What's Better than Bob? Six Bobs ....

Good month for Bob on TCM.  There are six movies coming and going, all of them in the better Robert Montgomery films group.  

Two movies are almost through their showing.  Private Lives (1931) ends on the 21st and Piccadilly Jim (1936) the 23rd.  The Divorcee (1930) will be shown until May 1st.  The Man in Possession (1931) is just being shown this morning.  Hope it gets a long run.  Everybody should see the role just made for the young Mr. Montgomery.  He handles it so well.  And an excellent cast simply makes this movie a gem of pre-code Hollywood.  Cheers for Charlotte Greenwood, Irene Purcell, Reginald Owen, C. Aubrey Smith and Beryl Mercer.  

And two more movies will "open" in April:  Lady in the Lake (1946) on the 20th and Night Must Fall (1937) on the 30th.  And everybody should see these two movies ... Mr. Montgomery's passions.  

Some great viewing!  Enjoy.  

Loew's Was Part of Bob's World, Definitely Not Lowe's!

Interesting photo, one of many portraits taken between 1929 and 1930, each of whom captured a different Robert Montgomery.  It references The Man in Possession (1931), but I'm guessing it was taken no later than 1930.  My best guess, anyway!  That full bottom lip really stands out.  Rrff.

He Saw, She Saw, They Did

I love the casting in The Man in Possession (1931).  Bob (Dabney) and Irene (Crystal) clicked both onstage and offstage (as friends!)  C. Aubrey Smith and Beryl Mercer, as Dabney's parents, portray the gruff father and meek, sweet mother with ease, as they have played the parts so many times.  Reginald Owen is great whatever the role is, this time it is as Dabney's pompous and flustered brother Claude.  And Charlotte Greenwood is just perfection as Clara, Crystal's maid, friend and watchdog who doesn't think Dabney is good enough for her. 

I just love the smiles on the lovers' faces.  Too good.

Irene was born August 7, 1896 in Whiting, Indiana and died July 9, 1972 in Racine, Wisconsin.  The two cities are only 94 miles apart.  Happy Birthday to Ms. Purcell.  And Happy Birthday to Ann Harding, also born on August 7th.  It'll be Ann's turn next year...all right, Ladies?

First, Fond du lac, Now Sheboygan - Wow!!

Montgomery, star of television, movies and radio, told a Sheboygan county Republican rally that "We never had it so bad."  

Ah, it is October 24th, the 1952 presidential campaign is in full swing.  Lucky Bob appears to have been assigned to cover Wisconsin...in October!  I'm guessing he used the 14,000 sq. ft. mansion of Mrs. Irene Purcell Johnson in Racine, WI as his base of operations.  Irene (Bob's co-star in The Man in Possession) and hubby Herb Johnson, Jr., chairman of the board of the Johnson Wax Company, traveled in the same social circle.

         "Robert Montgomery speaks for Eisenhower in Sheboygan."

My Favorite Butler

          Bob as Raymond Dabney in The Man in Possession (1931)

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!

Irene Purcell, the Future Mrs. Johnson Wax

  The Man in Possession (1931) with Beryl Mercer, C. Aubrey Smith,                   Reginald Owen, Irene Purcell and Bob.

Irene Purcell, Bob's co-star in the delightful pre-code romp The Man in Possession, was born on August 7, 1896 --- or 1901 per the engraving on the Johnson family crypt.  (Like she was the only person in Hollywood who shaved a few years off her birth date...)  Irene came to Hollywood from the stage to make a half dozen features in 1931 and 1932, and then left the movies, to go back to the stage, I'm assuming.  There just is not much information on Irene out there. 

I did discover that in 1941 she married Herbert Fisk Johnson, Jr., the third generation Johnson to run the Johnson Wax Co.  With the marriage, she moved into Herbert's home outside Racine, Wisconsin. Wingspread, as it was named, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and constructed in 1937-1938.  Coming in at a mere 14,000 sq. ft., there were four wings (private wing, children's wing, guest rooms and servant quarters) that extended from a massive multi-storied open area used for communal functions such as dining and entertaining.  

                  Wingspread, built in 1938 by Frank Lloyd Wright

In the 1950s,  the Johnson Wax Co. would become a principal sponsor of Robert Montgomery Presents.   Do you think there were jokes on the set about Bob sleeping with the Boss's wife? 

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?

Mister and Missus

Robert Montgomery, popular Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer star, with his wife on their arrival in New york for a short vacation. Mr. Montgomery last appeared in "Shipmates." which incidental was his first starring vehicle. On his return to the coast, he will be starred in "A Man in Possession."

Thanks to Reynolds for the photo!

Another "Possessed" Bob Fan

Lol, I'm a pusher - a pusher of Bob movies that is.

Check out Kelley's review of The Man in Possession on her blog, Confessions of a Film Addict.

