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The Magic Factory: How MGM Made An American in Paris
217 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1973
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 6, 2025
Almost twenty years after MGM produced An American in Paris, Donald Knox interviewed 25 of the people who worked on the classic, from producer Arthur Freed, director Vincente Minelli, and stars Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, and Nina Foch--all the way down to script timer Nora Janney and office boy Rick Ingersoll.
His goal was to "illuminate the [MGM studio] system" at its heyday, as embodied in one of its most characteristic and successful productions.
But Knox does much more, because he interlards the interviews and transforms them into a story--a family chronicle, really--about the famous Freed Unit that produced so many of the movie musicals we cherish today (including Meet Me in St. Louis, On the Town, Singin' in the Rain, The Band Wagon).
Knox lets each of the characters shine through, in all their excitement, humor, irony, and even their inevitable moments of frustration (for no work of performance art achieves perfection).
Above all, we feel each contributor's pride in the work, and--even when they're most frustrated--the deep affection and esteem they felt for one another. Was there ever an artistic collaboration more enduring, creative, and successful than Arthur Freed's "unit?" I know what they themselves would tell you!
I don't remember where or how I came by my copy of this book, but I know I've had it since 1975 or 76, and I have re-read it ragged. (Actually, since I was living in NYC at the time, I probably found it in a bin of remaindered books near my apartment on 14th Street.)
BTW, it was published back in 1971, long before VHS and TCM, and had to include a note advising the reader about how to acquire a 16-mm print to watch at home.
His goal was to "illuminate the [MGM studio] system" at its heyday, as embodied in one of its most characteristic and successful productions.
But Knox does much more, because he interlards the interviews and transforms them into a story--a family chronicle, really--about the famous Freed Unit that produced so many of the movie musicals we cherish today (including Meet Me in St. Louis, On the Town, Singin' in the Rain, The Band Wagon).
Knox lets each of the characters shine through, in all their excitement, humor, irony, and even their inevitable moments of frustration (for no work of performance art achieves perfection).
Above all, we feel each contributor's pride in the work, and--even when they're most frustrated--the deep affection and esteem they felt for one another. Was there ever an artistic collaboration more enduring, creative, and successful than Arthur Freed's "unit?" I know what they themselves would tell you!
I don't remember where or how I came by my copy of this book, but I know I've had it since 1975 or 76, and I have re-read it ragged. (Actually, since I was living in NYC at the time, I probably found it in a bin of remaindered books near my apartment on 14th Street.)
BTW, it was published back in 1971, long before VHS and TCM, and had to include a note advising the reader about how to acquire a 16-mm print to watch at home.
February 7, 2026
Damn good. Anyone interested in industry history should read this one.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews