"Lion of Hollywood" is the definitive biography of Louis B. Mayer,
the chief of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer -- MGM -- the biggest and most
successful film studio of Hollywood's Golden Age.
An immigrant from tsarist Russia, Mayer began in the film
business as an exhibitor but soon migrated to where the action and
the power were -- Hollywood. Through sheer force of energy and
foresight, he turned his own modest studio into MGM, where he
became the most powerful man in Hollywood, bending the film
business to his will. He made great films, including the fabulous
MGM musicals, and he made great stars: Garbo, Gable, Garland, and
dozens of others. Through the enormously successful Andy Hardy
series, Mayer purveyed family values to America. At the same time,
he used his influence to place a federal judge on the bench, pay
off local officials, cover up his stars' indiscretions, and, on
occasion, arrange marriages for gay stars. Mayer rose from his
impoverished childhood to become at one time the highest-paid
executive in America.
Despite his power and money, Mayer suffered some significant
losses. He had two daughters: Irene, who married David O. Selznick,
and Edie, who married producer William Goetz. He would eventually
fall out with Edie and divorce his wife, Margaret, ending his life
alienated from most of his family. His chief assistant, Irving
Thalberg, was his closest business partner, but they quarreled
frequently, and Thalberg's early death left Mayer without his most
trusted associate. As Mayer grew older, his politics became
increasingly reactionary, and he found himself politically isolated
within Hollywood's small conservative community.
"Lion of Hollywood" is a three-dimensional biography of a figure
often caricatured and vilified as the paragon of the studio system.
Mayer could be arrogant and tyrannical, but under his leadership
MGM made such unforgettable films as The Big Parade, Ninotchka,
"The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St. Louis, " and "An American in
Paris."
Film historian Scott Eyman interviewed more than 150 people and
researched some previously unavailable archives to write this major
new biography of a man who defined an industry and an era.
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