted version of the logo appears above the 1976 United Artists logo, with the text "An '''MGM''' Presentation" next to it.
'''Technique:''' A printed graphic.
'''Audio:''' None, but on ''2001: A Space Odyssey'', the film's opening theme (the very beginning of Richard Strauss's "Also sprach Zarathustra") plays over the logo.
'''Availability:''' It was seen only on two films: ''The Subject Was Roses''
*
* It is also seen at the end of select prints (mainly 70mm showings) and digital prints of ''Licorice Pizza'', its first theatrical appearance in over 50 years.
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</tabber>
'''Visuals:''' Same as the 9th logo, but most of the logo is now colored in gold instead of white. The mask also appears in a darker
'''Trivia:''' The design of the filmstrip was first introduced in 1982 as the corporate logo for its then-parent MGM/UA Entertainment Co., and was used for the 1982-1993 [[MGM Home Entertainment|MGM/UA Home Video]] logo. Also, the filmstrip would remain golden going forward.
'''Variants:'''
* June 22, 1984-January 18, 1985: For the studio's 60th anniversary, the arched words "DIAMOND JUBILEE" appear in white above the logo. On the circle
* An early version of the 1986 logo also exists, which can be found on some prints and the
* October 30, 1987-1992: There is a byline that reads "
* November 26, 1986-2001, 2006, 2008: The logo is bylineless. Despite general use ending around 2001, it made
* 1994: For the studio's 70th anniversary, the text "
* 1999: For the studio's 75th
* January 12, 2001-April 28, 2009: A "
** Some films that used the 2001 version of the logo, such as ''Wicker Park'', ''Good Boy!'', and ''Bulletproof Monk'', have the URL off-center.
* The Tubi print of ''The Last Man On Earth'' starts with a somewhat cheaply edited black-and-white version of the 2001 logo.
'''Closing Variants:'''
*
* There's a white outline MGM print logo that would have the movie title (mainly James Bond movies), and would have the word "FROM" (for MGM releases) or "DISTRIBUTED BY" (for UA releases) below the title above the logo. In the late 80s-early 90s, three versions of the print logo were used: a standard version, another which was more outlined (seen on ''Poltergeist III'' and ''Masquerade''), and another with inverted colors. Below the logo would be a byline stating "An MGM/UA Communications company", then later "A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Communications company". Starting in the mid to late 1990s, it would say "DISTRIBUTED BY MGM/UA DISTRIBUTION CO.", then later "DISTRIBUTED BY MGM DISTRIBUTION CO." Sometimes, the late 90s variant can be seen at the end of theatrical prints of 2006-2008 [[The Weinstein Company]]/[[Dimension Films]] movies.
* Another closing variant used on reprints of older films from the company would cut out the print logo originally used and would instead carry a short version of the MGM logo.
* A short B&W variant of the 1995 logo exists, which is seen after any classic MGM-owned movie in black & white, such as those by United Artists and Samuel Goldwyn Productions. Other releases, like the 2001 print of ''Some Like it Hot'', use the regular color version instead.
*
'''Technique:''' Live-action footage with a printed graphic composited over it for the normal variant, 2D animation for the sparkles on the Diamond Jubilee variant, and computer effects for the additional text on the other anniversary variants.
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* On the MGM Home Entertainment DVD release of ''Mr. Saturday Night'', the theatrical trailer on the disc has the logo with the 1982 roar. On that trailer, it also erases any Columbia references.
* On trailers and TV spots up to the late 1980s-early 1990s, the 1960 roar is used, though some use the 1982 roar.
* One variant of the Diamond Jubilee logo has the 1960 and 1982 MGM lion roars combined. This is seen on ''2010: The Year We Make Contact''
* On ''Garbo Talks'', the warped version of the 1982 roar is used.
* On current prints of ''Red Dawn'' (1984), the 1995 roar is used on the Diamond Jubilee logo.
* One Russian dubbed print of ''Red Dawn'' (1984) combines the 1982 and 1995 roars.
* On the TV movie ''Rocky Marciano'', as well as digital prints of ''Rain Man''<!-- may appear on earlier prints or is the 1994 roar? --> and the 4K Blu-ray release of ''Thelma and Louise''
* On ''Windtalkers'' and the 2007 "Family Fun Edition" DVD release of ''The Pebble and the Penguin'', the 1994 roar is used on the 2001 logo.
* A syndicated airing of an unknown MGM movie and current prints of ''Sweet Land'' have the 2001 logo with the 2008 roar track. The closing of the latter film also utilizes the second roar from the 2008 roar track rather than the first.
