1934 - A Busy Year for Mr. Montgomery

An October 29th, 1934, issue of Cinefilo, a Portuguese magazine, celebrates the 10th anniversary of MGM by featuring three of its 1934 movies.  Bob being in all three is what is of major interest.  I rather like the Mystery of Mr. X. mini-poster, it is all Bob after all.  

                                   Night Flight (1934)

                                         Riptide (1934)

                                  The Mystery of Mr. X (1934)

When you can't afford the originals (pt.2) ...

 Think Small, Think Postcards

George Hurrell took a lot of portraits of Robert Montgomery.  Unfortunately, very few are in circulation.  Heck, even the postcard versions are rare.  

It is Norma Shearer being won over by Bob in this publicity shot for Strangers May Kiss (1931).  Yes, even posing for publicity shots could be enjoyable with the right partner.  

Hurrell took a goodly number of photographs for Riptide (1934), with Bob, Norma and Herbert Marshall.  They were taken to highlight Norma; the silk gown and no underwear helped.   

Forsaking All Others (1934) was filmed late in the year, after Hurrell left MGM.  A gent named Tanner took this photo of Bob, Joan Crawford and Clark Gable.  Joan was in between marriages, enjoying her affair with Clark; Bob was enjoying working with friend Gable, and not with Hurrell.  

Happy Birthday, Mr. Montgomery!

 And what better way for Bob to celebrate his birthday then with friends (maybe family) at a hot new nightclub.  He would have enjoyed that.  This photo was not a birthday celebration, however.  It was taken in August 1940 at Ciro's, which was a hot new nightclub.  And they all are friends.  The occasion is a fundraiser for War Relief.   

The attendees are from left to right:  Bob, holding court; Pat Paterson, Mrs. Boyer; Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.; an unknown lady; and the back of Mary Lee, Mrs. Fairbanks.

 

 On the other side of the table are Charles Boyer; Betty Montgomery, partially hidden by Boyer's glass; and a very tall unknown gentleman.  

Since I don't recognize the lady at the far end of the table, nor the gent across from her, I'm going to take a wild guess ... how about Bob's brother Don and his wife.  Two of the few things I know about the brother are that he was taller than bob, by at least a couple inches, and he was in L.A. at least during the war when he handled Bob's businesses.  Like I said, just a fun guess.  

Anyway, for those of us not planning to go out on the town today, TCM has four Bob movies available for streaming at present:  Riptide, until June 5th; The Divorcee and The Easiest Way, until June 14th; and They Were Expendable, until June 15th.  Not a bad selection.  Just think, next year we'll be able to watch our Letty Lynton DVD!!!!

Bob and Sexy Norma, via Hurrell

 The Hurrell photographs for Riptide (1934) are great, just dripping with sex ... even those with Herbert Marshall in them!  Norma gave it all for the shoot.  No underwear to mess up the lines of the gown.  Her two accompanying male stars exhausted by the vibes on set.  Gooooo, Norma!

Riptide is available to stream on TCM until June 5th.  

               

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!  

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)
 

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!

... It's That Glorious Head of Curly Hair!

It's another treasure find.  Not recognized in a lot of photos up for auction, was this worn, but in excellent shape for its age, still from Three Live Ghosts (1929).  Gosh, but it's fun coming across a photo of young Mr. Montgomery, not easily recognizable because he is not wearing his usual tuxedo!  And it is one I haven't seen before, so doubly nice. 

Actually, it is never the clothing that helps me recognize young Bob ... it's that glorious head of curly hair!

It still amazes me that there are stills and lobby cards existing for this long-lost movie.  I have more Three Live Ghosts stills in my collection than a number of his other movies.  Night Flight items are rare, no promotional photos that I know of, just a few terrific posters, none of which I can afford!  And I have few items from any of Bob's Norma Shearer movies.  Part of my problem there is all those gorgeous photos taken by Hurrell for Norma's movies.  The photos for Riptide alone ... need to get back to buying Lotto tickets.

As for this expenditure, that lot I bought ... anybody interested in some Joe E. Brown stills?  Have I got a deal for you! 

Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue

George Hurrell as photographer with Bob as the subject ... can't miss, another great photo.  This is one of several fine portraits taken to promote Riptide (1934).  Bob is maturing, all of 30 at the time.  The face is slightly fuller, having actually added a few pounds to his previously very slender frame.  The slight smile, a sparkle in his eyes ... Bob appears to be actually enjoying himself.  Maybe it's the thought of his upcoming four-month vacation before the filming of Hideout (1934). 

All of Bob's movies were made in glorious black and white.  Accordingly, all of his promotional photos were in black and white.  It would have been great if a few of his movies and/or a few photos had been shot in color.  For the most part, we have had to resort to the colorized print to see Bob in color.  Some, like the one below, work out okay.  He's pictured as a brunette, which is correct.  The suit is brown, a color right for the times and one of Bob's preferred suit colors.  There's just the one glaring problem, as it is for most of the colorized photos I have seen ... brown eyes, really???  Yikes, people.  It might as well be in black and white if you miss Mr. Montgomery's beautiful blue eyes!! 

Do I Really Have to Say it

Bob or Herbert Marshall.  Let's see...

         Bob, Norma Shearer, and Herbert Marshall in Riptide (1934)

Watch Norma agonize over that choice this coming Thursday at 9:00 a.m. PST on TCM.  

Dorothy and Norma ....... Well, They Did Have Bob in Common

Two of Bob's ladies with August birthdays ... Dorothy Jordan, August 9th, and Norma Shearer, August 10th.  Cute and demure Dorothy and strong-willed Ms. Shearer, quite a contrast.  Goes along with the contrasting roles Bob played in their movies together.  Bob, youthful and earnest in Love in the Rough and Shipmates, a great match for co-star Jordan.  

