Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer , or MGM , is a major Hollywood motion picture and television production and distribution company , founded on 16 April 1924 . Its headquarters are based in Los Angeles , California . In , MGM was airing Gene Roddenberry ' s television series " The Lieutenant " when they approached Roddenberry for a new action - adventure series for the 1964 season . Roddenberry pitched his early ideas for " Star Trek " , and although MGM was initially interested , they eventually declined , becoming the first studio to reject " Star Trek " . The series would ultimately be accepted by NBC after CBS also rejected it . After " Star Trek " had become one of the most succesfull franchise s in media history , MGM was one of the Hollywood studios that became increasingly envious of Paramount Pictures for its " Star Trek " franchise due to the property ' s stable and highly profitable revenue stream for that studio , especially in the early - to - mid 1990s when " Star Trek " was at its peak in popularity , being Paramount ' s most profitable property for a period of time , admitted as such by them . ( " " , pp . 50 - 51 ) MGM became one of the studios that invested most heavily trying to create something akin to the " Star Trek " franchise for themselves – the other ones being Universal Studios ( " SeaQuest DSV " , 1993 - 1996 ; " Battlestar Galactica " , 2003 - 2012 ; " Defiance " , 2013 - 2015 ) , Warner Brothers ( " Babylon 5 " , 1993 - 2002 ) and 20th Century Fox ( " Firefly " , 2002 - 2005 ; " Terra Nova " , 2011 ) which , though having been the production company , had declined to become further involved in " Star Wars " as a franchise . None really succeeded , but it " was " MGM that came closest to emulate the longevity " and " format of the " Star Trek " franchise with its " " franchise , which , produced for the Sci - Fi Channel , ran from 1994 through 2011 . Based on the 1994 movie of similar title , its primary series " " ran for an all - time science fiction show record breaking ten seasons , whereas its first spin - off series , " " , also enjoyed a considerable measure of success . Nevertheless and despite attaining a cult status , after live - action production had been suspended in 2011 , interest in " Stargate " as a franchise , waned sharply and quickly , and while considerable , its longevity has not come anywhere near that of " Star Trek " , or " Star Wars " for that matter . Notable releases . MGM has released such Academy Award - winning films as " Mutiny on the Bounty " ( 1935 ) , " Gone With the Wind " ( 1939 ) , " An American in Paris " ( 1951 ) , " Ben - Hur " ( 1959 ) , and " Rain Man " ( 1988 ) . Other films for which they are responsible include " The Wizard of Oz " ( 1939 ) , " Singin ' in the Rain " ( 1952 ) , William Shatner ' s first American film , " The Brothers Karamazov " ( 1958 ) , " North by Northwest " ( 1959 ) , " How the West Was Won " ( 1962 ) , " Ryan ' s Daughter " ( 1970 ) , " Network " ( 1978 ) , " A Christmas Story " ( 1983 ) , " A Fish Called Wanda " ( 1988 ) , " Thelma & Louise " ( 1991 ) , and such science fiction classics as " Forbidden Planet " ( 1956 ) , " 2001 : A Space Odyssey " ( 1968 ) , " Soylent Green " ( 1973 ) , and " Logan ' s Run " ( 1976 ) . In 1986 , MGM released the popular science fiction parody " Spaceballs " . Perhaps MGM ' s most lucrative films are those in the James Bond franchise . The Bond films were initially produced by , a film studio now owned by MGM , who have released the Bond films since purchasing United Artists in the 1980s . Through this " absorption " , MGM also acquired video distribution rights for the first two " Rocky " films ( MGM themselves released the following " Rocky " movies ) , as well as such classics as " Rebecca " ( 1940 ) , " Marty " ( 1955 ) , " The Magnificent Seven " ( 1960 ) , " Judgment at Nuremberg " ( 1961 , featuring William Shatner ) , the Robert Wise - directed " West Side Story " ( 1961 ) , " In the Heat of the Night " ( 1967 ) , and " Annie Hall " ( 1977 ) . In addition to their feature films , MGM produced the classic " Tom & Jerry " cartoons and such television programs as " The Man from U . N . C . L . E . " and " Green Acres " . The also produced TV shows based on their films , including series for " The Thin Man " and " The Courtship of Eddie ' s Father " .