Leo the Lion (MGM)
Leo the Lion is the mascot for the Hollywood film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and one of its predecessors, Goldwyn Pictures. The logo was created by artist Lionel S. Reiss, who served as art director at Paramount Pictures.[1]
Leo the Lion
Mascot of MGM Studios
Mascot of MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc,
Beverly Hills, California,
United States
Mascot
- Goldwyn Pictures (1916–1923)
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1924–present)
1917
Unknown (1917–1921)
Since 1917, and through the time the studio was formed by the merger of Samuel Goldwyn's studio with Marcus Loew's Metro Pictures and Louis B. Mayer's company in 1924, several different lions have been used for the MGM logo.
Although MGM has referred to all of the lions used in their trademark as "Leo the Lion", only the lion in use since 1957, was actually named "Leo". In 2021, MGM debuted a new CGI logo which features a lion partially based on Leo. This version of the logo remains in use as of 2023 by Amazon MGM Studios, mainly for film productions following their acquisition of the studio in 2022.
History[edit]
Goldwyn Pictures lions (1917–1924)[edit]
The lion was chosen as the company's mascot in 1916 by publicist Howard Dietz, as a tribute to his alma mater Columbia University, whose mascot is a lion. Dietz was most directly inspired by the university's fight song, "Roar, Lion, Roar".[2] Names of the first 2 lions used for the Goldwyn Pictures logos are unknown.
Puppet[edit]
Little Leo the Lion, "son" of the "real" Leo, appears as an elaborate hand puppet on MGM Parade, a 1955–1956 television show. In the second episode, he reclines on a bookcase in the "MGM Trophy Room" set, wearing full evening dress (but no shoes). Leo interrupts host George Murphy to speak for all the cartoon animals who want to appear on MGM Parade. He introduces the animals' pitch reel, a 7-minute Tex Avery cartoon. Leo promises more acts for next week, but Murphy replies with a variation on the cliché, "Don't call me, I'll call you."