Animal Star. Jackie, born in 1915, trained by Mel Koontz, was the second lion used for the MGM logo. He was a wild lion brought from Sudan, and the first MGM lion to roar. This was recorded long after he was filmed and at least three different recordings of roars/growls were used, first heard via a gramophone record for MGM's first production with sound, "White Shadows in the South Seas" (1928). Jackie roared/growled three times before looking off to the right of the screen (the lion's left); in the early years that this logo was used (1928–c. 1933), there was a slightly extended version wherein, after looking off to the right, the lion would return his gaze to the front a few seconds later. Jackie appeared on all black-and-white MGM films from 1928 to 1956 (replacing Slats), as well as the sepia-tinted opening credits of "The Wizard of Oz" (1939). He also appeared before MGM's black-and-white cartoons, such as the "Flip the Frog" and "Willie Whopper" series produced for MGM, as well as the "Captain and the Kids" cartoons produced by MGM in 1938 and 1939. Jackie went on a farewell tour in 1931 and retired to the Philadelphia Zoo soon after. Jackie died on February 26, 1935 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after suffering heart problems. Jackie received the nickname "Leo the Lucky."
Animal Star. Jackie, born in 1915, trained by Mel Koontz, was the second lion used for the MGM logo. He was a wild lion brought from Sudan, and the first MGM lion to roar. This was recorded long after he was filmed and at least three different recordings of roars/growls were used, first heard via a gramophone record for MGM's first production with sound, "White Shadows in the South Seas" (1928). Jackie roared/growled three times before looking off to the right of the screen (the lion's left); in the early years that this logo was used (1928–c. 1933), there was a slightly extended version wherein, after looking off to the right, the lion would return his gaze to the front a few seconds later. Jackie appeared on all black-and-white MGM films from 1928 to 1956 (replacing Slats), as well as the sepia-tinted opening credits of "The Wizard of Oz" (1939). He also appeared before MGM's black-and-white cartoons, such as the "Flip the Frog" and "Willie Whopper" series produced for MGM, as well as the "Captain and the Kids" cartoons produced by MGM in 1938 and 1939. Jackie went on a farewell tour in 1931 and retired to the Philadelphia Zoo soon after. Jackie died on February 26, 1935 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after suffering heart problems. Jackie received the nickname "Leo the Lucky."
Bio by: Ola K Ase
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