Hedy and Bob together? Would have been interesting.

Yes, I know the lucky guy in the photograph is not Bob (Montgomery).  I can appreciate another good-looking fellow on occasion.  In this case, it is Bob Young with the perfectly beautiful Ms. Lamarr in a studio photo for H.M. Pulham, Esq. (1941).  I like the pose ... Hedy dominating Young.  Yeah, that works well.  

Sorry for the briefness.  Didn't remember I had a post to do until I was on the way to bed.  The memory goes first ...  Enjoy your weekend!  

I just can't see our Bob swinging a baseball bat; a polo mallet or golf club, yes, but a bat, no!

 I have to admit it.  I love the synopsis of Death on the Diamond (1934), starring Robert Young and Madge Evans.  "Pop Clark is about to lose his baseball team, unless they can win the pennant so he can pay off debts.  He hires ace player Larry Kelly to ensure the victory.  As well as rival teams, mobsters are trying to prevent the wins, and as the pennant race nears the end, Pop's star players begin to be killed, on and off the field.  Can Larry romance Pop's daughter, win enough games, and still have time to stop a murderer before he strikes more than three times?"  

Robert Young, Madge Evans, Joe Sawyer and Director Edward Sedgwick (seated foreground) on the set of Death on the Diamond

Robert Young often said that he got the roles Bob Montgomery and others did not want to do.  Yeah, I don't see our Bob in a baseball uniform.  And it seems a bit strange to see Madge in the arms of Bob Young, not Montgomery.  Really, Madge.

By the way, Madge was born on July 1st.  Lets give a shout-out for Ms. Evans!  

The Robert in the Middle (first Montgomery, then Young, and then Taylor)

'Tis a nice portrait of one of the other Roberts on the MGM lot, Mr. Robert Young.  I'm guessing, but I'd say it was taken in 1932, Bob would be 25.  Yeah, I can see why he was considered a backup to our Bob, a rather good-looking young man was Mr. Young.  It happens to be a Hurrell, although it wasn't treated like one.  Someone trimmed it down to 7x7 inches!  I mean, really.  Hurrell's stamp is on the back and they took scissors to it anyway. 

 

Bob ... And the Ever Present Ladies

Love my clippings ... cheap!!  And they are just so seldom available in the original photo form.  I mean how else are you going to find a photo of Preston Foster, Eddie Adams, Bob, Una Merkel and James Gleason!  The photo was taken at the 1937 Screen Actors Guild Ball.  (Does anyone know who Eddie Adams was?  Did she perhaps have a position in the union?  Can't find anything on her on IMDB.  Bugs me when I can't identify someone!) 

And a photo of Robert Young, Gertrude Niesen, Frank Morgan, Rita Johnson and Bob ... well, maybe not priceless.  The cheery group is singing in celebration of Frank Morgan's 25th Wedding Anniversary.  Now this is obviously an MGM public relations photo.  Young, Morgan, Johnson and Bob are all MGM contract players.  They would know each other and were probably at the studio working that day.  But...Gertrude Niesen?  She was a singer that made a few movie appearances at other studios, never worked for MGM.  Did they hire a singer so some one in the group could carry a tune?  (Sorry, Bob, an unkind remark in deed.)

And, lastly, a still from Night Must Fall (1937) with Dame May Whitty.  Just look at that face, that smile.  Want to share some chocolates, my dear, dear Danny?  

Two Young Men With Bright Futures

                                 West Point of the Air (1935)  

Robert Young is second from the left in the above photo.  In movies since 1931, he is the old pro with the casting credit of second lead.  (Note how Bob is in a full slouch, trying to keep the top of his head in the frame.)

And the young man on the far left is Robert Taylor.  He has only 9th billing, but just two movies later he is co-starring with Irene Dunne in Magnificent Obsession .  As in Mr. Taylor had one meteoric rise to stardom. 

      Irene Dunne and Robert Taylor in Magnificent Obsession (1935) 

Just love this photo.  1. The immaculately dressed and coiffed Ms. Dunne has just been hit by a speeding car.  Only in Hollywood in the 30s.  2.  That is one gorgeous automobile.  Almost as gorgeous as Robert.

And Now, Time for a Different Robert

Another gorgeous young man.  I am not sure if the photo number "RYX-1" means this is the very first MGM portrait of Mr. Young, but it is definitely an early photo.  Guessing 1932, which would make Robert 25 years old at the time. 

