Monday, January 22, 2007

1935 Never Looked So Good

Many of you are aware of my fondness for color photos of classic stars. It's only natural that I'd be hunting for Robert Montgomery in color as well. I want to clarify here - I'm not talking colorized lobby cards or TV Guide covers from the 1950s - I'm talking actual vintage color of Bob.

I finally found it.

I'm referring to a 19 minute Technicolor MGM short from 1935 called Starlit Days at the Lido. The styles alone in color are priceless (exaggerated or not) - it's total eye candy. Add in a few classic stars and I'm in love with this short. To name a few, you'll see Buster Crabbe, Clark Gable, Richard Barthelmess, Reginald Denny, Constance Bennett, and many more - in color.

This clip from YouTube is partial, but it gives you a good idea.



If you can't find the short on TCM, it is available on the DVD of Roberta (Astaire/Rogers). In the meantime, my hunt for more Bob in color continues...

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love that TECHNICOLOR. :)
The big surprise in this little film is the gentleman eating the salad, Frank Shields, "ranking tennis player," as the announcer says. That is Brooke Shields' grandfather. One of Frank's sons (not the one who is Brooke's father) wrote a biography about him called, Bigger than Life: A Biography of Francis X. Shields, The Last Great Amateur, which I read. You can find a review of the book here.

Carrie said...

Interesting article. He died so young, really.