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* An NBC airing of ''Inherit the Wind'' (1999) had the roar track silent, due to the generic theme playing over the logo.
'''Availability:''' This logo was used for 25 years, and is
* The Diamond Jubilee variant debuted on ''The Pope of Greenwich Village'' and made its final appearance on ''That's Dancing!''.
** Starting with ''The Aviator'', it was reverted back to the MGM/UA variant of the 1957 logo.
* The standard version's earliest known appearance was on TV spots for ''Running Scared'' in the spring of 1986, but it's currently unknown if theatrical prints used this logo.
** The original U.S. VHS release had the 9th logo and the UK VHS release had no logo at all, while 1990s VHS reissues feature the bylineless gold-ribboned logo (in letterbox), as did a 1994 broadcast on BBC1 (albeit cropped to 4:3).
* The MGM/UA Communications byline version can be found on the original VHS and
* The bylineless 1986 logo is also seen on the original home video prints of titles such as ''Where the River Runs Black'' (plastering the 9th logo), ''Mindgames'', ''Blue Steel'', ''Quigley Down Under'', and ''Thelma and Louise''.
* The 2001 URL variant made its debut on ''Antitrust''.
* It is also seen on direct-to-video titles such as ''An All Dogs Christmas Carol'', ''The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue'', and also
* It also seems to have been used as a de-facto home video logo in tandem with the 1998 and 2003 MGM DVD logos, since on titles from Embassy Pictures, Orion Pictures (post-1982 library), ABC Motion Pictures, and [[IFC Films]], the logo precedes those companies' logos (similarly to [[Universal Pictures Home Entertainment]]).
* The 1994 version is seen on ''Clean Slate'', ''Blown Away'', ''That's Entertainment III'', and the Live Entertainment VHS,
* The bylineless logo with the 1994 roar can be found on original prints of ''The Pebble and the Penguin'' (U.S. prints), ''Fluke'', ''Species'', and ''Get Shorty'', as well as on ''Red Corner''.
** It can also be found on the Vudu print of ''Snow White'' (1987).
* The 1999 75th Anniversary version is seen on ''The Thomas Crown Affair'' (1999) and pre-2006 prints of ''The World is Not Enough''; however, the earlier and mid versions are usually replaced by the 2001 logo, such as on the Ultimate Edition DVD and Blu-ray releases of the latter. It also plastered the ninth logo on the 2001 European DVD release of ''Rocky IV''.
* The silent version is seen at the end of network prints of ''Topkapi''
* This logo also replaces the 1981 [[Columbia Pictures]] logo on releases of MGM-owned Castle Rock/Nelson films such as ''When Harry Met Sally...'', ''Lord of the Flies'', ''Misery'', and ''City Slickers''.
* The logo is also seen on the U.S. release of the Russian movie ''12''
* It made its last theatrical appearance on ''Igor'' (released on September 19, 2008), and its last overall appearances were on the direct-to-DVD films ''Dead Like Me: Life After Death'' and ''Legally Blondes''; this logo was used on trailers on post-2008 Sony/MGM releases until ''Zookeeper''
*
** However, DVD releases by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment from 2001 onward removed any evidence of MGM having released the film, and go directly to the Lucasfilm logo.
** It was however restored on the 2013 Fox and 2019 Disney Blu-ray releases, as well as the streaming version on Disney+.
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</tabber>
'''Visuals:''' Same as the previous logo, but with several enhancements: the text, ribbons and mask, along with its wreath, are now all in a lighter, more metallic shade of
'''Trivia:''' This was actually based on the print logo that was used by MGM Home Entertainment and MGM DVD, as seen on VHS and DVD covers and other merchandise. The gold mask used here also looks similar to the one in the 1993 MGM/UA Home Video logo.
'''Variants:'''
* A three-roar variant exists, but was never used.
* For the closing variant and on 2009 cable broadcasts (unless the MGM Television logo was used), the logo is a brighter gold color.
* Starting in 2011, the logo began appearing without the URL, likely due to MGM no longer releasing their own films (outside some regions) after their emergence from bankruptcy. This version first appeared on ''The Cutting Edge: Fire and Ice'' in 2010. It later made an appearance on a behind-the-scenes video of ''Zookeeper'' found on the MGM website, as well as the trailers for ''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'', ''21 Jump Street'' and ''G.I. Joe: Retaliation''.
