Who Was The Real Louis B Mayer?
Movie mogul Louis B Mayer created a culture of fear with his tenacious grip on the life of any star who worked for him. If he didn’t like their hairstyle, their body shape, or even who they were dating, he’d see to it that the correct changes were made—whether they wanted them or not. And yet, some stars saw him as a father figure, one who cared deeply for their careers. Will the real Louis B Mayer please stand up?
1. His Birth Was A Mystery
There’s quite the mystery surrounding the location and date of Louis B Mayer’s birth. He may have been born in Minsk, or some say near Minsk. Others are sure he was born in Eastern Poland. As far as when goes, the year may have been in 1885 or perhaps in 1882. We do know one thing, though.
Mayer and his family arrived in America in 1887, and they lived in Long Island. But they didn’t stay long.
Unknown photographer, Wikimedia Commons
2. He Had A Rough Childhood
Soon Mayer and his family moved to Saint John, Newfoundland in Canada. Times were tough, and his father had two strikes against him. He had no workable skills and barely spoke English. Mayer joined his dad in the only field where he could find work—as a "junk dealer". Thankfully there were vaudeville shows in Saint John, and Mayer soon became addicted to show business.
Strobridge Lithographing Co., Cincinnati & New York, Wikimedia Commons
3. He Started With A Theater
When Mayer turned 20, he realized he needed a change. He moved to Boston, Massachusetts where he continued in the junk business. So, not much of a change after all. But soon Mayer was in show business. He bought a burlesque theater near Boston and quickly tried to give it a makeover.
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4. They Cleaned It Up
Mayer didn’t want any association with burlesque, so he came up with an ingenious way to wipe the theater clean. The first film he ran was a religious film called From the Manger to the Cross. It worked—and soon, Mayer and his partner were running all five theaters in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Next, the partners decided to go into film distribution.
These two would stop at nothing to make it big.
5. He Made A Killing
One of Mayer’s scouts had seen a film called The Birth of a Nation and he advised Mayer and Gordon to get the rights to it for New England. Without even seeing the film, Mayer agreed and paid $25,000 for the exclusive rights. From this, he made a whopping $100,000. But there was something very, very wrong with this film.
Birth of a Nation (1915) | Full Drama War Film | Lillian Gish, Film Masters TV
6. It Was A Controversy
The source material for The Birth of a Nation was a novel called The Clansmen and yes, it does refer to that “clan”. Some have called The Birth of a Nation the “most reprehensibly racist film in Hollywood history”. This didn’t seem to bother Mayer one little bit. He used the revenue from this to start Metro Pictures Corporation.
His next stop was California.
Birth of a Nation (1915) | Full Drama War Film | Lillian Gish, Film Masters TV
7. He Met A “Wunderkind”
Once Mayer hit LA, he set up Louis B Mayer Pictures Corporation. Mayer was interviewing for someone to help him manage his ever-expanding company when he met Irving Thalberg. Thalberg was working for Universal Pictures and he made a strong impression on Mayer. This caused Mayer to make him a very unusual offer.
National Photo Company, Wikimedia Commons
8. He Was Like Family
Mayer was so impressed with Thalberg that he offered him more than just money and a secure job. He promised that, if Thalberg came to work for him, Mayer would regard him like a son. Thalberg couldn’t exactly say no to such an offer, and the two began a working relationship that would span many years.
But this friendly and familial relationship was not the norm for Mayer.
9. He Called Him Names
In 1924, Mayer merged with two other companies and created Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer but this meant that Mayer was no longer the boss. He had to answer to Nicholas Schenck, who was the right-hand man of Marcus Loew. Schenk hated Mayer and the feeling was mutual. Allegedly, Mayer had a cruel secret nickname for his rival Mr Schenk—“Mr Skunk”.
But Mr Skunk couldn’t stop Mayer from creating the Hollywood we know today.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Wikimedia Commons
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10. He Wanted Quality
Sure Mayer hated his boss, but he and Thalberg continued to get on like a house on fire. They agreed on the most important thing about filmmaking, which was to make quality films no matter what the budget. Another thing that Mayer and Thalberg both wanted was to get the best available talent.
Together they brought us some of our biggest stars.
11. He Saw A Beauty
On a trip to Berlin, Mayer caught a glimpse of a beauty in a Swedish film. This was Greta Garbo—and Mayer was so taken with her that he invited her to America. In 1925, Garbo took the 10-day arduous crossing to America and then waited for her career to begin. Well, she had to wait a long time.
Genthe, Arnold, 1869-1942, photographer, Wikimedia Commons
12. He Ignored Her
Mayer had invited Garbo to come to America and when she did, he ignored her. Six months passed, and Garbo was still in America and hadn’t heard a word from Mayer or anyone related to his company. Eventually, someone worked as a go-between and got Thalberg to meet up with Garbo. He gave her a screen test and realized that Mayer had been right.
