Adolphe Menjou, suave, debonair and a tailor-made scene-stealer, was born February 18, 1890. When changing studios during his career, it required trucks to take his wardrobe with him.
Dapper, well-dressed, no matter his age.
... And hamming it up as Nicolai Nicoleff in Gold Diggers of 1935.
An absolutely beautiful card received by my maternal grandmother in 1911. And, no, it was not sent by my grandfather to be. Grandpa was a good farmer but did not have the feminine touch to choose this.
Helen Rydell of Los Angeles, Cal. was a clever fan. She figured out that she could buy a 1 cent stamp for a postcard that she would send to MGM asking for a photograph of a favorite star and then receive in return a picture postcard of her star asking for either 10 cents for a 5 x 7 photo or 25 cents for an 8 x 10. 1 cent vs. 10 or 25 cents. Good one, Helen. This ad campaign was short-lived, just briefly in 1937 to 1938. It's no wonder.
She also asked for a Frank Morgan photo and receives one which includes Clark Gable as well.
Helen's request was for Maureen O'Sullivan ... not Beery.
Allas, a Swedish magazine did a good job on Bob's eyes, they are blue instead of the most-often colorized brown. The red lips, a tad over-the-top.
Nora Gregor was born February 3, 1901, in Austria-Hungary. The lady led an interesting life. May I heartedly suggest reading the biography included on IMDB (mostly under Trivia), as well as Wikipedia's entry on her second Husband Prince Ernst Starhemberg. Way too complex a life to condense to fit in this post! It would make for a great movie, if they would only make those kinds of movie anymore.
But the Flesh is Evil (1932) was a failed attempt by Ms. Gregor to establish a movie career in Hollywood. Her thick Austrian accent and age (31, after all!) did not appeal to the American movie audience.
"WEDDED BLISS . . . Helen Hayes and Robert Montgomery are the fight-and-make up newlyweds in "Another Language" in which they are starred by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer under direction of E.H. Griffith."
Bob and Helen Hayes in Another Language (1933)The studio certainly did not waste production money on using publicity stills to advertise Another Language. I have run across all of two publicity stills for the movie, this and another photo of Bob and Helen. There are a few on set candid's and that's it. IMDB notes the movie was originally intended to star Norma Shearer who backed out shortly before the movie was underway to take care of her ailing husband, Mr. Thalberg. That might explain the lack of planned publicity for the movie. I have never been a big Hayes fan, but I'm sure her performance was better than anything a miscast Shearer would have given.
Trading cards are just nifty. Most are 1-1/2" x 2-1/2" but can be both smaller and larger. Small is the key thought. Many are colored, like Bob the sailor with the great coat and scarf.
The German company "Ross" cards, both postcard and trading cards, are all in the elite category.
Have always admired the photographs of Bob and Ann Harding taken for The Biography of a Bachelor Girl (1935) using a clear white backdrop. The trading cards are much more affordable to collect than the 8"x10" format!
Another nice colored card of Bob in But the Flesh is Weak (1932).
Most cards are solo shots of stars and film couples. Have not run across many scenes from movies. The production needs to be good enough for the scenes to be legible. Keeping in mind trading cards are give-a-ways, the print company had to keep costs down as much as possible. This scene from Night Must Fall (1937) is definitely one of the better cards.
Yes, small and classy.
So, you're doing a scene along with five other performers and six crew members all crowded together with sound booms, camera and lights ... and you're supposed to deliver some inane lines while wearing a towel wrapped around your head. And somehow, it all looks so real on the big screen. Rather amazing when you think about it.
A slightly larger look at Bob and Marion Davies so you can see them "in action" on the set of Ever Since Eve (1937).
Ever Since Eve is available for streaming on TCM until February 13th. Also showing is No More Ladies (1935) until February 1st.
Wow ... I really am late remembering Mr. Milland. Forgive me, please, kind sir. Anyway, such a stern look from the young man. I'm guessing the photo was taken in 1934 when Ray signed up with Paramount. That would make him 27 at the time. Such a handsome dude.
Ran across this photograph on eBay just this past year. There is no identifying studio or photographer's stamp, so I am guessing Ruth Harriet Louise took it. Looks like her work and she was in charge of MGM's photography unit (1925 to 1930) when young Mr. Montgomery first entered the movies. It was in a small group of Bob's more recent portraits, and I can only assume it was overlooked since no one else bid on them. Definitely my "find" for the year. It is my wallpaper at present. Yes, it is great to get lost in those blue eyes.
Embarrassingly enough, the City of Bakersfield CA, sponsors a Polar Bear event on News Years Day. Yes, ever so brave hungover citizens of this desert community line up for the opportunity to jump or slide into a city pool. Brace yourselves denizens of the Mid-West, for the mid-day temperature this year was 67 degrees! Oh, my, brrrrrr... Granted the low temp for the day was 44 degrees so I can imagine the water was refreshing, but ... Let's see, it got up to 35 in Indianapolis, IN ... above freezing at least. And in Milwaukee, poor Milwaukee, it topped out at 16 degrees!!! Ouch.
The Aussies know how to throw a party. Another spectacular fireworks display presented in Sydney. Nifty.
My computer problem(s) has finally been resolved, and I will return to my regularly scheduled programming next Tuesday ... or I certainly hope so!
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