...And who would play Nora in her movie?

 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.  

Yes, the Flesh Certainly is Weak, When it comes to Mr. Montgomery ....

 But the Flesh is Weak (1932) has just begun a full run on TCM's streaming service, showing until April 17th.  The movie may not be one of Bob's best, but a fun watch, nevertheless.  I mean, it's not often that you get to see Bob take a bath.  And disrobe from underpants with ties instead of an elasticized waist band!  

               Bob and Nora Gregor in But the Flesh is Weak (1932)

But the Flesh is Weak ...Great Title for an Autobiography

 "Director Jack Conway, Robert Montgomery, the star, and Nora Gregor, the leading lady, discuss the next scene on the set of The Truth Game."  

Yeah, the final name of the movie, But the Flesh is Weak (1932), is an improvement.  It lets the audience know right up front what the movie is about.  I like having the father/son duo as the Gold Diggers.  C. Aubrey Smith (Dad) and Bob (son) are quite believable in their roles.  

The photo below displays the set built for the swing of the two lovers.  Just love the contraptions the movie's crew would come up with.  

Thought you might like to actually see the people in the photo.  

Did the School Kids Call her 3-Eyes?

 Having seen the movie But the Flesh is Weak (1932) with co-starring British actress Heather Thatcher, I thought she was wearing a monocle to help establish her as the eccentric Lady Joan.  I was wrong.

              Bob and Heather Thatcher in But the Flesh is Weak

I ran across this portrait of Ms. Thatcher with the attached info.:  

"Heather Thatcher, who came from the London stage to appear in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer picture, "But the Flesh is Weak" with Robert Montgomery, is the only actress in Hollywood who wears a monocle off screen as well as on.  She explains it by saying her right eye is slightly weaker than her left one."  ............Whatever.  

                                 Heather Thatcher, 1932

Happy B-Day Ray!! (Just a tad late...)

 Yes, Mr. Milland's birthday is the 3rd of January.  I hope he would understand my not working on the blog on a weekend.  He seemed a basically good guy, the forgiving type.  

This photo was taken by Wide World Photos for their morgue file for Ray.  All the news services would try to have their own photos of news makers, kept without doing any touch up work.  Ray is still a handsome lad at 41, even with the blemishes and a few wrinkles under the eyes. 

 I'm glad Ray was taken up by Paramount in 1934.  MGM didn't know what to do with him, used in bit parts and crowd scenes.  In 1932 Ray is cast as "Mr. Stewart - Party Goer (uncredited)" in But the Flesh is Weak.  In Strangers May Kiss (1931), Ray was "3rd Admirer (uncredited).  Ray would do much better at Paramount, for sure. 

   Bob, Heather Thatcher and Ray Milland in But the Flesh is Weak

Who Was That Handsome Man With The Whip?

I came across this photo a while ago.  It is a re-issue print from the original negative made in 2003 for Public TV.  The line on the bottom of the image tells you about the negative, this one originally made in June of 1929.  A lovely photo with a great subject.  Let's see ... there's Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. on the far left.  Just 19 and already an established star in silents.  Next to him is Jack Conway, a prolific director at MGM, who directed four of Montgomery's pictures (Untamed, 1929; The Easiest Way, 1931; But the Flesh is Weak, 1932; and Hell Below, 1933). 

Next is Joan Crawford, of course.  She looks rather natural with a whip in hand.  Then comes the young man I could not identify for sure.  He looks like William Haines, and he and Joan were good buds, but why would he be showing them whips he just happened to be carrying around.  I could not identify a movie the four were all in.  Anyway, time passed, I'd forgotten the photo, until I ran across another photo showing the familiar set and whips, as well as the distinctive collar of Joan's blouse. Voila!  The movie is Our Modern Maidens (1929), directed by Jack Conway and starring Joan, Doug and Rod La Rocque (not Haines).

Movies, photography and social history of the first half of the 20th century....all my favs combined in one photo.  Just makes my day.  And I have a new movie line to add to my favorites.  The movie is a silent so this is a card that reads, "There is something in my pocket.  Dig in for it."  Definitely a pre-code, pre-MeTooMovement line for young Mr. Fairbanks.  

