BOO!!!!

 Happy Halloween! 

             Frank Lawton, Maureen O'Sullivan & Lionel Barrymore                                               in The Devil-Doll (1936)

                

Doing His Best for His Men and Country

 It's the Duke and Bob ready to take whatever the war throws at them, a still from They Were Expendable (1945).  Nifty scene, but the blog just is not set up to display the photo properly.  Shucks.

 So, we will just have to enlarge the best part of the photo for close review.  Why, surprise, it's Bob Montgomery!  No, wait.  It's Lt. John 'Brick' Brickley, not looking nearly as spiffy as he was in his Navy whites in the bar scene at the beginning of the movie. 

What he does look like is a man accepting his fate, determined to do his best for his men and country. 

Good job, Mr. Montgomery.

Bob Makes it to the Gossip Columns

"Reginald Denny and Robert Montgomery have decided that a rolling stone may gather some tan if it rolls far enough away to do it, so acquire the "alura" skin while chopping wood away off at the Denny mountain cabin, attired only in those dainty, masculine unmentionables referred to in in polite society, if at all, as shorts."

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 "Bob Montgomery is all in favor of European, especially Italian, speed laws.  They not only let you go as fast as you want, but in Italy they actually encourage you to see how fast you can make it.  They checked Bob out in his Bentley on a run to Milan (in 1935).  He did it averaging 70 miles per hour.  The cops were the first to congratulate Bob.  What a country!"

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Well, no caption came with the photo clipping.  Bob and Jimmy Cagney toast a life-long friendship ... that sounds about right.  

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"If you have learned by mail or somehow or other just exactly how to make an avocado tree grow in New England, it will be worth exactly one thousand dollars to you if you'll prove it to Bob Montgomery.  Bob wants to grow his favorite fruit on his New York farm, but doesn't know how.  He offers one grand for such horticultural success.  Don't push all you farmers and farmerettes."

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 "Yep---they've really gone horse crazy in Hollywood.  When Fred Astaire's wife had their baby the other day, Bob Montgomery, who is expecting one in the family any time now, sent a telegram to Fred:  Congratulations, it read.  Yours to win and mine to show."  (Slight problem in this story.  Astaire's son was born Jan. 21, 1936 and Bob Jr. was born Jan. 6th.  Perhaps it was Astaire who sent the telegram.  Whatever, it's just Hollywood!)

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"Wonder if you knew that Bob Montgomery has a brother?  Maybe you'll see him---if his test turns out all right.  Donald is his name.  He visited Bob the other day, and just a trip around the lot won him a break before the testing lens.  Handsome lad, he is, too.  Very much of the he-man type."  (This is from a 1936 magazine.)

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions ...

 This is an 11x14 poster of the young Mr. Montgomery.  I purchased a group of six, all of stars of the same era.  Haven't run across anything quite like them since.  Anyway, I am definitely happy with my purchase.  After finally getting it scanned, I played a bit with the appearance.  The first scan is very close to the original photo. 

 I decided to "up" the image a tad.  Maybe better.  Nice. 

 And then I tried a brown hue.  Yes!  Just love it. 

So, now the decision is how to store the photo scan.  Which version should I use?  Or do I figure out a way to retain all three.  Hmmm...  Decisions, decisions, decisions.. 

The Other MGM Robert in the Navy

 Handsome Gents, weren't they!

                                  Lt. Robert Taylor, USNR

Dr. Bob Researches Hollywooditis

 The following article was published in the August, 1938 issue of Hollywood Magazine.  It is a tad lengthy, but it is a good read.  

A Political Campaign Without TV ... How Wonderful!

 "Republican Presidential nominee Wendell Willkie went Hollywood tonight at the Hollywood Bowl."

The 1940 Republican convention was held the last week of June, giving the nominee, Wendell Willkie, four months to campaign before the November 5th election.  There were no primaries then, so no never-ending campaigning of today.  And no television!  Willkie had to travel to as many cities as he could to be seen by the voting public.  

He is in Hollywood on Sept. 19th still going full throttle, along with his wife and two Republican party stalwarts Bob Montgomery and George Murphy.  They all seem to be enjoying themselves. I wonder what they are singing? 

    Left to right:  Wendell Willkie, Republican Presidential nominee; 

          Robert Montgomery; Mrs. Willkie; and George Murphy

 

Bob is definitely into his singing.  Good set of choppers.

A Funny Lady, For Sure

 TCM is showing seven Carole Lombard movies in celebration of her birthday, today, Oct. 6th.  So, if you need a good laugh (don't we all!), check out a Lombard film or two.  Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) we know is a no miss, Bob and Carole were an excellent pair on screen.  It is showing at 6:00 p.m. Eastern.  (And again on Oct. 19th)

Was there anything he couldn't do?

I had not heard of "Nifty", a humor magazine loaded with cartoons of the time, when I ran across this issue from the early 1940's.  It was the unusual cartoon on the cover that caught my eye.  Eye-catching, isn't it.  But what got me to buy the magazine was the drawings on the back.

There are several drawings, one of special interest to you and me.

Not bad, for an actor.  But, of course, our Bob was a multi-talented man.  Very much so.  And Edward Everett Horton proves he had a good sense of humor!  (Hope Clark did, too...)