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City Behind the Lion: The untold story of the MGM Police and Fire Departments
Paperback
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Aug 24 2026
Pages: 154
Weight: 0.47
Height: 0.33 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
City Behind the Lion: The Untold Story of the MGM Police and Fire Departments explores a largely forgotten part of Hollywood history: the men and women who protected one of the most famous movie studios in the world.
During Hollywood's Golden Age, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was far more than a collection of soundstages. Its sprawling Culver City lot was a city unto itself, filled with thousands of employees, enormous sets, workshops, warehouses, backlots, celebrities, animals, explosives, valuable equipment, and acres of buildings. Keeping it all safe required something unusual. MGM maintained its own professional police and fire departments.
Drawing on photographs, records, newspaper accounts, personal recollections, and family history, City Behind the Lion tells the story of the officers and firefighters who guarded MGM's gates, patrolled its streets and backlots, investigated crimes, directed traffic, responded to emergencies, fought studio fires, and worked quietly behind the scenes while Hollywood created some of the most memorable films in motion-picture history.
The story is also personal. Author Thomas Tillman's grandfather, Peter Tillman, served as a captain with the MGM Police Department, providing a family connection to a world that has largely disappeared. Through his story and those of the people who served alongside him, the book looks beyond the stars and soundstages to the working community that kept the studio running.
From everyday life on the lot to fires, accidents, crimes, and tragedy, City Behind the Lion opens a seldom-seen door into MGM history and the remarkable private public-safety organization that once stood watch behind the famous lion.
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