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Louis B. Mayer has been Hollywood's czar for nearly a quarter of a century. A true business leader, he's responsible for creating one of the world's biggest motion picture companies.
Upon gaining control over New England's largest theater chains and establishing an independent distribution agency,
Mayer explored the production aspect of the film and movie business by signing up with the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corporation.
The company had worldwide production, exhibition and distribution control.
Louis B. Mayer - The Movie Mogul
Not everybody can strike it big in the film business, but Louis B. Mayer did. As a film producer, Mayer firmly believed in providing wholesome and decent entertainment. He is generally recognized as the person who came up with the star system within the Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer (MGM) backyard during its golden years.
Originally from Russia, Mayer's family moved to Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. It's there that Mayer attended school. His dad began a scrap metal business and Mayer worked with him till his late teen years, after which Mayer relocated to Boston.
Mayer opened his first movie theater in November 1907 in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Within years he owned the largest chain of theaters in New England. Nine years later, Mayer partnered with Richard Rowland to form Metro Pictures Corporation in New York City. By late 1918, they set up a Hollywood facility.
At that point, Mayer decided to go solo and launch his own production outfit - Louis B. Mayer Pictures. He later paired up with B.P. Schulberg to form the Mayer -Schulberg Studio.
In late 1923, Metro Pictures Corporation bigwig Marcus Loew, Goldwyn Company president Frank Joseph Godsol and Mayer discussed a possible merger. The agreement was signed and made official in 1924 and that's basically how Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer came to be.
As studio head honcho, Mayer transformed MGM into the world's most financially well-off motion picture studio. Mayer favored crowd-pleaser films over literary ones. Under Mayer's leadership, MGM was able to produce numerous successful films that featured high-earning celebrities.
By the mid-1940s, MGM's success took a beating, owing to the introduction of TV and shifting consumer tastes. Mayer died on October 29, 1957. Louis B. Mayer was revered as the most successful of all Hollywood Golden Age moguls. This business leader, while alarmingly dictatorial, got to enjoy phenomenal business success.
The Louis B. Mayer Quick Bio
Full name: Louis Burt Mayer
Birth date: July 4, 1882
Birth place: Minsk, Russia
Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corporation
Industry: Entertainment Broadcast Media
Key success traits: ruled with an iron fist, was seen as a mix of father-figure and tyrant
Additional:
Mayer participated heavily in Republican Party politics, serving as vice chair of California's Republican Party between 1931 and 1932. He was state chairman from 1932 to 1933. In 1950, Mayer was bestowed a special Academy Award for his film industry efforts.
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