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80-472: Garland struggled with many personal problems during filming. Summer Stock was her final film for MGM, as well as her last onscreen pairing with Kelly. By mutual agreement, MGM terminated Garland's contract in September 1950, a decision studio head Louis B. Mayer said he later regretted. Jane Falbury, owner of a family farm, is told by her only two farm hands that they must leave because she hasn't paid them in

160-536: A scrap metal business, J. Mayer & Son. An immigrant unskilled in any trade, he struggled to earn a living. Young Louis quit school at age twelve to work with his father and help support his family. He roamed the streets with a cart that said "Junk Dealer" and collected any scrap metal he came across. When the owner of a tin business, John Wilson, saw him with his cart, he began giving him copper trimmings which were of no use and Mayer considered Wilson to be his first partner and his best friend. Wilson remembered that he

240-494: A bad picture. If somebody suggested canceling a movie and cutting the studio's losses, when a film had consistent production problems, Mayer would typically refuse. He relied on his instinct and intuition, said actress Esther Williams . Although he did not read full scripts, if he was given the framework of a story, he could assemble the pieces needed to see if it could be a successful film. Occasionally, when producers, directors, writers or actors were deadlocked over how to handle

320-428: A bulge here and there, rubbers to rub away the blubber, clothes designers, lighting experts, coaches for everything—fencing, dancing, walking, talking, sitting and spitting. During MGM's growth period, Mayer traveled often, and among his personal discoveries were Greta Garbo , Hedy Lamarr , Norma Shearer and Greer Garson . He also signed up dancing team Marge and Gower Champion and discovered Mario Lanza , then

400-476: A concerned father figure. He was controversial for his treatment of the actors under his management, demanding compliance from female stars by threatening their livelihoods, such as in the case of Judy Garland , whom he forced to go on diets, take drugs, and work punishing schedules. Mayer was forced to resign as MGM's vice president in 1951, when the studio's parent company, Loew's, Inc., wanted to improve declining profits. A staunch conservative, Mayer at one time

480-536: A favor to Garland, whose career needed a boost at the time, and Walters later complimented Kelly for the help he gave to Garland. However, Kelly believed that he was miscast because he was far too old for the role, and felt the script was "a piece of crap." Principal photography began in November 1949. Garland had gained weight, and costume designer Walter Plunkett tried "to make her look as thin as possible, but we weren't miracle workers and we did not succeed." The filming

560-476: A few airs son, and provide the atmosphere." Director Clarence Brown pointed out that overall, Mayer's skill was similar to Hearst's in that they both learned by doing. What Mayer couldn't do on his own, he hired the best talent he could find to do for him. "Like Hearst and Henry Ford ," said Brown, "he was an executive genius". Mayer's temper was widely known, but most people knew that his sudden bursts of anger faded quickly. With those working underneath him, he

640-612: A good suit of clothes, but never forget that this was a man working hard to be an American. —actress Esther Williams His attitude and conversational style were both professional and animated, sometimes "theatrical", observed June Caldwell, secretary to Eddie Mannix , Mayer's assistant. "Bombastic and colorful, but I never heard him use nasty language ... he had a great loyalty to everybody, and everybody respected him. And he would listen ... You could work with him." His manners were considered "impeccable". With MGM's film output as high as one film each week, he never panicked over

720-411: A high-quality studio. That goal began with their early silent films, when stars such as Greta Garbo , Mayer's discovery, acted in lush settings with spectacular camera work. Although they initially got along well, their relationship frayed over philosophical differences. Thalberg preferred literary works over the crowd-pleasers Mayer wanted. He ousted Thalberg as production chief in 1932, while Thalberg

800-538: A janitor. As a result, while other studios went through continuous upheavals or reorganizations, Mayer's hands-off policy kept MGM stable and sound, where employees felt their jobs were secure." When meeting a new employee, he always told them to come to him personally for help with any problems. Some, like Barbara Stanwyck , considered this attitude to be "pompous" however, since he used his position to meddle in people's lives. Others, such as actor Edward G. Robinson , after his first meeting Mayer, said "I found him to be

