Louis Burt Mayer (1884-1957) was born Lazar Meir in Minsk, Belarus, to a Jewish family that immigrated to the US when he was just three years old. Currently, Louis B. Mayer is 138 years, 7 months and 8 days old. "[64], Stories about his sobbing or rages have often been repeated in books, but few employees ever saw that part of him. [91] When RKO turned down financing of Frank Capra's State of the Union in 1948 because of its expensive budget, Mayer took on the project. Died Add to list Awards 3 wins Photos 9 Known for The Great Secret 5.4 The number of high-grossing films in 1947 dwindled to six, compared to twenty-two a year earlier. At one point he explained the process he went through in creating a star: The idea of a star being born is bush-wah. Two years later, Mayer moved to Los Angeles and formed his own production company, Louis B. Mayer Pictures Corporation. In his late teens, Mayer decided to move to Boston, to pursue more career options. Actor Turhan Bey said, "In every meaningful way, it was the end of Hollywood."[94]. "[40] Joan Crawford was also concerned, feeling that with Thalberg gone, the concept of the quality "big" picture "pretty much went out the window".[41]. Search instead in Creative? Garland stated in her unfinished autobiography that Mayer molested her. Mayer made his fortune partly by keeping costs low. "[46] Director Clarence Brown pointed out that overall, Mayer's skill was similar to Hearst's in that they both learned by doing. When you see some of the pictures taken of Marilyn when shed left hospitals after miscarriages, or the mental hospital she was in for a few days, supposedly to kick her sleeping pill addiction only a few weeks before her death, we get a glimpse of the frightened, scared Marilyn, who looks so alone in the world, and its absolutely heartbreaking to see them. [87] Mayer implored her "to have the same faith in me" that he had in her. Mayer replied, "A studio isn't salami, Nick. In 1914, the partners organized their own film distribution agency in Boston. I havent been back there in quite sometime and I marvel at the fact they took down the ivy covered back chain link fence that used to give us privacy, on the beachside. [61] Beyond the well-entrenched aspect of sound by 1932, other technologies being discussed at that time in newspapers and on studio lots included color features, widescreen formatting, and even early television. Such a legendary life, however, has many secrets. . On September 15, 1914, Louis B. Mayer became a Third Degree Mason with this lodge. Louis Burt Mayer (/ m e. [22] Whenever Mayer visited Saint John in later years, he placed flowers on Wilson's grave, just as he did on his mother's.[22]. His parents were Jacob Meir and Sarah Meltzer (both Jewish) and he had two sisters Yetta, born in c. 1878 and Ida, born in c. 1883. As it turns out, the property is one I know quite well and had read about in countless books over the years the infamous Peter Lawford beach house in Santa Monica where my girl Marilyn Monroe is rumored to have trysted with both John F. Kennedy and his brother, Bobby, back in the 1960s. Stalk It: Louis B. Mayers former home, aka the birthplace of the Academy Awards, is located at 625 Palisades Beach Road (or Pacific Coast Highway) in Santa Monica. Her sister, Irene, married Gone With the Wind producer and studio exec David O. Selznick. Louis B. Mayer: King of Hollywood (1999) is a documentary film directed by F. Whitman Trecartin that takes a look at life of filmmaker Louis B. Mayer, who as head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studios, came to rule over movie stars.The film takes a look at the personal price that Mayer paid for that success. March is heating up as another strong concert month, with big acts including John Mayer, Muse, the Killers, Buddy Guy, Trevor Noah and more coming to St. Louis. You can read the whole history of Hollywood just from my book of menus, she once said. You'll see. You can find me on Facebook here and on Twitter at @IAMNOTASTALKER. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Although Mayer was often disliked and even feared by many in the studio, editor Sam Marx explains that "his reputation is far worse than it should be. Louis B. Mayer's working-class family immigrated to New York when he was a small child, and in 1890 moved to Saint John, NB, where his father became a junk dealer. He respected intelligence and talent overall, said manager Joe Cohn: "One time he said to me, 'Never be afraid of hiring a fellow smarter than you are. Located in Holmby Hills, his new spread measures a roomy 20,000 square feet and has 11 bedrooms. L.B. "Bombastic and colorful, but I never heard him use nasty language he had a great loyalty to everybody, and everybody respected him. "[90], The following year, 1943, saw the release of another Oscar-winning film, this one aimed at supporting the home front, titled The Human Comedy. In 1947, 15-year-old Elizabeth Taylor told off her boss, MGM head honcho Louis B. Mayer, arguably the most powerful man in Hollywood, for being mean to her mother. Little did L. B. Mayer suspect that two years later his simple notion would spawn a splendid offshoot: the first Academy Awards dinner dance, held on May 16, 1929, in the Blossom Room of the Roosevelt Hotel. Well, as you can imagine, once I read those words, I was immediately itching to track down the house where it all began. It was a house of its time, its place and its ownerJerry Lewis. I definitely dont buy the suicide story for a New York second, theres just way to many lingering suspicious questions unanswered, and