Early MGM Jackie the Lion "roars" from 1928-9

There are some great clips of Jackie (still the best!) and all the other MGM lions already on YouTube, but I decided to add my personal favorites: 2 early examples when MGM was transitioning to talkies. The first is from Show People, a wonderful Marion Davies film. The roars are somewhat drowned out by the opening fanfare, but it is definitely unique. Show People was a silent film released with a synchronized music score. There is a Jackie clip on YouTube from the silent feature Ben-Hur, but the classic roar is a result of the film being reissued well after sound films had come out. The second roar in this clip comes from the all-talking all-singing hodgepodge Hollywood Revue of 1929. This film was a vehicle to show off the voices of MGM's silent stars, Jackie not excluded! The aural quality of the roar was the result of the era's primitive sound equipment, needless to say. Around 1930 Jackie's more familiar roar debuted, but I have no idea with which film this was. Interspersed with the roars is a brief scene from Laurel & Hardy's short subject, The Chimp, in which Stan calls the lion "MGM"! I know there was already a clip posted to YouTube of Coffee from Roast Beef & Movies but I thought I'd add a duplicate from the Pete Smith short entitled Menu.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Jackie
• the
• Lion
• Coffee
• roars
• 1928
• 1929
• 1933

[KidCairbre]

Never heard that roar from "Show People" before. Sounds like it was done by a human.

[chrisivision07]

I wouldn't be surprised!

[TServo2049]

What's very weird is that the prints I've seen of supposedly the first film to have Leo's roar (White Shadows in the South Seas, 1928), it has the more familiar roar.

Was this added in later? (Some early sound films had music but no roar...)

[chrisivision07]

I would have to think that film was reissued sometime in the 1930's and the original roar was replaced. I was very disappointed not to find a unique roar when I saw the opening credits to White Shadows, thought for sure it would sound even stranger than the ones in my video.

[JMFabianoRPL]

I think MGM is pretty cool guy. He roar when movie starts and doesn't afraid of anything

[sourcubes51]

Hahahahahahahaha!

[universalnickelodeon]

sounds sooo soft

[BetteDavis19]

LOVE this!

[TikeemsMovies]

Was that Coffee the Lion at the end? :O

[MrGfonseca7]

I want to watch the movie "The Chimp (1932)" with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.

Can you upload it for me chrisivision07.

[TheDorancd]

@KidCairbre Sounds more like a creaky door t'me!!!

[MrGUGLIELMOFEDERICO]

Italian traduction:

S - Ho visto la Metro Goldwyn!

O - Che Metro Goldwyn?

S - Veniva da quella parte e ...

(ROAR AND FANFARE)

(SCREAM AND ROAR)

(MGM LION ROARS)

O - Entra qui!

(OTHER MGM LION ROARS)

[torerik1234]

Those "mask thing" below the lion looks very weird. An mouth shaped as an heart...

[ChiuahuaTubeALT]

@TServo2049 Jackie's roar was always heard, those ones with Jackie not roaring are plasters of Slats' appearance.

[ChiuahuaTubeALT]

@TServo2049 Jackie's roar was always heard, those one with Jackie not roaring our plasters of Slats' appearance.

[neoprankster]

@RayPointer Is there a name for that particular roar simulating device?