'''Closing Variant:''' At the end of ''Hot Tub Time Machine'' and some catalog titles, in which the words "
'''Technique:''' Live-action footage, with a digitally-made filmstrip and text, done at Pacific Title. The footage of Leo in this logo is from a negative master of the 1958 film ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'', as the original 1956 negative was believed to be lost. Leo was then given an HD enhancement, with his mane and ears digitally remodeled to remove film fuzz and blemishes. They were also made to overlap the film ribbons in order to give the logo more depth. More info on the project can be found [https://garycoates.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/logo-history-restoration-article.pdf here].
'''Audio:'''
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'''Availability:''' Seen on all MGM releases from this period, starting with ''Quantum of Solace'' and ending with ''21 Jump Street''.
* Other movies with this logo include ''Valkyrie'', ''The Pink Panther 2'', ''The Taking of Pelham 123'', ''Fame'', ''Hot Tub Time Machine'' and ''Zookeeper''.
* Despite being retired, this logo made
* Also, some movies owned by MGM when aired on cable and pay-TV, and some home media releases may plaster or precede older logos with this (one example being the 2016 Olive Films Blu-ray release of ''Mannequin'').
* It precedes the Universal Pictures logo on current overseas prints of ''Conan the Destroyer''
▲* It precedes the Universal Pictures logo on current overseas prints of ''Conan the Destroyer'' (1984), and the UA Ovoid on the Kino Lorber Blu-ray release of ''Fistful of Dollars'' (1964) (however, for the latter film, it's not attached to the actual feature, only directly preceding it according to a playlist file).
* It can also be found on video games such as ''James Bond 007: Blood Stone'' and ''Goldeneye 007 (2010)''.
* It also makes
* The logo with the 2008 roar track can also be found at the start and end of
===13th Logo (August 8, 2012-October 8, 2021) ===
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{{YouTube|id=Iih6FWzXqGM|id2=Ly-kdZXhbE0}}
</tabber>
'''Visuals:''' Over a black background, the logo starts with flickers of light. The image then pulls back to reveal that it is a pupil, an extreme close-up of Leo's eye. The camera zooms out to reveal Leo, the ribboning, the mask, and the words "
'''Trivia:'''
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* ''The Hobbit'' movies, ''G.I. Joe: Retaliation'' and ''22 Jump Street'' have the opening theme of the film without the whooshes and projector sounds, just the roaring. ''Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters'', ''Spectre'', and ''Me Before You'' have the opening theme of the movie with the whooshes and projector sounds and roaring.
* ''G.I. Joe: Retaliation'' also has the 2008 roar track.
* A
'''Availability:''' It can be seen on every MGM film from 2012 until 2021, starting with ''Hope Springs'' (albeit a shortened version) and ending with
* A shorter version of the logo actually first appeared on the teaser trailer for said film, while the full version of the logo was first seen on ''Skyfall''.
** It can also be found on the MGM 90th Anniversary trailer promo, and on Shine's website, seen [https://shinestudio.com/projects/project-13/ here].
* This logo is also seen on some current prints of films, such as the remastered Blu-ray releases of ''The Terminator'', and the original ''RoboCop'' before the Orion logo, on the 2016 remastered Blu-ray release of ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' before the UA Ovoid, various 4K Blu-ray releases such as ''Rain Man'' and ''Motel Hell'', and some later digital and TV prints of films such as ''The Evictors'', ''Rocky Mountain Express'', ''Jeepers Creepers'', and ''The Call of the Wild'' (1976); among other examples.
* It also makes
* It is also seen on the documentary ''Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of James Bond''.
* It is also preserved at the start of an Amazon Prime Video streaming print of the 2023 pilot of ''007: Road to a Million''.
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</tabber>
'''Visuals:''' On a black background, a golden, rounded square passes by, bringing in a bright light. Another square passes while the screen zooms out through another to reveal it is inside the golden filmstrip ribbon. The ribbon zooms out and settles in place, this time reading "
'''Trivia:'''
* This
* Alongside this logo, a new monogram wordmark was introduced, using the logo's classic font instead of serif lettering.
* The logo was shortlisted at the 2021 Clio Entertainment Awards, but it didn't win.
* The 100th anniversary variant pays homages to the 1974 and 1984 anniversaries such as the "100" fading into Leo's footage (like in the 1974 logo, with "BEGINNING OUR NEXT 50 YEARS...") and "100 YEARS OF ENTERTAINMENT" (similar to the "SIXTY YEARS OF GREAT ENTERTAINMENT" phrase from 1984). Furthermore, the print version replaces the lion with "100".
'''Byline:''' Starting with ''Sitting in Bars with Cake''
'''Variants:'''
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* To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the ''007'' franchise, MGM made a special variant for the occasion. When Leo starts to roar, the logo zooms out to the left, while the text appears earlier and zooms out at a slower rate. As on the right, there are the words "60 YEARS OF BOND" (with the "60" being seen on top in large font, while "YEARS OF BOND" is seen below in much smaller letters). On the 6 is the older 007 logo fade in number by number, and then when the gun fades in, the tip of the gun appears from the left of the "0", creating the 60 Years of Bond logo.
