Filming the Roar of the MGM Lion, Hollywood, 1929

Leo the Lion is the mascot for the Hollywood film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, featured in the studio's production logo. Since 1924 (when the studio was formed by the merger of Samuel Goldwyn's studio with Marcus Loew's Metro Pictures and Louis B. Mayer's company), there have been around five different lions used for the MGM logo. Jackie was the second lion, depicted on the left from a still from The Wizard of Oz (1939). Jackie looked almost identical to Slats, his predecessor. Jackie (above) was also the first MGM lion whose roar was heard by audiences of the silent film era, via a gramophone record. Jackie growled softly; this was followed by a louder growl, a brief pause, and then a final growl. Jackie appeared on all black and white MGM films (1928–1956) and MGM's Happy Harmonies cartoons (1934–1938). Jackie had also been used in three earlier films: Greed (1924), Ben-Hur (1925), and Flesh and the Devil (1926).

I digitize old black and white photos and create color compositions; digital paintings. It's more than simply colorizing. I strive to create art; a visual gateway to the past, but in a new and different way. This all started in 2006 in Palm Springs where I had an art gallery. Street scenes from black and white postcards were the most popular and have won the most awards. Two examples are Chi Chi and Cubana and Radio City - Hollywoodland. I love doing people too, as you can tell.

Look for the red Live Preview banner in the lower right hand corner of this screen. It might take a second or two to appear. Click on that, and you can view this image on ten sample walls, or even Upload a Photo of your own wall as a background to view the art on! Directions on how to use the Live Preview are available here. Have fun playing with something really useful!

Sizes are approximate. Click here to see a digital restoration example.