On This Day

Louis B. Mayer head of film studio MGM announces the creation of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Louis Burt Mayer was a Canadian-American film producer and co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios (MGM) in 1924.

Louis Burt Mayer was a Canadian-American film producer and co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios (MGM) in 1924. Under Mayer's management, MGM became the film industry's most prestigious movie studio, accumulating the largest concentration of leading writers, directors, and stars in Hollywood.

Mayer was born in the village of Dymer, Ukraine, and grew up poor in Saint John, New Brunswick. He quit school at 12 to support his family and later moved to Boston and purchased and renovated a small vaudeville theatre in Haverhill, Massachusetts. He renovated and expanded several other theatres in the Boston area catering to audiences of higher social classes. After expanding and moving to Los Angeles, he teamed with film producer Irving Thalberg and they developed hundreds of films.

Historical Significance

Louis Burt Mayer was a Canadian-American film producer and co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios (MGM) in 1924.

Key People

Louis B. Mayer

Canadian-American film producer

Canadian-American film producer

Events Before

  1. A major flood on the Rhine River strikes Cologne

    Cologne is the fourth-most populous city of Germany and the largest city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and over 3.1 million...

  2. American songwriter Irving Berlin (37) weds heiress and writer Ellin Mackay (23) in a simple civil ceremony in NYC, unti

    American songwriter Irving Berlin (37) weds heiress and writer Ellin Mackay (23) in a simple civil ceremony in NYC, until her death in 1988

  3. Abdulaziz Ibn Saud becomes King of Nejd and Hejaz, forerunner of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Abdulaziz Ibn Saud becomes King of Nejd and Hejaz, forerunner of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

  4. American comedian George Burns (28) weds American comedienne Gracie Allen (31), until her death in 1964

    American comedian George Burns (28) weds American comedienne Gracie Allen (31), until her death in 1964

  5. John Logie Baird gives the first public demonstration of television in his laboratory in London

    John Logie Baird gives the first public demonstration of television in his laboratory in London

Events After

  1. Algemeene Vereeniging Radio Omroep (AVRO) begins broadcasting in the Netherlands

    Algemeene Vereeniging Radio Omroep (AVRO) begins broadcasting in the Netherlands

  2. Paleoanthropologist Davidson Black reports his findings on the ancient human fossils found at Zhoukoudian, China, in the

    Paleoanthropologist Davidson Black reports his findings on the ancient human fossils found at Zhoukoudian, China, in the journal Nature and declares them to be a new species he names 'Sinanthropus pekinensis' (now known as 'Homo erectus')

  3. American actress Mary Astor (21) weds American film director Kenneth Hawks (30) at her family home "Moorcrest" in the Ho

    American actress Mary Astor (21) weds American film director Kenneth Hawks (30) at her family home "Moorcrest" in the Hollywood Hills, until his death in 1930

  4. Industrialist Oskar Schindler (19) weds Emilie Schindler (20) in Svitavy, Czech Republic

    Industrialist Oskar Schindler (19) weds Emilie Schindler (20) in Svitavy, Czech Republic

  5. RCA and GE install three test television sets in homes in Schenectady, New York, allowing trials of inventor E.F.W. Alex

    RCA and GE install three test television sets in homes in Schenectady, New York, allowing trials of inventor E.F.W. Alexanderson's first home television receiver; a poor and unsteady 1.5-square-inch picture is received from a radio transmitter

More from the 1920s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on January 11, 1927?
Louis Burt Mayer was a Canadian-American film producer and co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios (MGM) in 1924. Under Mayer's management, MGM became the film industry's most prestigious movie studio, accumulating the largest concentration of leading writers, directors, and stars in Hollywood. Mayer was born in the village of Dymer, Ukraine, and grew up poor in Saint John, New Brunswick.
Why is Louis B. Mayer head of film studio MGM announces the creation of Academy of M... significant?
Louis Burt Mayer was a Canadian-American film producer and co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios (MGM) in 1924.
Who was involved in Louis B. Mayer head of film studio MGM announces the creation of Academy of M...?
Key figures include Louis B. Mayer (Canadian-American film producer).

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