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MGM: Hollywood's Greatest Backlot
Hollywood’s Greatest Backlot is the illustrated history of the soundstages and outdoor sets where Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced many of the world’s most famous films. During its Golden Age, the studio employed the likes of Garbo, Astaire, and Gable, and produced innumerable iconic pieces of cinema such as The Wizard of Oz, Singin’ in the Rain , and Ben-Hur .
It is estimated that a fifth of all films made in the United States prior to the 1970s were shot at MGM studios, meaning that the gigantic property was responsible for hundreds of iconic sets and stages, often utilizing and transforming minimal spaces and previously used props, to create some of the most recognizable and identifiable landscapes of modern movie culture.
All of this happened behind closed doors, the backlot shut off from the public in a veil of secrecy and movie magic. Hollywood’s Greatest Backlot highlights this fascinating film treasure by recounting the history, popularity, and success of the MGM company through a tour of its physical property.
Featuring the candid, exclusive voices and photographs from the people who worked there, and including hundreds of rare and unpublished photographs (including many from the archives of Warner Bros.), readers are launched aboard a fun and entertaining virtual tour of Hollywood’s most famous and mysterious motion picture studio.
It is estimated that a fifth of all films made in the United States prior to the 1970s were shot at MGM studios, meaning that the gigantic property was responsible for hundreds of iconic sets and stages, often utilizing and transforming minimal spaces and previously used props, to create some of the most recognizable and identifiable landscapes of modern movie culture.
All of this happened behind closed doors, the backlot shut off from the public in a veil of secrecy and movie magic. Hollywood’s Greatest Backlot highlights this fascinating film treasure by recounting the history, popularity, and success of the MGM company through a tour of its physical property.
Featuring the candid, exclusive voices and photographs from the people who worked there, and including hundreds of rare and unpublished photographs (including many from the archives of Warner Bros.), readers are launched aboard a fun and entertaining virtual tour of Hollywood’s most famous and mysterious motion picture studio.
312 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2010
21 people are currently reading
297 people want to read
About the author
Steven Bingen
10 books7 followersSteven Bingen is an author, archivist, lecturer and Hollywood insider who has contributed to dozens of books, articles, and documentaries regarding film history and in particular Hollywood's physical past, including recent successes MGM: Hollywood's Greatest Backlot, Warner Bros.: Hollywood's Ultimate Backlot, and Paramount: City of Dreams.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
May 25, 2013
Rating: 4* of five
The Book Report: A photo essay on the long-vanished Culver City, California, backlot of cinema giant Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. As much as 20% of the entire US film output from the medium's invention until the 1970s, a period of almost 70 years, was filmed all or in part at some portion of this astounding movie-making paradise. Think about that. Assume you've seen 100 movies made before 1970...20 of them, on average, will have some MGM backlot-related content.
Wow.
My stepmother's father was a rank-and-file MGM sound man for his whole life. After they made him retire, he got a job as sound man for the 1960s TV show Bewitched. I grew up hearing the stories, and was completely snookered by the glamour-busting that he did. I came to this book excited and gleefully anticipatory. I looked at its lovely, oversized landscape trim and drooled with eagerness to see the oversized images of the many sets and streets and stills from films that would be within.
So very NOT disappointed. And I even read the captions!
My Review: What does one say about a photo book? I can't show you the pictures. I can tell you that, in a properly ordered universe, this book would be in the library of every movie buff, every MGMhead, and all public libraries nationwide.
I found the captions, which are really mini-essays putting the images into film history context, delightful as well as useful. I love knowing why some scenes look familiar. Some movie titles in these captions brought sudden *wham* old memories of seeing the film in question. Some of them I've made note of so I can go find them. And some of the photos made me a little bit wistful. All of this magical stuff is gone, now under yet another SoCal suburban development.
Sic transit gloria mundi. Ars may very well be longa, since we still have the movies made there, but this magical place's vita was too brevis for me.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Book Report: A photo essay on the long-vanished Culver City, California, backlot of cinema giant Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. As much as 20% of the entire US film output from the medium's invention until the 1970s, a period of almost 70 years, was filmed all or in part at some portion of this astounding movie-making paradise. Think about that. Assume you've seen 100 movies made before 1970...20 of them, on average, will have some MGM backlot-related content.
Wow.
