WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.960 Welcome to the Deep Dive, where we take your 00:00:01.960 --> 00:00:04.440 sources and unearth the most fascinating nuggets 00:00:04.440 --> 00:00:07.280 of knowledge. Today, we're diving deep into the 00:00:07.280 --> 00:00:09.900 life of a titan whose name really became synonymous 00:00:09.900 --> 00:00:13.240 with Hollywood's Golden Age, but... His story 00:00:13.240 --> 00:00:15.960 is far more complex than maybe that glittering 00:00:15.960 --> 00:00:18.699 facade of the movies he produced suggests. We're 00:00:18.699 --> 00:00:21.300 talking about Louis B. Mayer. Absolutely. The 00:00:21.300 --> 00:00:24.579 man who built an empire, shaped a culture, and, 00:00:24.719 --> 00:00:26.839 well, in many ways really defined what it meant 00:00:26.839 --> 00:00:29.280 to be a movie star. Yeah. Louis B. Mayer wasn't 00:00:29.280 --> 00:00:31.399 just, you know, a studio head. He was a force 00:00:31.399 --> 00:00:34.280 of nature, a true architect. He shaped not only 00:00:34.280 --> 00:00:37.409 Metro -Goldwyn -Mayer, MGM, but the very fabric 00:00:37.409 --> 00:00:39.890 of American entertainment. Okay. So our mission 00:00:39.890 --> 00:00:42.149 today is to kind of unravel the man behind that 00:00:42.149 --> 00:00:45.450 iconic roaring lion, explore his incredible, 00:00:45.450 --> 00:00:48.829 almost improbable rise, his... often controversial 00:00:48.829 --> 00:00:51.689 methods and the enduring really multifaceted 00:00:51.689 --> 00:00:53.810 legacy he left behind. Get ready to understand 00:00:53.810 --> 00:00:56.189 how one man's relentless ambition transformed 00:00:56.189 --> 00:00:58.929 an entire industry and created the star system 00:00:58.929 --> 00:01:01.469 we still recognize today that, you know, carefully 00:01:01.469 --> 00:01:03.990 constructed mythology and public image that turned 00:01:03.990 --> 00:01:07.709 actors into these global icon. You're about to 00:01:07.709 --> 00:01:11.370 discover a figure who was, well, simultaneously 00:01:11.370 --> 00:01:14.230 revered and reviled, a true self -made mogul 00:01:14.230 --> 00:01:16.969 whose impact echoes through cinema even now. 00:01:17.069 --> 00:01:19.790 Definitely. So how did this incredible origin 00:01:19.790 --> 00:01:23.510 story begin? Yeah. Louis B. Mayer, born Lazar 00:01:23.510 --> 00:01:25.810 Mayer, right? Hailed from the Russian Empire. 00:01:25.810 --> 00:01:28.329 Yeah. Grew up in incredibly poor circumstances 00:01:28.329 --> 00:01:31.450 in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada. Right. Family 00:01:31.450 --> 00:01:34.569 spoke mostly Yiddish at home. OK. And he famously 00:01:34.569 --> 00:01:38.730 quit school at just 12 years old. 12. Yeah, 12. 00:01:39.209 --> 00:01:41.510 To work with his father in a scrap metal business. 00:01:41.530 --> 00:01:43.849 Wow. And, you know, this early struggle, this 00:01:43.849 --> 00:01:46.549 absolute fight for survival, it's absolutely 00:01:46.549 --> 00:01:48.510 crucial to understanding the relentless drive 00:01:48.510 --> 00:01:50.189 that propelled him throughout his life. Makes 00:01:50.189 --> 00:01:52.530 sense. The actress Anne Rutherford, who worked 00:01:52.530 --> 00:01:55.150 under him at MGM, she once observed, if anybody 00:01:55.150 --> 00:01:57.689 on Earth ever created himself, Louis B. Mayer 00:01:57.689 --> 00:02:00.150 did. He was a man who, coming from that poor 00:02:00.150 --> 00:02:02.530 immigrant background with, like, no formal education 00:02:02.530 --> 00:02:04.989 beyond elementary school, quite literally taught 00:02:04.989 --> 00:02:07.560 himself grammar, manners, and perhaps... most 00:02:07.560 --> 00:02:09.400 importantly, the ambition to lift his family 00:02:09.400 --> 00:02:12.840 out of poverty. He spent his early days roaming 00:02:12.840 --> 00:02:15.840 the streets with a cart, just collecting scrap 00:02:15.840 --> 00:02:18.500 metal. It's a powerful image, shows you how deep 00:02:18.500 --> 00:02:20.520 that grit ran. And he even remembered people 00:02:20.520 --> 00:02:22.400 who helped him early on, right? Like that tin 00:02:22.400 --> 00:02:25.719 business owner. Yeah, John Wilson. Mayer considered 00:02:25.719 --> 00:02:27.740 him his first partner just for giving him some 00:02:27.740 --> 00:02:30.319 copper trimmings. And Mayer would place flowers 00:02:30.319 --> 00:02:32.939 on Wilson's grave in later years, just like he 00:02:32.939 --> 00:02:35.139 did on his mother's. Shows a certain loyalty, 00:02:35.240 --> 00:02:38.280 maybe. Interesting. So from collecting scrap 00:02:38.280 --> 00:02:40.979 metal, he makes this truly surprising pivot. 