880-517: A long time. The farm is in financial straits, so she decides to obtain a tractor to help with the labor since the farm hands are gone. She goes to her fiancé Orville Wingait, who runs a local store about buying a tractor on credit. Orville's father Jasper agrees, When Jane returns to her farm, she discovers her sister, Abigail, has arrived with her musical troupe. Abigail explains after she had dropped out of art school, she met Joe Ross and joined musical theatre, becoming an actress. She then decided to use

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960-465: A man of truth ... Behind his gutta-percha face and roly-poly figure, it was evident there was a man of steel—but well-mannered steel." British director Victor Saville remembered him as being "the best listener. He wanted to know. He was the devil's advocate. He would prod you and question you and suck you dry of any knowledge." L.B. wasn't crude at all. Super-intelligent people might have found him common or crass. He may have been an immigrant with

1040-417: A multitude of issues with her mental health. This was largely the result of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, her mother, and the era's ignorance of diet and drugs. When her absences caused the production of Summer Stock to go far over budget, producer Joe Pasternak suggested that Mayer cut his losses and cancel the picture. Mayer refused, telling him, "Judy Garland has made this studio a fortune in the good days, and

1120-453: A part of his job as negotiating contracts with stars and directors. When he learned that June Allyson was dating David Rose, for instance, he told her to stop seeing him: "If you care about your reputation, you cannot be seen with a married man." Stories about his sobbing or rages have often been repeated in books, but few employees ever saw that part of him. "Mr. Mayer was to me like a father", said Ricardo Montalbán . "He really thought of

1200-415: A personal level. He respected intelligence and talent overall, said manager Joe Cohn: "One time he said to me, 'Never be afraid of hiring a fellow smarter than you are. You'll only learn from them.'" Mayer took pride in his ability to hire good people, and once hired, he left them alone to do their job without interference. That policy held true whether the person was a producer, a department head or simply

1280-407: A problem in a film, he would mediate. On Rosalie , for instance, when Nelson Eddy refused to sing a song he thought was too melodramatic, its songwriter, Cole Porter , went to Mayer and played it for him. Mayer was moved to tears by the song, and told Eddy to sing it. "Imagine making Louis B. Mayer cry," Porter later told friends. With regard to any technical issues with productions, Mayer left

1360-520: A stage actor as well as a costume and set designer. After some time in Greenwich Village , he moved back to California, this time to Hollywood, and found work as a movie extra. (He can be seen dancing with Irene , another future top designer, in Erich von Stroheim 's 1925 film The Merry Widow .) He soon made a career change to costume and wardrobe. Plunkett's first credited work as a costume designer

1440-420: A way that paid tribute to the film, most notably at the 1993 American Music Awards and the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards . He and his dancers wore suits, and a dancer stood in front of him until the beginning of the song, just like in the film, in which Garland is covered by a dancer at first. Some excerpts from the song can be heard in his performance. British singer Duffy 's " Rain on Your Parade " music video

1520-498: A young tenor from Philadelphia, who Mayer hoped to turn into a "singing Clark Gable ". When hiring new actors, he typically wanted them to agree to stay with the studio for either three or seven years, during which time they would become one of the MGM "family". The studio usually succeeded in hiring those it wanted since they offered the highest salaries. With executives, Mayer took more time before taking them, wanting to know them first on

1600-406: Is off. Abigail is then consoled by Harrison I. Keath, the musical's leading man, and the two leave the farm for New York. After learning about Abigail's abrupt departure, Joe replaces her with Jane. Orville learns about Jane's casting, and tries to shut down the musical. Before the musical begins, Joe proposes marriage to Jane, to which she accepts. In the musical's penultimate number, Jane performs