In the late 1980s, I was working in an office located in Westlake Village, CA.  I had an account in a bank nearby, convenient for quick runs during my lunch hour.  (This was before computers.  Remember having to physically appear at the bank for your transactions?  Gee, how did we survive back then?!)  On one visit I noticed an old man sleeping in a wing chair in the lobby.  He looked familiar, took a second look and realized it was Robert Young.  Sleeping in a chair in a bank.  A rather strange feeling, looking at a genuine star from the Golden Age of Hollywood sleeping 15 feet away from me.  When I got up to the counter, the bank teller related that this was a common occurrence.  Bob's home was nearby, just a couple blocks and up on a hillside.  But why he was at the bank sleeping ... one of life's mysteries.  I stayed around for a while, hoping he might wake up.  Left when I thought the staff might become concerned about the strange woman lingering in the lobby.  Never saw him again, although there was that hope that I would.  And maybe he would have been awake and I'd see his big smile in person.  That would have been nice. 

A Little Eye Candy to Start the Week

The always beautiful Hedy Lamarr and, IMO, Robert Young at his handsomest.  I need to get out my copy of Pulham and give it another watch ... it's been ages.  Good movie, as I remember.

                                H.M. Pulham, Esq. (1941)

A Robert Doubleheader

Get your DVR ready for July 14 - TCM has a Robert Montgomery/Robert Young day of films set. Times below are eastern, so check your local schedule! What TCM should do is play Hell Below in between, which has both Bobs in it.

7:15 AM
Shipmates (1931)
A young sailor falls for the captain's daughter.
Dir: Harry Pollard Cast: Robert Montgomery, Ernest Torrence, Dorothy Jordan.

8:30 AM
Another Language (1933)
A newlywed discovers that she and her husband's snobby family speak different languages.
Dir: Edward H. Griffith Cast: Helen Hayes, Robert Montgomery, Louise Closser Hale.

10:00 AM
Three Loves Has Nancy (1938)
A country girl follows the man who jilted her to the big city, where she finds two new suitors.
Dir: Richard Thorpe Cast: Janet Gaynor, Robert Montgomery, Franchot Tone.

11:15 AM
Last of Mrs. Cheyney, The (1937)
A chic jewel thief in England falls in love with one of her marks.
Dir: Richard Boleslawski Cast: Joan Crawford, William Powell, Robert Montgomery.

1:00 PM
Right To Romance, The (1933)
A lady plastic surgeon jeopardizes her marriage when her ex-boyfriend is scarred.
Dir: Alfred Santell Cast: Ann Harding, Robert Young, Nils Asther.

2:15 PM
Calm Yourself (1935)
An advertising man takes off after kidnappers.
Dir: George B. Seitz Cast: Robert Young, Madge Evans, Betty Furness.

3:30 PM
Bride Walks Out, The (1936)
A model weds a struggling engineer then has her own struggles with domesticity.
Dir: Leigh Jason Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Gene Raymond, Robert Young.

5:00 PM
Longest Night, The (1936)
A department-store head tries to stop a gangland plot.
Dir: Errol Taggart Cast: Robert Young, Florence Rice, Ted Healy.

6:00 PM
Bride Wore Red, The (1937)
A chorus girl crashes an exclusive Swiss resort to snare a rich husband.
Dir: Dorothy Arzner Cast: Joan Crawford, Franchot Tone, Robert Young.

With Humble Gratitude

I'm breaking my "don't post what's on ebay" rule, but I couldn't pass this autographed Robert Young photo up (no, I'm not bidding...). Someone, give it a good home!

Finest Beer I Ever Tasted!

I've noticed that a couple of blogs I read have been posting advertisements with classic stars. I have to add my contribution to the mix:

From 1948. Too bad Relentless didn't have a plot similar to The Lost Weekend. There'd be an odd movie tie-in.

See the others at:

• Hollywood Dreamland
• Skeins of Thought

I'll have to do some more digging to see what I can find....

When Youngsters Attack

MEETING THE PUBLIC...Because they are public figures and their private lives are only a small part of their existence, screen actors must always be prepared to Meet the Public, whether in the matter of giving autographs, making appearances or answering letters from their fans.

