Leo the Lion (MGM)

Leo the Lion is the mascot for the Hollywood film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Since 1924 (when the studio was formed), there have been around five different lions used for the iconic MGM production logo, which was also first used in 1924.

Tanner was the third MGM lion, used on all Technicolor films and MGM cartoons. Tanner was the second longest serving lion, in use on the studio logo for 18 years. The current lion, which does not have a large mane (compared to the other lions that have been featured in the logo), has been in use since 1957. However, when the MGM animation department&mdash;which had closed in 1958&mdash;re-opened with new Tom and Jerry shorts in 1963, these shorts used Tanner in the opening sequence rather than the current lion.

Main Logos

 * Slats was the first lion used for the newly-formed studio. Slats was used on all black and white MGM films (1924-1928). The original logo was designed by Howard Dietz and used by the Goldwyn Pictures Corporation studio from 1916 to 1924 (see left), when the studio was ultimately absorbed into the partership that formed MGM. The MGM motto, Ars Gratia Artis (translating to Art for the sake of Art) was taken from the original Goldwyn Pictures logo and appeared on the MGM logo for the first time. The newly formed studio adopted the logo and chose Slats as the mascot. Slats was trained by Volney Phifer to growl rather than roar, and for the next couple of years, the lion would tour with MGM promoters to signify the studio's launch and survived two severe accidents. Slats died in 1936.


 * Jackie was the second lion, depicted on the right from a still from The Wizard of Oz (1939). Jackie looked almost identical to Slats, his predecessor. Jackie was also the first MGM lion whose roar (which was, in effect, a soft growl) was heard by audiences of the Silent Film Era; his roar was heard via a gramophone record. Jackie was also arguably the most memorable of the lions, appearing on all black and white MGM films (1928–1956) and MGM's Happy Harmonies cartoons (1934–1938).


 * Two lions were used for two-strip Technicolor variations of the logo in the late 1920s and early 1930s; one is depicted in the image on the right, as added to the beginning of one of the early MGM shorts. The early MGM Happy Harmonies cartoons feature the lion shown in the image here.


 * MGM began producing full three-strip Technicolor films in 1938, and the logo was slightly modified for color. Tanner was used on all Technicolor MGM films (1938–1956) and cartoons (1938–1958, 1963-1967). Tanner, who made his first feature film appearance in Sweethearts (1938) (his first cartoon appearance was earlier), was in use as Leo the Lion for 18 years, second only to the current lion (who has been retained for 49 years), and appears as if he is "grinning" in the logo. Whilst the MGM studio logo featuring Jackie may be the most memorable, it is the Tanner version of the logo that was the most frequently used version throughout the Golden Age of Hollywood.


 * Tanner was kept in the change from Academy ratio films to widescreen CinemaScope movies, as depicted on the right from Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956). This change saw the main studio logo being slightly modified; Tanner and the ribboning were made larger to cover half of the background, the marquee below the film ribbon was removed, and the studio name was arched above the film ribbon. The first letters of the name ("Metro Goldwyn Mayer") were colored red, and the rest in a tan/gold color.


 * The fourth lion was introduced in mid-1956, and was more heavily maned than any of the predecessors and the current lion. The lion seemed somewhat unnerved and appeared as if he was snarling, whereas the lions before him had roared (with the exception of Slats). The MGM logo was also redesigned slightly; the ribboning was changed from ochre colored to white, the ends of the film ribbon were slightly extended, the drama mask was simplified, and the studio name was outlined in white. Two of this lion's notable appearances include The Opposite Sex (1956) and The Wings of Eagles (1957), amongst others.


 * The fifth lion had a smaller mane than the previous lions. It was used on all MGM films from mid-1957 to 1983 and Tom and Jerry cartoons directed by Gene Deitch, 1961. It was during the period 1957-1960 that MGM used two variants of the logo featuring the fifth lion: the standard version is still used to this day, and features the lion roaring twice; the extended version features the lion roaring three times. Although the logo was in use for MGM films during 1963 and 1967, the opening sequence for the third series of Tom and Jerry (made during the aforementioned years) featured Tanner. MGM's three Camera 65/Ultra Panavision films, Raintree County (1957), Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) and Ben-Hur (1959) utilized a resized still-frame of the logo, with the lion roar track added to the backing track. However, Ben-Hur did not include the roar; instead, the film score continued underneath the still-frame of the logo. A special black and white version was created for Jailhouse Rock (1957), and was utilized again in 1982 for the Columbia Pictures film Annie during an excerpt from MGM's 1936 film, Camille, replacing the original 1928-1938 logo featuring Jackie (which had originally appeared on Camille.


 * The stylized lion, a major revamp of the logo, was short-lived, seen on only two MGM films, Grand Prix (1966) and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). However, it was retained by the MGM Records division and was also used on MGM movie posters. It was later used by the MGM Grand casinos, and a refined version of it is used in the present logo of their parent MGM Mirage.


 * The fifth lion and its surrounding logo were reintroduced soon afterwards. The lion was retained in the revamp from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to MGM/UA Entertainment Co. following MGM's acquisition of the falling United Artists. The logo (as depicted in a capture on the right) was used on all MGM films (1983–1987). It was at this time that the original lion roar was replaced with a remade, stereophonic roar track, which was redone by Mark Mangini; the first film to feature the new roar effect was Poltergeist (the roar was also used for a beast in the film). The logo was slightly revised; the capital letters of the new studio name were bolded in red and the rest in gold (MGM/UA Entertainment Co.), but the rest of the logo remained the same as its predecessor. This logo can be seen on various films; most notably the James Bond film, A View to a Kill (1985).