1680-520: Is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: A stage adaptation of the story by George Wells and Sy Gomberg premiered at the Goodspeed Opera House in 2023. The book of the musical was written by Cheri Steinkellner while the score retains many of the songs from the film with new ones added from the American songbook. The musical changed the characters name of Abigail to Gloria and cut

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1760-481: Is termed the "star system" . At one point he explained the process he went through in creating a star: The idea of a star being born is bush-wah. A star is made, created; carefully and cold-bloodedly built up from nothing, from nobody. All I ever looked for was a face. If someone looked good to me, I'd have him tested. If a person looked good on film, if he photographed well, we could do the rest. ... We hired geniuses at make-up, hair dressing, surgeons to slice away

1840-663: The Loew's chain, merged Metro Pictures, Samuel Goldwyn 's Goldwyn Pictures Corporation , and Mayer Pictures into Metro-Goldwyn. Loew had bought Metro and Goldwyn some months before, but could not find anyone to oversee his new holdings on the West Coast. Mayer, with his proven success as a producer, was an obvious choice. He was named head of studio operations and a Loew's vice president, based in Los Angeles, reporting to Loew's longtime right-hand man Nicholas Schenck . He would hold this post for

1920-485: The "Get Happy" number was produced three months after production ended. The number was produced in March 1950, and production on other musical numbers continued through April. After filming, Garland embarked on a long-promised vacation. Soon, however, she was called back to star with Fred Astaire and Peter Lawford in the film Royal Wedding , replacing June Allyson , who was pregnant. Once again, she struggled to perform in

2000-566: The "Get Happy" sequence. A scene in the video shows her in a blazer and tilted fedora, backed by two male dancers, dancing in a similar fashion to the original number. This is a tribute to Garland and the song's importance in the LGBT community . Louis B. Mayer Louis Burt Mayer ( / ˈ m eɪ . ər / ; born Lazar Meir ; July 12, 1884 – October 29, 1957) was a Canadian-American film producer and co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios (MGM) in 1924. Under Mayer's management, MGM became

2080-458: The "boy wonder", took charge of all MGM productions. Director Joseph M. Newman said that their skills complemented each other well, with Thalberg having a great story mind, and Mayer having superior business acumen. They shared a guiding philosophy, to make the best motion pictures they could at any cost, even if it meant reshooting the entire picture. More important than showing a consistent profit with their films was, for them, to see MGM become

2160-732: The Boston area catering to audiences of higher social classes. After expanding and moving to Los Angeles , he teamed with film producer Irving Thalberg and they developed hundreds of films. Mayer handled the business of running the studio, such as setting budgets and approving new productions, while Thalberg, still in his twenties, supervised all MGM productions. Mayer claimed to believe in "wholesome entertainment" and went to great lengths to discover new actors and develop them into major stars. During his long reign at MGM, Mayer acquired many critics and supporters. Some stars did not appreciate his attempts to control their private lives, while others saw him as

2240-516: The Circus , and The Women . Garbo laughed in Ninotchka ; Goodbye, Mr. Chips won an Oscar (it was nominated for seven); and Hedy Lamarr , another of Mayer's personal discoveries, made her film debut. Mayer became the first person in American history to earn a million-dollar salary. For nine years from 1937, when he earned $ 1,300,000 (equivalent to $ 27,552,778 today ) Mayer was the highest-paid man in

2320-496: The Hearst newspapers. Hearst, 20 years Mayer's senior, affectionately referred to Mayer as "son" and they became good friends. Mayer took Hearst's suggestion to build himself an office bungalow on the MGM lot, something Hearst said was appropriate for a studio head: "Everybody of distinction from all over the world comes to Los Angeles and everybody who comes wants to see your studio and they all want to meet you and do meet you, so put on

2400-531: The Justice Department had lifted its objections. Nonetheless, Schenck believed Mayer had cost him a fortune and never forgave him, causing an already frigid relationship to become even worse. Mayer and Thalberg were a brilliant team that worked well together. They relied on each other, and neither operated unilaterally. Mayer took charge of the business part of running the studio, such as setting budgets and approving new productions. Thalberg, eventually called

