... and Bob does an Excellent Turn as a Heel

"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.  

And Today's Birthday Boy is .......

 Gene Raymond, born August 13, 1908.  I rather enjoyed his performance as Jeff, best friend and law partner of David (our Bob) in Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941).  Loved the southern accent, befitting his role as the ultimate southern gentleman.  The scene on the Ferris wheel is just great.  And he was one handsome dude, beautiful blond and wavy hair.  He fit the role as Mr. Montgomery's competition for Carole Lombard quite well.    

 Gene Raymond, photo by Clarence S. Bull

Three other Birthday Boy and Girls from this week that need to be mentioned:  Norma Shearer was born August 10, 1902 and Lloyd Nolan (the copper in The Lady in the Lake) was born on August 11th, 1902.  Only one day separating the two.  And Ann Blyth is still among us, born August 16, 1927, making Ann 98 years of age!  Way to go, young lady.  You'll always be "The Killer" to me.  

Bob In Both a Bathrobe and a Tux ... Rrrf!

 A rather interesting review of Riptide (1934) from the April 28, 1934, issue of "Picturegoer" Magazine.  A fun read.  And they liked Bob!  

More Hot Stuff, Bob and Norma This Time

 A nice cover on the January, 1930 issue of Screen Romances,

And an even nicer photo inside the magazine from Their Own Desire (1929) with Bob and Norma.   Their first movie together, but their first kiss?  Hmmm ...  

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

Wearing a Pantsuit at the Beach in 1940. Different.

 The editor who wrote the photo caption (see below) was treading dangerous ground in his description of Ms. Shearer.  I mean, "... no longer a young girl"!  Lets hope 38-year-old Norma was in a gracious mood when she read that.

Anyway, Happy Birthday to Norma Shearer, born Aug. 10th, 1902, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.  Yeah, she looks darn good for a 38-year-old.  

"The camera caught Norma Shearer in this natural, rear pose, an acid test for any figure.  Young, lithe and lovely are her lines, though Miss Shearer is no longer a young girl."

The Future According to MGM

 MGM's Screen Forecast for 1934 - 1935, is a small publication, about 3-1/2" x 4-1/2", with 28 pages.  I'm assuming it was given out as a freebee at theaters and tells briefly the movies MGM stars were cast in for release in 1934-35.  And just like the weather, MGM's forecast was somewhat limited in accuracy.  

Of course, not all were incorrect ... Robert Montgomery did co-star with Ann Harding in Biography of a Bachelor Girl (1935).  

Unfortunately, Robert Montgomery did not appear in Mutiny on the Bounty (1935). 

 

William Powell and Myrna Loy appeared in a whole lot of movies together, but The Casino Murder Case (1935) was not one of them.  Paul Lukas and Rosalind Russell inherited this crime mystery.  

Some slight changes were made to the Shearer romance movie, Marie Antoinette, not released until 1938.  Lets see, it lost Charles Laughton and Herbert Marshall, and gained Tyrone Power and John Barrymore.  Must have been some changes in the storyline as well.  I mean, I just can't see Herbert Marshall and Tyrone Power up for the same role.  No way.

And, saving the best for last, and I quote:  "Gloria Swanson will co-star with Clark Gable in a thrilling romance."  Now that's funny.  Gable must have choked on his steak when the MGM rep. brought up that idea.  Perhaps he let Joan Crawford take care of Swanson.  Trying to move in on her guy ... really.

Bob had to deal with a lot of Leo's - Seven Leading Ladies

Yes, another publicity shot of Bob and Dorothy Jordan for Love in the Rough (1930).  The PR department certainly used up its budget for the movie.  Glad they did.  The photos are more worth seeing than the movie.  Well, except for the opportunity to hear Bob croon and also see him without his pants.  Meanwhile......Dorothy was born August 9, 1906, in Clarksville, Tennessee.  She auditioned for Melanie in Gone With the Wind.  Yes, I can see that.   

            Bob and Dorothy Jordan in Love in the Rough (1930)
 

And Norma Shearer was born August 10, 1902.  Selznick considered Norma for the role of Scarlett in GWTW.  Sorry, Norma, that was Vivien Leigh's role, totally.  But, you got to make 5 movies with Robert Montgomery.  Tough, wasn't it.  

                    Bob and Norma Shearer in Riptide (1934) 

Bob Fashion Fails

 Bob's ties in Saxon Charm (1948) are simply atrocious.  His hat isn't a hit either.  But they fit his character.  A true sacrifice for Bob to dress so uncouth.

  I'm assuming that Bob's head adornment in Riptide (1934) was dreamed up by the costume department in a fit of madness.  A good laugh was had by all ... including Norma.  

And I'm deeply grateful that Bob's (T.W.E.) beach attire never caught on in the States.   

The beard would work if trimmed, but that mustache has to go!

 

What a Shame to Hide that Beautiful Curly Hair (Bob's, of course)

 A couple Bob and Norma movies today on TCM.  Their Own Desire (1929) is showing at 11:15 a.m. and Riptide (1934) at 2:00 p.m., both ET.  Hopefully they'll be included on the streaming service afterwards, as has No More Ladies (1935) after its one showing last Monday.  Lady in the Lake (1946) is also being shown.  Four Bob movies available to view, not bad for these days. 

