One of the most famous logos in Hollywood belongs to MGM. The famous logo featuring a roaring lion was an appropriate one for the studio that was the undisputed king of the Hollywood jungle during its heyday in Hollywood’s Golden age. The logo, however, didn’t get its start with MGM.
The logo was originally created for Goldwyn Pictures, the ‘G’ in MGM. When Samuel Goldwyn merged his studio with Metro Films and Mayer Pictures, the combined MGM would adopt the famous logo for itself.
While the most famous lion to grace the logo was named “Leo”, the original lion used in the Goldwyn days was called “Slats”. Slats was replaced because he merely looked around and didn’t roar; this was the silent era after all. Slats was replaced by another lion whose real name was Jackie, though MGM gave him the stage name of Leo. The third lion used since 1957 was the first lion who was actually named “Leo”.
The strangest bit of trivia about MGM’s famed lion was that he almost got cast in The Wizard of Oz. Louis B. Mayer originally wanted to use “Leo” as the Cowardly Lion with a voice actor’s voice dubbed in. Luckily for the already troubled production, this bizarre plan was scrapped and Leo’s role went to human actor Bert Lahr.
