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know that a microphone had been hidden in the flower arrangement in front of his place? Hollywood had a million little tricks like this and used them all.
Entertaining world figures at MGM Studio was no problem for Ida Koverman, Louis B. Mayer's assistant. Ida, an amazing woman who knew leaders of industry in all forty-eight states, first came to California to unite the Republican forces, especially the women, in support of Herbert Hoover when he ran for the presidency. Among the people she met on her trip West was Mayer, who, through Ida, became interested in politics on a national scale. L.B., always his own best talent scout, persuaded Ida to leave Hoover and become his number-one assistant at the studio. After Hoover moved into the White House, L.B. visited him many times.
Soon after Ida settled at MGM, Louis branched out and started to make speeches. Up to that time you couldn't have gotten a word out of him if his life had depended upon it; but once he got the hang of orating, like so many of us, he fell in love with the sound of his own voice.
Ida insisted that his speeches be carefully written, then she rehearsed them with him and went along when he made his appearances. L.B. had a tendency to get earned away and stray from the script, so Ida had a signal worked out to stop him. It interested me to see how closely Louis— who as high mogul of MGM had the power to make men and women jump at his every word— watched Ida, and how quick he was to obey the signal.
However, I never saw him take orders from anyone else.
When he left the wild animals behind at the Selig Zoo and moved over to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in Culver City, he became the absolute czar of that studio. And I don't use the word "czar" lightly.
I was in Mayer's office one July 3 when he sent for Fred Niblo, an important director since he had made the mammoth best seller Ben Hur.
Fred came in running. "Yes, Mr. Mayer. You sent for me?"
"I want you and Mrs. Niblo to be ready to board my yacht at six o'clock tonight for a cruise to Catalina Island over the week end."
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