The Wilmington morning star., 1947-02-11
Leo Ends Long Pcut When
"Yearling" Star Goe.
To Zoo
BY Aline Mosby
United Press Hollywood


HOLLYWOOD, Feb. 10-U.H-The
most pampered, conceited actor in
Hollywood came out of a long pout
today. And finally consented to 60
back to work.
He's Leo the Lion, the golden
blond pin-up of MGM studio who
darn near lost his standing to an
upstart of a deer.
Leo, MGM'S world-famous trade
mark, always had been the petted
darling of the stars, until a new
conner moved into the cage next
to Leo's on lot 3. She was a soft
eyed doe named Flag, who starred,
along with a couple of other
characters, in 1.-The Yearling,'
MGM'S candidate for an academy
award.
Flag got all the attention due q
star. Other members of the cast,
Gregory Peck, Jane Wyman and
Claude Jarman, Jr., were always
around to pet her. So were kids,
photographers and set workers.
Leo, ignored, withdrew to a
corner of his cage and sulked. He'd
never starred in a movie but, after
all, he'd appeared in more pictures
than anybody else in town.
"He's sure a ham," Leo's
trainer, George Emerson, told US.
His face fell and his whiskers
dropped and it was all I could do
to get him to eat anything"
This deplorable condition con
tinued even after 1.-THE Yearling'
was finished for MGM decided to
keep the deer around for a while.
At least to save Leo's health, Flag
tactfully was moved to a ZOO.
"That lion sure perked up,
Emerson said. Nov he's happy
everytime anybody goes by"
Leo has a right to his conceit.
The five lions who have played
Leo since MGM went into bust
ness in 1924 have appeared on the
titles of more than 1900 pictures.
That means every picture MGM
has made, except "A Day at the
Races when Groucho Marx ap-
peared under the cars Gratia
Arts" sign and growled himself.
Leo also adorns the cover of a
magazine MGM mails to movie ex-
hibitors and Writes" a magazine
column that advertises MGM
movies.
The present Leo was brought to
the studio from an Eastern circus
eight years ago when he vas six
weeks old. He'd won ar MGM
contest to find a lion C b with
glamour, no less.
Leo arrived in style. He was met
at the station by a publicity man
and whisked in a limousine to the
studio. Leo vas introduced to Clark
Gable and then held a press con
ference.
Well, that's Hollywood.
Leo poses o the MGM trade
mark only when the master mega
tive wears out every five years OF
so. In between pictures" he leads
a royal life.
The lion gets stacks of fan mail
from people requesting his picture
or pawprint. He Tolls in a three
room cage snappily painted in
brown. green, cream and red with
black bars. He also has a portable
dressing room for set visiting.
Leo loves automobiles, and rode
daily in his trainers car until he
got too big for safety. The lion
still roars when he hears Emerson
drive up. Leo also roars for five
minutes every afternoon at
5 o'clock, b t otherwise is non
laxative.
He likes rain and eve the o Ia
of traffic near the lot" said
Emerson. But the rustic of
women's long skirts really makes
him mad"
Leo's favorite toy is an old tire
casing. He also scratches his back
every day on a plank hanging in
his cage. His best friend is Chee:a,
the chimpanzee of the 'Tarzan"
movies, although the two species
are natural enemies.