Here is a re-enactment of a rush for autographs from a star with Robert Young as the star. This is a scene for "Honolulu" with Young playing a star but such a manhandling of stars is not unusual, although not a regular thing. Both Joan Crawford and Rosemary Lane were jabbed close to their eyes by pencils in such a rush. Clark Gable once had fans start to top over a taxi-cab in which he was riding in New York and he was forced to hop out and sign autographs before be was allowed any peace. Robert Taylor couldn't get off a boat in Honolulu because of crowds and had to sail back home to escape a mob of fans.

The Campus Vamp

Here's your "mystery" for the week - which isn't really a mystery, but more of a "Where's Waldo" type search. Carole Lombard stars in this early color short from 1928, but what other favorite actor from this blog (minus Montgomery) appears as well?

Thanks to Maria for forwarding on!

"Put on some weight and get more sex"

And now that I have your attention, Movie Morlocks has a great post from Moira Finnie on Robert Young. Read the article . . . you'll get where today's headline came from.

I just want to give a shout out to everyone for their comments on the Bob birthday & TCM marathon posts. Cliff Aliperti asked if I would have substituted anything for the marathon. I would have added Ride the Pink Horse, Another Language, and the film short Starlit Days at the Lido - I can't get over Bob in 1935 color. I ended up recording (and watching) Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Hide-Out, and The First Hundred Years for the umpteenth time. That's fine, I'm ok with that.

Useless history: On this date in 1954, Dial M For Murder opened at the Paramount Theater in NYC. Are you for good or evil Ray Milland?

And finally, I neglected to post on May 26 for the birthday for another of my favorites: John Dall. And no, I really don't think he looks like Ben Affleck - unless you squint at the right angle for a long, long time.

Youngsters

The planets must have been lining up this week or something. Out of the blue, I received two emails from Robert Young fans. Sure, you may say "big deal," but come on . . . it's 2009 - you're lucky if you can find someone under 80 who even recognizes the name (no offense to those over 80!).

Thanks to the awesome Carrie Liz (her new, unofficial title) , she passed along a few photos to share with everyone:

The Bride Comes Home - Larger image

The Bride Walks Out - Larger image

Maria also dropped me a note about a Leonard Maltin interview with Robert Young. Looks like the interview is available in back issues of his newsletter. Does anyone subcribe to his newsletter currently? Sounds interesting.

Update: I posted above about Leonard Maltin's newsletter - the interview is available in the book of the same title, Movie Crazy.

Happy Birthday, Robert Young

Feb. 22, 1907 - July 21, 1998

Photo Friday: Sworn Enemy

Bob Young & Florence Rice from 1936's Sworn Enemy.

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Holiday Leftovers

Leftovers - in the style of Larry King's ol' blurby column:

Watched Hollywood Party: Jimmy Durante is half naked and overly hairy (gah). Thank goodness the many cameos and "pre-codeness" of the film make up for that image. Another insanely catchy tune and a brief appearance by Robert Young make up for Jimmy's Schnarzan (I mean that in a loving way).



Magnificent Obsession is coming out on Criterion Collection DVD in January - both the Rock Hudson and Robert Taylor versions. I've only seen Rock's version and am inexplicably hooked.

Caught a documentary on Irving Thalberg on the History channel the other day. Very interesting - I need to find a good book on him now. I was surprised that in the 30 minutes I watched, there was no film or audio of him - just stills floating by.

Belated birthday wishes to Hoagy Carmichael (Nov. 22). Ahh, Stardust.


The current run of The Name's The Same ends this week. Withdrawal will be setting in, although not for Clifton Fadiman.

One of Lifetime's many channels had White Christmas in HD over the weekend. All queued up and ready on my DVR.

And on this day in history in 1934, Benny Goodman debuted on radio. Ahh, Moonglow...

Photo Friday: Young at MGM

I realized I've been neglecting Mr. Young lately, so today's Photo Friday theme is a promotional card printed by MGM.

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Recent Sightings

I'm back from a few days of vacation and I need another vacation! Anyhow, spotted some things over on the Obscure Classics blog that may be of interest:

• A review of the film Hide-Out
• Three Roberts - Taylor, Young & Montgomery: Katie and I are on the same wavelength...
  

Photo Friday: Another Robert Young Photo

Yet another photo from an unknown Bob Young film (I'm reaching the bottom of the pile here). If you know it, please drop me a comment!

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Update: Tracy has spotted an ID, thanks! The Longest Night (1936) w/Florence Rice