Hot Stuff for Madge, Even Bob

 It appears that Bob and Madge are really into the scene.  Goooo, Madge!  This is one of the sexiest scenes I have seen between the two of them.  

                Bob and Madge Evans in Made on Broadway (1933)

Lucky Bob, Supported by Beautiful Ladies

 In When Ladies Meet (1933) Alice Brady portrays the friend who owns a beautiful summer "cottage" in New Jersey, large enough for the entire group.  She is 42 years old in this rather nice photograph taken in 1935.   

Maureen O'Sullivan is 21 years old in this gorgeous photo taken by Ted Allan.  She co-starred with Johnny Weissmuller in Tarzan the Ape Man (1932), proving her body was as beautiful as her face.  Maureen teamed with Bob in Hide-Out (1934), my personal choice of Bob's most beautiful leading lady.  Such a great pairing.  There really should have been a Hide-Out, Part 2 made.  

Madge Evans starred with Bob in four movies between 1932 and 1936.  They were a handsome couple who simply jelled on screen.  I particularly enjoyed her performance as the ex-wife in Made on Broadway (1933).  

Happy Birthday, Robert Montgomery!

 From young ...

                                        1929 5x7 fan card

and cocky ... 

                                  Made on Broadway (1931)

to a superb actor.  Truly one of a kind.  Thank you, Mr. Montgomery.

                               Danny in Night Must Fall (1937)

Smartest Guy on Broadway!

 Made on Broadway (1933), a favorite title of mine.  Yeah, definitely pre-code.  And Bob gets to play a tuxedo-wearing overachiever ... the smartest guy in town.  Methinks he didn't have to look very far to find his character for this movie.  

I also like the promotional materials for the movie.  Those photos of Bob in his full formal regalia are just too much.  The printed promotions are great as well.  The herald is classy, sets up the movie with minimal verbiage.  "He knows all, sees all, fixes everything ..."  You've sold me.  Two tickets, please.  

Made on Broadway (1933)

 Happy Birthday, Mr. Montgomery!  Yeah, I know it's the 21st... This is Part I, Part II tomorrow.  

May 21st, 1904.  Wow.  That's a long time ago.  That's what's so great about film and photography.  They catch the essence of the moment, a moment in time/life you can keep with you always.  The very handsome, cocky and elegant Robert Montgomery of 1933 continues on in my life, and hopefully yours as well.  He deserves it. 

Happy Birthday to a Nice Lady

I have always liked Madge Evans, perhaps because she was so typecast as the nice girl in her films.  Or maybe she was a nice human being and it just came through on the screen.  Whatever, she co-starred with Bob in four films, the two becoming friends, able to understand each other's career frustrations. 

In Made on Broadway (1933) Madge is so nice, she supports Bob even as his ex-wife. 

                   Bob and Madge in Made on Broadway (1933)

Nice, and rather pretty as well.

                                 July 1, 1909 - April 26, 1981

Maybe "Letty Lynton" will be next ... sure.

Made on Broadway (1933) will be released on June 11th!!  (Running late on my big announcements these days....)  It's included in the Robert Montgomery Collection, so you probably already have it.  But, if you're a slightly over-the-top collector of all things Bob as I am, you'll just have to have it because of the nifty cover artwork, if nothing else. 

At present, the movie is only available as a pre-order at wbshop.com.  Come June 11th, I am sure eBay will have plenty of copies available.

As a tease to get you to watch it, if you haven't already, there's a scene you just have to check out.  Eugene Pallette (as Bob's valet) helps Bob hurriedly disrobe down to his underwear, the fade out leaves no doubt the underwear will go as well.  I try to keep things a G rating on the blog, but ... well, er ... let's just say one of Bob's physical attributes comes in play.  Quite entertaining.

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. 

Happy Birthday, Ms. Evans!

Well, it's almost Madge's birthday ... born July 1, 1909.  Madge (Miss Nice Girl) Evans made five movies with Bob:  Lovers Courageous (1932), Hell Below (1933), Made on Broadway (1933), Fugitive Lovers (1934) and Piccadilly Jim (1936).  They were a handsome/cute couple, certainly not edgy like Bob and Joan.  Just love the many great photos of the two from Lovers Courageous and Fugitive Lovers.  Today, it's just Madge.  Definitely a tad more than "cute". 

Such a Handsome Young Man

An original 8x10 photo of Bob taken in 1930, a Louise photograph (pre-Hurrell!) with his autograph...what's not to like!  You can even tell he has blue eyes, the iris in the right eye is definitely on the light side, something not caught by most of his photos.

What made this photo even more of a treasure for me is what I discovered on the back, a list of Bob's movies starting with Three Live Ghosts (1929) through Ever Since Eve (1937).  The consistency of the handwriting indicates it was written in 1937 or after (my handwriting certainly changed over any 17-year period).  The earlier movies are slightly out of order, but close.  Interestingly, three of his movies are listed using the working titles:  The Richest Man in the World for Sins of the Children (1930), The Girl I Made for Made on Broadway (1933) and The Suicide Club for Trouble for Two (1936).  And two movies have been combined as Free and Easy Divorce ...makes a great title!

