Smartest Guy on Broadway!

 Made on Broadway (1933), a favorite title of mine.  Yeah, definitely pre-code.  And Bob gets to play a tuxedo-wearing overachiever ... the smartest guy in town.  Methinks he didn't have to look very far to find his character for this movie.  

I also like the promotional materials for the movie.  Those photos of Bob in his full formal regalia are just too much.  The printed promotions are great as well.  The herald is classy, sets up the movie with minimal verbiage.  "He knows all, sees all, fixes everything ..."  You've sold me.  Two tickets, please.  

Do Enjoy Yourselves this Thanksgiving

 Me, I think I need a break, particularly after forgetting to do my post yesterday.  So, I'm going to concentrate on surviving Thanksgiving Day, be back on the 30th.  

I do hope your Thanksgiving is filled with loved ones, good friends and wonderful pumpkin pies. 

A Handsome Man Always

 A rather nice photo of Bob taken in 1948.  In other photos from that year, he is doing publicity shots for The Saxon Charm, wearing one of those atrocious ties he wore in character as ruthless Matt Saxon.  Here he's wearing the solid-colored tie that becomes his style in the late 1940s on into the 1950s.  The man dressed well.  Love the smile.

 

Happy Veterans Day!

I'm sure they wouldn't mind a hug or two as well. 

Bob, Don't Let Them Touch Those Curls!

 Bob was a featured player in The Sins of the Children (1930), originally titled The Richest Man in the World.  Somebody decided 'Sins' would more easily catch a viewer's attention ... and they were probably right.  Cosmopolitan Pictures had an arrangement with MGM who put its logo on and distributed the movie.  Elliott Nugent, close friend of Bob's from their working together on So This is College (1929), is a featured player, as well as sharing credit for the story and dialogue.  So at least Bob gets to pal around with Nugent while being loaned out to Cosmopolitan.  

Whoever was responsible for publicizing the picture did not have much of a budget.  There just is not much available to collect.  I ran across this photo on eBay listed with no reference to Bob.  It was a fun find for me, seeing that face jump out from my computer screen.  Now, Bob, do not let those two barbers touch that curly head of hair.  After all, look at their haircuts! 

 

At Least Frenchie was in Technicolor

 Happy Birthday, Joel McCrea!  Well, almost, his birthday is this Friday the fifth.  And, yes, he is one of my 'other' men ... gorgeous, tall, athletic build and thick wavy hair.  Rrrff.  The still below is from Bed of Roses (1933) starring Constance Bennett.  Lucky Constance!

Between 1946 and 1959, Joel was in a whole lot of movies and only one was not a western.  Great career move.  A cowboy can be middle-age, no having to look younger for his 20-year-old leading lady, his horse.  He was still one handsome cowboy as in 1950s Frenchie.  His co-star was Shelley Winters.  I personally don't see that pairing work all that well.  1950 was a bad time for the industry as a whole.  Our Mr. Montgomery was wise to bail out and go into television.  A Great career move as well.

The Man Who Lost to Truman in 1948

 It is November 2, 1948, the day of the Presidential election.  Gathered for what I'm guessing was a radio broadcast are Republican candidate Thomas E. Dewey and his wife, and a collection of entertainment people, politicians and businessmen.  I'm also guessing it was a get-out-the-vote event (with Bob as MC), or perhaps they were the early arrivals at Dewey's celebration for winning the election.  Everyone is so happy in the photo.  I wonder how long that feeling lasted for them. 

 Yes, that's our Bob next to Dewey, they were life-long friends.  Dewey's permanent residence since 1939 was a large farm outside Pawling, NY, not that far from Bob's farm outside Millbrook.  They kept in touch.  The gent on the far left is James Melton, a singer associated with The Met in the 1940s. 

 Seated in front are Irene Dunne and John Hodiak. 

 And the lady in the back row, far left, is Zasu Pitts. 

 Bob had this tendency to injure himself throughout his adulthood.  There was the broken left wrist  playing Polo, the broken left foot from skiing, the broken left arm suffered from a fall on ice arriving at a New Year's party (probably at the Deweys') ....  this is my first news of a broken index finger.  And, yes, it's the left hand.  You know, that looks painful.