I did a happy squeak when I found the first image in this post, and then went on a treasure hunt for more. I’m a big sucker for the feline race, and the MGM lion has been making me happy since I was little.
I never realized how many lions there have been over the years. They even have a lion ranch outside of Vegas, which I thought was a might nice of them. The trainers started a new trend, refusing to use whips or chains and rather basing their relationship off of mutual respect.
Have a look inside the post for a side-by-side comparison of the MGM lions.
Sources: Bits & Pieces, ArtLies, Flikr
Lions are certainly visually appealing creatures.
Some years ago, Universal did something wonderful with their logos. As the film began, they started with their earliest logo from the sound era (a charming animation of an airplane flying around the Earth), moved on to the next, then that after it, &c. I don’t know that MGM has ever done something similar, but one can hope. In the mean time, it’s nice of you to give us an array of stills.
The Lion on the MGM pictures shot has to be one of the most famous shots in the cinema, everyone over the years has watched a film which started with the roaring lion at the opening. Was it the same lion which was used throughout the lifetime of this, or did they update the opening scene at somepoint?
The lion actually changed several times over the years. Have a look at the 2nd to last image in the post- it shows the various opening “roars” along with the name of the lion shown and the years it was used.
Hey thanks! Really great article, really enjoyed it!
What a great collection! I love the one with Hitchcock!