Lion of Hollywood is the definitive biography of Louis B. Mayer, the chief of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer -- MGM -- the biggest and most successful film studio of Hollywood's Golden Age.
An immigrant from tsarist Russia, Mayer began in the film business as an exhibitor but soon migrated to where the action and the power were -- Hollywood. Through sheer force of energy and foresight, he turned his own modest studio into MGM, where he became the most powerful man in Hollywood, bending the film business to his will. He made great films, including the fabulous MGM musicals, and he made great stars: Garbo, Gable, Garland, and dozens of others. Through the enormously successful Andy Hardy series, Mayer purveyed family values to America. At the same time, he used his influence to place a federal judge on the bench, pay off local officials, cover up his stars' indiscretions, and, on occasion, arrange marriages for gay stars. Mayer rose from his impoverished childhood to become at one time the highest-paid executive in America.
Despite his power and money, Mayer suffered some significant losses. He had two daughters: Irene, who married David O. Selznick, and Edie, who married producer William Goetz. He would eventually fall out with Edie and divorce his wife, Margaret, ending his life alienated from most of his family. His chief assistant, Irving Thalberg, was his closest business partner, but they quarreled frequently, and Thalberg's early death left Mayer without his most trusted associate. As Mayer grew older, his politics became increasingly reactionary, and he found himself politically isolated within Hollywood's small conservative community.
Lion of Hollywood is a three-dimensional biography of a figure often caricatured and vilified as the paragon of the studio system. Mayer could be arrogant and tyrannical, but under his leadership MGM made such unforgettable films as The Big Parade, Ninotchka, The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St. Louis, and An American in Paris.
Film historian Scott Eyman interviewed more than 150 people and researched some previously unavailable archives to write this major new biography of a man who defined an industry and an era.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Louis B. Mayer: The right man, in the right place, at the right time:
Very few people have the great good fortune to be in the right place at the right time to influence an industry in the direction they want it to go. Henry Ford was one such man. Howard Hughes was another. So were Henry Kaiser and David Sarnoff. And so was Louis B. Mayer. Scott Eyman's biography of Mayer traces him from his birth in an obscure Russian viallge, through his hard childhood in Saint John, Newfoundland, to his entry into the film business as a theater owner and exhibitor, to the... more info
A grand look at a grander time...:
Louis B. Mayer and MGM - these names alone evoke a golden age of stars and starlets, glitz and glamour, the good life, the fame and fortune of which many people dream. But, Scott Eyman allows us the opportunity to peer under the veneer to find what is, at its foundation, a cold and calculating business. Mayer was its architect. Lifting himself from junk dealer's son to the pinnacle of Hollywood wealth and power was no mean feat. An angel couldn't have made it and Lion of Hollywood makes this abundantly... more info
Louie's Downfall:
The book provided a good overview of man who was responsible for creating much of Hollywood and it's legends. Unfortunately, he also held traditional and somewhat antiquated values which were out of touch with those of movie subjects in the 50's and 60's. Then, TV became one of the final nails in his coffin as more people watched the box than went to movies. The book also reflects the business world, who replaced Mayer with Dore Schary at a moment's notice with no remorse whatsoever. Mayer was a bigger man... more info
Rehabilitation?:
How and when did so many great Americans get thrown into the dust bin of history? We really need hero courses in our schools to provide kids with information on these grand, legendary figures. Instead, we work to undermine what little hero worship there is. John D. Rockefeller is one such figure, Teddy Roosevelt another. No doubt, one could come up with a dozen such creators of new worlds, but instead they are belittled and destroyed by neglect. Louis b. Mayer has his detractors and no doubt deserves them,... more info