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

In his movies with Norma (Their Own Desire, The Divorcee, Strangers May Kiss, Private Lives and Riptide), Bob perfects the role of the tuxedoed playboy with martini in hand, readily able to entertain his lady of the evening. 

        Norma Shearer, Skeets Gallagher and Bob in Riptide (1934)

Whatever the persona, Dorothy and Norma were most fortunate to have had Bob as their co-star.  I am so, so envious.    

An Evening With Amanda and Elyot

It's Norma Shearer month on TCM ... all five of Bob and Norma's movies are being shown!  Yes! They're not all great, but they all have young, beautiful Bob to make them all a worthwhile watch.  My favorite is Private Lives (1931).  This is the fourth movie of the pairing, and their comfort level with each other is reflected in their performances.  And, of course, it is an excellent Noel Coward play, so the script is excellent.  I understand Irving Thalberg actually filmed the stage version for the cast to study, a first, I believe.  Additional time was given for studying the script and rehearsals, to assist Norma in developing her role.  A Noel Coward play was not Norma's cup of tea, but she apparently put a lot of effort into it, didn't exactly embarrass herself.  Bob, meanwhile, handled his role superbly.  If only he had gotten more good movies in which to show his stuff.

               Private Lives (1931) with Bob and Norma Shearer

  The movies will be shown on two nights and all times are EST.

          November 10th  -  Private Lives 8:00 p.m.
                                        Divorcee (1930) at 12:45 a.m.
                                        Their Own Desire (1929) at 2:15 am.

          November 17th  -  Strangers May Kiss (1931) at 8:00 p.m.
                                        Riptide (1934) at 3:15 a.m.

And a special bonus, Lady in the Lake (1947) will be shown on the 22nd at 8:00 a.m.  November is a good movie for Montgomery viewing.  More, more, more ...

What is a Riptide?

An alternate universe wherein:  pigs fly;  a deserving performer is never overlooked in the Oscar In Memoriam segment; and Norma Shearer chooses Herbert* Marshall over Robert Montgomery. 

                                        Riptide (1934)

* Corrected...did I REALLY type George instead of Herbert?!   Sorry, Herb.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, No Matter the Language!

"Rus" or "Riptide" in Danish.  The herald is small, only 4-1/2" x 6", but there are 8 pages and 6 of them have photos.  Norma is featured on the cover, of course. 

Will try to translate captions with help from Google.  I think I'm close.

"Mary, wouldn't it be wonderful to live life fully?"

   

Mary, what are you trying to hide?  (Hey, Herbert, take a look to your right!)

 And, my favorite.  There is a whole fantastic series of photos like this, I hadn't seen this one before.   Just love the look Bob is giving Norma. 

Hurrell Riptide

Finally, have this Hurrell photo tied to a better time-frame - 1934:

 

 A new camera study of Robert Montgomery, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer star, who will be seen in the near future with Norma Shearer, in "Riptide," which is being directed by Edmund Goulding.

Riptide now on DVD

On Tuesday, Warner Classics announced their new releases list and Riptide is one of them.

I love how the Warner site describes the story: Can an Insect Man and a Lady Sky Bug find happiness together?

Nope.

Yeah, it's that weird. Riptide has always had an odd vibe for me. I think it's the combination of the insect costume scene and Herbert Marshall.

Go out and support Warner Classics & Bob & buy a copy.

It Never Happened One Night

If you've ever done any digging into Robert Montgomery, you've probably run into information on him missing out on Clark Gable's Oscar winning part in It Happened One Night. Some sources say he turned it down while others day MGM didn't want to loan him out.

Fast forward to an interview recently posted on Alternative Film Guide with Allan Ellenberger on Miriam Hopkins. Mr. Ellenberger is working on a book about Miriam, which should be a fascinating read once released.

Mr. Ellenberger offered up a fact I never knew: Miriam Hopkins refused Claudette Colbert's Oscar winning role in It Happened One Night.

1934 was already a busy year for Bob with films such as Forsaking All Others, Hide-Out, Riptide, The Mystery of Mr. X, Fugitive Lovers released.

Now there's a fascinating Hollywood "what if."

Miriam & Bob had at least one thing in common: not getting along with Bette Davis - and the feelings were all mutual. The interview offers up more on the Hopkins/Davis rivalry.

I don't care to pull info from Wikipedia, but this is cited and I've read this before: Davis clashed with her co-star Robert Montgomery while making June Bride (1948), later describing him as "a male Miriam Hopkins... an excellent actor, but addicted to scene-stealing".

Bob & Miriam also had some connections back to Summer Stock as well, but that's another post and some needed research.

Sure to be a Hit on YouTube

I wish I knew how to make a YouTube segment so I could upload that magnificent knockdown fight between Bob and Norma Shearer from Private Lives. It's got to be the best husband and wife slugfest ever filmed. The way Norma wallops Bob you’d never know he was one of her favorite leading man--requesting him whenever she had the power to choose because “she felt so comfortable with him” and because he made her laugh, which she said she needed to do. They definitely had marvelous chemistry. Unfortunately the failure of “Riptide” and critics' comments that they “had had enough of Shearer and Montgomery’s cocktail-shaking coynesses” doomed the screen partnership and their fifth film ended up being their last together. Mabye it was for the best--I can't see Bob in period costume performing Shakespeare or playing Count Axel de Fersen...

Photo: Courtesy of Simplyclassics.net