Metro Pictures
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film production and distribution |
| Founded | February 1915 |
| Founder | Exchange men (including Richard A. Rowland, George Grombacher, Louis B. Mayer) |
| Defunct | 1919 |
| Fate | Purchased by Marcus Loew; merged into Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1924 |
| Headquarters | Jacksonville, Florida , United States |
Key people | Richard A. Rowland (president), George Grombacher (vice-president), Louis B. Mayer (secretary) |
| Products | Films |
Metro Pictures Corporation was established as a film production enterprise in early 1915, based in Jacksonville, Florida. Serving as a forerunner to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it created movies primarily in New York and Los Angeles, with occasional use of rented studios in Fort Lee, New Jersey. The company was purchased in 1919.
History
Initially launched in February 1915 as a film distribution firm, Metro Pictures was founded by "exchange men"—operators of distribution centers—with Richard A. Rowland appointed president, George Grombacher vice-president, and Louis B. Mayer secretary. Grombacher managed exchanges in Portland and Seattle, while Rowland and the second vice president, James B. Clark, had backgrounds with the Roland & Clark company from Pittsburgh. With $300,000 in capital, Metro aimed to oversee film productions for its affiliated exchanges. Rowland’s prior investment in Alco Films, a distribution alliance, was complemented by Mayer’s encouragement to form Metro as a safeguard against acquisition by major studios such as Paramount Pictures, Mutual Film, or Universal Pictures. Production entities transitioning from Alco to Metro included Rolfe Photoplays, Inc. and Popular Plays and Players. Other collaborators comprised Columbia (1915–1917), CBC Sales until 1918, Quality Picture Corporation, and Dyreda. Mayer departed in 1918 to establish his own production company.
In 1919, Metro inaugurated its Hollywood studio located at Lillian Way and Eleanor Street, later expanding with a substantial complex spanning four city blocks at Romaine Street and Cahuenga Boulevard that opened in 1920. The backlot situated on North Cahuenga Boulevard became a vital location for filming activities.
Metro’s debut release on March 29, 1915, was Satan Sanderson, produced by Rolfe Photoplays. The company’s first internally produced film was Sealed Valley, which premiered on August 2, 1915. Distribution within the United Kingdom was managed by William Frederick Jury.
In 1920, theater entrepreneur Marcus Loew acquired Metro to supply content for his theater chain but found its production output insufficient. Consequently, in 1924 Loew merged Metro with the financially troubled Goldwyn Pictures and soon after combined it with Louis B. Mayer Productions, creating Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer with Mayer overseeing operations—though he held no ownership stake and was solely an employee.
Stars
During the World War I period, Metro’s notable leading actors included romantic duos such as Francis X. Bushman paired with Beverly Bayne, and Harold Lockwood alongside May Allison. Prominent actresses included Mae Murray, Viola Dana, and stage performers like Lionel and Ethel Barrymore, as well as Emmy Wehlen and Emily Stevens. By the time of the 1924 merger forming MGM, Metro’s talent roster featured distinguished figures such as Lillian Gish, Buster Keaton, Jackie Coogan, Marion Davies, Ramon Novarro, Wallace Beery, and Lewis Stone.
Motion Picture Studios
After the 1924 consolidation, a portion of Rowland’s Los Angeles studio continued operations. Originally encompassing four city blocks, one block remained active as Motion Picture Studios through the 1940s before evolving into General Service Studios and later Desilu Studios during the 1950s and ’60s. Renamed Ren-Mar Studios in 1974, this site was acquired in January 2010 by the Red Digital Cinema Camera Company and rebranded as "Red Studios Hollywood," located on Cahuenga Boulevard near Melrose Avenue in Hollywood.
Notably, producer David E. Kelley utilized this facility to shoot television series including Picket Fences, Ally McBeal, and The Practice.
Filmography
A devastating fire in 1965 at MGM Archive #7 resulted in the loss of original negatives and prints, including the finest quality copies of all Metro Pictures and Louis B. Mayer productions made prior to 1924. Consequently, more than fifty percent of MGM’s feature films produced before 1930 have been permanently lost. On March 25, 1986, Turner Broadcasting System, led by Ted Turner, purchased MGM’s film library created before May 1986 (which included Metro Pictures) from Kirk Kerkorian for $600 million.
- Produced in Fort Lee, New Jersey
- The Eternal Question (1916) starring Olga Petrova
- The Divorcée (1919) featuring Ethel Barrymore
- What People Will Say? (1915), directed by Alice Guy Blache
- Sealed Valley (1915) with Dorothy Donnelly