Movies

MGM was once Hollywood’s most successful studio. These Jewish men made it happen

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Kenneth Turan’s remarkable book, titled “Louis B. Mayer & Irving Thalberg: The Whole Equation,” is a fresh account of these Hollywood titans, Louis B. Mayer and Irving Thalberg, spanning over five decades without a single-volume narrative until now. This captivating work belongs to Yale University Press’ “Jewish Lives” series and focuses on the period in the 1920s and ’30s when these two remarkable men transformed MGM into the most prominent movie studio in Hollywood.

On one hand, there was Mayer, embodying the perfect image of a film magnate, who was once referred to as “a shark that struck even when not hungry,” and during one seven-year span, held the title of the highest-paid executive in the U.S. On the other side was Thalberg, a vibrant yet unwell individual whose youthfulness frequently led people to mistake him for an office assistant, despite his pivotal role in producing over 400 movies during his tenure at MGM. Their dedication to delivering what they thought the public desired and their efforts to establish motion pictures as a legitimate art form significantly impacted the film industry.

Born in 1884, likely in Ukraine, Mayer, who was raised by a tough junkman, immigrated to the U.S. as a child. By the age of 12, he was already participating in scrap-metal auctions on behalf of his father. As he forged his own path, he adopted a middle initial and proudly declared, as an expression of immigrant pride, that his birthday was July 4. Conversely, Thalberg, who was pampered by his mother, was born to German Jewish parents in New York in 1899. He excelled academically and developed both wit and emotional intelligence, qualities that would later prove beneficial in counterbalancing Mayer’s more impulsive behavior.

Mayer ventured into cinema early, purchasing his first theatre in 1907 and amassing wealth from displaying the controversial film “The Birth of a Nation.” He relocated to Los Angeles as Hollywood’s business practices were still evolving. It wasn’t until Adolph Zukor introduced the concept of vertical integration at Paramount in the late 1910s that the three-part production, distribution, and exhibition model became the norm for studios. When Marcus Loew combined Mayer’s emerging production company with two others, Mayer ascended to leadership roles at a newly formed studio known as MGM.

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Thalberg kick-started his meteoric rise in the film industry working as a personal assistant to Universal’s co-founder Carl Laemmle. His talent was evident, and he swiftly advanced to a position with production management. A disagreement with director Erich von Stroheim over a movie’s duration led to the reported comment from the director, “When did a child start overseeing a genius?” At just 23 years old, Thalberg moved on to Louis B. Mayer Studios as vice president, shortly before the merger that created MGM.

Turan states that Mayer and Thalberg’s partnership at MGM might have been the most impactful in Hollywood history. While Turan provides numerous examples to support this claim, he emphasizes that the unique synergy between them was especially noticeable in the 1932 film “Grand Hotel.” Records from story conferences show Thalberg’s meticulous input and belief that the project would succeed if executed well (which it did, winning the Best Picture Oscar). Interestingly, Turan highlights Thalberg more than Mayer in this analysis. Mayer, despite his dramatic performances and fainting spells, is portrayed as more of a tool for business rather than creative innovation. Despite living for 20 years after Thalberg, these later years receive only minor attention in the book.

Despite some MGM movies not holding up well over time, the studio managed to secure at least one Best Picture nomination each year until 1947. Visionary talent scouts Mayer and Thalberg were instrumental in signing stars like Greta Garbo, whose entire Hollywood career was with MGM, along with Jean Harlow, Joan Crawford, and Clark Gable. Whether or not they made MGM the “dullest” studio, as film critic David Thomson suggests, their commercial success was undeniable. In its inaugural year, only Fox Film Corp. was more profitable than MGM. By 1926, it had become the leading studio, earning comparisons to Athens during Pericles’ reign in Greece. The parent company, Loew’s, was the only film company that continued to pay dividends throughout the challenging years of the Great Depression.

Hollywood Inc.

I delve into the impact of Mayer and Thalberg’s Jewish heritage on their professional and artistic journeys. Amidst rampant antisemitism, they faced harsh ridicule and criticism over the perceived immorality of their films, despite Mayer’s traditional values leaning towards Victorian-era morals. These gentlemen were instrumental in constructing the Wilshire Boulevard Temple, a renowned Jewish house of worship led by Rabbi Edgar Magnin. They both held their Jewish identity close, with Mayer emotionally reciting the kaddish, a Jewish prayer for mourning, on the anniversary of his mother’s demise. However, the bottom line at MGM always came first: it was one of three studios to keep functioning in Germany even after the Nazis enforced a ban on employing Jews.

The continuous disagreements about profit shares, deteriorating health of Thalberg, and cunning tactics by Mayer ultimately weakened their business partnership. When Thalberg passed away in 1936, his relationship with Mayer had become so strained that it’s said Mayer commented, “How kind of God to be on my side!

Turan’s expertise perfectly matches his subject matter. Raised by Jewish immigrant parents in bustling Brooklyn cinemas, he has written that the study of Talmudic interpretation set him on his path as a critic. Over several decades, including over three decades at The Times, he has amassed an extensive reading list that allows him to add diverse viewpoints to his historical portraits. In Turan’s capable hands, Golden Age Hollywood is filled with sharp wit, and not just from well-known figures. Are you familiar with Bayard Veiller? He directed MGM’s first dramatic talkie, and Turan, as expected, has delved into his engaging autobiography. He’s unearthed documents at the Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library. He’s also read the unpublished memoir of Thalberg’s wife, Norma Shearer.

This work offers a sweeping overview of a time period that’s rapidly slipping from public consciousness. The dual biography structure might not allow for extensive exploration of the darker aspects of the tale, such as Mayer’s rumored molestation of Judy Garland or the invasive actions of the studio system on its celebrities’ personal lives. However, it serves as a compelling, well-written, and meticulously constructed account of a groundbreaking collaboration, adding significantly to the annals of Hollywood lore.

Charles Arrowsmith is based in New York and writes about books, films and music.

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2025-01-29 14:31

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