* On Screenpix On Demand's print of the 1953 film ''A Day to Remember'', the logo, in color is cut short; before the second 1995 roar plays, it cuts to the film's original [[The Rank Organisation|J. Arthur Rank Organisation]] logo in black and white.
* During their 100th anniversary, a golden "
'''Technique:''' CGI by Baked Studios, originally made in 2019, two years before the logo's proper debut.
'''Audio:''' A majestic, orchestral five-note fanfare and a whoosh play in the beginning (notably marking the first time the logo has been complimented with a proper fanfare), which ends in a somber, violin-esque descent as the 1995 roar track caps it off. Composed by Sounds Red.
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** On ''Thirteen Lives'', only the roaring is heard alongside the movie's opening theme.
** On ''The Sound of 007'', the whoosh sound in the fanfare was added back and the last note of the Bond intro sound was re-arranged and extended, along with a drum hit alongside the guitar strum.
*
* On ''Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles'', the logo is higher pitched likely due to PAL speedup since this film is Australian.
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* The "60 Years of Bond" variant was first posted online on January 19, 2022, with it later appearing on the limited IMAX re-release of ''No Time To Die'' two days later.
** It also made appearances on ''Thirteen Lives'' and ''The Sound of 007'', two [[Amazon Originals|Prime Video]] originals.
* Other plastered appearances include the Screenpix print of ''Space Probe Taurus''
* The 100th anniversary variant made its debut on the Amazon Original film ''Road House''.
* The Amazon byline variant of this logo is also seen on the Shout! Studios 4K Blu-ray release of ''UHF''
'''Legacy:''' Considered as a stunning update to the MGM logo for its CGI, fanfare, and use of the English "Art for Art's Sake", although the lion's CGI form was not as well-received at first.
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*[https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?companies=co0007143&sort=release_date,asc Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on IMDb]
{{Chronology|[[Metro Pictures Corporation]]<br>[[Goldwyn Pictures]]<br>Louis B. Mayer Pictures
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[[Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]
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[[Category:American film logos]]
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[[Category:Logos made by Lippincott]]
[[Category:Logos made by Pacific Title & Art Studio]]
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Metro Pictures Corporation, founded in 1915 by Richard Rowland and Louis B. Mayer, started by distributing films before Mayer left to form his own company. After several years of independent operation under Rowland, theater magnate Marcus Loew acquired Metro Pictures in 1920. Seeking better content for his theaters, Loew merged Metro Pictures with Goldwyn Pictures and eventually acquired Mayer's company in 1924, forming Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). With Mayer serving as head of the studio, MGM became one of the major players in the Golden Age of Hollywood, and was one of the "Big Five" film studios, alongside Paramount Pictures, RKO Radio Pictures, 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. At its peak in the 1930s, the studio was releasing 50 films a year. In 1952, Loews Inc. was forced to relinquish control of MGM due to the outcome of United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc., which forced studios and theaters to separate. By the time the split was completed in 1959, MGM was in decline due to a combination of the split, the decline of the old studio system, and the rise of television. In 1957, the same year Louis B. Mayer died, the company filed a loss for the first time ever.
In 1969, Kirk Kerkorian purchased the company. However, in 1973, MGM closed its distribution offices and signed an agreement with United Artists for distribution of its films in the United States; the company made a similar agreement with Cinema International Corporation for international distribution. In 1981, MGM purchased the failing United Artists before renaming itself MGM/UA Entertainment Co. a year later, with UA's distribution branch being renamed MGM/United Artists Distribution and Marketing (later MGM/UA Distribution Co.). MGM was also a founding partner in CIC's successor United International Pictures. On March 25, 1986, MGM/UA was purchased by Ted Turner (who temporarily renamed the company MGM Entertainment Co.), but after a large amount of debt, he sold it back on August 26, keeping the pre-1986 MGM library. MGM was then renamed MGM/UA Communications Co. In 1990, it became MGM-Pathé Communications Co. after Giancarlo Parretti purchased the company and merged it with Pathé Communications (not to be confused with the French studio, which Parretti attempted to buy but failed due to French governmental concerns over his business background). Due to lawsuits, it was sold back to Kerkorian yet again, and the company reverted back to the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer name in 1992. In 2000, MGM broke off its international distribution agreement with UIP and signed with 20th Century Fox for it to take over international distribution rights for its films. On April 8, 2005, a consortium led by Sony's American branch bought the company.
