Going behind the scenes at one of Hollywood’s greatest movie studios, this extraordinary history reveals the untold story of the soundstages and outdoor sets where many of the world’s greatest films were produced. Featuring candid, previously unpublished photographs from the studio’s archives and exclusive interviews with actors and staff, this detailed exploration of MGM’s backlot—the setting for more than a fifth of the films produced prior to 1980—takes film buffs back to Hollywood’s golden age, offering an insider’s look at the movie business and celebrating many of its best films and the leading actors of the studio system. Today, when a film set can be anywhere at anytime, this treasure trove of information reveals the creativity and ingenuity of a bygone era when the studio system, coping with the limitations of space and technology, produced screen gems such as The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, and the Our Gang shorts.
MGM: Hollywood's Greatest Backlot
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Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
"The world probably will not see anything quite like it again," concedes talk show host Dick Cavett about the Culver City home to some of the 20th century's most renowned and respected actors, actresses, screenwriters, and artists. A production company in its truest sense, the eventual 1924 merger of Metro, Goldwyn, and Mayer pioneered an assembly-line approach to filmmaking and initial profits paved the way for the introduction of sound stages and innovations in set design, special effects, and many other aspects of film production. Chapters are sub-divided into "Lots"—as was the MGM site itself—and readers are transported into a bygone era through candid b&w photographs, lucid commentaries, testimonials, and anecdotes that bestow a behind-the-scenes experience. But the tale had a darker side as well: cracks were showing in the pristine veneer and the editors aptly include the studio's undignified demise amidst squandered assets and disillusioned takeover attempts. Film-buffs, historians, sociologists, and economists will swoon at the intricacy and insider information here; detailed balance sheets of frequently over-blown production budgets are even included. Readers will be educated, inspired, and enthralled by this handsome book. Photos. (Feb.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review
"Reading this was like being there. I know. I was there." —Clint Eastwood
"The first ten films I made for MGM changed my life. Now you can go back in time—as I have—in the pages of this remarkable book, learning how and where the ‘Land of Make Believe’ became real. Once you take the journey, you, too, will be transported." —Angela Lansbury
"What a cornucopia of valuable behind-the-scenes information and rare photos. I’ve got one word to describe this book: Irresistible!" —Leonard Maltin
"For anyone who has ever dreamed what it was like to live in the Golden Age of Hollywood, this visit to my grandfather’s studio will vividly re-create the experience." —Daniel Mayer Selznick
"This comprehensive history uses detailed text and a wealth of behind the scenes photos to take you through the most storied of major studio lots. If you love classic Hollywood, this book is a knockout." —Kenneth Turan
"I was under contract with MGM for six years and twenty four films, and seeing this extraordinary new book of photos and commentary took me, and will take you, on a journey where Louis B. Mayer’s ‘More Stars Than There Are in Heaven’ acted on the magnificent grounds and sets of MGM’s five backlots." —Richard Anderson
"What an achievement! Having spent a great deal of time on the backlot myself, this book brought forth so many memories. The description of the last days of MGM is brilliantly done, and the list of films shot on the various sets is incredible. All in all, it’s a spectacular project!" —Kevin Brownlow
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
61 of 62 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is one of the finest books I have ever seen produced on the subject of motion pictures! Like another reviewer I found myself looking at the photographs for minutes at a time trying to see the details in each backlot scene. It is truly a work of spectacular dimensions and I congratulate the authors who have tried to create something for every cinema lover and classic motion picture collector. I have just retired from 40 years in the television and motion picture industry and I have never seen a compilation such as this. I will be buying copies of this book for Christmas and birthday gifts! When you find something you enjoy as much as I enjoyed this work you will want to share it with everyone. Put it on your Christmas list - you can't go wrong!
50 of 50 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The title of this book is QUITE misleading. Upon hearing about the book, I expected just a tour around the backlot of one of the most impressive movie studios in the world. When I opened the book, I found myself immersed in the ENTIRE studio, building by building, in this amazing feat of photographic glory and research. This is the book that diehard movie fans have been waiting for, and it does not disappoint. MGM: Hollywood's Greatest Backlot is a cornucopia of pictures, trivia, and history that has no parallel today.
The authors, Stephen Bingen, Stephen X. Sylvester, and Michael Troyer, strive and succeed at bringing to life this studio. Told through a careful selection of photographs from the day (be ready for black and white), as well as a compelling text that begs to be read, the history of the studio unfolds early on (after a wonderful but all too short forward by Debbie Reynolds). Then, the authors go section by section and "deconstruct" the lot. They provide a map of each section, and then go through each part, explaining its significance to the studio and revealing factoids to keep the movie lover or trivia expert up all night devouring the information. Tidbits like "the bridge of sighs", what happened to the famed columned entrance, and Marion Davies' bungalow are there to just whet your whistle.
When the book first arrived, I expected to flip through the pictures and just look at them. However, the writing, and the information, kept pulling me away as I wanted to learn more about what I was seeing. As a result, the authors have done something rather remarkable: they have brought to life this studio unlike anything I've ever seen before. A longtime Judy Garland fan, I often pictured what places like "The Little Red Schoolhouse", where she, as well as Mickey Rooney, Elizabeth Taylor, and other MGM child stars were schooled, was like. Now, not only do I have a photograph, but I have the location of the place on a map. Wow!