00:02:41.539 --> 00:02:44.560 In 1907, he's just 20, leaves St. John for Boston, 00:02:44.639 --> 00:02:48.599 and eventually renovates this rundown 600 -seat 00:02:48.599 --> 00:02:51.080 burlesque house in Haverhill, Massachusetts, 00:02:51.840 --> 00:02:54.520 reopens it as his first movie theater, The Orpheum, 00:02:54.560 --> 00:02:57.539 in 1912. And get this, here's a detail that tells 00:02:57.539 --> 00:03:00.159 you a lot about his instincts. OK. To overcome 00:03:00.159 --> 00:03:02.479 the building's unfavorable, maybe even scandalous 00:03:02.479 --> 00:03:05.580 reputation, he opens it not with some raucous 00:03:05.580 --> 00:03:08.020 show, but with a religious film from the manger 00:03:08.020 --> 00:03:11.520 to the cross. Wow. That's an astute move. Shows 00:03:11.520 --> 00:03:13.500 his keen business acumen right from the start. 00:03:13.680 --> 00:03:15.419 He understood his audience, how to position things. 00:03:15.879 --> 00:03:18.259 And what's fascinating is how quickly he scaled 00:03:18.259 --> 00:03:21.360 that success. Within just a few years, he owned 00:03:21.360 --> 00:03:24.360 all five of Haverhill's theaters, then created 00:03:24.360 --> 00:03:26.550 the Gordon Mayer Partnership. controlling the 00:03:26.550 --> 00:03:28.710 largest theater chain in New England. And then 00:03:28.710 --> 00:03:32.210 came that truly bold, almost audacious move in 00:03:32.210 --> 00:03:35.310 1914, netted him a fortune. Oh yeah, the birth 00:03:35.310 --> 00:03:38.689 of a nation rights. He paid D .W. Griffith $25 00:03:38.689 --> 00:03:41.949 ,000 for the exclusive New England rights. For 00:03:41.949 --> 00:03:44.490 a film he hadn't even seen. Exactly, hadn't seen 00:03:44.490 --> 00:03:47.409 it. But that gamble paid off spectacularly. earned 00:03:47.409 --> 00:03:50.310 him over $100 ,000, which was just an enormous 00:03:50.310 --> 00:03:52.530 sum back then. Incredible. And he didn't stop 00:03:52.530 --> 00:03:55.169 there, used those earnings, partnered with Richard 00:03:55.169 --> 00:03:57.389 A. Rowland. Right, to create Metro Pictures Corporation 00:03:57.389 --> 00:03:59.689 in New York. Then just two years later, moves 00:03:59.689 --> 00:04:02.169 his operations to Los Angeles, the burgeoning 00:04:02.169 --> 00:04:04.629 film hub, forms his own production company. And 00:04:04.629 --> 00:04:07.250 he was already a significant player in this exciting, 00:04:07.569 --> 00:04:10.530 rapidly expanding industry. That meteoric rise. 00:04:11.080 --> 00:04:13.580 It's something else. And that success paved the 00:04:13.580 --> 00:04:16.060 way for his most famous creation, the studio 00:04:16.060 --> 00:04:18.120 that would become synonymous with glamour and 00:04:18.120 --> 00:04:21.899 prestige. Right. April 1924, his company merges 00:04:21.899 --> 00:04:25.980 with two others, Metro Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn's 00:04:25.980 --> 00:04:29.879 Goldwyn Pictures Corporation. To form Metro Goldwyn, 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:33.019 which with Mayor's full blessing, very quickly 00:04:33.019 --> 00:04:36.480 became Metro Goldwyn Mayor. MGM. And Mayer was 00:04:36.480 --> 00:04:38.980 named head of studio operations, a Lowe's vice 00:04:38.980 --> 00:04:41.620 president, reporting directly to Lowe's president, 00:04:41.860 --> 00:04:45.500 Nicholas Schenck. Ah, Schenck. Now, we know Mayer 00:04:45.500 --> 00:04:48.040 privately referred to Schenck as well. Mr. Skunk. 