L.B.

Biography

Mayer was born Lazar Meir in the Ukraine and grew up in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada after his parents fled Russian oppression in 1886. He had a brutal childhood, raised in poverty and suffering physical and emotional abuse from his nearly-illiterate peddler father. In the early 1890s, he changed his name to Louis and fudged his birth date to reflect the more "patriotic" date of July 4, 1885. He moved to Boston in 1904 and struggled as a scrap-metal dealer until he was able to purchase a burlesque house. Although he made large sums by showing films (he made a sizable fortune off _The Birth of a Nation (1915)_ (qv)), his early business ventures favored legitimate theater in New England. As his theater empire expanded, he had acquired and refurbished enough small movie theaters that he was able to move his business to Los Angeles and venture into movie production in 1918. Along with 'Samuel Goldwyn' (qv) and 'Marcus Loew' (qv) of Metro Pictures, he formed a new company called Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Over the next 25 years, MGM was "the Tiffany of the studios," producing more films and movie stars than any other studio in the world. Mayer became the prime creator of the enduring Hollywood of myth, home to stars like 'Clark Gable (I)' (qv), 'Judy Garland' (qv), 'Joan Crawford (I)' (qv), and 'Jean Harlow (I)' (qv). Mayer became the highest-paid man in America, one of the country's most successful horse breeders, a political force and Hollywood's leading spokesman. Both he and MGM reached their peaks at the end of World War II, and Mayer was forced out in 1951. He died of leukemia in 1957. Born Lazar Meir sometime between 1880-1886 (his actual birth date is unknown), he overcame a particularly brutal poverty-stricken childhood at the hands of his near-illiterate father, who moved his family to Eastern Canada to avoid Jewish persecution. The only regular trade his father undertook was as a scrap metal dealer, a highly sanitized term for scrounging bits of metal and participating in the rare windfall of stripping a shipwreck. Lazar would grow up with few fond memories of his childhood, other than an idealized vision of his mother. He was short, built like a tank and had a quick, perceptive mind. Few, if any, studio moguls suffered as much as Mayer growing up as he literally had to scratch and claw out a meager living using his wits. He moved to Boston in 1904 and became enthralled with the theatrical business; he diligently saved enough money for a theater, a burlesque house and soon afterward was alternating live shows with the latest rage, motion pictures. He courted and married Margaret Shenberg in 1904; the union would produce 2 daughters and last 43 years. Mayer slowly moved up into the ranks of the middle class and struck gold with _The Birth of a Nation (1915)_ (qv), which he was able to acquire on a states rights basis. He came to realize the future was in film production and, alarmed at the strong arm tactics of the Edison Trust, moved his family west to Hollywoodland. Fortune smiled on Mayer when he was able to hire the disgruntled ex-Universal Pictures boy-genius, 'Irving Thalberg' (qv) as his production manager and the two men set about creating a small but profitable venture immodestly called Louis B. Mayer Productions. Mayer, who was always hyper conscious about his image, even in the early days when he was an unknown, gave himself a patriotic birth date (July 4, 1885) and added a fictitious initial (and later turning it into a middle name) to his biography. His east Los Angeles studio specialized in low-budget turgid melodramas that were sold off to the hundreds of film exchanges around the country. Mayer was the macro-manager and Thalberg immersed himself with the minute details of film production; this relationship would remain unchanged for nearly 20 years, although their personal relationship would morph dramatically. In 1924 Mayer was approached by the legal representative of Loew's Inc., a burgeoning theatrical empire headed by 'Marcus Loew' (qv). The mogul was desperate for someone competent to helm his newly and uncomfortably merged film production operations, Metro Pictures and 'Samuel Goldwyn' (qv) Pictures. Loew's vision was to supply his huge theater chain with a steady stream of quality films, but these individual companies had previously entered into two projects, _Greed (1924)_ (qv) and _Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)_ (qv) that had the potential to sink his dream. After heated negotiations regarding 'Irving Thalberg' (qv)'s position (incredibly, 'Marcus Loew' (qv) didn't initially want him) and profit participation, a deal was cut. Louis B. Mayer's company was rolled into the Goldwyn facility, which was then state-of-the-art. Mayer and Thalberg worked furiously to assess strengths and weaknesses, hiring and firing stars and unproductive staff and simultaneously tackling the problem productions. Thalberg reigned in 'Erich von Stroheim' (qv)'s unmarketable nightmare that was still underway in the torturous Death Valley