In 2009 and 2010, MGM suffered financial problems and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on November 3, 2010. After it emerged from bankruptcy on December 20, Spyglass Entertainment executives Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum became co-CEOs and co-chairs of the company. Birnbaum left on October 3, 2012, and Barber was fired in March 2018. For much of the 2010s, much of MGM's output was produced with and/or distributed by Columbia, Paramount, Universal, or Warner Bros. in all territories except the Nordics, Israel, Central Europe, the Middle East, and Portugal. In 2017, MGM signed an agreement with Annapurna Pictures to distribute titles from both parties in the US, with third-party titles being released under the Mirror banner. MGM also signed an agreement with Universal that same year to handle the international distribution of MGM titles. In 2019, the partnership became known as United Artists Releasing, and Orion Pictures' distribution staff was added to the venture.
On May 26, 2021, technology company Amazon announced its intention to acquire MGM for $8.45 billion, a deal that was finalized on March 17, 2022. On August 15, 2022, MGM announced a new distribution agreement with Warner Bros. for international markets outside North America, which excluded two titles from Orion and the 26th James Bond film, which will be retained by Universal. As part of the deal, Warner Bros. will take over home video rights in all regions. In 2023, Amazon Studios was renamed Amazon MGM Studios, with MGM serving as a banner of the company.
As of 2024, MGM's major film franchises include Rocky and James Bond, while its most recent television productions include Fargo and The Handmaid's Tale. The current company and studio location are located in Beverly Hills, California. MGM owned a more well-known set of studios in Culver City from 1925 until 1986, when the backlot was sold to Lorimar-Telepictures; the lot is now owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, and is known as Sony Pictures Studios.
Visuals: Over a black background is a marquee with torches surrounding it, similar to the MGM print logo. A statue of a lion rests on top. There is text over the marquee reading "A Metro Goldwyn PICTURE", with "A" on top, "Metro Goldwyn" in the middle ("Metro" in the font used for the Metro Pictures logo of the time and "Goldwyn" in a script font), and "PICTURE" on the bottom, looking slightly smudged out in the center.
Trivia: This logo (with the word "Mayer") was used as a print logo until the 1950s, as well as on various films as late as 1984.
Variants:
Technique: A printed graphic filmed by a camera.
Audio: The closing theme of the film.
Availability: Seen at the end of early MGM-era films such as He Who Gets Slapped, Lady of the Night, and Cleopatra (1928), and also as an opening logo like on Greed.
Visuals: Same as the final Goldwyn Pictures logo, but a new lion named "Slats" occupies the circle. Slats moves his head from right to left and then looks at the camera, and later looks around aimlessly. Instead of "A GOLDWYN PICTURE", the marquee below the logo now reads "Metro Goldwyn Mayer". "Metro" is in a plain serif font, "Goldwyn" is in a more fancy script font, and "Mayer" is in an Art Deco-esque font.
Trivia: Slats was born at the Dublin Zoo on March 20, 1919, and was originally named "Cairbre". He died in 1936.
Variants:
Technique: Live-action footage (which differs depending on the film), with the elements surrounding Slats being a printed graphic composited over the footage.
Audio: None or the opening theme of the film.
Availability: It can be seen on the earliest films under the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer name. Some films were still around, while others are destroyed.
This logo is currently missing in action. Please do not add reconstructions of the logo if any exist, as they are likely not accurate to the actual logo. Additionally, do not attempt to add a finalized description of the logo until it has been found in its entirety. |
Visuals: Nearly the same as before, but the ribboning has been slightly redone and a different lion named "Numa"[1] appears. The usual MGM marquee is seen below, with the ribboning in white, the wreath in yellow, the mask in red and the marquee in green.
Trivia:
Variant: As seen in the first picture, there is a variant with copyright notices below the logo.
Technique: A printed graphic, with Numa being a photograph.
Audio: The only films this is known to appear on were silent, so either none or the opening theme of the film.
Availability: Was mainly seen on early colorized silent films.
Visuals: A new lion named "Jackie" appears in a slightly re-done film-like ribboning. Jackie roars three times and then looks offscreen. The marquee from the last two logos is seen below.
Trivia: Jackie was born in 1915, and was nicknamed "Leo the Lucky" because he survived several accidents, including two trainwrecks, an earthquake, and an explosion inside the studio. He retired in 1931 and was given to the Philadelphia Zoo and died in February 1935 from heart problems. His hide is currently on display at the McPherson Museum in McPherson, Kansas.
Variants:
Closing Variants: 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 until the 1950s.