00:04:48.319 --> 00:04:51.060 Yeah. That tells you something about their intense 00:04:51.060 --> 00:04:53.240 dislike for each other. What was the root of 00:04:53.240 --> 00:04:55.199 that friction, do we know? Well, it seems like 00:04:55.199 --> 00:04:58.000 a classic power struggle. Financial control versus 00:04:58.000 --> 00:05:00.300 creative vision. Schenck, head of the parent 00:05:00.300 --> 00:05:02.819 company, losing Schenck, he was focused on the 00:05:02.819 --> 00:05:05.759 bottom line, efficiency. OK. Mayer, though, was 00:05:05.759 --> 00:05:07.899 deeply invested in the quality, the prestige 00:05:07.899 --> 00:05:10.079 of the film. So that sometimes meant significant 00:05:10.079 --> 00:05:12.779 spending. Created constant tension about budgets, 00:05:12.939 --> 00:05:16.199 artistic direction. Exactly. But Mayer did have 00:05:16.199 --> 00:05:18.920 a brilliant partner in this new venture. The 00:05:18.920 --> 00:05:22.519 24 -year -old Irving Thalberg made vice president 00:05:22.519 --> 00:05:25.139 in charge of production. And this truly was a 00:05:25.139 --> 00:05:27.060 brilliant team, wasn't it? Like a perfect pairing. 00:05:27.339 --> 00:05:29.839 It really seemed to be. Mayor took charge of 00:05:29.839 --> 00:05:32.019 the business, the finances, setting budgets, 00:05:32.439 --> 00:05:34.639 giving the final okay on productions. Right. 00:05:35.100 --> 00:05:38.720 Meanwhile, Thalberg, the boy wonder, he oversaw 00:05:38.720 --> 00:05:41.680 the artistic side, shaped the stories, managed 00:05:41.680 --> 00:05:44.060 the talent. Director Joseph M. Newman summed 00:05:44.060 --> 00:05:46.600 it up perfectly, didn't he? Thalberg had the 00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:49.079 story mind, Mayor the business acumen. Absolutely. 00:05:49.560 --> 00:05:52.360 Their complimentary skills were undeniable. And 00:05:52.360 --> 00:05:55.139 their shared guide philosophy was incredibly 00:05:55.139 --> 00:05:57.180 ambitious for the time. Which was? To make the 00:05:57.180 --> 00:05:59.660 best motion pictures they could at any cost. 00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:02.079 Even if it meant re -shooting entire films from 00:06:02.079 --> 00:06:04.720 scratch. Wow. Quality over immediate profit. 00:06:04.959 --> 00:06:08.259 Pretty much. They prioritized quality, spectacle, 00:06:08.540 --> 00:06:12.079 prestige. And it worked. Profoundly. Within just 00:06:12.079 --> 00:06:14.420 three years of the merger, MGM was the most successful, 00:06:14.459 --> 00:06:17.079 most profitable, most glamorous studio in Hollywood. 00:06:17.180 --> 00:06:19.740 They even poured resources into stars like Garbo, 00:06:19.879 --> 00:06:22.459 even in silent films. Oh, yes. Lush settings, 00:06:22.959 --> 00:06:24.819 spectacular camera work. It was all part of that 00:06:24.819 --> 00:06:27.480 MGM pursuit of excellence. Now here's something 00:06:27.480 --> 00:06:30.300 that reveals a crucial dynamic. Their professional 00:06:30.300 --> 00:06:33.759 relationship was hugely successful, but it frayed 00:06:33.759 --> 00:06:36.160 over philosophical differences, right? Yeah, 00:06:36.339 --> 00:06:38.639 Thalberg preferred more literary works, often 00:06:38.639 --> 00:06:41.779 darker. Mayer wanted broader, more wholesome 00:06:41.779 --> 00:06:44.860 crowd pleasers. But Mayer's reaction to Thalberg's 00:06:44.860 --> 00:06:48.939 early death in 1936, Thalberg was only 37. It 00:06:48.939 --> 00:06:52.540 was incredibly profound. It really was. He dedicated 00:06:52.540 --> 00:06:54.959 MGM's front office as the Thalberg building. 00:06:55.479 --> 00:06:57.879 established the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:00.120 Which is still a huge deal in Hollywood today. 00:07:00.339 --> 00:07:02.439 Absolutely. And his reaction wasn't just grief, 00:07:02.459 --> 00:07:05.279 it was also, you know, pragmatic, recognizing 00:07:05.279 --> 00:07:07.680 the immense, irreplaceable talent he'd lost. 00:07:07.779 --> 00:07:10.759 And many expected Mayer to stumble and fall without 00:07:10.759 --> 00:07:13.399 Thalberg, didn't they? They did. But he defied 00:07:13.399 --> 00:07:15.800 those expectations, stepped fully into the role 00:07:15.800 --> 00:07:18.300 of head of production himself. And surprisingly, 00:07:18.639 --> 00:07:20.560 MGM continued to grow and thrive for another 00:07:20.560 --> 00:07:23.860 decade. Like 1939, that golden year. Oh, incredible 00:07:23.860 --> 00:07:27.160 year. The Wizard of Oz, Ninotchka, goodbye Mr. 00:07:27.360 --> 00:07:29.220 Chips, and the distributed Gone with the Wind, 00:07:29.420 --> 00:07:32.379 just massive. And at its peak in the 1940s, MGM 00:07:32.379 --> 00:07:36.540 was this sprawling empire, 185 acres. Three separate 00:07:36.540 --> 00:07:40.480 entrances, 6 ,000 employees, its own private 00:07:40.480 --> 00:07:44.100 rail line. And its own police force. 