Bob & Madge - They Worked Well Together

   The studio released a goodly number of publicity stills like this one for Piccadilly Jim (1936).  I'm not sure if it was Bob who had the puffy face, or if it was the photographer who did a rather strange touch-up job.   All in all this photo with Madge Evans came out rather well.

This publicity photo of Madge Evans on the set of Piccadilly Jim is rather unique ... Bob isn't in it!!  

July 1st is Ms. Evan's Birthday. Happy 114th Birthday, Madge!

Where's Bob?

 A really nifty piece of artwork ... the dancers on top of the columns, all those MGM performers squeezed together in one photo.  A colored version was used in a prior post, but it mostly eliminated the dancers.  

And, once again, where's Bob?  I'm sure you'll find him, but will describe his location in Thursday's post, just in case.  

War, Desire and Hell - Sounds Like a Good Movie to Watch!

 There are three Bob films available for streaming on TCM right now.  Hell Below (1933) can be seen until July 7th and both War Nurse (1930) and Their Own Desire (1929) until July 20th.  Watching them in chronological order would be a good way of watching young Mr. Montgomery master his craft.  He continues to improve his acting skills after Hell Below, but he is obviously better than in his early movies.  

I rather like this Hell Below herald.  It is not the original, but don't know when or by whom it was produced.  It looks like a German herald, but it is in English.  The captions even provide a good outline of the story.  And, of course, there are numerous pictures of a very handsome Robert Montgomery.  

Picking Up Parental Skills Over the Years

 Bob looks a tad awkward holding a baby in this scene from War Nurse with co-star June Walker.  Of course, Betty was just pregnant with their first child during the filming, so Bob would be rather unexperienced dealing with babies.  The baby looks so large compared to the very diminutive Ms. Walker.  

                       Bob and  June Walker in War Nurse (1930)

Three decades later Bob looks and is an old hand at being around babies.  Here he is holding the real Robert Montgomery III, who is helping his grandfather celebrate his 55th birthday on the set of The Gallant Hours along with cast members Dennis Weaver and Mr. James Cagney.  One can only imagine the pieces of studio cake Bob and Jim had at on-the-set parties over the years.  

         Bob III, Bob, Dennis Weaver & James Cagney on the set of                                     The Gallant Hours (1960)

The Great Montgomery Mystery

 This article is from the February, 1931 issue of Motion Picture Classic.  One slight error you'll notice.  The good people of Beacon did not know our Mr. Montgomery as Bobby, since he was born Henry Montgomery, Jr.  The nickname bestowed upon him by his family was Harry.  Of course he chose Robert as his stage name soon after beginning his acting career in 1924.  I wonder when Bob replaced Henry/Harry in Bob's mind.  When Betty began calling him Bob.  A difficult change I'd think.  

Robert Montgomery Goes Shopping

 Dressing up to go to the tailors to order a tailor-made suit ... that's when you know you have arrived.  Note the tasseled cushion Bob is sitting on.  It's not your basic Target shopping experience ... 

I'm guessing it's 1929, early 1930 at the latest.  It's the hair, all wavy/curly, not slicked back at all.  Just gorgeous, as is the young Mr. Montgomery is in his entirety.  

100 Years With Bob ... Good Idea

 Of course there is a special appeal to seeing Mr. Montgomery lying down, putting ourselves in Virginia Bruce's place in the photograph.  But...it is a good photograph of Bob no matter the circumstances.  Such a handsome man.  And a good photograph of Bob and Virginia as well.  Sorry, I tend to overlook Bob's partners.  Bob is rather distracting.  

            Bob and Virginia Bruce in The First 100 Years (1938)

TCM update:  The Last of Mrs. Cheney (1937) continues to be available to stream until June 16th.  Recently added Hell Below (1933) is available until July 7th.  

Bob and Paul, Quite the Pair!

 The following article appeared in the June, 1955 issue of Focus magazine. The Desperate Hours earned our Mr. Montgomery a Tony Award for Direction, a well-earned distinction.  It starred Karl Malden and Nancy Coleman with rising star Paul Newman as one of three escaped convicts who take over a household.  The article is about Newman, calling him the new Brando.  

What I like about it is the photo of Bob and Newman.  51-year-old Bob and 31-year-old Paul did not get along.  Certainly not surprising.  I think the photo below captures their relationship perfectly.  

                                   Paul Newman & Karl Malden

                                  George Grizzard & Newman

Roz, Cesar, Walter & Franchot - I'd Go See That Movie!

 Sorry about the absence of a Tuesday blog entry.  Three-day holidays always mess things up for me ... as in "What day is it, Hon?"  And he replied, "Wednesday, Dearest."  And I said, "Oh, Crap!"  Anyway, let's give Thursday a try.

Roz Russell was a great actress.  She mastered both comedy and drama roles, a rarity.  Below, she shows she can 'out ham' even Marie Wilson!  

Rosalind Russell and Marie Wilson (the Blonde!) in Never Wave at a Wac (1953)

I've always been a fan of both Cesar Romero and Walter Pidgeon.  They both had long and productive careers, plenty of opportunities to watch and admire their work.  Looks like Cesar is the bad guy in this movie.  Not sure why the heroine would need to cringe in fear because Cesar is pointing his finger at them.  Maybe there wasn't a gun available at the photo session?  

Cesar Romero, Tara Birell, and Walter Pidgeon in She's Dangerous (1937)

There are numerous excellent portraits of Franchot Tone.  The camera loved the young Mr. Tone, much like the young Mr. Montgomery.