And a Star is Born!

 The following review of Shipmates (1931) is found in the June, 1931, issue of Movie Romances.  

          Cliff Edwards and MGM's newest star, Robert Montgomery

                                     Bob and Dorothy Jordan

Now I'm not saying the review was influenced by MGM.  It is just a coincidence, I'm sure, that this full-page color advertisement for Shipmates also appeared in the magazine.  

So, Bob was only a Substitute on the Team?

 

Nora Gregor and Robert Montgomery.

 

Ralph Forbes standing at the trophy table.  That's Neil Hamilton, seated, with the soft hat and the dark glasses.  Behind him is Spencer Tracy.

Guinn Williams, Dr. Wilson, Harry Branders (with broken wrist) and Robert Montgomery helping him off the field.  Bob will change his clothes and take the injured player's place on the field.

At the edge of the field, Bob Montgomery, Henri de la Falaise, Constance Bennett and Guinn Williams.

After the game there was much business of autographing the polo balls.  Below, Bob Montgomery is signing on the stitched line.  Constance Bennett, Mrs. J. Thompson, Henri de la Falaise de la Coudraye and David Manners are also in the group.

And now Constance adds her famous signature.

Constance Talmadge, Mrs. Jack Lawrence, Guinn Williams (back to camera), Johnny Mack Brown and Will Rogers.  

I'd put good money on the possibility that the blurry young man in his polo outfit who is entertaining the ladies, is Mr. Montgomery.  

What's Better than Bob? Six Bobs ....

Good month for Bob on TCM.  There are six movies coming and going, all of them in the better Robert Montgomery films group.  

Two movies are almost through their showing.  Private Lives (1931) ends on the 21st and Piccadilly Jim (1936) the 23rd.  The Divorcee (1930) will be shown until May 1st.  The Man in Possession (1931) is just being shown this morning.  Hope it gets a long run.  Everybody should see the role just made for the young Mr. Montgomery.  He handles it so well.  And an excellent cast simply makes this movie a gem of pre-code Hollywood.  Cheers for Charlotte Greenwood, Irene Purcell, Reginald Owen, C. Aubrey Smith and Beryl Mercer.  

And two more movies will "open" in April:  Lady in the Lake (1946) on the 20th and Night Must Fall (1937) on the 30th.  And everybody should see these two movies ... Mr. Montgomery's passions.  

Some great viewing!  Enjoy.  

Bravo, Ms. Crawford!!

It has been forever since I last did a blog entry on Joan Crawford.  Used to think she got enough coverage from other sites so that it would be best to spend my time on Bob, who so seldom gets mentioned these days.  However, it does seem the remembrances of her are from those trashy horror films she made late in her career, and, more positively, the tough broad films of the 1940s.  

Joan Crawford, to me, is the young star of the 1930s.  She reaches the very top of her profession in her mid-20's, and she definitely came up all the way from the very bottom with a determination unmatched by few souls.  I mean, having teeth pulled to sharpen your facial image was a mild step for her to take in that uphill climb.  

Doug and Joan ... the best-looking couple ever?  Darn close, if not.  

I'm guessing most Crawford fans would have to agree that the blonde look did not work for Joan.  

The caption for this magazine clipping discusses Joan's well-maintained body.  That her face may not be beautiful, but the rest of her makes up for it.  And I'm sure she worked hard at it, as she apparently did for everything she wanted.  (The magazine gave Hurrell credit for the photograph.  Not his usual style.)

Gooooo, Joanie!  

Not a Bob by Hurrell, But Ever So Nice

                    Clark Gable, Photo by C. S. Bull, Sept., 1936 

 

My.

Have to Have Me Some Hurrell Once in a While

                    Robert Montgomery by George Hurrell (1932)

Yum.

I Wonder How Many Tuxes Bob Had at Hand

" NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 1961 -- Bystanders greet former President Eisenhower as he enters the New York Coliseum last night to attend dinner-rally for Republicans seeking election to municipal offices in the city.  Behind Eisenhower is New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller.  To Eisenhower's right are Louis Lefkowitz, with glasses, candidate for mayor, and actor Robert Montgomery."

Outstaging all the big/powerful gents in the photo, are the two ladies with their remarkable hats, big puffs of fur with God knows what sticking out.  I think the lady on the left is about to lose hers, poor thing ready to make a dash to safety.  

A closer shot of the gentlemen.  Rockefeller seems to be enjoying himself, chatting with the tall youngish man to his right.  I'm guessing it is one of his sons, seems like they were all tallish.  

Looks like Bob is elbowing the mayoral candidate to get next to Eisenhower, or perhaps the secret service agent.  Bob continued to assist Eisenhower after Ike left office.  I'm sure he enjoyed rubbing elbows with biggies in his political circle.      

And How Did Actors Kill Time Between Scenes?

 Well, there was the obvious way actors (and actresses) entertained themselves during down time, but we'll take a pass on that for this mostly family-friendly blog.  

The first photo shows Bob and Virginia on the set of The First 100 Years having coffee and cookies.  Handling coffee with food on the saucer was a bit of a skill back then.  Now the saucers have virtually disappeared, replaced by coffee mugs.  Another lost art ...