50 officers. 00:07:44.139 --> 00:07:45.980 Yeah, bigger than the police force in Culver 00:07:45.980 --> 00:07:48.240 City itself, where the studio was located. Can 00:07:48.240 --> 00:07:51.100 you imagine anywhere from 16 to 18 pictures being 00:07:51.100 --> 00:07:53.920 shot at one time? It's almost mind boggling the 00:07:53.920 --> 00:07:56.579 scale the ambition needed to manage that. It 00:07:56.579 --> 00:07:59.560 really was not just a film studio. It was a self 00:07:59.560 --> 00:08:02.819 -contained city of dreams running on its own 00:08:02.819 --> 00:08:05.500 infrastructure, a testament to Mayor's vision. 00:08:05.660 --> 00:08:08.720 his management capacity. Okay, so one of Mayer's 00:08:08.720 --> 00:08:11.220 most significant lasting contributions, something 00:08:11.220 --> 00:08:14.399 we still see echoes of, was helping create the 00:08:14.399 --> 00:08:17.139 star system. Right. He famously declared, the 00:08:17.139 --> 00:08:19.939 idea of a star being born is bourgeois. A star 00:08:19.939 --> 00:08:23.399 is made, created, carefully and cold -bloodedly 00:08:23.399 --> 00:08:26.180 built up from nothing, from nobody. That's a 00:08:26.180 --> 00:08:27.720 pretty strong statement about control, isn't 00:08:27.720 --> 00:08:29.740 it? It really is. Raises big questions about 00:08:29.740 --> 00:08:32.340 celebrity and control. He meticulously scouted 00:08:32.340 --> 00:08:35.649 talents Garbo, Hedy Lamarr, Greer Gar - offered 00:08:35.649 --> 00:08:38.110 the highest salaries in Hollywood. But in return, 00:08:38.470 --> 00:08:41.629 he expected absolute loyalty, signed them to 00:08:41.629 --> 00:08:43.870 incredibly restrictive long -term contracts, 00:08:44.570 --> 00:08:46.809 saw them as part of the MGM family. He said he 00:08:46.809 --> 00:08:49.330 only looked for a face if it photographed well. 00:08:49.470 --> 00:08:51.490 The studio would do the rest, yeah. That meant 00:08:51.490 --> 00:08:55.090 hiring geniuses for makeup, hair, even surgeons 00:08:55.090 --> 00:08:58.110 to slice away a bulge here and there. Wow. And 00:08:58.110 --> 00:09:00.309 a whole army of coaches for fencing, walking, 00:09:00.570 --> 00:09:03.509 talking. It was a factory, yes, but a factory 00:09:03.509 --> 00:09:07.269 designed to produce perfection or their idea 00:09:07.269 --> 00:09:09.250 of it. And his paternalism could be extreme, 00:09:09.330 --> 00:09:11.909 almost suffocating. Oh, definitely. He was known 00:09:11.909 --> 00:09:14.330 for meddling deeply in actors' personal lives, 00:09:14.730 --> 00:09:16.830 telling them where to shop, dine, what doctor 00:09:16.830 --> 00:09:19.730 to see. Even arranging marriages. Reportedly, 00:09:19.750 --> 00:09:22.090 yes. It sounds like he really wanted to mold 00:09:22.090 --> 00:09:24.429 every single aspect of their public and private 00:09:24.429 --> 00:09:27.490 personas. That's intense. It is. And what's fascinating 00:09:27.490 --> 00:09:29.750 here are the wildly different experiences under 00:09:29.750 --> 00:09:32.470 his management. really highlights his complexity. 00:09:32.669 --> 00:09:34.730 Like Joan Crawford saw him as a father figure. 00:09:35.149 --> 00:09:38.250 Right. Crawford said, to me, L .B. Mayer was 00:09:38.250 --> 00:09:41.370 my father, my father confessor, the best friend 00:09:41.370 --> 00:09:45.090 I ever had. Ricardo Montalban echoed that, saying 00:09:45.090 --> 00:09:47.690 Mayer really thought of the people under contract 00:09:47.690 --> 00:09:50.110 as his boys and girls. But then you have others. 