MGM’s wunderkind production, Irving Thalberg, (who is the subject of my novel, “The Heart of the Lion”) died on September 14, 1936. As a tribute to his unparalleled contribution to the studio, MGM named their new administration building after him. It was completed two years later and still stands on the MGM studio lot, which is now Sony and Columbia. In the foyer, the 12 Best Picture Academy Awards won by M-G-M and Columbia are in display. It was the most important building in the studio because it’s where the head of MGM, Louis B. Mayer, had his office on the third floor and a private dining room on the fourth. This photo was taken shortly after the building was completed.

I took this photo of the Thalberg building when I visited the studio in September 2014. The huge rainbow is a public sculpture that arcs over the lot, which is quite fitting for the studio that gave us “The Wizard of Oz” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

There is also a plaque which recognizes the historic significance of the Thalberg building by Culver City, where the studio is.