Wonder why the list was made after all those years.  Did the photo change hands and the new owner made the list?  Or was the original owner testing her/his memory?  And why the use of working titles?  I am puzzled.  As I usually am about so much of Mr. Montgomery.  What's the saying; "The more I know, the more I realize how little I know."  Yep, that's me. 

Just Three Typical Sailors on Shore Leave

Jimmy Durante, Bob and Eugene Pallette posing for the studio photographer on board ship departing for Honolulu from, I assume, Long Beach, CA.  It is November, 1932, and they are headed for location filming for Hell Below.  (I used a sister photo to this one in my July 15 entry, "Watch Out Girls, Here They Come." )

                                      Hell Below (1933)

In the mid 50s, Bob will have his own TV show, "Robert Montgomery Presents," as will Durante, "The Jimmy Durante Show."  Not exactly original show titles, but there is no confusion as to what the shows are about.  Of course, Jimmy ended all of his shows walking off into the darkness under a single spotlight, stopping briefly to say "Goodnight, Mrs. Calabash --- where ever you are!"  Just a great finale. 

Eugene Pallette, a man of size with a great gravelly, bullfrog voice, made over 240 movies, many of them silents.  He was of "normal" statue in his early career, making numerous westerns.  In the late 1920s, he started developing the girth that becomes a large part of his persona and turns primarily to comedies.  I have to admit it seems odd to think of him competing with Adolphe Menjou for the girl!

                                   His Private Life (1928)

Palette was great as the valet/manservant.  He gave hungover Bob a rough time in both Made on Broadway (1933) and Unfinished Business (1941).  He is one of a trio of my favorite manservants, competing with Eric Blore and Arthur Treacher.  Well, they actually share a special place in my heart for actors who have brought much joy into my life. 

It's National Sec...errr...Administrative Professionals Day!

                                 Made on Broadway (1933)

 Ahh...should all bosses be like Robert Montgomery.  The lady with Bob is Claire Du Brey, a very busy character actress from the 1930s to 1950s.  She does a nice bit with Bob in the movie, playing the smart, wise-cracking secretary, the kind of role at which she excelled.  She lived until 1993, sixty years after this movie, just missing her 101st birthday.  Now, that's one long run. 

Bob & Sally All Gussied Up

                 Made on Broadway (1933), Bob with Sally Eilers

I didn't get my act together to write up the blog I had intended to do ... Life Happened!  Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this still as much as I do.  Ya' just can't beat the clothes you find in 1930s movies.  And that checkered suit ... Bob's so classy he can get by wearing it. 

The Source of an Idea

One of Bob's more famous portraits is a mirror photograph of Bob taking a picture of himself and George Hurrell. 

                                Bob and George Hurrell (1931)

Using the same technique, Bob takes a self-portrait with Madge Evans and director Harry Beaumont on the set of Made on Broadway.  
 

                               Made on Broadway (1933)

A few years later, Bob incorporates several mirrors to snap a photograph of himself with make-up man Emile LaVigne.  The signature reads:  "To Emile - Here's looking at us - Robert Montgomery."

                                      On the MGM lot (c. 1938)

And going one step further...Lady of the Lake director Montgomery films himself only in mirrors.  An idea a mere 16 years in the making? 

                                    Lady in the Lake (1947)

One of Bob's Prettiest (Leading Ladies)

Sally Eilers was born on this day in 1908.  She was born a brunette, Hollywood changed that.  The rest is an excellent example of Mother Nature at her best. 

                                  Made on Broadway (1933)

And, thanks to Tumblr, a delightful portrait of Sally, without the distraction of Bob.

                      Sally Eilers (Dec.11, 1908 - Jan. 5, 1978) 

Robert Montgomery

"... a prompting to merriment, an occasion for applause."
 

                               Made on Broadway (1933)

Made on Broadway

Mr. Jeff Bidwell.

I watched Made on Broadway last night from the Robert Montgomery Collection DVD set. A so-so story that makes it up by having some good one-liners and toothless bail bondsman Stitch Lepedis.

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?

Made on Broadway - Love and Lollypops (part 2)

Back to Robert Montgomery & Jeff Bidwell. "I'm sawing you off..." a term I've never heard of, but pretty effective when paired with a hand sawing your arm off movement. Bidwell attempts to "saw off" his ex-wife (and really good friend) Mrs. Bidwell. Doesn't work. He does though successfully "saw off" Mona.

That's another thing. Throughout the film, Bidwell is always talking with his ex, they're good friends. It's almost creepy.

Anyhow, that's my take on the film. Want a more thorough review? Go to the IMDB. Oh, one last thing. Watch for the Mr. Lepedis, the bail bondsman, trying to talk sans dentures. Too funny.