Marathon, Part 2 (One Day To Go!)

And now for the other five movies being shown tomorrow ...

Untamed (1929) receives a 4.6 rating on IMDB.  Ouch.  Granted, the movie is one of those rather awkward transition from silent to sound movies.  The use of titles for scene changes at the beginning is right out of the silents.  Hey, we are still learning about sound films, give us a chance!  If you are a Crawford fan, you will enjoy the beginning.  Joan, as "Bingo", gets to both sing and dance.  It is interesting to see musical numbers being used in the early sound pictures, whether it had anything to do with the rest of the movie or not.  Even Bob has to sing a love song to Bingo.  Too much.

I would suggest going 21 minutes into the movie and watch it from Bob's entrance on, the movie improves greatly.  This is Bob's third movie.  His transition is from stage to the talkies and he still has room for improvement.  But it is simply fun to watch him, the young, very exuberant Bob, still working on his basics, the way he walks, what to do with his hands when standing still.  The boxing scene is great fun, with some attempt of disguising just how skinny and small-framed the young Bob is.  But he can throw a lot of punches very fast!

Three years later, Bob has improved significantly.  In But the Flesh is Weak (1932), he has become the Bob we know so well ... so handsome, elegant and smooth.  The rating is only 5.7, probably so low because of the main plot of Bob and his Dad being gigolos with the quest of Bob marrying  a wealthy woman.  Yes, not exactly politically correct these days, but it was all fun in 1932 having men in the usual role held by women, of looking for a sugar daddy.  The beginning has a great scene of Bob preparing for and taking a bath, do watch that if nothing else.  I have always felt the big weakness of the film was Bob's co-star, Nora Gregor.  She was quite popular in Europe, but did not catch on in Hollywood.

                   Bob and Nora Gregor in But the Flesh is Weak

In Made on Broadway (1933), Bob gets to play a different role.  He is a fast-talking, streetwise fixer, not his usual suave, upper crust self.  He meets his match in Sally Eilers, and the two work to make her into a celebrity.  He begins to fall in love with her, while his wife, Madge Evans, waits patiently to see if he returns to her.  Bob is quite good in the role, interesting to watch.  IMDB's rating is 6.5.  That's fair.

In the same year, Bob made When Ladies Meet.  Based on a very sophisticated and successful play, the movie has simply a great cast; Ann Harding, Myrna Loy, Frank Morgan, Alice Brady along with Bob.  It is a witty play about current day morality.  Myrna is in love with Frank who is married to Ann, while Bob is in love with Myrna and will do anything to get Frank out of the picture.  It sounds strange to have Myrna in love with Frank rather than Bob, but Mr. Morgan makes it believable.  The laughs are provided by Alice Brady, and the "country home" set by Cedric Gibbons is amazingly beautiful.  I seriously want that home for myself.  The movie's rating is 6.9.  The main complaint would be that it could be viewed as being too talky. 

Lastly, Trouble for Two (1936) reflects being made after they began enforcing the Hayes Act.  Bob gets to kiss Roz Russell gingerly and that's about it on the sex front.  It is based on a story by Robert Louis Stevenson, "The Suicide Club", and is primarily a somewhat strange mystery, with Bob and Roz as European royals, and Frank Morgan (again!) as Bob's watch dog.  It is rather an adjustment for me watching Bob with a mustache and a curly wig!  It is also an under use of Ms. Russell, as often happens.

My, but it is getting late (or early, depending on your perspective!)  Hope my rambles make sense.  Remember, Monday is Bob's Day! 

The Countdown Begins ... 3 Days To Go!

This coming Monday, May 21st, is Mr. Montgomery's birthday.  I'm glad I'm retired and don't have to worry about using up a vacation day (or more likely, sick day), because TCM will be having a Montgomery marathon ... 9 Bob movies!!  Fantastic.  The only drawback is that it's a day marathon, as in no movies shown in the evening except the 6:00 EST showing of Night Must Fall (1939).  But am I complaining?  No.  I am just thrilled that TCM remembered Mr. Montgomery at all.  My hugs and kisses go out to the beautiful soul in programming who remembers our beautiful man.