                Bob and Norma Shearer, Their Own Desire (1929)
 

Victor & Amanda & Elyot & Sibyl

Love the heralds produced in Germany after WWII for U.S. films.  They're larger than ours, the scans below are just about actual size, and have more pages.  And the photo montages are quite good.  Good memorabilia, even if your 'Deutsche ist nicht sehr gut.' 

TCM is showing Private Lives (1931) this Thursday at 8:00 p.m. EDT /5:00 p.m. PDT.  Quite the enjoyable movie.  Hope they show it on demand afterwards (as they are The Divorcee (1930) until March 26th). 

Strangers May Kiss (but they don't have to)

I enjoy photoplay editions of books upon which movies are based.  The They Were Expendable edition is just great, eight photos and six have Bob in them!  On the other end of the pole, the photoplay edition of Lady in the Lake does not have any photos at all inside, just those on the dust jacket.  Strangers May Kiss is kinda in between those two books ... four photos and none of them feature Bob!  But, they are decent photos, particularly the photo of Ms. Shearer at the front of the book.  I'd say it gives one a pretty good idea of the flavor of the book. 

The captions are worth showing in a legible print size...

                      Elizabeth aches for the kiss of this stranger - 
                             yielding to a passionate embrace.

                     Alan tires of their unconventional interlude.

               In one mad night after another, Elizabeth sought
                        escape from the spectre of her folly.

By the way, Happy Birthday thoughts for Norma Shearer whose birthday is August 10.  And the same for Dorothy Jordan whose birthday is August 9.  And belated Birthday thoughts for Ann Harding and Irene Purcell who share August 7 as their birthday.  My, but Bob had to work with a lot of Leos!!

A Man Born to Wear a Tuxedo

Gee ... I just do not know how Bob got the reputation of being a dashing tuxedoed lover who looked like he was born with a drink in hand.  He played this role perfectly in Riptide (1934), inspired by his co-star Norma Shearer. 

He also looked great in gorgeous white robes.  Norma seems to appreciate his efforts.  And Bob appears to be enjoying the scene with his co-star.  You know, I do not think there was much "acting" going on in these scenes.

I just love the glasses they are holding.  Wish I could afford them!

That Was One Heck of a Fight

One of Bob's "Bests", Private Lives (1931), is being shown on demand on TCM.  The broadcast time for it is 5:00 a.m. CST on the 17th, a tad too early for any movie for me.  The knock-down, drag-out fight between Elyot and Amanda is definitely a classic.  Bob and Norma had great fun practicing it, I'm sure.

                   Bob and Norma Shear in Private Lives (1931)

Bob banged his head preparing for the big fight, and may or may not have been knocked unconscious.  The clipping below reportedly shows the damage to Bob's noble forehead from the fight.  Could be!  

Hot Screen Lovers, 1932 Version

How not to disagree.  British magazine "Picturegoer" published a supplemental with full page photos of 1932's noted screen lovers, and placed a photo of Bob and Joan Crawford from Letty Lynton on its cover.  Yes, yes.  Bob and Joan were the hot couple for the year. 

James Cagney and Joan Blondell are featured.  I love both, but I view them as a "good friends" couple, as they were off screen as well.

I don't feel any heat coming off this couple, either.   Understandable, since Norma Shearer has the hots for Fredric March in the movie Smilin' Through, not Leslie Howard.   Need to check out that movie again.

Lucky Kay Francis ... jewels AND Bill Powell.  For myself, jewels would not be necessary.

Now this is hot. Sizzling.  Joel McCrea and Fay Wray in The Most Dangerous Game.  Get this couple a bucket of ice water!

Jack Oakie was an excellent comedic actor, master of the "triple take".  Before his weight gain, he had serious roles as well.  Bit of a handsome dude at this stage.  But, all the same, it is difficult to see him and Miriam Hopkins as hot lovers. 

1932.  Handsome men and sexy ladies.  And it was all pre-code.  Hot. 

Wonder How Much That Ermine Coat Cost

Buying movie fan magazines just to read an article on Bob can become an expensive pastime.  Some are good buys and others, well, are not.  Thought I would share one of my purchases.   

Photoplay in the 1930s is just a wonderful treasure, a well-produced magazine with lots of "news" and gorgeous photos.  Unfortunately, the sale price for one in good condition reflects this.  I am not sure exactly how much this April, 1932, issue cost.  Too much, I'm sure.  It is a Norma Shearer cover, but the condition is not perfect so the cost was bearable! 

There are always full-page photos of the leading stars, two of the better ones follow.

And there are, of course several full-page movie ads.  This is a nifty one.

And speaking of ads ... this is a wondrously sexy Coca-Cola ad. 

 Big news in Hollywood was "who went where with whom wearing what."  In this case, it's Bob attending a premiere with Betty who was wearing an ermine coat.

Finally, we get to the Montgomery article.  It's about scene stealers, Bob being included among the likes of Wallace Beery, Marie Dressler, Jack Oakie, Victor McLaglen and Adolphe Menjou.  He gets just a small mention, but the cover art includes a photo of him next to the title. 

          The caption reads: "Mr. Montgomery, that scene belongs
          to Irene Purcell.  You give it right back to her."

And the only mention of Bob in a full-length article is as follows.

Gee, you'd think Bette Davis had written it! 

So, this Photoplay issue was enjoyable to me overall, but the Bob coverage was lacking.  Not a great buy if only seeking out Montgomery items.  Save your money for a good photo of Bob!