2480-468: The M-G-M chieftain, is impractical from the standpoint of any association with motion pictures. In taking this attitude he stressed the rapidity at which images must be transmitted in television and pointed out that satisfactory results cannot be obtained with this requirement. Except in some short subjects, such as educationals, travelogues , and novelties, color has no place on the screen, Mayer asserted. It has

Summer Stock - Misplaced Pages Continue

2560-761: The Orpheum, his first movie theater. To overcome an unfavorable reputation that the building had, Mayer opened with a religious film at his new Orpheum, From the Manger to the Cross , in 1912. Within a few years, he owned all five of Haverhill's theaters, and, with Nathan H. Gordon , created the Gordon-Mayer partnership that controlled the largest theater chain in New England . During his years in Haverhill, Mayer lived at 16 Middlesex St. in

2640-656: The U.S. immigration documents, the date was July 4, 1885. In addition he gave his birth year as 1882 in his marriage certificate while the April 1910 census states his age as 26 (b.1883). His parents were Jacob and Sarah (née Meltzer) Meir (both Jewish ) and he had two sisters — Yetta, born ca. 1878 and Ida, born ca. 1883. Mayer first moved with his family to Long Island , where they lived from 1887 to 1892 and where his two brothers were born—Rubin, in April 1888 and Jeremiah, in April 1891. Then, they moved to Saint John, New Brunswick , where Mayer attended school. His father started

2720-580: The United States. In his overall management skills, Mayer was considered a great executive, someone who could have run General Motors equally as well as a large studio like MGM, said producer Joseph L. Mankiewicz . He worked at the studio all the time, and decisively, without any fixed schedule, but disliked paperwork. Some said Mayer had a lot in common with newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst . Hearst had financed multiple MGM pictures, while MGM benefited by having film reviews included nationwide in

2800-531: The character of Esme, while introducing a new subplot involving Orville's mother Margaret Wingate and her trying to purchase the Falbury farm and turn it into a commercial farming business. The world premiere included Corbin Bleu as Joe Ross and Danielle Wade as Jane Falbury. The film, specifically the iconic "Get Happy" sequence, has been referenced in many pop culture contexts. Michael Jackson performed "Dangerous" in

2880-493: The city's Bradford section, closer to city center at Temple Street and at 2 1/2 Merrimac St. Mayer also lived in a house he built at 27 Hamilton Ave. In 1914, the partners organized their own film distribution agency in Boston. Mayer paid D.W. Griffith $ 25,000 for the exclusive rights to show The Birth of a Nation (1915) in New England. Mayer made the bid on a film that one of his scouts had seen, but he had not, although he

2960-425: The commissary every day. Power was supplied by an in-house electrical plant which could light a town of 25,000. In addition, MGM maintained a police force of fifty officers—larger than that of Culver City itself. "Anywhere from sixteen to eighteen pictures were being shot at one time", remembers actress Ann Rutherford . "They were either shooting or preparing to shoot on every sound stage." Mayer helped create what

3040-740: The details and solutions to MGM's engineers. He, though, like other top film executives and Hollywood stars in the 1920s and early 1930s, was often too quick to dismiss news of inventions and major innovations on the horizon that might profoundly change the movie industry or possibly challenge in the future the growing dominance of films in the realm of American entertainment. Beyond the well-entrenched aspect of sound by 1932, other technologies being discussed at that time in newspapers and on studio lots included color features, widescreen formatting, and even early television. In August 1932, after an "exclusive" interview with Mayer in New York, The Film Daily reported

3120-448: The effect of detracting interest from the story being told. In addition the cost must be considered. Examining the possibility of the wide screen, Mayer said that it eliminates the intimacy allowed by the standard-sized screen. It might be effectively used in mob scenes, he observed, but pointed out the impracticability of switching back and forth between projectors capable of projecting both sizes of pictures. With many of his actors, Mayer