"AMERICA NEEDS YOUR MONEY
BUY DEFENSE BONDS AND STAMPS
EVERY PAY DAY"
This was used as the basis for the 1st MGM Cartoons logo.
Technique: Live-action footage, with the elements surrounding Jackie being a printed graphic composited over the footage.
Audio: Jackie roaring; there are several variants. From 1928 to 1930, Jackie's actual roar was used. From 1930 to 1932, starting with the film Paid, a panther's roar was used. From 1932 to 1953, another roar was used, which would also be used for the 4th logo. For silent films, it's the music's intro only without Jackie roaring.
Audio Trivia: Jackie roaring at the beginning of White Shadows in the South Seas marks the first time audiences ever heard an MGM lion, as it was the studio's first film with a pre-recorded soundtrack.
Audio Variants:
Availability: Seen on films of the era, such as Freaks, Grand Hotel, Manhattan Melodrama, The Thin Man films from 1934 to 1947, The Girl From Missouri, Riptide, A Night at the Opera, Fury (1936), Libeled Lady, Camille (1936), Romeo and Juliet (1936), The Good Earth, Captains Courageous, Topper, A Day at the Races, the Andy Hardy films from 1937 to 1946, The Wizard of Oz (1939), Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939), Ninotchka, The Philadelphia Story, Ziegfeld Girl, Mrs. Miniver, Gaslight, The Asphalt Jungle, The Bad and the Beautiful, Pat and Mike, as well as the 1930s The Captain and the Kids cartoons.
Legacy: Along with Tanner, Jackie rates at the top with logo enthusiasts as far as MGM lions go. He was the third-longest lion to be used behind Tanner and Leo.
Visuals: Another lion named "Telly" appears in a newly redrawn film-like ribboning. He is the first of the two two-strip Technicolor lions. Telly first stares on camera for several seconds and then roars with a long snarl and two roaring sound effects. The usual MGM marquee is seen below. Everything but the lion is in a green hue (likely caused by the two-strip Technicolor process).
Variant: A black and white version exists, and was seen on The Mysterious Island, which was originally shot in color, but only a black/white version of the film is known to exist.
Technique: Live-action footage, with the elements surrounding Telly being a printed graphic composited over the footage.
Audio: A cougar's roar, which was also used for Jackie in the 1932 variant of the 3rd logo. Some films would only have the opening theme by itself or with Telly's roar.
Audio Variant: On Crazy House, the logo is silent.
Availability: Seen on color films such as The Viking, The Mysterious Island, The Rogue Song, and Crazy House, as well as color shorts like Kiddie Revue and Over the Counter.
Visuals: Another two-strip Technicolor lion named "Coffee" appears in a slightly redrawn film-like ribboning with the mask redrawn. Coffee snarls while looking down and then roars. The Latin phrase is still shown inscribed on the circle. "TRADE" and "MARK" appear on different sides. The usual MGM marquee is seen below. The ribboning and wreath are white, and the mask is red.
Variants:
Technique: Live-action footage, with the elements surrounding Coffee being a printed graphic composited over the footage.
Audio: Coffee's roar.
Availability: Seen on several of MGM's color short subjects, including Roast-Beef and Movies and Wild People and on the first season of MGM's "Happy Harmonies" cartoons.
Visuals: A new lion named "Tanner" appears in this logo. He is the one of the three-strip Technicolor lions. The Latin phrase on the circle is red, the words "TRADE" and "MARK" are yellow, and the red mask and the ribboning are redrawn slightly, with orange accents on certain parts of the filmstrip ribbons. The wreath is yellow and on the MGM marquee, the letters "M", "G" and "M" are red, with the remainder of the letters in yellow. Tanner roars three times.
Trivia: In addition to this logo, Tanner also appeared in a few Three Stooges shorts such as Hold That Lion!. His roar was also frequently used as a sound effect in some MGM cartoons of the time.
Variants:
Technique: Live-action footage, with the elements surrounding Tanner being a printed graphic composited over the footage.
Audio: Some films would feature Tanner's roars, while animated features would use Coffee's. Other live-action films would have the music's intro with Tanner roaring. For the long version, it's just Tanner roaring.
Audio Variants:
Availability: Seen on color live-action films such as Lassie Come Home, Meet Me in St. Louis, National Velvet, Good News, On the Town, An American in Paris, Quo Vadis, Singin' in the Rain, short subjects, FitzPatrick's Traveltalks travelogues Cherry Blossom Time In Japan, Rocky Mountain Grandeur, Hong Kong: The Hub of the Orient, Java Journey, Paris On Parade, Sitka and Juneau, Cavalcade of San Francisco, Over the Andes, Colorful Colorado and Monumental Utah, several musicals and animated features from MGM's "Golden Age", the 1939's Pete Smith Speciality "Marine Circus" on TCM (but not on the Warner Archive DVD nor Blu-ray releases), and Two Hearts in Wax Time. Its first feature film appearance after four years later was Sweethearts, and the last few films to use this were The Naked Spur, The Band Wagon, Latin Lovers, and Give a Girl a Break.