00:09:50.190 --> 00:09:53.210 Far darker experiences. Elizabeth Taylor famously 00:09:53.210 --> 00:09:56.529 called him a monster. Yeah. And actress Esther 00:09:56.529 --> 00:09:59.330 Ralston claimed her career was sabotaged because 00:09:59.330 --> 00:10:01.799 she refused to sleep with him. Those are disturbing 00:10:01.799 --> 00:10:03.700 accusations. And it goes further, doesn't it? 00:10:03.960 --> 00:10:06.480 The sexual abuse claim. Yes, truly troubling 00:10:06.480 --> 00:10:10.000 accusations. Notably from Judy Garland in her 00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:13.179 unfinished autobiography. She described Mayer 00:10:13.179 --> 00:10:15.039 groping her, having meetings with her, seated 00:10:15.039 --> 00:10:18.059 on his lap, hands on her chest. Terrible. And 00:10:18.059 --> 00:10:19.820 Shirley Temple claimed he came on to her mother 00:10:19.820 --> 00:10:22.639 when Temple herself was only 12. It paints a 00:10:22.639 --> 00:10:24.799 very different... much darker picture of that 00:10:24.799 --> 00:10:27.340 paternal figure. Definitely highlights the huge 00:10:27.340 --> 00:10:30.120 power imbalance in the studio system. The vulnerability 00:10:30.120 --> 00:10:32.840 of actors. Absolutely. Yet despite these darker 00:10:32.840 --> 00:10:35.620 aspects, Mayer also famously tried to protect 00:10:35.620 --> 00:10:37.779 stars in crisis. Like with Judy Garland later 00:10:37.779 --> 00:10:40.299 on. Right. When she was struggling with addiction, 00:10:40.879 --> 00:10:42.980 mental health issues causing production delays 00:10:42.980 --> 00:10:46.080 and budget overruns, Mayer refused to cancel 00:10:46.080 --> 00:10:49.120 summer stock. He said, Judy Garland has made 00:10:49.120 --> 00:10:51.990 this studio a fortune. And the least we can do 00:10:51.990 --> 00:10:54.710 is to give her one more chance. If you stop production 00:10:54.710 --> 00:10:58.409 now, it'll finish her. Hmm. Though eventually 00:10:58.409 --> 00:11:00.909 her problems did lead to her being fired from 00:11:00.909 --> 00:11:03.409 Annie Get Your Gun. Fadly, yes. So given the 00:11:03.409 --> 00:11:05.809 accusations, how do we reconcile this protective 00:11:05.809 --> 00:11:08.950 side with the alleged abuses? Was it genuine 00:11:08.950 --> 00:11:11.470 care or just protecting assets? It's a tough 00:11:11.470 --> 00:11:13.509 question. Goes right to the heart of his complexity. 00:11:14.029 --> 00:11:16.860 Probably a blend of both. He genuinely seemed 00:11:16.860 --> 00:11:20.080 to want the studio to nurture child stars for 00:11:20.080 --> 00:11:23.000 MGM's family -oriented films. They provided education, 00:11:23.220 --> 00:11:25.000 medical care on site. And MGM had more child 00:11:25.000 --> 00:11:26.820 actors than any other studio, right? Coogan, 00:11:27.059 --> 00:11:29.820 Rooney, Garland, Young Liz Taylor. Exactly. So 00:11:29.820 --> 00:11:32.460 there was a system of care. But at the same time, 00:11:32.740 --> 00:11:35.279 the power he wielded was absolute, and that often 00:11:35.279 --> 00:11:37.820 led to abuse or the potential for it. His nephew's 00:11:37.820 --> 00:11:40.039 quote seems to capture it. Yeah, he was a giant. 00:11:40.279 --> 00:11:43.279 Were we afraid of him? Jesus Christ, yes. Captures 00:11:43.279 --> 00:11:46.139 that immense... almost intimidating presence 00:11:46.139 --> 00:11:49.120 he had. Okay, beyond managing stars, Mayer had 00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:52.299 this very specific, almost ideological vision 00:11:52.299 --> 00:11:55.200 for the kind of films MGM would make. Yes, very 00:11:55.200 --> 00:11:57.720 much so. He championed wholesome entertainment, 00:11:58.539 --> 00:12:00.600 strong family values. Especially clear in the 00:12:00.600 --> 00:12:03.360 Andy Hardy series, right? Hugely popular. Wildly 00:12:03.360 --> 00:12:05.879 popular. Mickey Rooney even got a special Oscar 00:12:05.879 --> 00:12:09.220 in 42 for furthering the American way of life. 00:12:09.440 --> 00:12:12.220 through that role. And Mayer's values were deeply 00:12:12.220 --> 00:12:14.879 held. Incredibly clear and deeply held. He told 00:12:14.879 --> 00:12:18.039 screenwriter Francis Marion, I worship good women, 00:12:18.440 --> 00:12:21.419 honorable men, and saintly mothers. He was apparently 00:12:21.419 --> 00:12:24.080 so serious about this, he once knocked director 00:12:24.080 --> 00:12:26.840 Erich von Stroheim to the floor for saying all 00:12:26.840 --> 00:12:29.919 women were whores. Wow. Mayer believed in glamour, 00:12:30.100 --> 00:12:33.299 spectacle, optimism, sentiment. aiming to comfort 00:12:33.299 --> 00:12:35.940 and entertain, not challenge. He explicitly said 00:12:35.940 --> 00:12:37.700 he wasn't making pictures for critics. Right. 