Irving Thalberg from Universal as head of production) Loew's Inc., 1924–1959 (in 1924, Marcus Loew merged the first two studios and Louis B. Mayer offered up the third and was named head of MGM; controlling interest in Loew's purchased by William Fox in 1929, but was then forced to sell off interest due to stock market crash; operational control ceded by Loew's to studio management in 1957) Independent, 1959–1981 (fully divested by Loew's; purchased by Edgar Bronfman Sr. in 1967; purchased by Kirk Kerkorian in 1969) MGM/UA Entertainment Co., 1981–1986 (United Artists purchased by Kerkorian in 1981 and merged into MGM) Turner Broadcasting System, 1986 (purchased by Ted Turner in 1986) MGM Entertainment Co., 1986 MGM/UA Communications Co., 1986–1990 (repurchased by Kerkorian seventy-four days later) MGM-Pathe Communications, 1990–1992 (purchased by Giancarlo Parretti in 1990) Crédit Lyonnais, 1992–1997 (foreclosed upon by bank after Parretti defaulted) Tracinda Corporation, 1997–2005 (repurchased by Kerkorian) MGM Holdings, 2005–present Sony/Comcast/4 private equity firms, 2005–2010 (purchased by Sony, Comcast, and private investment firms—Providence Equity Partners currently owns the greatest number of shares—and privately held as a minor media company independent of Sony/Columbia) Credit Suisse, JPMorgan Chase, other former bondholders (2011–2022) including Carl Icahn (2011–2012) Amazon, 2022–present RKO Radio Pictures/RKO Pictures Independent as FBO, 1918–1928 (founded by Harry F. Robertson) RCA, 1928–1935 (merger engineered under RCA by its president David Sarnoff, bringing together FBO and Keith-Albee-Orpheum) Independent, 1935–1955 (half of RCA's interest purchased by Floyd Odlum, control split between RCA, Odlum, and Rockefeller brothers; controlling interest purchased by Odlum in 1942; controlling interest purchased by Howard Hughes in 1948; Hughes's interest purchased by Stolkin-Koolish-Ryan-Burke-Corwin syndicate in 1952; interest repurchased by Hughes in 1953; studio nearly fully purchased by Hughes in 1954) General Tire and Rubber, 1955–1984 (purchased by General Tire and Rubber—coupled with General Tire's broadcasting operation as RKO Teleradio Pictures; production and distribution halted in 1957; movie business dissolved in 1959 and RKO Teleradio renamed RKO General; RKO General establishes RKO Pictures as production subsidiary in 1981) GenCorp, 1984–1987 (reorganization creates holding company with RKO General and General Tire as primary subsidiaries) Wesray Capital Corporation, 1987–1989 (spun off from RKO General, purchased by Wesray—controlled by William E. Simon and Ray Chambers—and merged with amusement park operations to form RKO/Six Flags Entertainment) Independent as RKO Pictures LLC, 1989–present (owned by Ted Hartley, who also is the CEO. As of 2015, the company's recent films released were A Late