Thursday, April 14, 2022

He's Here, He's There, He's Everywhere!

 I have always liked this lobby card, a favorite movie, They Were Expendable (1945), and a nifty scene.  Today's special effects are truly amazing, but a lot could be done 80 years ago with a good camera man and imaginative special and visual effects units.  


How often do we see a shot of Mr. Montgomery from behind?!  


I was looking at this reprint not long ago and felt an odd presence.  I scanned it so I could blow it up and take a close look.  


Yup, it is Mr. Bond staring at Bob, with gun in hand.  To be expected, the John Ford film regulars did not welcome Bob with open arms - John Wayne had expected the lead role; he was miffed when Ford had Bob finish the movie; etc., etc.  Shall we assume there were not any real bullets in his gun?


2 comments:

Allison said...

that must have been an odd set at times. I think Bob enjoyed working with John Ford but also told him he needed to be more respectful to John Wayne. I think the casting was right. I cannot imagine Bob and John playing each other's roles in this.

Kathy said...

Oh, shudder the thought of Bob playing Rusty with John as Brick telling him what to do! My, but that would not have worked. Thankfully, Ford wanted Bob in the lead role, since it fitted him so well. Like, he had actually been a PT commander. Duh. Neither Ford nor Bob thought of Bob as being 2nd lead. That was just sour grapes from the Wayne camp.