1965 MGM vault fire

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1965 MGM vault fire
DateAugust 10, 1965
electrical short
OutcomeDestruction of archived Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer silent and early sound films
Deaths1 (reported)
Non-fatal injuries0

On August 10, 1965, a fire erupted in Vault 7, a storage facility at the

nitrate film
. The initial explosion reportedly killed at least one person, and the resulting fire destroyed the entire contents of the vault, which included archived prints of silent and early sound films produced by MGM and its predecessors. The only known copies of hundreds of films were destroyed.

Background

The storage vaults, located on Lot 3, were spaced apart from one another to prevent fire from spreading between vaults. Studio manager

Roger Mayer described the vaults as "concrete bunk houses" and stated that it was considered at the time as "good storage because [the films] couldn't be stolen". The vaults were not equipped with sprinkler systems and each had only a small fan in the roof for ventilation. However, Mayer believed that a sprinkler system would have made little difference because "the amount [the studio] lost by fire was minimal".[2]
: 12-13 

Unlike most major studios, MGM sought to preserve its early productions and those of its predecessors

safety film.[3]
: 22 

Fire

Shortly before 10:00 p.m. on the evening of August 10, 1965,

Roger Mayer stated that at least one person died in the explosion,[2]: 12  although a contemporary newspaper article states that there were no fatalities.[1] The fire was extinguished, but none of the films stored inside the vault were salvaged.[2]
: 12 

Because of MGM's efforts to preserve its catalog of silent and early sound films, the fire did not result in a significant loss of its library. Despite the fire, 68% of silent films produced by MGM survived, the highest rate of any major studio.[3]: 22  However, the fire destroyed the only known copies of numerous silent films, including Lon Chaney's A Blind Bargain (1922)[2]: 12  and London After Midnight (1927)[4] as well as Greta Garbo's The Divine Woman (1928).[2]: 12 

See also

References

  1. ^
    Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^
    JSTOR 3815289
    .
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-1-932326-39-0
    . Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  4. ISBN 978-0786435814
    .
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