00:12:37.899 --> 00:12:40.379 For Americans and all people to enjoy, showing 00:12:40.379 --> 00:12:42.679 America in the right light. That was his goal. 00:12:42.960 --> 00:12:45.679 And his love for musicals truly shaped an entire 00:12:45.679 --> 00:12:48.840 genre. Absolutely. He was anxious to make more 00:12:48.840 --> 00:12:51.139 musicals, had a hunch about songwriter Arthur 00:12:51.139 --> 00:12:53.059 Freed. Asked him to be an associate producer 00:12:53.059 --> 00:12:55.820 on Wizard of Oz. Yeah, an inspired decision as 00:12:55.820 --> 00:12:58.740 it turned out. Freed's unit just as Mayer hoped, 00:12:59.200 --> 00:13:00.960 went on to produce some of the best musicals 00:13:00.960 --> 00:13:03.559 ever made. Like Singin' in the Rain, Meet Me 00:13:03.559 --> 00:13:06.320 in St. Louis. And Oscar winners, An American 00:13:06.320 --> 00:13:08.879 in Paris, Gigi. You are. These are widely seen 00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:11.220 as Mayer's greatest contributions to posterity. 00:13:11.340 --> 00:13:14.360 Definitely classics. Absolutely. Another crucial 00:13:14.360 --> 00:13:16.879 point that sheds light on him is his stance during 00:13:16.879 --> 00:13:19.799 World War II. OK. Initially, he hesitated to 00:13:19.799 --> 00:13:22.240 make anti -Nazi films. There were significant 00:13:22.240 --> 00:13:25.299 economic fears. 30, 40 percent of Hollywood's 00:13:25.299 --> 00:13:27.460 income came from Europe. Didn't want to jeopardize 00:13:27.460 --> 00:13:29.480 that. Understandable from a business perspective, 00:13:29.639 --> 00:13:32.480 I guess. Sure. But MGM eventually defied both 00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:35.200 the Hayes Office Hollywood's own censorship body, 00:13:35.600 --> 00:13:38.440 which banned anti -Nazi films then. Right. And 00:13:38.440 --> 00:13:41.320 even U .S. Ambassador Joseph Kennedy, who urged 00:13:41.320 --> 00:13:44.320 studios to stop making anti -German films, thinking 00:13:44.320 --> 00:13:47.259 British defeat was imminent. So Mayer pushed 00:13:47.259 --> 00:13:49.840 forward despite the risks, authorized films like 00:13:49.840 --> 00:13:53.759 The Mortal Storm and Escape in 39. Yes. Right 00:13:53.759 --> 00:13:57.019 as the war was gripping Europe. But his most 00:13:57.019 --> 00:13:59.620 impactful contribution, the one that really resonated, 00:14:00.179 --> 00:14:03.379 was Mrs. Miniver. He personally convinced Greer 00:14:03.379 --> 00:14:05.559 -Garson, who he discovered, to take that role. 00:14:05.659 --> 00:14:07.940 He did. Told her she wasn't just playing a character, 00:14:08.039 --> 00:14:12.279 she was London. No, more than that, she was England. 00:14:12.519 --> 00:14:15.100 Powerful framing. And the film was a massive 00:14:15.100 --> 00:14:18.639 success. Six Academy Awards, including Best actress 00:14:18.639 --> 00:14:22.299 for Garson. Top box office hit of 1942. And it 00:14:22.299 --> 00:14:24.159 was more than just entertainment, right? It was 00:14:24.159 --> 00:14:27.200 seen as propaganda. Incredibly powerful propaganda. 00:14:27.460 --> 00:14:29.740 President Roosevelt loved it. Winston Churchill 00:14:29.740 --> 00:14:31.980 loved it. Churchill famously sent Mayer that 00:14:31.980 --> 00:14:34.379 telegram. Claiming Mrs. Miniver is propaganda 00:14:34.379 --> 00:14:36.860 worth 100 battleships. Exactly. It solidified 00:14:36.860 --> 00:14:39.580 Mayer's role beyond entertainment. As a shaper 00:14:39.580 --> 00:14:42.460 of public opinion, morale, during a critical 00:14:42.460 --> 00:14:46.149 time, he understood cinema's power. But his politics 00:14:46.149 --> 00:14:48.909 weren't always universally admired, and he wasn't 00:14:48.909 --> 00:14:51.110 afraid to use the studio's power politically. 