So, get those DVRs warmed up and ready to go!  Here's the schedule ... all times are CST (for a change..)

                 5:00 a.m. - Untamed (1929) 
                 6:30 a.m. - Private Lives (1931)
                 8:00 a.m. - But the Flesh is Weak (1932)
                 9:30 a.m. - Made on Broadway (1933)
               10:45 a.m. - When Ladies Meet (1933)
               12:15 p.m. - Hide-Out (1934) 
                 1:45 p.m. - Trouble for Two (1936)
                 3:15 p.m. - Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941)
                 5:00 p.m. - Night Must Fall (1937) 

Overall, a good selection of Bob's movies.  What a way to spend his day!

I am thinking about doing a couple posts this weekend to discuss briefly the pros/cons of the movies being shown.  I generally do not "review" Bob's movies, since I am so completely biased.  But, perhaps I can provide input to help you decide which ones to be sure to catch.  Of course, I'm addressing those of you who have not seen all of Bob's movies.  The old pros out there can just ignore my ramblings, as usual. 

I Have Asked This Before: Where's Betty??

It is May, 1932.  Bob and his friends are leaving the Cocoanut Grove in L.A.  Yes, that is Ms. Crawford holding onto Bob with one arm, and her husband Doug Fairbanks, Jr., the other.  On the far right is Heather Thatcher, Bob's co-star in But the Flesh is Weak, which was filmed in February of that year. 

And for a better look at our handsome man-on-the-town ...

Wonder if it was really that cold in L.A. in May or if Bob and Doug are having a fashion competition?  Note, they are both wearing berets ... too much!

Bob the Thinker

When the mind is sluggish and without any particular idea for a post, it is always a good idea to resort to a portrait of Bob.  In this case the reader gets to see another photo of the beautiful, young Mr. Montgomery and I get to chat on about a favorite photo. 

This is a Hurrell portrait, one of many taken in 1932, my best guess being February, 1932.  The info on the back refers to Bob's current movie, The Truth Game, the working title of But the Flesh is Weak (1932) which was filmed in February of that year.  Photos from the same session were also used to promote Faithless (1932), filmed in August/September. 
  

Love the way the fingers of his left hand are so delineated, they draw your eyes directly to Bob's face, and such a handsome face it is.  And he's almost smiling.  What's not to like. 

Obviously Bob Takes After His Mother

TCM will be showing But the Flesh is Weak (1932) this Friday at 7:15 a.m. EDT.  It is definitely worth a watch, if you have not seen it before.  Actually, it is worth a watch if you have seen it before.  It is definitely a pre-code movie.  The basic story line is about the Clements (Bob and his Dad, C. Aubrey Smith) who seek out rich women to support them.  What this implies they do for these women in return for their money, well.... 

Any movie that starts off with Bob bathing, has my definite okay.  Below, father and son prepare for an evening at the theater to check out the ladies.  That's the landlord telling Dad to pay his back rent soon or leave the apartment.  For me, that's two too many men sharing a bathroom.  (I'm just jealous, because he asks his Dad to scrub his back and not me.)

For me, the main problem of the movie is the co-star, Nora Gregor.  Being from Austria, Flesh is her first English-speaking role, a challenge for anyone.  Secondly,  she does not appear to be the woman Bob's character would fall in love with at first sight.  In the photo below, she is with the aristocratic woman Bob was pursuing only for her wealth.  To me, they look too much alike.  Bet you can't tell for sure which of the ladies is Nora. 

Flesh has a number of good lines.  Favorites ... Bob asks Nora why she didn't tell him she was in love with him.  Her response, "Because, I didn't know until you hit me!"  And, when Bob introduces Nora to his father as the woman he wants to marry, Dad advises him not to, "it's not in you to be faithful to one woman."  There is definitely a serious side to the movie, the threat of jail for gambling debts, Nora's character on the verge of poverty and so forth, not entirely a feel good movie.  But, putting everything else aside, it is definitely a great opportunity to watch the 28-year-old Bob in his prime. 

Just remembered.  Ray Milland has an uncredited role as a party guest.  Look for him at about 8'30" into the movie. 