My stepmother's father was a rank-and-file MGM sound man for his whole life. After they made him retire, he got a job as sound man for the 1960s TV show Bewitched. I grew up hearing the stories, and was completely snookered by the glamour-busting that he did. I came to this book excited and gleefully anticipatory. I looked at its lovely, oversized landscape trim and drooled with eagerness to see the oversized images of the many sets and streets and stills from films that would be within.
So very NOT disappointed. And I even read the captions!
My Review: What does one say about a photo book? I can't show you the pictures. I can tell you that, in a properly ordered universe, this book would be in the library of every movie buff, every MGMhead, and all public libraries nationwide.
I found the captions, which are really mini-essays putting the images into film history context, delightful as well as useful. I love knowing why some scenes look familiar. Some movie titles in these captions brought sudden *wham* old memories of seeing the film in question. Some of them I've made note of so I can go find them. And some of the photos made me a little bit wistful. All of this magical stuff is gone, now under yet another SoCal suburban development.
Sic transit gloria mundi. Ars may very well be longa, since we still have the movies made there, but this magical place's vita was too brevis for me.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
February 13, 2024
A ROAR OF APPROVAL.
The authors deserve our gratitude for producing this incredible book of photos and information about America's number one studio during the Golden Years of Hollywood.
This is not just a book to treasure but is an important preservation document of American film history. The great majority of us never had the chance to visit a studio in its heyday, so this is the closest we will ever get, and it is well worth the effort.
A beautifully designed book which I keep referring to over and over again as I dip back in time to discover the workings of a "studio factory," especially after viewing an M-G-M film of the period.
Nothing has been missed in this extensive and essential history of the ground workings of a great studio and despite that MGM title card which appeared at the end of its movies that read "Made in Hollywood, U.S.A.", it should have really stated "Made in Culver City, U.S.A."
The authors deserve our gratitude for producing this incredible book of photos and information about America's number one studio during the Golden Years of Hollywood.
This is not just a book to treasure but is an important preservation document of American film history. The great majority of us never had the chance to visit a studio in its heyday, so this is the closest we will ever get, and it is well worth the effort.
A beautifully designed book which I keep referring to over and over again as I dip back in time to discover the workings of a "studio factory," especially after viewing an M-G-M film of the period.
Nothing has been missed in this extensive and essential history of the ground workings of a great studio and despite that MGM title card which appeared at the end of its movies that read "Made in Hollywood, U.S.A.", it should have really stated "Made in Culver City, U.S.A."
August 20, 2011
What a gorgeous book! It's a beautiful glimpse at a sadly destroyed past. It kills me to think of how amazing the MGM studio tour could be, had the company not been managed by short-sighted bunglers. What would I give to see the glass silent stages or New York Street or the commissary!
Bunglers! I hope LB Mayer is haunting them as we speak.
Bunglers! I hope LB Mayer is haunting them as we speak.
August 20, 2021
At first glance, one would think "MGM: Hollywood's Greatest Backlot" was simply a pleasant coffee table book about the long-gone MGM backlots. The authors indeed do a wonderful job of guiding the reader through these magical places. However, this book gives us much more to ponder, especially the outsized influence MGM had on molding Americans' perceptions of what the country should look like (at least, what Louis B. Mayer thought the country should look like). For example, the "New England Street" featured in so many Andy Hardy movies would become the prototype setting for 1950s TV sitcoms, which would in turn influence later TV programs on into the present day of streaming content.
Other things that I found interesting:
-MGM was basically the Rouge Factory of movie making. Much like Henry Ford's sprawling complex outside of Detroit, MGM's Culver City facilities could take in raw materials and churn out a fully-formed product at an astonishing rate.
-Our idea of what classic movies look like would be drastically different if Cedric Gibbons (the long-time head of MGM's art department) had stayed in New York.
-Much of the Twilight Zone's effectiveness was due to turning the by-then very familiar settings of the MGM backlot into very unsettling places (e.g., "The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street" was filmed on the Andy Hardy "New England Street")
-If an Elvis movie was using a set, then that set was probably not long for the world.
Other things that I found interesting:
-MGM was basically the Rouge Factory of movie making. Much like Henry Ford's sprawling complex outside of Detroit, MGM's Culver City facilities could take in raw materials and churn out a fully-formed product at an astonishing rate.
-Our idea of what classic movies look like would be drastically different if Cedric Gibbons (the long-time head of MGM's art department) had stayed in New York.