Legacy: As one of the more iconic lions, those who grew up watching Tom and Jerry may consider Tanner a favorite. However, he has gained some notoriety for frightening younger viewers, mainly towards those that grew up watching MGM cartoons such as the previously mentioned Tom and Jerry.
Visuals: This time, the MGM marquee below the logo has been permanently dropped, and the name "Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer" has been placed on top of the logo and is slightly arched, minus the hyphens in between the names. Jackie appears on black/white films and Tanner on color films. A registered trademark symbol is added underneath the left side of the filmstrip.
Trivia: This marks the start of the more established design of the logo, although the more familiar lion wouldn't be introduced until four years later.
Variants:
Technique: Live-action footage, with the elements surrounding either lion being a printed graphic composited over the footage.
Audio: Jackie or Tanner roaring depending on the film.
Audio Variant: The Long, Long Trailer and Forever Darling have Tanner with Jackie's roar.
Availability: Seen on MGM films during this era, starting with the films Ride, Vaquero! and Torch Song, and ending with The Rack.
Visuals: A new lion named George appears in the studio's logo. The ribboning is more stretched out than in the earlier versions. The red mask appears redrawn and the wreath looks more stretched out below. The color of the letters "M", "G" and "M" are still red, but look faded. A registered trademark symbol has been added. The first version has the lion looking at the camera, then he turns away and starts roaring. Then he would later look back at the camera and roar again and snarl. The other would have the lion look at the camera first, then would roar while looking up and snarl at the end.
Trivia:
Variants:
Technique: Live-action footage. Unlike previous and future MGM logos, the graphic surrounding the lion is actually a physical cutout as evidenced by the behind-the-scenes photos.
Audio: Tanner's re-dubbed roar or Tanner's roar with the music's intro.
Audio Variant: A slightly different tone of Tanner's roar with an extra growl was heard twice on Barnacle Bill and First Man Into Space with the synced roar that was used for the next logo.
Availability: Seen on MGM films during this era, starting with the film The Swan (released on April 26, 1956).[2]
Visuals: A new lion named "Leo" appears. The script "Metro Goldwyn Mayer" is in a new font. The wreath and the mask are redrawn once again, and the ribboning on the sides is 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.
Trivia:
Variants:
Closing Variants:
Technique: Live-action footage, with the elements surrounding Leo being a printed graphic composited over the footage.
Audio: Some movies, especially later movies with the logo, would only have Leo's roar. Other movies would have the music's intro with the roar.
Audio Variants: Tanner's roar was used from 1957 to 1982. The sound used is Tanner's first roar, repeated twice; for Leo's second roar, Tanner's first roar is used without the growl. For the three-roar variant, the first roar is Tanner's second roar.
Availability: Was used for almost three decades.
Legacy: It's seen as one of MGM's most iconic logos, with Leo considered the most famous out of all the MGM lions.
Visuals: On a blue background, there is a yellow-orange outlined drawing of a lion's head in a circle. Below it are the yellow-orange letters "MGM" (set in Helvetica).
Trivia:
Variants:
Technique: A printed graphic.
Audio: None, but on 2001: A Space Odyssey, the film's opening theme (the very beginning of Richard Strauss's "Also sprach Zarathustra") plays over the logo.
Availability: It was seen only on two films: The Subject Was Roses (which has the logo intact on its Warner Archive DVD-R release) and 2001: A Space Odyssey (which had the logo edited out on most TV prints, but is still preserved on DVD and Blu-ray, as well as some international TCM airings and on the 2018 IMAX re-release).
Visuals: Same as the 9th logo, but most of the logo is now colored in gold instead of white. The mask also appears in a darker red color. Leo roars twice as usual, sometimes once.
Trivia: The design of the filmstrip was first introduced in 1982 as the corporate logo for its then-parent MGM/UA Entertainment Co., and was used for the 1982-1993 MGM/UA Home Video logo. Also, the filmstrip would remain golden going forward.
Variants:
Closing Variants:
Technique: Live-action footage with a printed graphic composited over it for the normal variant, 2D animation for the sparkles on the Diamond Jubilee variant, and computer effects for the additional text on the other anniversary variants.
