Louis B. Mayer Articles

The career of legendary production executive Irving Thalberg – Hollywood’s "Boy Wonder" of the 1920s and early 1930s – will be explored in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ new exhibition, "Irving Thalberg: Creating the Hollywood Studio System, 1920–1936," opening on Thursday, September 17, in the Academy’s Fourth Floor Gallery in Beverly Hills. "Irving Thalberg: Creating the Hollywood Studio System, 1920–1936" is guest [...]

Author and photographer Mark A. Vieira (right), who has been a friend for a number of years, has recently written no less than two books on Irving G. Thalberg, the young MGM mogul whose high-quality productions earned him both a reputation as Hollywood’s "Boy Wonder" and a special place in Oscar history as the name attached to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences‘ [...]

Wallace Beery, Marie Dressler in Min and Bill Marie Dressler II: Silent Films, Movie Stardom How did Marie Dressler react to her newfound stardom? Marie basked in her success. She had been through enough trials in life — points when she couldn’t get a job — and so she was more than ready for fame and adoration. I think audiences loved that they could give [...]

Hedy Lamarr in Tortilla Flat Hedy Lamarr – Q&A with Author Patrick Agan: Part I Do you have a favorite Hedy Lamarr film and/or performance? As for a favorite Lamarr performance, I would have to say Tortilla Flat is right up there. Her performance as the Mexican girl, Dolores, was amazing in its simplicity and clarity, and Karl Freund’s cinematography brought out an earthiness that [...]