 * Following MGM's acquisition of United Artists in 1982, MGM films carried a newly modified version of their studio logo (see above). For UA, the original logo was retained, followed by a specially created MGM/UA Communications logo (in the style of the logo of WGBH).


 * The MGM side of MGM/UA was reverted back to its original name in 1987. The MGM/UA Communications logo was dropped, and the fifth lion continued to be utilized in the new version of the logo, as depicted in the 2001 logo on the right (1987-present). Changes were made to the logo; the ribbon was colored gold, and the drama mask below it was slightly modified. The film of the fifth lion also appeared somewhat golden-colored. Until 1993, the whole group behind MGM and UA continued with the MGM/UA branding for corporate purposes; therefore the 1987 logo carried the line An MGM/UA Company. In 2001, the studio's new website address was added to the studio logo (www.mgm.com).

Variations

 * MGM celebrated their 50th anniversary in 1974, and the studio logo was adapted to read "Golden Anniversary" on the left and right of the film loop, as depicted on the right in a still from the opening sequence of That's Entertainment! (1974), celebrating the studio's musical films. In the film loop before the logo began, the lion was replaced with "Beginning Our Next 50 Years...".


 * MGM celebrated their 60th anniversary in 1984, and the studio logo was adapted again for the occasion; the studio name was replaced with "Diamond Jubilee: Sixty Years of Great Entertainment", and the words "Metro Goldwyn Mayer" were placed where "Ars Gratia Artis" is usually seen. The film ribbon, at that time colored white, was golden colored. One notable example of this logo's appearance was at the start of 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984).


 * MGM celebrated their 70th anniversary in 1994, and the logo was again adapted, as shown on the right from That's Entertainment III. By this time, the fifth lion had been in use for 37 years, outplacing any of its predecessors.


 * MGM celebrated their 75th anniversary in 1999, and the logo was adapted for this; "75: A Legacy of Excellence" was placed in a semi-circular shape at the bottom of the logo.

Popular culture references and spoofs

 * MGM has allowed several alterations to the studio logo for several different films. Some of these include amending the logo or replacing Leo the Lion with another animal, or a character from the film:
 * In the trailer for the Marx Brothers film A Night at the Opera, MGM allowed the trio of brothers to take the place of Leo in the logo, marking the first time a lion was not used in an MGM film. While Groucho and Chico imitate a roaring lion (with the sound of a roaring lion playing), Harpo's motions produce no sound. He grabs his horn and uses the horn's sound instead of a lion's roar.
 * Tom and Jerry cartoons directed by Chuck Jones from 1963 to 1967 include Tanner roaring in the MGM logo, to be replaced by Tom meowing in the style of the lion, as depicted in the image shown on the right.
 * In The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967), the animation department added blood dripping from the lion's mouth, to keep in with the story of the film.
 * In Strange Brew (1983), the MGM logo included a new lion for that movie only, in which it appears to be drunk; the camera pans to show two characters, Bob and Doug MacKenzie, who are attempting to sober it up. One suggests to the other to "crank its tail".
 * In The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, MGM allowed a crocodile to take the place of Leo in the logo. The trailer for the film featured Steve Irwin in place of Leo, where he briefly addresses the audience.
 * In The Pink Panther (2006), the standard studio logo was again modified; after the lion's roars, an animated cartoon version of the character Inspector Clouseau appeared, as well as an animated panther.
 * The MGM Kids logo was a 'parody' of the studio logo. It featured a lion cub (in the place of Leo the Lion on the studio logo).
 * In early Technicolor MGM cartoons, MGM placed a cartoon version of the main studio logo featuring Jackie, with the same roar track.
 * The black background on the MGM logo at the start of North by Northwest (1959) was changed to green, in keeping with the main title sequence of the film.
 * In a Monty Python's Flying Circus episode, an animation shows a spoof of the MGM logo that has a small rodent appearing in the logo. In the Monty Python film And Now For Something Completely Different, there is another spoof of the MGM logo. It has a frog burping in the logo.
 * In an episode of the TV show Punky Brewster, Punky and her friends make a workout video, and they make an MGM-inspired closing logo with her dog, Brandon.
 * In an episode of the show The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius called "Lights, Camera, Danger", when Jimmy tells Goddard to get lines from famous movies, he begins it with the standard MGM logo, only with Goddard instead of Leo.
 * At the beginning of each episode of the anime OAV series Maze, Princess Mil is seen imitating Leo the Lion. Instead of roaring, she exclaims "Ukyu!".
 * Outside the Culver Hotel (Culver City, California, where MGM's original studios were based), there is a statue of Leo the Lion in a fountain at the exterior of the hotel.
 * Mary Tyler Moore's film company was called MTM, and the company's logo utilized a kitten (instead of Leo the Lion), paying homage to the MGM studio logo.
 * At the end of Maxtaro's The Plot-less Movie Trailer on YouTube, Maxtaro's hand character Handy imitates the MGM lion in a cereal box.
 * An episode of Father of the Pride briefly featured Leo the Lion.