Metro Studios-historical site (Los Angeles, California) | film/video production studio/facility, historic site

 film/video production studio/facility, historical layer / disappeared object, historic site

Historical place of interest.

The precursor to MGM, this was the location of Metro's first West Coast studio. Founded by Al Lichtman and later bought by Richard Rowland and Louis B. Mayer and incorporated as Metro Pictures Corp. Mayer merged his Mayer Pictures into the company and acted as Secretary of the corporation and headed his own production unit.

Before Metro moved in, it was the studio first of Charles Chaplin and Buster Keaton, and was just the small lot located at the northeast corner (Lillian and Eleanor).

It didn't take long for Metro to begin acquiring more property and eventually occupied 4+ city blocks, making it Hollywood's largest studio at the time.

Known by four addresses: 1025 Lillian (the address during the Chaplin and Keaton era, 1035 Eleanor, a different side of the lot, Metro established this as their main address, 6300 Romain, another side of the small studio, and 846 Cahuenga, the address used when they acquired the rest of their properties (and the address currently used by Red Studios).

Metro ran into financial trouble in 1924 and Marcus Lowe bought in to provide a steady supply of films for his Lowe's Theater chain. Soon after Metro merged with Goldwyn Studios (ousting Goldwyn from participation) and folding in Louis B. Mayer Productions.

At this point the company, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer closed the Hollywood studio and moved into Goldwyn's much larger facility in Culver City.

(Side note: The famous M-G-M monogram, logo, and Lion's roar were actually the symbols of the Goldwyn Studios and conveniently changed for use by M-G-M).

www.mgm.com/