-Much of the Twilight Zone's effectiveness was due to turning the by-then very familiar settings of the MGM backlot into very unsettling places (e.g., "The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street" was filmed on the Andy Hardy "New England Street")
-If an Elvis movie was using a set, then that set was probably not long for the world.
June 23, 2012
Fascinating catnip for classic movie buffs. A book (and a backlot) to get lost in.
October 31, 2024
The best book about the best Hollywood backlot.
December 26, 2025
Any older movie buff would enjoy this insider look at how the magic of movies was made before computer graphics took over Hollywood. That is, how did the movie maker’s make us believe all those locations were real and not just backdrops and small lakes as opposed to rivers. The MGM studios had everything necessary on the backlots to take you to Tarzan’s jungle, the Arabian deserts, pirate ships at sea and the Wilderness of early America. It was all done on the backlots with some of the greatest movie sets in Hollywood. Whoops, I mean in Culver City, California which was just a few miles away from Hollywood. You’ll also read about many of the contract actors that were employed by MGM, such as Clark Gable, Spenser Tarcy, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire and Judy Garland. After all, MGM’s slogan back then was “more stars than the universe”. Many interesting facts are revealed in this book. Since the entire Wizard of Oz movie was shot on four soundstages at MGM, you may have thought that the famous Singing in the Rain scene from that famous movie was shot on a soundstage. Wrong! It was shot outdoors on the backlot district known as New York street on two consecutive bright sunny California days. To find out how that was done, you’ll have to read the book. There are no spoiler alerts in this review. Unfortunately, you’ll also read about the slow demise of the great studio right up to the time the wrecking balls and bulldozers tore down the entire place. Hint, as cameras and audio technology became smaller and lighter, taking the whole crew onto location became financially feasible.
March 18, 2024
This was a very interesting and entertaining book. Although the heyday of MGM Studios was over when I was growing up in the 60s & 70s I saw a lot of these old movies produced by MGM. It’s a shame that the back lots, sound stages and even the old props such as the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz were sold off with little or no thought as to what they represented.
June 18, 2019
A comprehensive history of MGM's backlot. For hard-core movie fans only.
March 7, 2021
Very interesting!!
March 25, 2021
Great fun for anyone who loves old Hollywood. Apparently with proper "dressing" a New York set can be Paris, London, or even Moscow. Now, I am off to watch some old movies and play "spot the set."
February 15, 2017
Almost as good as a back-lot tram ride.
Re-reading this book, I focused on what might have compelled the destruction of MGM's back lots, and so many MGM treasures--costumes, props, etc.--back in the early 1980's? The mass destruction felt like it had an intense anger behind it.
Recalling the 1979-1983 period in Los Angeles, when I was living there, LA/Hollywood was a relatively barren space with much of the infrastructure a fading, decaying holdover from the Hollywood heydays of the 1920's-1950's. Driving past a forlorn Brown Derby hat, looking so sad and vulnerable as it waited to be demolished, across the street from the looming crumbling complex that had once been the fashionable Ambassador hotel, the entire city had a Miss Havisham feel about it (from Charles Dickens' Great Expectations.)
At one point in my time in LA I visited a beautiful building in a Spanish style that had once been a fashionable hotel but, at the time of my visit, with its equally beautiful neighbors, was part of a skid row area. Couple all this with the way things that have recently been fashionable go through a period where they are just the last thing you want to have anything to do with--and you have a sense of the environment, relative to Old Hollywood, at the time.
So, executives come in who are not history buffs but--more significantly--may have felt almost suffocated by the the air of decaying glory that clung to MGM and most of LA. As a result they may have felt an overwhelming need, and even an anger, to clear out the old to make way for the sure-to-be-better future.
And a rich, glitzy future did follow.
Re-reading this book, I focused on what might have compelled the destruction of MGM's back lots, and so many MGM treasures--costumes, props, etc.--back in the early 1980's? The mass destruction felt like it had an intense anger behind it.
Recalling the 1979-1983 period in Los Angeles, when I was living there, LA/Hollywood was a relatively barren space with much of the infrastructure a fading, decaying holdover from the Hollywood heydays of the 1920's-1950's. Driving past a forlorn Brown Derby hat, looking so sad and vulnerable as it waited to be demolished, across the street from the looming crumbling complex that had once been the fashionable Ambassador hotel, the entire city had a Miss Havisham feel about it (from Charles Dickens' Great Expectations.)
