44 replies to this topic

[triviachamp]

It's bad news. MGM is a half-baked production company, not a real studio. I don't want to see Bond back (solely) in their hands.

I hear ya. Some people have said that MGM is good for Bond because Bond is the only thing MGM has. However MGM is as you say "a half-baked production company" so this is not saying much.

I'm not even sure it's the same company -- I heard once that the MGM hotel chain is the original MGM corporation who lease the "MGM" name and logo to this relatively new Hollywood entity

Sounds like you are refering to how Ted Turner leased the MGM/UA trademarks back to Kerkorian back in 1986. I don't know much corporate stuff though.

They live off their library (and Bond) and have never pulled it together production-wise.

Hell, it's not even the movies from their glory days which are Warners.

MGM has been predicting its comeback since Mayer was fired probably. I am not holding my breath.

[triviachamp]

I should point out that Mayer was quite fond of series pictures; Andy Hardy, Dr. Kildare, Maisie, The Thin Man, etc.

Of course they were cheap and their values were different from Bond's.

[Napoleon Solo]

This was mentioned in a previous post, but just a little more detail:

--Ted Turner bought MGM in the mid-1980s. But it took a lot of debt and Ted found he couldn't afford it. So he essentially sold MGM back to Kerk Kerkorian but kept the film library.

--Turner's company was eventually taken over by Time Warner, parent company of Warner Bros.

--That's why Warners controls most, if not all, of the classic MGM film library (which also includes some TV series originally produced by MGM). MGM, though, I believe continued to control the old United Artists film library (which included the classic Bond movies).

Two or three years ago, I attended a media event at the Sony (former MGM) lot and, yes, it's a shadow of its former self, which much of the acreage having been long sold off for commercial development.

[RivenWinner]

Good to see film buffs hanging around, always great.

MGM/United Artists is perhaps my favorite Hollywood studio. I have kept track of news and information regarding them for years now, and I love reading about their history and trivia.

It is in fact a sad history, one plagued by corporate takeovers, mergers, sales, and just plain old bad leadership. All these problems, compounded with each other, have left MGM/UA to what it is today. It's sad, and it hurts to see a once great studio like this. Like someone said, all they really do is live off of their library (almost all of which is UA's) and off of Bond (and to a lesser extent Stargate).


If you actually look back at the 90s, MGM/UA wasn't really doing all that bad. They had a ton of films come out, some which were pretty, and even some commercially sucessfully ones. I'm not saying that they were doing great, but they were getting along.

The latest buyout really hurt them though, but I was really glad when MGM's board voted to open the studio back up after a year of Sony-led control. Harry Sloan is a smart CEO, and he's already done some good things to get the company back on track, but the road ahead is a long one.


I place a lot of the blame on Kirk Kerkorian---I can't stand people like this who just have millions sitting around and all they do is buy stuff, merge it, disband it, or resell it. Hate it. Ted Turner gets a lot of the blame as well. I think he only had control of the studio for like 70 days or something----what was the point of the purchase---he could not forsee problems that much ahead of time? Course he went out happy plundering the studio's library, and thus providing his new up and coming networks...TNT, TBS, etc. with plenty of stuff to air. Remember the old days when TNT and TBS would give like westerns, epics, and tons of classic movies? Yeah...


alas.

Edited by RivenWinner, 01 December 2007 - 04:34 PM.

[Napoleon Solo]

Ted Turner gets a lot of the blame as well. I think he only had control of the studio for like 70 days or something----what was the point of the purchase---he could not forsee problems that much ahead of time? Course he went out happy plundering the studio's library, and thus providing his new up and coming networks...TNT, TBS, etc. with plenty of stuff to air. Remember the old days when TNT and TBS would give like westerns, epics, and tons of classic movies? Yeah...


alas.

That was before Turner created Turner Classic Movies, which is where all the classic (and not-so-classic, but much of interest) now resides. Besides the major gems of the old MGM library, it has some interesting films that don't get viewed all that often.