She had what it took to be a big star.
Alexander Binder, Wikimedia Commons
13. He Didn’t Know What To Do With Her
Once Garbo was back on Mayer’s radar, he wanted to put her in a film. Not sure what to do with the Swedish actor, they made her into a Spanish peasant in the 1926 film Torrent. Audiences liked her, and Mayer was happy to see that he’d been right about her from the start.
It seemed that Mayer could do no wrong as long as he had Thalberg by his side. Well, that was about to come to an end.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Wikimedia Commons
14. He Lost Him
Mayer and Thalberg seemed like an invincible match made in heaven—but fate had a cruel twist in store for them. In 1936, 37-year-old Thalberg fell ill with pneumonia while working on a set. Sadly, this sealed his sad fate. Instead of getting better, he only got sicker—eventually requiring an oxygen tent. But it was not enough. He passed on September 14 of that year.
Now Mayer had to prove he could work without Thalberg.
15. He Was On His Own
A number of people in the film industry suspected that it was Thalberg who put the quality in MGM films. With Thalberg gone, they suspected that the company would falter. But this didn’t happen. Three years after Thalberg passed, Mayer had a glorious year with unforgettable titles such as Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz.
But one thing did change when Mayer was on his own.
Frankly My Dear, I Don't Give a Damn - Gone with the Wind (6/6) Movie CLIP (1939) HD, Movieclips
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16. He Liked Family Entertainment
As it turned out, it was Thalberg who pushed MGM to make films with more “adult” stories. Mayer was happier making movies for families. He had great respect for marriage and mothers and this showed in his choices of films. Some might say that Mayer’s love for mothers went a little too far.
Los Angeles Times, Wikimedia Commons
17. He Was A Momma’s Boy
You see, Mayer’s mother had passed back in 1913—and, as her favorite child, he took the loss hard. To honor her, he took her picture and hung it in a strange place: right above his bed. Any woman invited there would certainly have to measure up to dear old mom. There was, however, something that Mayer loved probably just as much as dear mother: money.
18. He Was The First
Starting in 1937, Mayer’s pay from MGM was a staggering $1.3 million. If you look at that in today’s dollars it would be almost $30 million. He had, in fact, the highest salary of anyone in America. But besides being a good businessman, what skills did he have when it came to making movies?
Just one: He could spot a face that could captivate moviegoers.
Unknown Photographer, Wikimedia Commons
19. He Made Stars
Mayer truly believed that the studio made the star. As long as they looked good and photographed well, he said that the studio could do the rest. They did it with makeup, hair, and even surgery to remove the bits that didn’t look picture-perfect. Of course, the stars could learn how to act and dance easily enough. All that mattered was the look.
And the same was true for the youngsters.
General Photographic Agency, Getty Images
20. He Loved Children
Mayer also had an interest in developing child stars. He took good care of them by providing both a good education and medical support, as well as tutors for acting and dancing. One biographer said that what he loved about children was the wholesomeness they brought to movies.
Sadly, there was a dark side to his handling of child stars.
21. He Was A Father Figure
Mayer saw no problem with getting involved in his actors’ lives, and this was especially true for the younger stars. Elizabeth Taylor despised being under Mayer's thumb and went so far as to call him a “monster”. Mickey Rooney, however, saw it differently and claimed that Mayer was like a "daddy" and a "wonderful guy".
But Rooney and Mayer didn’t always get along so well either.
Studio publicity still, Wikimedia Commons
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22. He Got Angry
When Rooney was appearing in the Andy Hardy films series, he got on the wrong side of Mayer. The imposing movie mogul grabbed little Rooney by this coat and reminded him that he was a symbol of America, and that when he was in public he would behave himself. A stunned Rooney had little choice but to agree.
Rooney managed to work alongside Mayer—but when it came to Judy Garland, Mayer was at his most monstrous.
MGM - Clarence Bull, photographer, Wikimedia Commons
23. She Was An Ugly Duckling
Mayer had personally discovered Garland in 1935 when she was performing in a Vaudeville show with her sisters. After signing her on, he put her into his own acting school. Compared to the others, Garland was no standout beauty and she knew it. You see, Mayer called her his “little hunchback”.
But things were actually even worse than that.
Los Angeles Times, Wikimedia Commons
24. He Wasn’t Healthy
Mayer was a father figure to his young stars, but he wasn’t always a healthy one. Mayer and his studio were always on Garland’s back regarding her weight. As the story goes, when she was working for MGM, the studio would provide her with a peculiar lunch in place of the normal meal she desired: a serving of chicken soup and a black coffee.
Sadly, there were far worse things Mayer was up to.
