Logo redesigns in 19 the opening credits for Ben Hur (1959) a parody from Tom and Jerry (1961).
There are some branding inconsistencies where new logos were introduced for one part of the company only, giving primary and secondary logos, plus each film had a special opening or end credits logo with that live footage incorporated, so bear with us on this rollercoaster ride of a timeline. Here’s how the MGM logo (a contender for the best logos of all time) has changed since the company was launched. You may have heard the urban myth that the trainer and assistant were killed whilst filming the first lion clip, but this has been proven false. He claimed the lion was a reference to his time at Columbia University, where the athletics and football teams are known as The Lions. Reiss – but either way, it was a bold choice, and Dietz had the idea of placing a live lion inside the logo to bring it to life on film. There’s a debate as to who had the idea first – publicist Howard Dietz or Paramount art director Lionel S. Before Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM’s original brand name) was established, the lion associated with it was dreamt up way back in 1916 for the Goldwyn Pictures Corporation.