Case in point: MGM's first TV series MGM Cavalcade (I think), which came out in 1955. It was a half-hour show hosted by George Murphy. One segment would be comprised of a classic short; another segement would be a clip from a classic feature; and the third would be an interview with an established or up-and-coming star. One such segment was with none other than Roger Moore while he was filming some period piece.

The series only lasted one season. Something else in the MGM vaults (which I have not seen on TCM) is the TV series version of The Thin Man, with Peter Lawford in the William Powell role. A year or two ago, Warners put out a boxed set of all The Thin Man movies. It also included one episode of the Lawford series. The villain in the episode was played by Alan Reed, who would go on to be the original voice of Fred Flintstone.

The executive producer (of at least that one episode)? Richard Maibuam.

[triviachamp]

One such segment was with none other than Roger Moore while he was filming some period piece.

Must have been Diane, Lana Turner's last MGM movie. Her first independent film? Another Time, Another Place with...Sean Connery!

The executive producer (of at least that one episode)? Richard Maibuam.

One of the Golddiggers movies was based on a play of his.

[Forward Look]

One such segment was with none other than Roger Moore while he was filming some period piece.

Must have been Diane, Lana Turner's last MGM movie.

Also starring Roger Moore and the late Pedro Armendariz, aka Kerim Bey from FRWL. And filmed at the same mansion near Paris that was also used for Sir Sean's jetpack sequence in TB

[Napoleon Solo]

One such segment was with none other than Roger Moore while he was filming some period piece.

Must have been Diane, Lana Turner's last MGM movie. Her first independent film? Another Time, Another Place with...Sean Connery!

Based on the DVD box art, you would appear to be correct. I certainly remember Sir Rog with a sword during the MGM Calvacade interview.

[[dark]]

In fact, I'm always a little sad when I go to Sony, because that was the old MGM lot (and I remember when it was MGM). There's just something wrong about seeing the name "Columbia Pictures" on the Thalberg building. And the last time I was there I saw the old soundstage that still held a strip of yellow brick road had been torn down.

I'm still gutted about that, zen!

[scaramunga]

Is there any possibility that MGM home video distribution (handled by Fox right now) would also change as a result of the theatrical distribution going back to MGM?

I'm just kind of hoping somehow that the Bond films will end up on both HD formats. Blu Ray disc and HD-DVD.

I know I'm dreaming. : )

I guess part of me would like to see Bond remain with MGM, just for the independence from Sony, but then again Sony's deep pockets and stability as a studio is good for Bond too.

[Professor Dent]

I'm just kind of hoping somehow that the Bond films will end up on both HD formats. Blu Ray disc and HD-DVD.

It's doubtful. MGM is signed on to the Blu-ray camp. You can read the propaganda from both camps saying they are winning the war but these formats are still a niche market. The best hope is that we see some Bond in high-def by the time Bond 22 hits the theaters.

[scaramunga]

Thanks Professor!

I've actually seen a few MGM titles have been released in Europe on HD-DVD. I believe the original version of The Fog is one of them.

http://www.amazon.co...n/dp/B000O76U9O

The format war has been a really messy thing.

I'll be happy whatever format they end up coming out on. It sounds like further mastering will also be needed for the HD transfers too.

[Professor Dent]

I haven't seen any MGM titles in the states on HD-DVD but, then again, I haven't looked that hard either. From what I've read, the HD mastering for the movies is done. They were transferred into 1080p by Lowery Digital when they did the clean-up for the Ultimate Edition DVD's. Well, even if they don't release them in HD next year, I'm pretty happy with the Ultimate Editions.

[scaramunga]

Agreed, the Ultimate Editions are awesome. I'm so happy with how they turned out. It was quite a wait for them, but so worth it.

Good news that no further mastering is needed for HD.

It would be nice if they could somehow clear up the edge enhancement lines on The Spy Who Loved Me. The clarity and color on the new Ultimate Edition of the film is stunning. However I have noticed the edge enhancement lines at times.

[Mr. Blofeld]

Agreed, the Ultimate Editions are awesome. I'm so happy with how they turned out. It was quite a wait for them, but so worth it.

I wish they'd fix the cropping on GoldenEye, though.