20th Century Fox, Wikimedia Commons
25. He Was Inappropriate
Mayer was known to get uncomfortably close to some of his young stars. For instance, during singing lessons, he would have Garland perch on his lap. One biographer even claimed that he put his "hands on her chest". Sadly, there were even more despicable methods that Mayer used to control his most vulnerable actors.
26. He Kept Them Hyper
To make maximum profits, Mayer kept his young actors working at an incredible, yet disturbing, pace. When they ran out of steam, Garland claimed that the studio—upon Mayer's instructions—gave her and other young actors stimulants to help them keep working. Of course, then they couldn’t sleep.
But horrifyingly, Mayer had a solution for that too.
27. He Had Complete Control
After a hard day of taking amphetamines and working long hours, it was sometimes difficult for Mayer’s dutiful actors to conk out and get a good night’s sleep. Mayer liked easy solutions, and this one was to serve up barbiturates. Telling them when to rise and when to sleep was the studio head's way of having complete control over their lives.
But Mayer’s control didn’t stop when Garland became an adult.
CBS Television Network., Wikimedia Commons
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28. He Didn’t Approve
Garland was just a teenager when she started a relationship with songwriter David Rose, who was 12 years older. Mayer and the studio didn’t approve of the relationship and put pressure on Garland to end it. Garland refused and bravely married Rose when she was just 18. But she pushed Mayer even further when she dared to get pregnant.
29. They Joined Forces
The problem Mayer and the studio had with Garland and Rose was that Garland needed to maintain a sweet, youthful reputation. Doing things like getting married and getting pregnant could ruin this. To keep her reputation intact, Mayer, the studio, and Garland’s mother joined forces to pressure her to end the pregnancy. And so, that's exactly what she ended up doing.
But despite his twisted way of treating Garland, Mayer also acknowledged just how much success she had brought to the studio.
Eric Carpenter, Wikimedia Commons
30. He Surprised Everyone
In 1950, when Mayer was making Summer Stock with Garland, the film began struggling with some major budget problems. The director thought the problems were all a result of Garland’s repeated absences and he suggested canceling the picture. Mayer had a shocking response: "Judy Garland has made this studio a fortune in the good days, and the least we can do is to give her one more chance. If you stop production now, it'll finish her".
Still, Mayer's relationship with Garland didn't end well.
Get Happy – Judy Garland | Summer Stock | Warner Archive, Warner Bros. Classics
31. She Went At Herself
Garland’s film after Summer Stock was Royal Wedding—except, she didn’t get a chance to finish it. Once again, she failed to show up for work, and this time, Mayer and MGM were not about to show her any kindness. They suspended her. Sources say she was so unstable in the wake of this blow that she hurt her neck with a shard of glass. By the end of 1950, she and MGM were officially done with one another.
But it wasn’t only Garland who got poor treatment from Mayer.
32. He Kept Her Single
Jean Harlow was another star under Mayer’s watchful eye. Harlow was an on-screen seductress and, because of this, Mayer didn’t want her to get married—to anyone. He wanted to maintain the seductive illusion. To ensure this, sources say Mayer heartlessly had a no-marriage clause written into her contract.
Mayer also wielded his power over the studio's male actors.
Revista Ecran, Wikimedia Commons
33. He Liked His Men To Be Men
Mayer kept a watchful eye on the single men who acted under the MGM banner. He assumed that if they were single for too long, audiences might think they were gay. For this reason, he liked to set up the single men with women for very public dates. This was the least harmful scenario.
What happened to Jimmy Stewart was outright madness.
Carl Van Vechten, Wikimedia Commons
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34. He Wanted It To Be Clear
It’s A Wonderful Life actor Jimmy Stewart remained single for too long and one of Mayer’s minions had an order for him. He told Stewart to march on down to the bordello—the one that was right on the MGM lot—and have his way with some women. He said it would be best just so Mayer wouldn’t think he was gay.
It was even worse for Van Johnson.
Studio publicity still, Wikimedia Commons
35. He Was A Nasty Cupid
In 1947, Mayer had a problem. There were rumors that one of his leading men, Van Johnson, was gay. Mayer’s solution was to get Johnson married as soon as possible. Johnson’s best friends were actor Keenan Wynn and his wife Eve Lynn Abbott. Mayer had the incredible idea for Abbot to divorce her husband and marry Johnson instead.
When Abbot said no, Mayer had an evil way of convincing her.
Photographer: Eric Carpenter (1909–1976), Wikimedia Commons
36. She Had No Choice
Mayer warned Abbot that if she didn’t get a divorce and tie the knot with Johnson, he would cut her husband's contract at the knees. Abbot later said that she was quite content with her marriage to Wynn but had little choice but to do what Mayer said. This fake marriage lasted two long decades.
Controlling the lives of his actors was becoming a full-time job, and Mayer had to bring in reinforcements.
