A Bunch of Old Pros - On TCM thru March 17th

I have always enjoyed watching well-seasoned professionals doing their thing.  Watching The Last Hurrah (1958) one gets to enjoy a rather large gathering of them, five of them are pictured below.  Clockwise from upper left, we have James Gleason, most famous for the role of Max Corkle in Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941), and as Sylvester the cab driver in The Bishop's Wife (1947).  On his left is Ricardo Cortez born Jacob Krantz, son of Jewish Austrian immigrants, who was anointed by Hollywood as one of the second comings of Valentino.  Well, he wasn't but he did a good job as Sam Spade in the original The Maltese Falcon (1931) and would keep his acting career alive through the 1940s.  

Next, seated, is Pat O'Brien.  I did not know before this that O'Brien was a classmate of Tracy, and both were born in Milwaukee!  The other three gents were all born in New York City, a much more commonplace hometown for performers.  Anyway, the two friends even joined the Navy together to fight in WWI, but the war was over before they completed training.  They probably had a beer or two to celebrate that blessing.  

                                       The Last Hurrah (1958)

I'll skip Spencer Tracy.  Nothing to add to the above trivia.  The last person is Edward Brophy, who portrays "Ditto" in the film.  The small chubby faced gent played a number of similar characters throughout his career.  As an MGM contract player, he appeared in three of Mr. Montgomery's movies:  Free and Easy (1930) (an uncredited role as Benny the Stage Manager - look fast!); Our Blushing Brides (1930); and Hide-Out (1934) (as Detective Britt who arrests "Lucky").  

The rest of the cast isn't shabby.  Pros to include Basil Rathbone, Donald Crisp, John Carradine, Frank McHugh, and Wallace Ford.  It would take John Ford as director to keep this crowd under control!   

TCM! - I've got this film you need to show.

 When I first ran across this photograph, it caught my eye because two of my favorite people, Reginald Owen and Frank Morgan, were in it.  And there is Virginia Bruce, as well, all decked out in a gorgeous gown and fancy hairdo.  I thought it was a publicity shot for The Great Ziegfeld (1936), since Owens, Morgan and Bruce were all in it, but it is named on the back as being Escapade (1935).  Then, looking up the movie, I found that William Powell and Luise Rainer star in both movies as well!  What?  

It did take a long time to film Ziegfeld, from April 8th to December 1935.  Escapade filming began at the same time, April 3rd, but was wrapped up in May.  Did the studio make Escapade to build up fan interest in Ziegfeld, a much larger production?  Use the core cast for both movies while having to wait out the year to film all the other performers?  Sounds 'bout right.  It is interesting that Escapade has a 7.3 rating on IMDB, while Ziegfeld has the lower score of 6.6. 

I would love to see the movie but, of course, it is not available anywhere.  Shuckie-darns!  

Okay, enlarging the good folks so you can see them ... Reginald Owen.

Mady Christians ... wonder how early she had to be at the studio for that hairdo!

Frank Morgan ... with a full beard and dark hair for a change.

Virginia Bruce ... knitting away.  The lady has been on a sound stage many a time.

I do not know who this gent is.  Evidently a fan of Ms. Bruce.  Herringbone jacket, striped shirt and checkered tie - my.  Would love to see the outfit in color.  Anyone know who he is?  

Not the Best Sea Duty

Ah, those lucky young men that ended up in Antarctica for their tour of duty... poor, poor souls.  

TCM is showing The Secret Land (1948) until March 31st, if you are so inclined to watch military exercises in Antarctica.  This documentary is well done, and it is always great to listen to then Commander Robert Montgomery.  It's just not everyone's cup of tea.  

I just noticed something checking out IMDB --- the director's name is Orville O. Dull!  Too much.  

Sorry, don't handle colds very well!

 Back in the day, a cold was almost nothing to handle.  Now I'm just happy to survive another day.

Meanwhile ... Mister Roberts (1955) has always been a favorite of mine.  Starring four excellent actors, I'm most appreciative of Mr. Cagney's effort as the dictatorial Captain.  And I'll always love just anything Mr. Powell contributes on the big screen.

Jack Lemmon, James Cagney, Henry Fonda and William Powell in Mister Roberts

Meanwhile ... that's all I can handle for now.  Hoping life returns next week!

Article written by Mr. Montgomery and published in the July 27, 1940 issue of Collier's.