At one point in my time in LA I visited a beautiful building in a Spanish style that had once been a fashionable hotel but, at the time of my visit, with its equally beautiful neighbors, was part of a skid row area. Couple all this with the way things that have recently been fashionable go through a period where they are just the last thing you want to have anything to do with--and you have a sense of the environment, relative to Old Hollywood, at the time.
So, executives come in who are not history buffs but--more significantly--may have felt almost suffocated by the the air of decaying glory that clung to MGM and most of LA. As a result they may have felt an overwhelming need, and even an anger, to clear out the old to make way for the sure-to-be-better future.
And a rich, glitzy future did follow.
September 16, 2012
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.
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.
February 29, 2016
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 book 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.
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 book 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.
August 14, 2011
MGM had the greatest backlot in Hollywood history. It is all gone now. You can take the Universal Studio Tour and get a pseudo feel for what the studio era was like, but let's face it: Universal was pretty small potatoes back in the day. Mostly what you're gonna get on this tour is amusement park rides and television sets. This book is as close as you can get to touring the incredible MGM backlot in its heyday. Through archival photographs and meticulous narration, the authors take you through the various backlots of MGM, with photos of the same sets dressed for different films, maps of the backlots, and even a listing of what was filmed on which set. Also included is the story of how this was all lost. There are a couple of butts I'd like to go back in time and kick. Very reasonably priced for a coffee table picture book, grab it now because it is sure to disappear.
June 2, 2012
The photographs are wonderful! This book has a lot of history, and anyone who loves M-G-M movies will enjoy this book. I found that I have seen relatively few of the movies mentioned, which surprises me considering all the movies I've watched in my life. Just reading about the movies made on the various sets, and the way the sets were changed for different movies, made the book interesting, though the end was somewhat depressing, because of the increasing tendency for movies to be made on location.
July 11, 2012
If you are in any way a fan of old Hollywood or the glossy stuff MGM produced than you will obviously love this book! I did.
I was fortunate enough to receive it as a gift just prior to spending a week at a friend's place in Culver City just blocks from what is left of MGM (now Sony). I got to go and see the neighborhoods where all the other lots were and shake my head in person at the stuff that's there now! I had a blast!
I was fortunate enough to receive it as a gift just prior to spending a week at a friend's place in Culver City just blocks from what is left of MGM (now Sony). I got to go and see the neighborhoods where all the other lots were and shake my head in person at the stuff that's there now! I had a blast!
October 21, 2013
I loved the history outlined in this book! A good companion to the "That's Entertainment" DVDs that came out years ago in that it really takes you back to a different age. It's too bad the pictures aren't easier to see on mobile devices (you have to expand each individual picture to see them), but it was still a great book.
July 16, 2014
Fascinating look at the greatest of all Hollywood studios. I loved, for example, seeing the same backlot street made up as London in "Royal Wedding," Paris in "An American in Paris," and New York in "Words and Music."
January 29, 2012
I'm not the biggest fan of golden age MGM product but this history of the physical plant gives me an admiration for the resources they had access to in their prime. The section detailing the brutish, greed-driven destruction of it all is heartbreaking.
April 2, 2012
It was interesting to read how Hollywood creates its reality. Also how MGM messed up its own business. There were a few scenes I recognized but most of the films talked about were before my time. I was more interested in how how television series used the sets.
June 19, 2011
For anyone who is a big fan of MGM who wants to read about the beginnings of the studio and who wants to actually see the lay out of the backlot, this is THE book to buy... and keep.
September 3, 2011
AWESOME!!! Review to follow.
September 6, 2011
Didn't read all the text but this is an amazing record of the MGM backlots for a fan of old musicals who never really thought about the logistics of creating the spectacle.
November 15, 2011
If you've ever driven by the Sony Studios in Culver City, you should pick up this book. It's amazing how huge MGM was at its height. This book is full of photos of sets and overhead shots.
February 21, 2012
Absolutely a fun book to read!
June 8, 2012
Great book. Tons of photos and explanations of what the set was used for and so on.
November 27, 2012
Superior from start to finish.
May 6, 2013
Loved it!
July 25, 2016
An amazing coffee table book about Hollywood's Dream Factory. Amazing to see all the detailed photos of the backlot in its heyday.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews