How the controversial business practices and policies of the number one studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), contributed to the growth of the film industry.
MGM's rise to success in the early decades of Hollywood's Golden Age was due to its shrewd business practices, including the use of the studio system to maximize profits, the adoption of the "Star System" to create a cult of celebrity around its actors, and the establishment of opulent "Palace" theaters through its partnership with Loews1. Additionally, MGM pioneered technological advancements in the film industry, investing heavily in sound and color technologies that helped set it apart from its competitors and solidify its position as one of Hollywood's most successful and innovative studios.
Despite MGM Studios' essential contributions to the film industry during the 1920s, its history is marred by controversy surrounding its business practices and corporate policies, which continue to be evaluated and debated by scholars and critics. It aims to analyze the tensions between artistic vision and commercial interests that have characterized the studio's history by examining MGM's impact on the film industry and its role in shaping Hollywood's golden age.
Footnotes
1. Steven Bingen, et al. MGM : Hollywood’s Greatest Backlot. Santa Monica Press, 2011. EBSCOhost, MGM: Hollywood's Greatest Backlot
Credits
Andrew Runge