3200-474: The face of exhaustion and overwork. She was fired from Royal Wedding , and her contract with MGM was terminated through mutual agreement. According to MGM's records, Summer Stock earned $ 2,498,000 in distributor rentals in the United States and Canada and $ 859,000 overseas, resulting in a loss of $ 80,000. The film played to record audiences at the Capitol Theater in New York. Future playwright Edward Albee

3280-425: The family farm to rehearse their summer stock theater production for Broadway producers. Jane confronts Joe demanding they leave, but allows them to stay for the night. During dinnertime, Jane agrees to let the troupe use their barn on the condition they perform chores around the farm. The next morning, Jane learns that Abigail is engaged to Joe. Orville arrives, telling Jane her neighbors have been complaining about

Summer Stock - Misplaced Pages Continue

3360-440: The film because of Garland's behavior, but studio head Louis B. Mayer insisted that she be given another chance. Mayer said: "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." The production was also beset by tension between Kelly and dance director Nick Castle, who almost came to blows at one time. The difficulties on

3440-654: The film industry's most prestigious movie studio, accumulating the largest concentration of leading writers, directors, and stars in Hollywood. Mayer was born in the Russian Empire and grew up poor in Saint John, New Brunswick . He quit school at 12 to support his family and later moved to Boston and purchased and renovated a small vaudeville theatre in Haverhill, Massachusetts . He renovated and expanded several other theatres in

3520-440: The film. Garland agreed to appear for another week of filming, asked to sing "Get Happy," and wore the costume she wore in the "Mr. Monotony" number cut from Easter Parade . Garland had been treated by a hypnotist for weight loss and took off 15–20 pounds; she appears considerably thinner in the number. In his biography of Walters, Get Happy , author Brent Phillips points out that production records belie subsequent claims that

3600-579: The impossible." Mayer then grabbed young Rooney by his lapels and said, "Listen to me! I don't care what you do in private. Just don't do it in public. In public, behave. Your fans expect it. You're Andy Hardy! You're the United States! You're the Stars and Stripes. Behave yourself! You're a symbol!" Mickey nodded. "I'll be good, Mr. Mayer. I promise you that." Mayer let go of his lapels. "All right", he said. One of Rooney's repeat costars in Andy Hardy and other films

3680-587: The least we can do is to give her one more chance. If you stop production now, it'll finish her", in what some consider to be his last attempt at holding on to her fame for the benefit of the studio. She completed the film, but during her next picture, Annie Get Your Gun , the studio finally ran out of patience. Costar Howard Keel recalls that "she began to fall apart". After the studio fired her, she attempted suicide. Walter Plunkett Walter Plunkett (June 5, 1902 in Oakland, California – March 8, 1982)

3760-502: The live vaudeville shows. He became enamored of the entertainment business. Then in 1904 the 20-year-old Mayer left Saint John for Boston , where he continued for a time in the scrap metal business, got married and took a variety of odd jobs to support his new family when his junk business lagged. Mayer renovated the Gem Theater, a rundown, 600 seat burlesque house in Haverhill, Massachusetts , which he reopened on November 28, 1907, as

3840-477: The most prestigious awards in the Hollywood film industry. After Thalberg died, many in Hollywood expected Mayer to "stumble and fall". Director Joseph M. Newman saw the studio start to change for the worse. Some actors were affected, such as Luise Rainer , winner of Hollywood's first back-to-back Oscars, who felt that the death of Thalberg marked the death of her career: "Had it not been that he died, I think I may have stayed much longer in films." Joan Crawford

3920-437: The movie mogul's assertions that such potential developments would never impact motion pictures in substantial, meaningful ways: Peering into the industry's future, Louis B. Mayer ... sees no great production development or invention which will again revolutionize the business, as in the instance of sound. Television, color, and wide film he dismissed as promising no important influence on motion pictures. Television, according to