Today's Conversation

Ok, I'm getting guff for posting too much Robert Taylor stuff. One more week, that's it ;)

On the Bob front, TCM has a mini marathon of Bob movies on his birthday, May 21, starting at 6:30 a.m. eastern:

• 6:30 a.m. Big House, The (1930)
• 8:00 a.m. Divorcee, The (1930)
• 9:30 a.m. Private Lives (1931)
• 11:00 a.m. Faithless (1932)
• 12:30 p.m. Hide-Out (1934)
• 2:00 p.m. Night Must Fall (1937)
• 4:00 p.m. Last Of Mrs. Cheyney, The (1937)
• 5:45 p.m. Lady In The Lake (1947)

There was some comments in the Personal Property post regarding Bob & Jean Harlow. Alas, all I'm able to contribute to the discussion is a photo:

Got another Jean/Bob pic you can share? Let me know!

You all remember that Personal Property was a remake of Robert Montgomery's The Man in Possession, right? Possession is a lot more pre-code, if you get my drift. RM was also in the stage production of Possession, which helped him get the film role.

Other useless thoughts from the past week...

Ran into this interesting post about studio logos over the decades.

Ever see Ace in the Hole? Ran across this tidbit with some background information you might find interesting.

Picspam: Personal Property (1937)

Possession Vs. Property

Katie over at Obscure Classics has a good comparison of the different but the same films The Man in Possession and Personal Property.

Hmm, I even see a post about a future podcast featuring Robert Montgomery...

The Guest Blogger in Possession

Today's post is a bit of a treat - it's a guest post from Laura of (you'll never guess this) Laura's Miscellaneous Musings. Along with TCM, I'm helping to corrupt one more mind - create another Bob fan (tee, hee, hee). Do visit her site - it's one of my fav. reads.

# # #

Thanks to the kindness of Carrie of Classic Montgomery, I had the opportunity to see THE MAN IN POSSESSION, a delightfully entertaining pre-Code comedy starring Robert Montgomery and Irene Purcell.

The film's London setting is quickly established by a shot of Westminster Abbey under the opening credits, accompanied by the Westminster Chimes. Cambridge-educated Raymond (Montgomery) arrives home from a stint in jail over a "misunderstanding" about the sale of a car. Raymond's mother (Beryl Mercer) greets him with joy, but his crochety father (Sir C. Aubrey Smith) and pompous brother (Reginald Owen) try to bribe Raymond to leave the country before he can do any more harm to the family reputation.

Instead, Raymond secures employment as a bailiff, and his first job is to keep watch over the possessions of lovely Crystal Wetherby (Purcell) until she pays off a writ for bills owed. Crystal has invited her new fiance and his parents to dinner, and Raymond agrees to pose as Crystal's butler so as not to tip off the fiance about her precarious financial condition. After all, when they marry, Crystal's fiance should be able to pay off her bills. You can probably guess who the fiance and parents turn out to be...

The movie is by turns funny, racy, and romantic. Montgomery is in peak form as Raymond; I've seen many of his films in the last year, and this is one of my favorites. It's the kind of amusing, appealing performance which makes one wonder why he isn't better remembered. His slight British accent does tend to fade in and out, but when it fades he sounds just like Robert Montgomery should, so it's not an issue that's especially noticeable.

Irene Purcell appeared in just seven movies, all made in 1931 and 1932. It's a shame her career was so short; she is just right as Crystal, managing to make a woman who regularly stiffs her creditors sympathetic. Purcell, who also acted regularly on Broadway in the '20s and '30s, lived another four decades after retiring from her film career.

The witty script by Sarah Y. Mason (LITTLE WOMEN) and P.G. Wodehouse is based on a play by H.M. Harwood. The superb cast includes Charlotte Greenwood and Alan Mowbray. The combination of the script and the marvelous reactions and double-takes by the polished cast make this film a treat from start to finish..

THE MAN IN POSSESSION runs 84 minutes and is in black and white. It was directed by Sam Wood.

MGM remade the movie just six years later as PERSONAL PROPERTY, starring Robert Taylor and Jean Harlow. It's interesting to note that Reginald Owen and Forrester Harvey reprised their roles from the original film in the remake.

Sadly, this movie isn't available on video or DVD. Click here to indicate interest in a DVD release. The film has been shown in the past on Turner Classic Movies so hopefully it will show up there again in the future.

Photo Friday: Possessed

Now there's the look of mischief if I ever saw it. Bob, Charlotte Greenville, and Irene Purcell in The Man in Possession.

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Personal Property (1937)

Personal Property is a fun remake of The Man in Posession, arguably one of Robert Montgomery's best films. Which reminds me, I need to write about that film one of these days.

In the meantime, some picspam from the only film Robert Taylor and Jean Harlow starred together in. A shame really...

Photo Friday - Dinner Chaos

All hell breaks loose at the Wetherby home when the man in possession (Robert Montgomery) plays butler (among other things) for the evening. The Man in Possession is a gem of a pre-code and is highly recommended.

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