Desert. He ordered severe edits - some said butchered - and gave it a truncated release. For the Italian-based production of _Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)_ (qv), they fired the director, scrapped the existing Italian footage and ultimately opted to bring the production back to Los Angeles at tremendous expense. Although it attracted huge crowds, an unfavorable contract with the stage producers and weighed down by the staggering negative cost, prevented profitability. They put the best face on these two inherited "prestige" pictures and vowed to never allow anything like this to happen again (although troubled homegrown productions such as _The Mysterious Island (1929)_ (qv) and _Trader Horn (1931)_ (qv) would cause alarm). With 'Marcus Loew' (qv)'s deep pockets, these early nightmares were brushed aside and Metro-Goldwyn Pictures (Mayer's name would soon be added) set out to produce its own original productions, beginning with _He Who Gets Slapped (1924)_ (qv), a property acquired from Broadway and produced as a 'Lon Chaney' (qv) vehicle. The studio would quickly surpass Universal Pictures as the world's premier studio and establish itself as the pinnacle of the major studios. Its first truly home-grown monster hit, _The Big Parade (1925)_ (qv) grossed $15 million on a $250,000 investment, becoming the studio's single most profitable production for the next 14 years (the film was such a shocking success that Mayer felt compelled to force it's director 'King Vidor' (qv) out of his profit participation contract). Mayer faced his first real test of power when 'Marcus Loew' (qv) unexpectedly died in 1926. Loew's hand-picked replacement was 'Nicholas Schenck' (qv) and it wasn't an ideal relationship. While Mayer's success and massive stock holdings assured his position out in Hollywood, the distrust the two men harbored for each other was only exacerbated by an underhanded attempt 'Nicholas Schenck' (qv) made to sell the studio to Fox in 1929. The move was thwarted by Mayer's political connections in Washington D.C. In the fall of 1927, the studio capitalized on the domestic demise of Pathe and entered into a distribution and financing deal with independent producer 'Hal Roach (I)' (qv) to distribute his popular "Our Gang," "Laurel & Hardy" shorts and occasional features; this deal would remain in effect until Mayer became alarmed at Roach's dealings with 'Benito Mussolini' (qv) in 1937 (Mayer would eventually buy the "Our Gang" series from 'Hal Roach (I)' (qv) in 1937 where it would continue with ever-decreasing returns into 1944). MGM was extremely slow to adapt to talkies, probably in consideration of parent Loew's monumental task of converting it's theater empire over to sound, along with the early technical battle between competing sound-on-film and the unwieldy sound-on-disc formats. Thalberg crafted a system of producing crowd-pleasing films around the teaming of a trio of popular stars, with 'Jean Harlow (I)' (qv), 'Joan Crawford (I)' (qv), 'Norma Shearer' (qv) (Thalberg's wife), or 'Myrna Loy' (qv) competing for the interchangeable affections of 'Clark Gable (I)' (qv), 'William Powell (I)' (qv), 'Robert Montgomery (I)' (qv) &/or 'Spencer Tracy (I)' (qv) (substitute 'Franchot Tone (I)' (qv), 'James Stewart (I)' (qv), 'Cary Grant (I)' (qv) as the decade wore on) with occasional galaxy productions like _Grand Hotel (1932/I)_ (qv) and _Dinner at Eight (1933)_ (qv) that became remarkable hits. The rift between Mayer and Thalberg occurred in early 1934 after Schenck awarded Thalberg a particularly large incentive bonus to remain with MGM after suffering a heart attack. Mayer was insulted over both the amount and the fact that he, as Thalberg's ostensible superior, wasn't consulted. After a year's recuperation in Europe, 'Irving Thalberg' (qv) returned to the studio only to find that Mayer had revamped the various production units, diminishing his power and to some degree, authority. In the reduced capacity of a unit production manager, Thalberg still had the ability to green-light productions and continued to score hits. Mayer reveled in his status and enjoyed pulling the strings of his stars' personal lives (he intervened in 'Van Johnson (I)' (qv) and 'Keenan Wynn' (qv)'s marital triangle, detrimentally manipulated 'Judy Garland' (qv)'s health and personal life and for decades kept 'Robert Taylor (I)' (qv)'s salary the lowest of any major Hollywood star). He was a master of reading peoples' weaknesses and capitalizing on them while still maintaining a veneer of paternalism. If necessary, he'd beg, threaten, cry and scream as if on cue in order to get his way; many considered him to be the best actor on the lot. Irving Thalberg's 1936 death didn't cause Mayer to miss a step and with his other established unit producers, guided MGM through increased profitability and cunning business moves, culminating with the stunning deal to obtain the distribution rights for _Gone with the Wind (1939)_ (qv), which otherwise would've been distributed by United Artists. Demonstrating that his son-in-law's blood wasn't thicker than