4000-568: The next 27 years. Before the year was out, Mayer added his name to the studio with Loew's blessing, renaming it Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Three years after the merger, MGM became the most successful studio in Hollywood. Loew died in 1927, and Schenck became president of Loew's. Mayer and Schenck hated each other intensely; Mayer reportedly referred to his boss, whose name was pronounced "Skenk", as "Mr. Skunk" in private. Two years later, Schenck agreed to sell Loew's – and MGM – to William Fox , which angered Mayer. But despite his important role in MGM, Mayer

4080-510: The people under contract as his boys and girls." Mayer's paternalism could extend to productions; for example, he revised the Dr. Kildare stories in order to keep an ailing Lionel Barrymore , who required the use of a wheelchair due to arthritis , on the job. Some, such as young starlet Elizabeth Taylor , disliked Mayer overseeing their lives; Taylor called him a "monster", while Mickey Rooney , another young actor who co-starred with Taylor when she

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4160-596: The screen." His funeral was a major news event in Los Angeles. All the studios observed five minutes of silence, while MGM closed its studio for the entire day. Mayer dedicated MGM's front office building and christened it the Thalberg Building. He had the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences establish the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award , given to producers to recognize their exceptional careers, now considered one of

4240-446: The screen." Nevertheless, he felt Judy Garland "has her big chance to shine," particularly highlighting the "Get Happy" number with Garland "looking and performing her best." Harrison's Reports called the film "[a]n excellent Technicolor musical comedy-drama". Garland was praised as being "exceptionally good in this picture, the best she has been in a long time", while "Gene Kelly's dance routines are nothing short of superb." The film

4320-461: The set caused Walters to later call the film "absolute torture" for him. Castle did not choreograph "You Wonderful You," "All for You", and "Portland Fancy" – these were done by Kelly – but did do "Dig-Dig-Dig Dig For Your Dinner" and other numbers. He also did not shoot " Get Happy ," which was shot by Chuck Walters. Garland's work on the film ended in early February 1950, and it became evident to Walters that no "Garland payoff" appeared in

4400-509: The song " Get Happy " in a tuxedo jacket, black fedora , and black nylons. Orville arrives demanding the show be stopped. Abigail also returns, wanting her role reinstated. Jane refuses to relinquish the part, and knocks out Orville. Abigail then comforts Orville. The troupe performs a reprise of "Happy Harvest." All songs were written by Harry Warren (music) and Mack Gordon (lyrics) except where noted. Orchestration chores were divided between Conrad Salinger and Skip Martin . Summer Stock

4480-553: The studio's attorney, Edwin Loeb, to let Thalberg know that if he wanted to work for Mayer, he would be treated like a son. Although their personalities were in many ways opposite, Mayer being more outspoken and nearly twice the younger man's age, Thalberg was hired as vice president in charge of production at Louis B. Mayer Productions . Years later, Mayer's daughter, Irene Mayer Selznick , found it hard to believe that anyone "so boyish could be so important". According to Flamini, Thalberg

4560-452: The theater people disrupting the dance. They argue, and Jane decides to return the tractor to him. Joe then shows Jane the damaged tractor. She is furious and demands that they leave the farm. The following morning she discovers the troupe have purchased a new tractor, having pooled all of their money. Jane rescinds her demand and allows the troupe to finish their musical. With the musical premiere just days away, Joe encourages Jane's interest in

4640-412: The theater, where the two begin to realize their mutual attraction for each other. Jane returns to the farmhouse, where she decides to marry Orville. Despite having fallen in love with Joe, she contemplates her engagement. The next morning, during rehearsals, Abigail complains about Joe's stage directions, as she feels overworked and treated abusively. Joe then complains Abigail's timing and musical rhythm

4720-470: The troupe. Jane goes to Jasper Wingait, stating the summer stock musical will not interfere with her work around the farm. While the troupe is rehearsing, Herb Blake, one of the stage hands, uses the tractor to remove a tree stump. However, he loses control and crashes the tractor. Joe does not tell Jane and tries to have the tractor repaired. At a barn dance later that night, Jane performs a square dance duet with Joe. Afterwards, Mr. Wingait confronts Jane over

