1957, Alfred Hitchcock serving tea to the MGM Lion

Taken by Clarence Sinclair Bull in 1958, this photo of Alfred Hitchcock serving tea to Leo the MGM lion was used as a PR shot for North By Northwest, the director’s only film with MGM. There are rumors that Hitchcock actually directed the famous roaring lion intro for MGM, but that’s not true at all.
In reality there have been seven MGM lions and Leo was the last. According to sources the lions were all treated fairly well, although who knows what the animal rights laws were like in the early 20th century. They definitely aren’t what they are today, but the first MGM lion, “slats” was allegedly buried on the estate of his trainer Volney Phifer so there must have been some love there.
As far as Leo is concerned, he’s still the lion that you see in the company’s logo today, and was apparently gentle enough to be allowed on set with children, so maybe it’s not all bad for these MGM lions.