Ben Thau's Slate at MGM

 Dore Schary was kicked out of running MGM in late 1956. Joe Vogel replaced him with Ben Thau - well, not officially replaced, but Thau was now head of the studio in Hollywood. He wasn't meant to be a production chief. There was a lot of continuity - Eddie Mannix stayed, as did Kenneth Mackenna (story editor). 1957 was a rough year for MGM as several movies came along that didn't do too well - or did but cost a lot. However Thau-Vogel films came through and they did very well. Look at these films greenlit 

* Jailhouse Rock (Oct 1957) - the first really great Elvis movie, MGM brought their skill to Presley and it paid off in spades. If only he'd done more at Metro in this mood.

* The Brothers Karamazov (Feb 1958) - Doystokevsky! But a big hit via Yul Brynner and Richard Brooks. This did cause MGM to think Maria Schell was going to be a star.

* Merry Andrew (March 1958) - Danny Kaye musical that was not that liked but I can understand why it was made

* I Accuse! (March 1958) - Jose Ferrer does Dreyfuss affair.

* Gigi (May 1958) - a last huge musical success. Freed, Minelli, Lerner and Loewe. A last blaze of glory.

*  The High Cost of Loving (May 1958) - a dud. Jose Ferrer in a comedy? Film gets points for Gena Rowlands, who Thau championed.

*  Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Aug 1958) - terrific adaptation of the Broadway hit with the perfect stars. (Mike Todd died during filming in March)

* Imitation General (Aug 1958) - Glenn Ford service comedy. These were fail safe until they weren't. This was - big hit.

*  The Reluctant Debutante (Aug 1958) - light comedy which did okay just not profitable due to its high cost.

*  Party Girl (Oct 1958) - Nick Ray movie. Robert Taylor cop film and a hit.

*Torpedo Run (Oct 1958) - Glenn Ford in the services.

*  The Tunnel of Love (Nov 1958) - Broadway adaptation with Doris Day probably needed comedy and definitely needed a more suitable co star than Richard Widmark.

* Some Came Running (Dec 1958) - Minelli, Sinatra, Martin, MacLaine, Jones. Big hit. Cost a lot.

*  Tom Thumb (Dec 1958) - charming George Pal movie shot in England.

*  The Journey (Feb 1959) - greenlit by Thau, lost money.

*  Green Mansions (March 1959) - think they made it because it was Audrey Hepburn. Wrong co star and director. Big flop.

*  The Mating Game (Apr 1959) - charming version of Darling Buds of May, a perfect role for Debbie Reynolds, and a success - I'm assuming they intended Glenn Ford to play the Tony Randall part! A hit.

*  Count Your Blessings (Apr 1959) - rom com no one remembers with Rosanno Brazzi and Deborah Kerr.

*  North by Northwest (July 1959) - classic Hitchcock - filmed around Aug 1958 so maybe more a Siegel film

*  Ben Hur (Nov 1959) - Thau and Vogel greenlit though Sol Siegel benefited. They took the decision to hire William Wyler not Richard Thorpe and cast Charlton Heston/

*  The Wreck of Mary Deare (Nov 1959) - this wasn't really Thau - made late, but greelit by him, originally for Hitchcock.

Now of course other people were responsible for the above. But what a great slate. Comedy, drama, romance, stars.

But Vogl brought in Sol Siegel as head of production in early 1958. I think they just found the new system tricky. Siegel did well with Ben Hur money but then came a cropper in Cimarron, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and Mutiny on the Bounty. A Thau regime might have made this - Thau was still part of the set up. But I wonder.