4800-425: Was Judy Garland , with whom he made nine films. Garland stated in her unfinished autobiography that Mayer molested her. In the late 1940s, she began having personal problems, which affected her acting, and Mayer tried his best to protect her star reputation while keeping her overworked and making money for MGM. She suffered from addictions to prescription drugs, severe eating disorders and domestic strains, as well as

4880-499: Was 12, formed the opposite impression: "He was the daddy of everybody and vitally interested in everybody. They always talk badly about Mayer, but he was really a wonderful guy ... he listened and you listened." Rooney spoke from experience, as he himself had some confrontations with Mayer, observed film historian Jane Ellen Wayne: Mayer naturally tried to keep all his child actors in line, like any father figure. After one such episode, Mickey Rooney replied, "I won't do it. You're asking

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4960-546: Was 1918's Virtuous Wives . A partnership was set up with B. P. Schulberg to make the Mayer-Schulberg Studio In late 1922, Mayer was introduced to Irving Thalberg , then working for Universal Pictures . Mayer was searching for someone to help him manage his small, but dynamic and fast-growing studio. At that first meeting, Thalberg made an immediate positive impression on Mayer, writes biographer Roland Flamini. Later that evening, after Thalberg had left, Mayer told

5040-475: Was a crappy childhood", said Mayer's nephew Gerald. His family was poor and Mayer's father spoke little English and had no valuable skills. It thus became young Mayer's ambition and drive that supported the family. With his family speaking mostly Yiddish at home, his goal of self-education when he quit school was made more difficult. In his spare time, he hung around the York Theatre, sometimes paying to watch

5120-584: Was a prolific costume designer who worked on more than 150 projects throughout his career in the Hollywood film industry . Born in Oakland, California , Plunkett studied law at the University of California , where he was a member of the California-Alpha chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, but showed greater interest in the school's theatrical group. He moved to New York City in 1923 and began work as

5200-555: Was also concerned, feeling that with Thalberg gone, the concept of the quality "big" picture "pretty much went out the window". However, MGM under Mayer's leadership continued to produce successful movies. Mayer made himself head of production as well as studio chief. For the next ten years, MGM grew and thrived. 1939 was an especially "golden" year: besides distributing Gone with the Wind , MGM released The Wizard of Oz , Babes in Arms , At

5280-508: Was also inspired by that sequence, and she can be seen wearing an outfit similar to Garland's, and dancing against a white background along with some male dancers dressed in suits. Actress Katie Holmes paid homage to Garland, performing "Get Happy" on the television show So You Think You Can Dance . She wore a similar outfit and danced alongside male dancers in suits in front of a match-painted background. Drag queen and recording artist Alaska Thunderfuck 's music video "Anus" pays homage to

5360-425: Was at the theater at one performance, and later recalled that after the "Get Happy" number, "the audience watching the film was breathless for a moment and then, to a person, burst into sustained applause" as if it were a live performance. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times overall felt the film had "a rather standard plot which Director Charles Walters has been patient and sometimes tedious in distributing on

5440-527: Was born in Dymer near Kyiv in Ukraine; this accords with what Mayer himself stated in his naturalization filing in 1912, where he gave his birthplace as Dumier, Russia. Andrzej Krakowski has suggested that the birthplace has been misinterpreted and Mayer was in fact from the town of Mińsk Mazowiecki in eastern Poland, which at the time was subjugated by the Russian Empire . According to his personal details in

5520-449: Was hired because, although Mayer was an astute businessman, he lacked Thalberg's strong ability to combine making films of quality with gaining commercial success. Mayer's big breakthrough was in April 1924 when his company subsequently merged with two others to become Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). The 24-year-old Thalberg was made part-owner and accorded the same position as vice president in charge of production. Marcus Loew , owner of

