MGM is on the Move!

Starting in 1934, MGM celebrated each decade of its existence with a promotional short highlighting its glorious past and its upcoming releases. For its first 30 years, the studio could trumpet an outstanding lineup of "More Stars Than There Are in Heaven" and a slate of enduring classics that, thanks to the studio's ownership of its own movie chains, were guaranteed to turn a profit. By 1964, however, the contract lists had been decimated and the movie chains sold off. Where earlier anniversary shorts had been hosted by veteran stars, the 1964 edition simply cuts together scenes from upcoming movies. MGM is on the Move! touted its remake of Of Human Bondage (1964), a story that had made Bette Davis one of the screen's great actresses in 1934. Thirty years later, Kim Novak took on the challenging role, receiving some of the worst reviews of her career. The studio's big hope was blockbusters. How the West Was Won (1963) had saved it from the disaster of Mutiny on the Bounty (1962). In 1964, their hopes were on Doctor Zhivago (1965), also touted in the film, which fortunately went on to become a huge hit. By Frank Miller