      Bob Montgomery & Virginia Bruce in The First 100 Years (1937)

Looks like Warren is trying to have a chat with Binnie who is taking the industrious approach to filling in time by crocheting something or another.  Personally, I'd chose just listening to Warren who was an inventor/tinkerer and a basically interesting gent.  Assuming Bob would be busy ...

      Warren William & Binnie Barnes in The First 100 Years (1937)

Happy Easter!

 

Meet Louie, the 2024 Cadbury Bunny.  Too cute.

It is possible ...

Okay ... I'm going to attempt a translation of an article from the July 23, 1932, issue of "Cinefilo".  Haven't tried one in Portuguese before.  At least the photos are nice.  

"In the cinematic firmament of Hollywood, the talent of Robert Montgomery has long shone.

This young man is one of those who lives his own life, largely oblivious to American conventions.  It was perhaps in military colleges that he trained his tenacious spirit.

It is possible, too, that he made up his mind to overcome all obstacles when first arriving in Hollywood,  and finding himself among a hostile or indifferent crowd.  

He is very fond of horseback riding, being an excellent horseman.  While others ride horses through the elegant parks, sporting the latest fashionable riding attire, Robert Montgomery rides at ease and with great pleasure along the paths of the high mountain ranges.

He is also a remarkable roping and polo player."

I'm guessing the magazine received an MGM press kit with photographs, but no accompanying article.  It is possible ... 

Norma, Joan and Madge ... What, No Roz?!

 TCM has three Bob movies available for streaming: 

    Private Lives (1931) through April 21st; 

    The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1937) through April 1st; and  

    Piccadilly Jim (1936) through April 23rd. 

Not bad choices, and plenty of time to work them all in before they expire.  I have a special spot for Private Lives, which has several great scenes.  The photograph below shows Amanda and Elyot in a quiet moment before The Great Fight!!  That must have been fun for Norma and Bob, certainly a break from the serious love making they were usually asked to do.

            Norma Shearer and Robert Montgomery in Private Lives

I Don't Think I Could Maintain Silence for a Year

 When it's 2:25 a.m. and you just remember you need to do a post, it's always nice to have a friend to go to.  Well, I feel like Bill Powell would be my friend and be there to help out in trying times.  

Mr. Powell was a handsome guy at the age of 63.  As he was at any age, of course.  Great smile.  

                        William Powell in Mister Roberts (1955)

Oh, in reference to last week's "small fib" post ... This is the last sentence of the column:  "He is six feet tall, weighs 160, has brown hair and blue eyes, and is unmarried."  Having brown hair and blue eyes is the correct part of the sentence.  Later he would claim to be 6' 1", but 6' 0" may be correct.  He's always described as being 160 lbs., but his weight varied quite a bit.  160 seems rather high for a 6-foot waif like he was in 1929.  However, it's the "...and is unmarried" part that's a rather sad outright fib --- hard for me to say "lie".  Poor Betty, having to not exist for most of a year.  Quite the sacrifice for a young wife. 

Can You Find the Small "Fib"?

Tired, Perhaps, But More Likely Bored

 "Robert Montgomery picks a convenient spot to rest between scenes during the filming of his newest Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer starring picture, "Lovers Courageous (1932)," which was directed by Robert Z. Leonard.  

Bob Takes to the Air!

Bob, Burt Allenburg (a Hollywood agent), and Walter Pidgeon share a laugh at the Polo matches.  I am all for the way people would dress to attend sporting events, or most any public occasion.  Note Walter's boutonniere.  Classy.

It is 1945 and Robert Montgomery takes to the air on CBS, probably Lux Theater.  And it is a color photo!  You can just see the blue eyes.  

"Costume partying is a good old Hollywood custom.  Robert Montgomery, pleased as punch in his Scotch kilts, gallantly assists the Mrs."  Why do I think Bob is not wearing a rental. 

Is there any movie you'd get up to see at 3:30 a.m.?

Just love original photographs, especially from the early 1930s.  Gorgeous quality, you can see it even when it is displayed in such small scale, as is the photo below.  You can see our Bob checking out the gun Chester Morris has, and not liking the situation he is in one bit.  

A good photograph allows me to blow up points of interest, the young Mr. Montgomery is always interesting.  Love that curly head of hair.  

The Big House (1930) utilized a large number of extras.  Great up on a theater screen, but a tad vision blurring on this blog.  

Bob and Chester are not in this shot, just Wallace Beery as Butch, everyone's favorite cellmate!  

The Big House will be shown on TCM this Wednesday at 3:30 a.m. PT.  Have not seen it for a while.  Hopefully it will be streamed for a while afterwards, 3:30 a.m. not being a great viewing time, for any movie.  

And Today Is ........

 

Yes, Robert Montgomery Wasn't the Only Person in the Movie

This is Sally Starr and Phyllis Crane.  Sally plays Babs Babcock, the girl all the boys fight over, and Phyllis is Babs' best friend Betty.  The write-up on the back names their movie as "Happy Days".   

     Sally Starr and Phyllis Crane (1929)

Elliot Nugent portrays Eddie, Biff's best buddy.  (Biff is you know who!)   For this photo, the movie is referred to as "College Days".  

                                         Elliott Nugent, 1929

I am glad they finally chose So This is College.  Much better title.