The Photo May Be Damaged, But ...

Ah ... such an adorable young man. 

Bob in Uniform, So Nice! ... Bob in a White Uniform, Grrreat!!

                                They Were Expendable (1945)

A familiar pose, Bob holding a drink.  Yet, not the same.  Four years of war changes a person, as in my understatement for the year ...

Still, a good-looking guy was he ... another understatement!

TCM is showing TWE this coming Sunday, the 26th, 2:30 p.m. PST.  The Thin Man (1934) follows at 5:00 p.m.  A Bob and Bill (Powell) day!  Not bad.

My Favorite Kind of Mystery Solving

I enjoy Bob photos.  (Really, you ask?!)  Besides just admiring Bob, it is a great pleasure to identify a photo as being one of a particular sitting.  The photo below always seemed to be one of a kind, knew nothing about it, didn't know who took the photo or when it was taken.  Initially I thought it was taken on a set for Fast and Loose since there is a rounded bookcase used in the movie.  However, the next time I saw part of the movie, I realized the bookcase is different from this one.  Ah, shucks.  Back to square one.

Then I obtained this photo.  Hey, it's the same tie, always a good way to identify a photo.  And the books in the background are the same as in the photo above.  Gotta be from the same photo shoot. 

And taking it one step further, the use of shadow on Bob's face reminded me of this gorgeous photo by M. B. Paul, who worked for Columbia pictures.  It was taken in 1941 for use in the publicity campaign for Mr. & Mrs. Smith.  Yup, same tie and jacket.  The use of shadowing prevalent in all three photos.  Same sitting, three great photos. (For the record, I've seen an original of the middle photo.  My copy is a bit washed-out, the jacket is way too light.  I'm sure Mr. Paul's photos were a challenge to print.) 

Paul's photos are very flattering of the 36-year-old Montgomery.  Wish he had worked for MGM, really nice work. 

Hey, Why Not a Few Extra Dollars!

Bob was associated with Lucky Strikes cigarettes from the early 1930s to and including the first years of his Robert Montgomery Presents television show.  He also did ads for Coco-Cola in the 1930s and Elgin watches in the 1940s.  Certainly nothing wrong with celebrity endorsements, but an ad for the Imperial Wall Paper Co., well......I'm not sure that was a great fit for Mr. Montgomery.  I hope it at least covered the cost of re-decorating his dressing room! 

Happy Valentine's Day!

May your dream of romance come true.  Me, well, my husband and I will be together ... driving to pick up my car from the garage.  Actually, he did suggest lunch and a movie on Wednesday, to avoid the crowds.  "Romance" simply evolves over the years.

Movies, TV, Stage, Radio and Top 40 (?)

Our Mr. Montgomery was indeed a multi-talented performer, mastering all from the stage to television.  Actor, director, producer ... he did it all, including singing in his earlier movies.  However, seeing his photo on the cover of a 45 rpm is rather strange.  One would not have expected a 50-year-old Bob to enter the music business, particularly not in the "rocking" 1950s.

And he didn't, really.  This record was no doubt a promo for his show with a limited production and distribution.  Of course if he had really wanted to...  I mean, 1955 is the year that had Georgia Gibbs' "Tweedle Dee" at No. 16 on the charts and Fess Parker's "The Ballad of David Crockett" at No. 22.  We're not talking about any stiff competition here.  Now, if I could just locate the 45 adapter for my record player ... 

Three Funny People and One Great Songwriter

Bea Lillie was a very, very funny lady.  I remember her from The Jack Paar Show (Hey, I was a very precocious movie/TV fan!)  She must have been a pure joy on the stage.  One can only imagine the 'flipper' jokes she had in this play ...

              Beatrice Lillie in the stage play Inside U.S.A. (1948)

Hoagy Carmichael has, as of 2016, 327 soundtrack credits listed on IMDB.  There will be more, his music is wonderfully timeless.  Hoagy was in a handful of movies, usually playing the piano player.  I don't think Mr. Carmichael found this to be very exciting. 

                      Hoagy Carmichael in Canyon Passage (1946)

In the early 1930s, Jack Oakie was a highly successful comedic actor.  He starred in one of the funniest movies ever made, Million Dollar Legs (1932).  Andy Devine mastered the role as the funny sidekick in many a western.   I do not remember seeing That's the Spirit, but I am sure the two pros were superb, as always. 

           Andy Devine and Jack Oakie in That's the Spirit (1945)

I was trying for smiles here.  If you smiled even once, my day has been made!  

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