Evening Standard, Getty Images
37. He Had To Fix Things
Mayer certainly couldn’t bother to take care of every little problem himself. For this reason, he had some special workers on his payroll—people called fixers, who could carry out his dirty work. Howard Strickling was in charge of controlling the stories that went into the media and then there was Eddie Mannix. He was the very scary man that dealt “hands on” with actors getting into trouble.
The thing was, Mayer himself was no angel.
38. He Chased Her
As the story goes, Mayer sought out a romantic relationship with actor Jean Howard. On one alarming occasion, he reportedly chased Howard through a room. Of course, Howard came back at him with the most suitable response: “No way". Howard wanted nothing to do with Mayer, so she made it clear by marrying someone else.
But this just made Mayer mad.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
39. He Got Revenge
When Howard married agent Charles K Feldman, she really got under Mayer's skin—and he wasn’t about to just let things go. No, he needed to get his revenge. He completely banned Feldman from the MGM lot and then went a step further. He refused to hire any of his clients. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Feldman’s wasn’t the only career Mayer messed with.
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40. He Sabotaged Her
Another star Mayer wanted to usher beneath his bedsheets was Esther Ralston. If you don’t know this name, it’s for a devastating reason. Ralston contends that Mayer canceled her contract and basically sabotaged her entire career. After refusing Mayer, she got only small roles with minor studios.
In other cases, working for Mayer could be downright criminal.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
41. There's A Dark Rumor About Him
Another Mayer legend involves Gone With the Wind star Clark Gable. According to a wild rumor, an inebriated Gable caused a fatal accident. Instead of ending up behind bars, Gable supposedly got off scot-free because of Mayer. As the story goes, Mayer convinced an executive at MGM to take the blame.
But amidst all of these chilling accounts, there were times when Mayer had a chance to show off his great big "heart".
Studio publicity still, Wikimedia Commons
42. He Cried
In 1937, MGM was making the musical Rosalie, and actor Nelson Eddy refused to sing a song that he thought was overly dramatic. Cole Porter, the man who had written the song, went straight to Mayer and complained. When Porter performed the song for Mayer, he broke down in tears. Needless to say, Eddy sang it in the end.
However, when it came to Mayer's crying, one couldn't always be sure whether his emotions were real or not. You see, many agree that Mayer's greatest talent was manipulation.
43. He Was His Own Star
Mayer was constantly in the presence of great actors, but some suggest he was the greatest of them all. After all, he always got what he wanted. When he needed something from someone you could find him begging, crying, and even becoming threatening all in the span of a single interaction.
Mayer’s next feud was with an entire country.
44. He Criticized The Enemy
As the US entered WWII, Mayer made two films that criticized Germany. He did this despite knowing the shocking risk. The thing was, income from Hollywood films in Europe made up 30 to 40 percent of the box office. Following their release, the German government held the threat of a boycott over MGM's head, promising to remember this slight against them.
Mayer was playing a dangerous game.
45. He Ignored Them
When it looked like Germany would win WWII, the Hays Office told Mayer—and other film execs—to stop making anti-German films. Mayer felt strongly about what was happening in Europe, and the opposite. He ignored the Hays Office and made one of his best films ever.
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46. He Inspired
Although it would break the Hays Office ban on anti-German films, Mayer made Mrs Miniver about the effects of WWII on a family living in the English countryside. This turned out to be totally worth it. The film swept up six Academy Awards and later snagged the number 40 spot in the AFI’s list of most inspirational films.
Mayer was at the height of his popularity, but it was only downhill from there.
47. He Couldn’t Cut It
After WWII, it seemed that the movie-going crowd had lost their appetite for films. The word from the top was to cut costs while making movies. Mayer had always been a “big-picture“ kind of guy, and he struggled. Though he left MGM in 1951, he wasn't done quite yet. He decided to go even bigger.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
48. He Went Wide
Dreaming big, Mayer invested in Cinerama. This was a process of screening films that required three projectors and a huge curved screen. Well, it didn't work out for Mayer, and he walked away from the company in 1954. It looked like Mayer’s days in the movie business were running out—but little did he know, he only had a brief amount of time left.
Chemical Engineer, Wikimedia Commons
49. He Received Honors
Mayer passed on October 29, 1957, from leukemia. During his life, he received an honorary Oscar for his work with MGM. A theater in Santa Clara and a street in Laval, Quebec both now feature his name. He also has a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame. However, not everyone regarded his passing with such respect.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
50. He Gave Them What They Wanted
At his 1957 memorial service, the Hollywood elite were there in droves to honor the passing of a great force in Hollywood. Allegedly, comedian Red Skelton was there and famously—and cruelly—quipped: ”Like he used to say, give the public what they want, and they'll always show up!".
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