00:14:51.230 --> 00:14:53.590 Not at all. He was an active Republican, served 00:14:53.590 --> 00:14:55.649 as California Republican Party chair in the early 00:14:55.649 --> 00:14:58.990 30s. And that aggressive political maneuvering, 00:14:59.230 --> 00:15:02.330 using the studio's reach, it's an early example 00:15:02.330 --> 00:15:04.889 of how media empires could be leveraged politically, 00:15:05.490 --> 00:15:07.929 kind of resonates today. A really powerful example 00:15:07.929 --> 00:15:10.529 happened during the 1934 California gubernatorial 00:15:10.529 --> 00:15:13.570 election. Mayor strongly opposed the Democratic 00:15:13.570 --> 00:15:16.409 candidate, Upton Sinclair. Preferred the Republican, 00:15:16.730 --> 00:15:19.149 Frank Miriam. Right. And to fight Sinclair's 00:15:19.149 --> 00:15:22.809 campaign, MGM and other studios deducted a day's 00:15:22.809 --> 00:15:26.149 pay from employees, raising an anti -Sinclair 00:15:26.149 --> 00:15:29.490 fund of a staggering $500 ,000. And they made 00:15:29.490 --> 00:15:32.309 propaganda films. Yeah. Fake news reels. Hired 00:15:32.309 --> 00:15:34.409 actors portraying bums and criminals, some speaking 00:15:34.409 --> 00:15:37.370 with foreign accents, clearly designed to demonize 00:15:37.370 --> 00:15:40.129 Sinclair. It's a stark reminder of studio power 00:15:40.129 --> 00:15:42.450 extending far beyond the screen right into politics. 00:15:42.690 --> 00:15:44.870 Yeah, definitely. So after the war, the Golden 00:15:44.870 --> 00:15:47.690 Age starts to dim for MGM. It does. The studio 00:15:47.690 --> 00:15:50.610 face declining profits. And Mayor, the big picture 00:15:50.610 --> 00:15:53.210 man who loves spending for quality, he struggled 00:15:53.210 --> 00:15:55.250 with demands from Lowe's, the parent company, 00:15:55.629 --> 00:15:58.149 to cut expenses. And the hiring of Doris Carey 00:15:58.149 --> 00:16:00.909 as VP in charge of production in 48. That was 00:16:00.909 --> 00:16:04.149 a sign of shifting times. A clear sign. Seen 00:16:04.149 --> 00:16:06.610 by many, including Mayer, as a direct threat 00:16:06.610 --> 00:16:09.409 to MGM's classic style of musicals and comedies 00:16:09.409 --> 00:16:12.649 that he championed. Sherry favored more message 00:16:12.649 --> 00:16:15.110 driven films. So this really marked the twilight 00:16:15.110 --> 00:16:17.570 of his direct influence. Pretty much. The industry 00:16:17.570 --> 00:16:19.789 was changing. Audiences were changing. The old 00:16:19.789 --> 00:16:21.750 guard was being challenged. And by mutual consent 00:16:21.750 --> 00:16:24.970 with Lowe's, Mayer resigned from MGM in August 00:16:24.970 --> 00:16:29.340 1951. On his final day, reportedly, a red carpet 00:16:29.340 --> 00:16:32.659 was laid out. Executives, actors, staff applauded 00:16:32.659 --> 00:16:36.220 him, recognizing it as the end of an era. Actor 00:16:36.220 --> 00:16:38.960 Turhan Bey declared, in every meaningful way, 00:16:39.100 --> 00:16:41.659 it was the end of Hollywood. That's quite a statement. 00:16:41.840 --> 00:16:44.480 It is a truly symbolic moment. Mayer tried new 00:16:44.480 --> 00:16:47.059 ventures after MGM, right? Cinerama. Yeah, he 00:16:47.059 --> 00:16:49.960 became chairman of Cinerama in 52. that revolutionary 00:16:49.960 --> 00:16:52.320 widescreen process. He hoped to produce Paint 00:16:52.320 --> 00:16:54.620 Your Wagon using it, but without success. Also 00:16:54.620 --> 00:16:56.879 tried an unsuccessful takeover of Vengeo. He 00:16:56.879 --> 00:16:59.620 did, before his death from leukemia in 1957. 00:17:00.440 --> 00:17:02.519 But despite those later struggles, his legacy 00:17:02.519 --> 00:17:06.160 is just immense, undeniable. Variety magazine 00:17:06.160 --> 00:17:09.660 summed it up well. They did, stating he was probably 00:17:09.660 --> 00:17:11.720 the greatest single force in the development 00:17:11.720 --> 00:17:13.859 of the motion picture industry who brought it 00:17:13.859 --> 00:17:16.420 to the heights of prosperity and influence it 00:17:16.420 --> 00:17:19.299 finally attained. And he got that honorary Oscar 00:17:19.299 --> 00:17:22.859 in 51. Right. For guiding MGM with foresight, 00:17:23.240 --> 00:17:25.819 aggressiveness, and with a real desire for taste 00:17:25.819 --> 00:17:28.380 and quality, and for bringing the star system 00:17:28.380 --> 00:17:30.819 into full flower. A fitting acknowledgement. 