water, he capitalized on 'David O. Selznick' (qv)'s desperation not once but twice: formerly for the use of 'Clark Gable (I)' (qv) and a relatively minor production loan and in the latter, outright ownership of the film when 'David O. Selznick' (qv) fell into dire financial straits after World War II. This deal would prove to be a boon to MGM for decades to come. While MGM prospered during the war years, it would rapidly become obvious that Mayer fell seriously out of touch with changing post-war tastes. While there are several Depression-era examples of MGM films that deviated wildly from Mayer's traditional values (_The Big House (1930)_ (qv), _Possessed (1931)_ (qv), _The Beast of the City (1932)_ (qv), even the _The Thin Man (1934)_ (qv)), he stood defiant against the tide of film noir and so-called "message pictures" in the following decade. Mayer seemed far more comfortable signing off on lavish musicals and dramas promoting women capable of projecting qualities he personally admired ('Greer Garson' (qv) is a classic example) than chasing current cinematic trends. Like the other major studios, MGM could masterfully play out a profitable film series, but it seemed that the studio's inability to generate (or possibly muster the enthusiasm for) replacements for the long-running "Andy Hardy" and "Doctor Gillespie" films coincided with Mayer's refusal to embrace change after the war. He also rejected television outright (admittedly, so did almost every other major studio, with the exceptions of Paramount and Columbia); in retrospect, a serious financial error. By mid-1947 MGM had slipped considerably from it's ranking among the major studios and by the next year would be surpassed by Paramount and Columbia with the men in New York examining Mayer's every move. Mayer found himself confronted with his last great professional challenge in the re-appearance of 'Dore Schary' (qv) in 1948; he'd been connected with MGM off and on since the early 1930's as a screen writer but had came and went, disgusted by studio politics and his perennial nemesis, producer 'Harry Rapf' (qv). Schary, who had impressed 'Nicholas Schenck' (qv) in a chance meeting aboard a train, had just left RKO in similar disgust over 'Howard Hughes (I)' (qv)'s erratic behavior, was the very antithesis of Louis B. Mayer: he was a college-educated liberal and, most alarmingly, he had the ear of Nick Schenck at a time when MGM was faltering. Schary's affection for "message pictures" sickened Mayer but his nemesis' stock rose considerably with the hit _Battleground (1949)_ (qv) which was produced over Mayer's objections ('Howard Hughes (I)' (qv) had previously rejected it for RKO), and being proven wrong never sat well with the aging mogul. In truth, 'Dore Schary' (qv)'s track record was choppy at best, but he seemed to remain in Loew's favor despite himself. Schary scored another big hit with the gritty classic _The Asphalt Jungle (1950)_ (qv), which was again produced over Mayer's loud protests. On a personal note, Mayer was divorced and remarried in 1948 to Warner Bros. contract actress 'Lorena Layson' (qv) [1907-1985], who was a mere 2 weeks older than his daughter Irene) and gained considerable notoriety as a stellar horse breeder. His working relationship with 'Dore Schary' (qv) continued to erode. By the early summer of 1951, things came to a head during the production of _The Red Badge of Courage (1951)_ (qv), yet another film made over Mayer's earlier veto. Always hyper-sensitive to any perceived slight, Mayer appealed directly to 'Nicholas Schenck' (qv), who overruled his decision for the final time. Mayer then tested 'Nicholas Schenck' (qv) by resigning, likely expecting a refusal and an apology. It didn't happen and the unthinkable occurred: L.B. Mayer was out. At the time of his resignation (or ouster, depending upon the story), Mayer was still heavily involved in production details related to the lavish Italian epic, _Quo Vadis (1951)_ (qv) (ironically produced at the same Italian studio that 'Hal Roach (I)' (qv) had intended to use under the RAM - "Roach And Mussolini" organization). Ironically, Mayer's instincts were ultimately proven correct. Schary's civil war film, regarded as a minor classic today, bombed badly while the public paid millions to see Mayer's Christians thrown to the lions. Although he was a multi-millionaire, Mayer made a miserable retiree. He was wholly unsuited for the "new" Hollywood of the 1950's: independent production. The combination of advancing age and having effectively plotted industry strategy for nearly 30 years effectively precluded reinventing himself as an independent producer. Mayer spent the next five years dabbling in real estate, granting occasional interviews decrying the modern state of the American movie business and closely observing his vaulted former studio fall into an irreversible decline in the face of television (which he continued to despise) and the Supreme Court's decision to force theater divestment, which eventually devastated his old studio after his forced departure. Mayer contracted leukemia and died in 1957.