Looking at the map from the Studio Club article which spurred this whole adventure through LA's theater history, Metro Goldwyn Mayer had their studio 10 miles away from the Studio Club in Culver City. The Metro in MGM was Metro Pictures Corporation, a production company founded in 1916 by Richard A. Rowand and Louis B. Mayer. Mayer left to start his own production company in 1918. In 1920, Metro Pictures which had acquired Goldwyn Pictures was purchased by Loew's Inc. which was Marcus Loew's theater exhibition company. With vertical integration complete, Mayer came back and MGM was formed in 1924.
There's the MGM Studios main gate. Not exactly the photo ready gates of Paramount Studios. Not even much to make from the details of the photo. If I hadn't told you it was MGM, you'd probably neve know. Unless you've been there of course.
MGM studios wasn't so much about presentation as it was functionality. Here's a shot of a bustling back lot. That shot is from 1951, and you get to see actors and extras milling about as a tractor moves some scaffolding, all with the MGM sign and clock in the background.
Things were a bit more under construction in 1937. That's New York Street being constructed. Every Hollywood Studio has a New York Street. The production companies all moved out to Los Angeles, but they never stopped telling stories in New York. The TV Show Bones, uses LA Landmarks to stand in for Washington DC, then films their street shots on Fox's New York Street.
I mentioned that Gone With the Wind (1939) was filmed up the street at RKO's old lot. Well while that was filming, The Wizard of Oz (1939) was filming on the MGM lot. Influenced by Disney's Snow White, realizing there was a market for children's book adaptations, MGM bought the rights to the book in 1938.
The Wizard of Oz had it's premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood. I've found no evidence that the Loew's theater chain had a theater in Hollywood. However, they did have a theater in the Broadway Theater district.
The State Theater was build in 1921 by Loew's; at 2,450 seats it was the largest of the Broadway theaters. Before she was in The Wizard of Oz, Judy Garland (then Frances Gumm) performed a sister act here.
The film Happy Landing was a 1938 Fox film as was City Girl. Sonja Henie was quite an it girl in her time, otherwise it's an unremarkable billing. While the theaters were owned by the studios, I think we're learning that didn't mean they showed exclusively films from that company. I'm sure it wasn't freeform though, there must have been agreements signed.
Remember how I talked about the cartoon shorts: RKO distributed Disney, Paramount had Betty Boop and Popeye, WB had the Looney Tunes, MGM made the Tom and Jerry cartoons. I never even realized.
As I wrap up the Big 5, I should say a last word on what vertical integration meant for the industry. Those studios that controlled their own film-exhibition theaters showing first run films in urban areas (like the ones in downtown LA and Hollywood I tried to chronicle) controlled 50% of the seating capacity in the US for first run movies. So there were other options, but that's pretty impressive. The theaters charged high prices and attracted large crowds.
You notice how some of the marquees were showing just alright films? Theater owners were required to purchase blind bookings, where they had to show a block of B-movies in order to show the prestigious A-movie they wanted. This process would go on until the 1940s, when US vs. Paramount ordered the studios to divest of their theaters.
All of my studio history information I've gotten from AMC's film history page. The website Cinema Treasures has been great in identifying theaters, and most of my photos have come from the lapl photo collection. Those I didn't take myself of course.
The Little 3 are next, and while they don't have fancy theaters, they do play an important part in the history of Los Angeles.
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