5600-401: Was impressed with the boy's good manners and bright personality. Whenever Mayer visited Saint John in later years, he placed flowers on Wilson's grave, just as he did on his mother's. I had been to his hometown. I knew from whence he sprang. He taught himself grammar. He taught himself manners. If anybody on earth ever created himself, Louis B. Mayer did. —actress Ann Rutherford "It

5680-535: Was in the mold of the "unknown saves show" musical genre. In 1948, MGM announced Garland and Kelly had been cast in the leading roles. However, in February 1949, the studio announced that Garland would be replaced by June Allyson . Garland was suspended in May 1949, and during the filming of Annie Get Your Gun (1950), she spent three months in a clinic for her drug addiction. Betty Hutton replaced her on that film, but Garland

5760-436: Was like an overprotective father. In some cases, especially with child actors, he could become closely involved in managing their everyday lives, telling them where to shop, where to dine, or what doctor to visit. He liked giving suggestions about how they could take better care of themselves. He sometimes arranged marriages, and coping with occupational hazards such as alcoholism, suicide, and eccentric sexual habits were as much

5840-459: Was not a shareholder, and had no standing to challenge the sale. So he instead used his Washington connections to persuade the Justice Department to delay the merger on antitrust grounds. During the summer of 1929, Fox was severely injured in an auto accident. By the time he recovered, the stock market crash had wiped out his fortune, destroying any chance of the deal going through even if

5920-423: Was recovering from a heart attack, and replaced him with producer David O. Selznick . But MGM received a serious blow when Thalberg died suddenly on September 14, 1936, at age 37. His death came as a shock to Mayer and everyone at MGM and the other studios. Mayer issued statements to the press, calling Thalberg "the finest friend a man could ever have ... the guiding inspiration behind the artistic progress on

6000-472: Was reinstated in Summer Stock , which was her first one after her suspension. Kelly was not the first choice for the role. Joe Pasternak originally wanted Mickey Rooney , but decided to cast Kelly because Rooney was no longer the box office draw he had once been. Busby Berkeley was originally slated to direct the film, but was replaced by Charles Walters before filming began. He and Kelly worked on it as

6080-457: Was sometimes a struggle for Garland, who was facing many pressures in her personal life, aside from her heavy reliance on prescription medication, and she required frequent reassurance from Walters about her appearance and the quality of her performance. He later recalled that "flattery was food for her." She was frequently late during production of the film, and her behavior was erratic. After filming began, Pasternak asked Mayer if he should abandon

6160-479: Was the 1927 film Hard-Boiled Haggerty . At RKO , he developed a huge costume and wardrobe department that became a major studio asset. Given free rein, he set about creating costumes that rivaled the work of his contemporaries, such as Travis Banton and Adrian . Plunkett's best-known work is featured in two films, Gone with the Wind (1939) and Singin' in the Rain (1952), in which he lampooned his initial style of

6240-559: Was the chairman of the California Republican Party . In 1927, he was one of the founders of AMPAS , famous for its annual Academy Awards . Mayer preferred to say that he was born in Minsk . Bosley Crowther , in an early biography, gave his birthplace as "a little town near Minsk". Other sources cite such places as Demre and Dmra, "a village between Minsk and Vilnius ". Charles Higham and Scott Eyman state that Mayer

6320-515: Was usually patient and preferred to leave department heads alone, and would fire executives if they failed to produce successful films over a long period. At its peak in the 1940s, MGM employed six thousand people, had three entrances, and covered 185 acres in Culver City , California, outside of Los Angeles . It had forty cameras and sixty sound machines, used on its six separate lots, and connected with its own rail line. About 2,700 people ate in

6400-549: Was well aware of the plot surrounding the Ku Klux Klan ; his decision netted him over $ 100,000. Using earnings from the popularity of The Birth of a Nation , Mayer partnered with Richard A. Rowland in 1916 to create Metro Pictures Corporation , a talent booking agency, in New York City. Two years later, Mayer moved to Los Angeles and formed his own production company, Louis B. Mayer Pictures Corporation . The first production

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