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MGM: Hollywood's Greatest Backlot (2011)

by Steven Bingen(Favorite Author)

4.29 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1595800557 (ISBN13: 9781595800558)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Santa Monica Press

review 1: I'm interested in the "Golden Age" of Hollywood and especially in the biggest studio of the era, MGM. It was enlightening to see the extent of the backlot: they really did have everything, from hairdresser to canteen to school and of course the sound stages and outdoor sets. It was a whole self-contained world built for the actors and actresses and hundreds of staff that went into making the movies. Rather than film on location, enormous sets would be built to try to give a feel for the setting of the film. That's something that happens a lot less often these days. I will admit to getting a bit bored by the end though as once you've seen one set, you feel you've seen them all. Also I recognised very few of the films that were filmed in the studios themselves. This is a boo... morek that make me appreciate the vast scale of the operation and gave a good insight into the old ways of film making... but is unlikely to be a book I'll read again.
review 2: This book, detailing the history of M-G-M's Hollywood backlot is a nostalgic feast for lovers of classic movies. Hundreds of behind the scenes photos give the reader a virtual tour of the sets and sound stages of the studio that once claimed it had "more stars than there are in heaven." The book is divided into four parts, the first part, "Lands of Make-Believe," gives a brief history of MGM's formation and then guides us through the studios various departments - the Writer's building, Sound and Makeup Departments, Art Department, Dressing Rooms, Film Vaults, etc. Part Two, "Potemkin's Villages," takes us on to Lot 2 and its constructed locales, sets made to look like everything from a New England Street to a courtyard in Verona. Along the way, we learn which movies were filmed on each set and how the sets were often redesigned to accommodate various needs. Part Three "Mythic Landscapes," details the environments of lots three thru six, including the famous St. Louis street where the Smith family mansion from "Meet Me in St. Louis" was located. You'll also see the western set that was used for the town of "Sandrock," in Judy Garland's "The Harvey Girls," including the station where she sang "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe." Here is where you'll also find the waterfront that housed the Cotton Blossom riverboat from "Showboat," and the Mayflower from "Plymouth Adventure." Reading Part Four, "Backlot Babylon," made me extremely sad as it is this section that details the mismanagement and decline of the studio including its disastrous decision to sell of the backlots for development. Dozens of pictures show the deteriorating and deserted sets. The saddest pictures are those that show the beloved locations of so many classic films being bulldozed into rubble. Two men were primarily responsible for destroying MGM - Kirk Kerkorian and James Aubrey. The book does a good job of detailing the deals they made that eventually destroyed one of Hollywood's greatest movie studios. I actually got angry while reading of their callous disregard for the studio's history. This book is a wonderful testament to the hard work of so many designers, construction workers and artisans who put their heart and soul into constructing some of the most beautiful sets ever seen in the movies. It's heart-breaking that the greed of two men, destroyed it all. Thank heavens for this book. In its pages we can walk through the streets of MGM's once famous backlot and get a sense of what it must have been like to work there in its glory days. less

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