it totally reeks of Kennedy shenanigans, and cover up. He told the press that his films would carry on in the tradition of MGM's previous style of film subjects. [69] In the late 1940s, she began having personal problems which affected her acting, and Mayer tried his best to protect her star reputation while continuing to have her overworked and making money for MGM. Louis Burt Mayer (; born Lazar Meir; July 12, 1882 or 1884 or 1885 - October 29, 1957) was a Canadian-American film producer and co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios (MGM) in 1924. As Jews, they felt insecure and therefore were reluctant to be specific. Louis Burt Mayer1884 712 - 1957 1029 . However, MGM under Mayer's leadership continued to produce successful movies. She was London. Mayer was the epitome of the rigid and terrifying Hollywood studio system. as he was called was head of production at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from 1924 to 1951. He died in 1957, and the cutting remark above has been attributed to fellow mogul Samuel Goldwyn. At the time, that stretch of beach was very popular with the movie crowd. Louis Burt Mayer (/me.r/; born Lazar Meir; July 12, 1882 or 1884 or 1885 [3] October 29, 1957) was a Canadian-American[1] film producer and co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios (MGM) in 1924. Fellow lodge members included Al Jolson, D.W. Griffith, John Bunny and Raymond Hitchcock. One of those starlets was, of course, Marilyn Monroe. Lazar Meir (L.B., "the old gray Mayer") was born on 12 July, 1884 in Dymer, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Vyshhorod Raion, Kiev Oblast, Ukraine], is a Miscellaneous, Producer, Actor. [54] As a result, while other studios went through continuous upheavals or reorganizations, Mayer's hands-off policy kept MGM stable and sound, where employees felt their jobs were secure. It will house a laboratory named for the late Louis B. Mayer, co-founder and former chairman of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture company. Mayer, for a period after he left MGM, tried to finance and assemble a new group of film stars and directors to produce his own films as an independent. In his overall management skills, Mayer was considered a great executive, someone who could have run General Motors equally as well as a large studio like MGM, said producer Joseph L. Mayer was the constant at MGM who set the tone. r /; born Lazar Meir; July 12, 1882 or 1884 or 1885 - October 29, 1957) was a Canadian-American film producer and co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios (MGM) in 1924. "[44] Director Clarence Brown compared him to newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst: Louis B. Mayer made more stars than all the rest of the producers in Hollywood put together. But before Foster arrived, Mayer had invited every Canadian in Hollywood to meet the flier, including Fay Wray, Walter Pidgeon, Raymond Massey, Jack Carson, Rod Cameron, Deanna Durbin, Walter Huston, Ann Rutherford, and even his main competitor, Jack Warner. It was this love of America that made him an authority on America.[65]. [32] Two years later, Schenck agreed to sell Loew's and MGM to William Fox, which angered Mayer. Edie was known for employing the best chefs in town (one left for Universal Pictures commissary, which became known for the finest food of any studio lot) and a butler who once served the Queen Mother in Buckingham Palace. Reports tell that the body had been moved about and was in a disheveled state. As Vice President in charge of production at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) from its inception until 1951, he was the mightiest of Hollywood moguls. [104][105] Mayer became friends with California Governor James Rolph, Jr., Oakland Tribune publisher Joseph R. Knowland, and Marshall Hale. The article recounted an evening at the home of the latter couple, where one guest was Barbra Streisand (then a year away from her big-screen debut in Funny Girl): So loosened up was one guest at a recent party that abruptly he said to Barbra Streisand: You havent made it yet, have you, kid? Even Barbra was baffled and after an embarrassed silence, the guest added, You havent been to the Goetzes. . Some, such as young starlet Elizabeth Taylor, disliked Mayer overseeing their lives; Taylor called him a "monster",[66] while Mickey Rooney, another young actor who co-starred with Taylor when she was 12, formed the opposite impression: "He was the daddy of everybody and vitally interested in everybody. [76] It might be effectively used in mob scenes, he observed, but pointed out the impracticability of switching back and forth between projectors capable of projecting both sizes of pictures. He was like Hearst in the newspaper business. This obliging and approachable watchman has a playful demeanor, which is clearly why he works the entrance gates on Lot 1. Louis B. Mayer, who died in 1957 at the age of 73, was a prominent studio executive who co-founded MGM studios and created the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. [98], At his home on Saint Cloud Road in the East Gate Bel Air neighborhood, Sundays were reserved for brunches in what was an open house, which often included visiting statesmen or former U.S. presidents, along with various producers, directors or stars. His 248 horses brought more than $4.4million. Cooper Janis fondly remembers Edies signature coffee ice cream bombe cake. [37], After Thalberg died, many in Hollywood expected Mayer to "stumble and fall". 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