Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), created in 1924 in a three-way merger of film companies, quickly became the industry leader in Hollywood, in no small part because of its gifted chief of production, Irving G. Thalberg.
The success of Gone with the Wind, the highest-grossing film of the era, distributed by MGM, epitomizes the stature of the studio.
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Playlist:
Fanfare
Opening War Theme
“I Wanna Go Back to Dixie.”
Composed in 1953 by Thomas Andrew Lehrer. Public domain.
Performed by the composer. Public domain recording. Source.
Closing War Theme
Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.
I was inspired by this episode to try reading the Gone With the Wind book. I pushed myself through the first two chapters, but that was all I could stomach. The overt racism was overwhelming. The podcast was great, do not get the novel.