"MGM: When the Lion Roars" (1992) TV mini-series

Director:

Frank Martin

Writer:

Frank Martin (writer)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

22 March 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

The history of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

Plot Keywords:

Movie Studio | Company History | Hollywood | Film History | TV Mini-Series

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Patrick Stewart	...	Himself - Host (3 episodes, 1992)
Samuel Marx	...	Himself (3 episodes, 1992)
June Allyson	...	Herself (2 episodes, 1992)
Lew Ayres	...	Himself (2 episodes, 1992)
Freddie Bartholomew	...	Himself (2 episodes, 1992)
Jackie Cooper	...	Himself (2 episodes, 1992)
George Gibson	...	Himself (2 episodes, 1992)
Helen Hayes	...	Herself (2 episodes, 1992)
Van Johnson	...	Himself (2 episodes, 1992)
Roddy McDowall	...	Himself (2 episodes, 1992)
Ricardo Montalban	...	Himself (2 episodes, 1992)
Maureen O'Sullivan	...	Herself (2 episodes, 1992)
Dorothy Raye	...	Herself (2 episodes, 1992)
Mickey Rooney	...	Himself (2 episodes, 1992)
Dorothy Tuttle	...	Herself (2 episodes, 1992)
William Tuttle	...	Himself (2 episodes, 1992)

Runtime:

360 min | 366 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:G

Company:

Point Blank Productions

Trivia:

The 3-part documentary originally contained a lot of footage of Fred Astaire when it was broadcast on PBS and Turner Classic Movies. The newly released DVD has re-edited the segments in part 3 and deleted all (almost all) the Astaire footage, including clips of him dancing with Gene Kelly and Lucille Bremer - both from Ziegfeld Follies (1945), and solo in Royal Wedding (1951), as Debbie Reynolds shares a story about meeting him and being invited to watch him rehearse.

Movie Connections:

Features Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940)

Great Film Documentary!

This is a must for Hollywood film buffs (especially those who love films from the 1920s to the 1950s). It tells the story by narrator/host Patrick Stewart of the history of the famous MGM studios from its beginning in 1924 to its fall in the early 1980s. Includes interviews with many MGM stars such as Helen Hayes, Jackie Cooper, Joan Crawford, as well as directors Clarence Brown and King Vidor. Clips from nearly every MGM film are shown, some you will see are: THE WIZARD OF OZ, GRAND HOTEL, GREED, BEN-HUR, THE WOMEN, GIGI, GONE WITH THE WIND, A WOMAN'S FACE, NINOTCHKA, GRAND PRIX, SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, etc. The documentary is very long, but worth seeing. Usually shown on PBS, but is available for purchasing. 4 stars here!