I have two wishes for this book, and both of them are minor. I wished that the authors included maps of each section that I could remove. As they move through each building, I found myself doing a lot of flipping back and forth. I learned to read the book with my finger on the latest map. Secondly, some of the pictures are amazingly detailed (especially aerial shots of the studio), but small. My 40 year old eyes strain a bit to get the details of these remarkable photos. Perhaps a magnifying glass is in order?
For who doesn't want to see the street where Andy Hardy lived? The pool where Esther Williams performed her magic? The snowy Massachusetts street where four "Little Women" walked arm in arm? Ahhh, this is a book to treasure, to examine, and to keep for a lifetime.
The authors, Stephen Bingen, Stephen X. Sylvester, and Michael Troyer, strive and succeed at bringing to life this studio. Told through a careful selection of photographs from the day (be ready for black and white), as well as a compelling text that begs to be read, the history of the studio unfolds early on (after a wonderful but all too short forward by Debbie Reynolds). Then, the authors go section by section and "deconstruct" the lot. They provide a map of each section, and then go through each part, explaining its significance to the studio and revealing factoids to keep the movie lover or trivia expert up all night devouring the information. Tidbits like "the bridge of sighs", what happened to the famed columned entrance, and Marion Davies' bungalow are there to just whet your whistle.
When the book first arrived, I expected to flip through the pictures and just look at them. However, the writing, and the information, kept pulling me away as I wanted to learn more about what I was seeing. As a result, the authors have done something rather remarkable: they have brought to life this studio unlike anything I've ever seen before. A longtime Judy Garland fan, I often pictured what places like "The Little Red Schoolhouse", where she, as well as Mickey Rooney, Elizabeth Taylor, and other MGM child stars were schooled, was like. Now, not only do I have a photograph, but I have the location of the place on a map. Wow!
I have two wishes for this book, and both of them are minor. I wished that the authors included maps of each section that I could remove. As they move through each building, I found myself doing a lot of flipping back and forth. I learned to read the book with my finger on the latest map. Secondly, some of the pictures are amazingly detailed (especially aerial shots of the studio), but small. My 40 year old eyes strain a bit to get the details of these remarkable photos. Perhaps a magnifying glass is in order?
For who doesn't want to see the street where Andy Hardy lived? The pool where Esther Williams performed her magic? The snowy Massachusetts street where four "Little Women" walked arm in arm? Ahhh, this is a book to treasure, to examine, and to keep for a lifetime.
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Finally a time machine that transports you back to the glorious days of the Hollywood Dream Machine. From cover to cover, the long lost world of Metro Goldwyn Mayer's backlot is revealed in a collection of pictures and story that gets you as close as you will ever come to actually being there. Author Steven Bingen spent the better part of ten years culling through thousands of rare and unique photographs tracing the entire MGM backlot. With his co-authors, they have woven a tapestry of history and memory unrealized in any other book. Included is an exhaustive and informative listing of productions made at the studio and precisely which stages and studio locations were used. Hail, hail, MGM is back, at least, thanks to Bingen, Sylvester and Troyan, in book form to revisit whenever you want to.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A requiem for one of the greatest of Hollywood giants!
Loaded with fine photographs spanning the 50 years that MGM was the best of its kind. Tinged with melancholy as this once
great studio was destroyed by heartless "money... Read more
great studio was destroyed by heartless "money... Read more
Published 11 days ago by Displaced Virginian
5.0 out of 5 stars
as grand as it's subject
An amazing study, thoroughly detailed and well researched. The book reads more like an illustrated novel than a volume of non-fiction. Read more
Published 19 days ago by Constant Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book
A look at Hollywood history. Kind of sad the realize that all that history was plowed under for housing tracts.
Published 21 days ago by Michael Chicvara
5.0 out of 5 stars
Terrific History of MGM
312 pages, dust cover, 11in x 9in hardback. Loads of B/W photo's. Well worth the money just to learn about the history of MGM's back lot.sets and operations. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Don
5.0 out of 5 stars
Documentation of Hollywood Films at its finest
Brilliantly done, thoroughly researched, this is the definitive book about the best and largest studio backlot ever. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Michael J. Brittain
5.0 out of 5 stars
Really enjoyed it
Being that I come from Culver City, the city of MGM, I truly enjoyed this book. I remember some of the buildings and backlots, ans the movie stars coming and going.
Published 1 month ago by Carol Christensen
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting
Thought there could be more about the individual actors. Pictures were very interesting and well shown in the stories.
Good read.
Good read.
Published 2 months ago by Chuck
5.0 out of 5 stars
The BEST book on the MGM Backlot!
Being a great fan of MGM and all it entailed I was just totally blown away when I found out about this book! I couldn't lay it down! Read more
Published 3 months ago by David R. Burris
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible book!!
If you are at all interested in anything to do with old movies and how they were made, or what goes on behind the scenes to make movies look like they do, you MUST get this book. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Brad Ferguson
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautiful book.
Although this book is large, heavy and cumbersome to read, it's well worth the minor inconvenience. This book is a wonderful behind-the-scenes look at the MGM Studios - how it... Read more
Published 3 months ago by SB-9
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