But the Flesh is Very Weak

               Well, I would not have thrown him out ... no way!

                         My only utterance would have been:
                             "Why are you still in that tux?"

"His Critics Will Gnash Their Teeth"

Poor Bob, one weak movie after another through most of his career.  Typecast, placed in so-so movies, an irritant to his bosses and still able to maintain a lengthy, successful career.  I guess that's what being a star is all about. 

 

                 

                       

Robert Montgomery Birthday Week - Stills

Some photos do save a thousand words. 

               Man in Possession (1931) with Charlotte Greenwood

               But the Flesh is Weak (1932) with C. Aubrey Smith
                   (Isn't nude Young Bob just way too precious!)

 

                           Petticoat Fever (1936) with Myrna Loy

                 Unfinished Business (1941) with Eugene Pallette

                    Once More, My Darling (1949) with Jane Cowl

Bob and his Ladies Week

I do so enjoy the marvelous sets created for 1930s movies.  Just think of all the effort involved in setting up the sets used in the photos below.  How would you like to have been the one that was assigned to adhering all those flowers to the "tree" to create the background for Bob and Nora's swing scene in But the Flesh is Weak.  Beautiful setting.  And I love the touch of having the pair of swans swimming behind Madge and Bob.  Fantastic sets created for maybe a minute of film, then broken down and readied for the next scene. 

                   But the Flesh is Weak (1932) with Nora Gregor

Nora Gregor seems to have appeared in only one U.S. movie, making mostly German movies.  Douglas Fairbanks in his autobiography, The Salad Days, relates a rather amusing story of an inebriated Nora showing up for a performance in a play in which they were co-starring, after "carouzing mit your freund, dat Bobbity Montygummarrry."  She makes it until the second act when she gets sick and leaves Doug alone on the stage.

Actually, Nora's life would make a great movie --- successful stage and film actress becomes the mistress of an Austrian prince and politician, eventually marrying him; flees Austria in 1938 (Nora's parents were jewish) leaving behind the family fortune; moves to South America in 1942; and finally, living alone in dire straits in Chile, commits suicide in 1949 at the age of 47.  What d'ya think, a young Meryl Streep role?

                        Piccadilly Jim (1936) with Madge Evans

Madge Evans had the same problem as Bob re typecasting.  She was quite often cast in the 'nice girl' roles with little opportunity to break out of that mold.  She made five movies with Bob:  Lovers Courageous, Hell Below, Made on Broadway, Fugitive Lovers and Piccadilly Jim.   In 1939 she married playwright Sidney Kingsley, trading Hollywood for an estate in New Jersey and a marriage that lasted until her death in 1981, just five months before Bob passed.  Not as exciting a life as Nora's, but seemingly preferable.

Two Words - DVD Set!

I never thought I'd ever write the phrase "Robert Montgomery DVD Set" here and not be joking.  Well, today is the day.

The Warner Archive collection is taking pre-orders on The Robert Montgomery Collection. That's right folks, $44.95 for this December 6 release will get you the following new-to-DVD titles:

• Shipmates (1931)
• The Man in Possession (1931)
• Faithless (1932)
• Lovers Courageous (1932)
• But the Flesh Is Weak (1932)
• Made on Broadway (1933)
• Live, Love and Learn (1937)
• The Earl of Chicago (1940)

Eight movies on four disks.

Can I put in a vote for Letty Lynton?

Photo Friday: Outside Your Window

Nora Gregor has the better end of the deal in this scene. When I look out my window, all I see is a foot of new snow.

From But the Flesh is Weak - Larger Photo

Photo Friday: The Lady with the Monocle

A scene from But the Flesh is Weak - Max Clement woos the rich Lady Joan Culver at the Opera. Paired with Bob for this film were the fairly unknown actresses Nora Gregor (Rosine) and Heather Thatcher (Lady Joan). The guys were a bit more familiar - C. Aubrey Smith, Nils Asther, and Edward Everett Horton.

Larger image

Photo Friday - But the Flesh is Weak

Looking more like a scene from a Hitchcock film, Max (Robert Montgomery) and his father, Florian (C. Aubrey Smith) are just living another day off of a couple of rich women.

Larger photo