Joan's Dilemma - William or Robert?

I'd say she could handle them both!

Eugene Pallette Caught In Between

Love the total control studios had over portraying their images to the public.  As in even the behind the scenes photos were impeccably set up.  Note in this set photo from Hell Below the crew is dressed to the hilt, the camera man at the very top even has a hat on!  Right.  And what, pray tell, is he filming from that angle ... the top of Eugene Pallette's head?  Whatever.  It is an interesting photo with Bob in it, so what's not to like!

                Eugene Pallette and Bob on the set of Hell Below

I'll See You and Raise You Two

Constance Bennett, the lady with the large eyes, was born October 22, 1904.  Born into an acting family, she was the older sister of Joan Bennett who appeared with Bob in Three Live Ghosts (1929).  Constance was the highest-paid actress in the movies in 1931 when she made The Easiest Way.  A strong-willed independent lady who would later establish successful clothing and cosmetics businesses, Constance was an accomplished poker player ... kinda fitting.  

           Bob and Constance Bennett ... one good-looking couple!
 

                            Bob, Constance and Adolphe Menjou

 Love the caption for the above photo, used in a vintage movie magazine:  It took all three stars to save the old worn-out plot of  "The Easiest Way."   Ouch!

Ah, Brian, What Happened to that Gorgeous Hair?! (Hmm...kinda like Bob's.)

Brian Aherne was handsome, debonair and instantly likeable on the screen.  A successful actor in both movies and the theater, Aherne was a longtime friend of depressive George Sanders (no mean accomplishment) about whom he wrote the excellent biography, "A Dreadful Man: A Personal Intimate Book About George Sanders." 
 

                          What Every Woman Knows (1934)

                      

 Aherne was also a pilot and owned his own plane.  A multi-talented gent was he.  And, following a Bette Davis theme for the week, was quoted as saying, "Surely nobody but a mother could have loved Bette Davis at the height of her career."  

Bob and Bette on the Same Stage ...Amazing!

Bob and Bette Davis were not exactly good friends, but they were both pros ... and would not let anything as minor as a personal animosity get in the way of making a film.  They even shared a few moments of enjoyment on the set of June Bride, or at least that is how it appears with a camera on them.  In the photo below, Bette is smiling at Bob ...

and later she can't keep a straight face over whatever Bob is doing off camera. 

Yeah, definitely pros at their business.  Which leads me to the classic clip of Bob playing a joke on Bette.  You can see it here at 4:17 into the clip.  Now just what could he have done for Bette to react that way.  Ah, the possibilities.  I love Bob's snort at the very end. 

The Many Sides of Ray Milland

Ray the Lover ...

             Ray and Dorothy Lamour in The Jungle Princess (1936)

Ray the Adventurer .... 

          Robert Preston, Gary Cooper and Ray in Beau Geste (1939)

and Ray the Drunk.

                                 The Lost Weekend (1945)

Petticoat Fever with an Italian Twist

I have never seen any of Bob's movies in any language besides English.  Of course his movies were released worldwide, and that northeastern English voice was dubbed in many languages when originally released.  Would love to hear some of the voices used and the effect they would have on the Montgomery persona. 

And, of course, the herald used to advertise the movie would be translated as well.  Petticoat Fever was no doubt a challenge to translate.  In Italian the movie's name becomes finalmente una donna! or Finally a Woman!  A rather more understandable title.
 

Fortunately, no translation or changes were needed for the montages used in the herald.

And that outfit Bob wore with the mukluks ... funny in any language. 

Fast and Loose and Handsome

This photo of Bob was taken in 1939 by Laszlo Willinger for the movie Fast and Loose.  I like the clarity of the photo, the perfectly combed hair, the deep furrows on his forehead, his long "pianist" hands ... the high very starched white collar works for Bob because of his long neck, but it is a style of shirt that fortunately was short-lived.  Whatever, the 35-year-old Bob was a handsome dude for sure.