Audio: Leo's roar, which would change throughout the years.
Audio Variants:
Availability: This logo was used for 25 years, and is easy to find, especially the 2001 website variant, which plasters both previous logos and numerous logos from other companies.
Legacy: This logo and the 9th logo are well-known due to their longevity. As for the 2001 website variant, it is infamous for its omnipresence and plastering, and has earned it some despise.
Visuals: Same as the previous logo, but with several enhancements: the text, ribbons and mask, along with its wreath, are now all in a lighter, more metallic shade of gold; the URL now reads "MGM.COM"; and the footage of Leo has been digitally enhanced.
Trivia: This was actually based on the print logo that was used by MGM Home Entertainment and MGM DVD, as seen on VHS and DVD covers and other merchandise. The gold mask used here also looks similar to the one in the 1993 MGM/UA Home Video logo.
Variants:
Closing Variant: At the end of Hot Tub Time Machine and some catalog titles, in which the words "DISTRIBUTED BY MGM DISTRIBUTION CO." appear in place of the URL. On a WGN airing of Mr. Mom, a slightly different font is used.
Technique: Live-action footage, with a digitally-made filmstrip and text, done at Pacific Title. The footage of Leo in this logo is from a negative master of the 1958 film Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, as the original 1956 negative was believed to be lost. Leo was then given an HD enhancement, with his mane and ears digitally remodeled to remove film fuzz and blemishes. They were also made to overlap the film ribbons in order to give the logo more depth. More info on the project can be found here.
Audio:
Audio Variant: The 1995 roar track is muted on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Availability: Seen on all MGM releases from this period, starting with Quantum of Solace and ending with 21 Jump Street.
Visuals: Over a black background, the logo starts with flickers of light. The image then pulls back to reveal that it is a pupil, an extreme close-up of Leo's eye. The camera zooms out to reveal Leo, the ribboning, the mask, and the words "TRADE MARK" on both sides (from the previous logo, all in gold and metallic) ease back with the ribbons moving. The words "ARS GRATIA ARTIS" move from right to left on the ribbon as "Metro Goldwyn Mayer" appears shimmering and eases itself above the ribboning. The company name is darker and appears to have a "shining" effect applied to it, while the mask is also different as well. Leo, whose 1957 footage is digitally restored and enhanced, like the previous logo, roars as this happens.
Trivia:
Variants:
Technique: Live-action footage for Leo, and CGI for all other elements.
Audio: The 1995 roar is used, along with whooshes throughout the animation and the sound of a running film projector before the roar. The noise dies down after the first roar. There is also an extra growling sound added after the second roar.
Audio Variants:
Availability: It can be seen on every MGM film from 2012 until 2021, starting with Hope Springs (albeit a shortened version) and ending with select prints of No Time to Die.
Visuals: On a black background, a golden, rounded square passes by, bringing in a bright light. Another square passes while the screen zooms out through another to reveal it is inside the golden filmstrip ribbon. The ribbon zooms out and settles in place, this time reading "ART FOR ART'S SAKE" (the English translation of "ARS GRATIA ARTIS") written in MGM's custom typeface (named Metro Mayer Serif). A bright light is seen filtering out of the words in the ribbon, filling it with gold. By the time the light fades away from the right, the ribbon gains an extremely shiny metallic luster, and the English translation changes back to its familiar Latin version. The ribbons on either side of the circle unfurl into their familiar form as Leo (now an updated, photorealistic CGI rendering of him, based on the 1957 footage) fades in and roars. The mask (once again redesigned, with a solid mouth this time) and leaf-like design around it grow and fade from the darkness, and the company name zooms out (just like the previous logo) and shines on top of the ribbon, with "TRADE MARK" fading in shortly after. The entire logo has a subtle, faint golden shine all around it.
Trivia:
Byline: Starting with Sitting in Bars with Cake (released on September 8, 2023), the gold byline "AN AMAZON COMPANY" (in the Amazon Ember font) fades in below the logo.
Variants:
Technique: CGI by Baked Studios, originally made in 2019, two years before the logo's proper debut.
Audio: A majestic, orchestral five-note fanfare and a whoosh play in the beginning (notably marking the first time the logo has been complimented with a proper fanfare), which ends in a somber, violin-esque descent as the 1995 roar track caps it off. Composed by Sounds Red.
Audio Variants:
Availability: Seen on almost every MGM film beginning with Respect.
Legacy: Considered as a stunning update to the MGM logo for its CGI, fanfare, and use of the English "Art for Art's Sake", although the lion's CGI form was not as well-received at first.
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The Walt Disney Company |
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Sony Corporation |
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