L.B. Mayer book by Scott Eyeman

[sagebrush522]

I read the article about this book by Robert Osborne today:

 

New bio erases image of L.B. Mayer as ogre

Tue May 3, 2005 1:05 PM BST

 

By Robert Osborne

 

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - In 1960, three years after MGM's famous leader Louis B. Mayer died, the New York Times' distinguished movie critic Bosley Crowther wrote a biography about him titled "Hollywood Rajah" that created an image of Mayer that's been solidly attached to his name ever since.

 

That of an immoral, insensitive ogre who ran MGM with an iron hand and a considerable lack of conscience.

 

That's certainly not the image of Mayer recalled by many of those who were part of the MGM factory during Mayer's 1924-51 reign there; Mickey Rooney, Jane Powell, June Allyson and many other of his stars remember him with great fondness and compassion, as do others who crossed his path, both businesswise and socially. Katharine Hepburn was so fond of him that she took charge of his funeral; as an actress, she also had trusted him enough that she never signed a contract with him, even though she considered herself to be exclusively an MGM star for nearly a decade. ("A handshake was all I ever needed with L.B.," she said. "He was a man who always kept his word.")

 

So what was he? Monstrous mogul, benevolent boss, both or neither? Just out is a new book by superb writer and researcher Scott Eyman about Mayer titled "The Lion of Hollywood: The Life and Legend of Louis B. Mayer" (Simon & Schuster), which paints the most convincing portrait of Mayer yet drawn. In Eyman's estimation, Mayer was, first and foremost, a showman but also an extremely complicated, often compassionate man who was heavily influenced by his early life as a Jewish immigrant and by the unattractive image that greeted him whenever he gazed in a mirror. (He was short, squatty and had far from handsome features.)

 

But he also was a man ferociously dedicated to his position as part emperor and part papa bear at the most important movie studio in the world. He was keenly devoted to films expounding the high road and lofty moral values (he hated one film simply because it included the shot of a toilet) but often was less than saintly himself. He zealously filled his own coffers with money but also could be a soft touch; and when it came to making movies, he followed the credo that if more money needed to be spent to make a film better, it shall be done. He never wanted an MGM release, even a B-budget throwaway, to be seen by anyone until it was worthy of Leo the Lion roaring in the opening credits. (Writer-lyricist Alan Jay Lerner said that only Mayer would have given the OK to add $500,000 to the budget of "An American in Paris" to include that film's big ballet finale.)

 

Besides Eyman's account being a riveting story of a self-made showman extraordinaire, it also is a much more balanced inspection of Mayer than Crowther's earlier hatchet job. Eyman's sleuthing also reveals one of the possible reasons for the slanted tone of that old Crowther bio: The project was instigated by Mayer's daughter Edie Goetz. Estranged from her father at the time of his death, she was left out of his will; her sister Irene Mayer Selznick, from whom Goetz also was estranged and with whom she was highly competitive, had conversely been left a sizable pot. At the time of Mayer's death, his estate was estimated at close to $9 million and encompassed a racing stable, 37 horses and considerable real estate, including sole ownership of the 2,100-seat Rivoli movie theatre on Broadway. Anyone interested in filmmaking, then or now, should read Eyman's book at least twice. Ol' L.B. might have been part pirate, but he's also the principal reason MGM was able to make some of history's most enduring films.

 

________________

 

Some corrections. Kate Hepburn was, in fact, under contract to MGM for six years. She signed up with the company in 1943 and then resigned in 1946. I don't know about her involvement in Mayer's funeral. I expect it was minimal although she was, of course, close friends with Mayer's daughter, Irene.

 

 

Ariel

[richardny4me]

I pre-ordered this book and I just had received its delivery. As soon as I finish the current book I am reading (Ian McEwan's Saturday) I will start reading it, I am really looking forward to it as it has already received some excellent reviews.

 

I did take a quick look at the acknowledgments, and it is a good sign that the author interviewed virtually all of MGM's remaining stars healthy and alive from 200 to 2005. In some cases their offspring (Sinatra, Selznick) were interviewed. I guess it is to be expected, but I was still surprised at how many of the interviewee's names were prefaced by "the late."