00:17:31.279 --> 00:17:33.460 Director Clarence Brown compared him to Hearst. 00:17:33.700 --> 00:17:36.579 Said Mayer made more stars than all the rest 00:17:36.579 --> 00:17:39.099 of the producers in Hollywood put together. He 00:17:39.099 --> 00:17:41.279 never wrote or directed, never pretended to. 00:17:41.549 --> 00:17:44.410 But he understood movies and audiences fundamentally. 00:17:44.609 --> 00:17:46.890 Exactly. Profoundly shaping not just entertainment, 00:17:47.009 --> 00:17:49.450 but how America viewed itself. And that understanding 00:17:49.450 --> 00:17:52.329 of America, his love for it. That was a driving 00:17:52.329 --> 00:17:54.549 force, wasn't it? It really seemed to be. Spencer 00:17:54.549 --> 00:17:56.769 Tracy captured it beautifully at Mayer's funeral. 00:17:57.329 --> 00:17:59.269 The story he wanted to tell was the story of 00:17:59.269 --> 00:18:01.690 America, the land for which he had an almost 00:18:01.690 --> 00:18:04.630 furious love, board of gratitude. That furious 00:18:04.630 --> 00:18:07.599 love, its powerful imagery. Apparently he'd be 00:18:07.599 --> 00:18:10.420 stoked with extra exuberance for days afterward. 00:18:10.740 --> 00:18:13.420 Just listening to John Philip Seuss's patriotic 00:18:13.420 --> 00:18:16.480 music paints a picture, you know. A man seeing 00:18:16.480 --> 00:18:19.140 his work as deeply tied to the American spirit. 00:18:19.359 --> 00:18:21.579 And his influence is recognized in so many ways. 00:18:21.759 --> 00:18:24.200 Canada's Walk of Fame, street names, university 00:18:24.200 --> 00:18:27.160 theaters. Like the Mayer Theater at Loyola Marymount. 00:18:27.720 --> 00:18:29.779 And even the Louis B. Mayer Research Laboratories 00:18:29.779 --> 00:18:32.700 at the Dana -Farber Cancer Institute shows the 00:18:32.700 --> 00:18:35.960 breadth of his impact far beyond Hollywood. So 00:18:35.960 --> 00:18:37.880 what does this all mean for you, listening to 00:18:37.880 --> 00:18:44.849 this? He truly built the most prestigious studio 00:18:44.849 --> 00:18:47.009 in Hollywood from the ground up. He shaped the 00:18:47.009 --> 00:18:49.430 very definition of a movie star, created these 00:18:49.430 --> 00:18:52.170 beloved musical classics, and even significantly 00:18:52.170 --> 00:18:54.470 influenced American culture and wartime morale. 00:18:54.769 --> 00:18:57.529 His story is just such a powerful reminder that 00:18:57.529 --> 00:18:59.869 behind the silver screen glamour, the iconic 00:18:59.869 --> 00:19:03.029 images, there were these complex, often contradictory 00:19:03.029 --> 00:19:06.150 figures, their personal struggles, huge ambitions, 00:19:06.450 --> 00:19:09.369 moral ambiguities, all deeply intertwined with 00:19:09.369 --> 00:19:11.450 their groundbreaking achievement. He's an executive 00:19:11.450 --> 00:19:14.539 genius. A paternal figure, sometimes disturbingly 00:19:14.539 --> 00:19:18.180 so. A fierce, even brutal businessman. And just 00:19:18.180 --> 00:19:20.700 a complicated man who left this indelible mark 00:19:20.700 --> 00:19:23.779 on history and popular culture. His nephew, Gerald 00:19:23.779 --> 00:19:26.680 Mayer, simply said of him, he was a giant. And 00:19:26.680 --> 00:19:29.180 that's undeniable, isn't it? Absolutely. So the 00:19:29.180 --> 00:19:32.380 next time you see that roaring MGM lion, maybe 00:19:32.380 --> 00:19:34.200 consider not just the incredible films introduced, 00:19:34.259 --> 00:19:36.680 but the fiercely driven, often controversial 00:19:36.680 --> 00:19:38.960 and undeniably patriotic man who stood behind 00:19:38.960 --> 00:19:41.730 it all. Louis B. Mayer forever changed how we 00:19:41.730 --> 00:19:44.430 tell stories, how we experience celebrity, and 00:19:44.430 --> 00:19:47.130 really how we view ourselves as a culture. His 00:19:47.130 --> 00:19:49.829 legacy is this incredible tapestry woven with 00:19:49.829 --> 00:19:53.069 threads of glamour, genius, and deep, often unsettling 00:19:53.069 --> 00:19:53.849 human complexity.