It's a Hurrell ... and He's Smiling!

The best thing about magazine clippings is that they provide passable copies of photos not seen otherwise.  The worse thing about clippings is that they make you keenly aware that there is yet another beautiful photo not available to you.  Whatever ... love the smile.

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. 

Robert Montgomery Birthday Week - Bob at his Best --- When He's Laughing

Bob's best attribute ... one great smile.  Whether it's from sharing a laugh with a friend and co-worker ...

... or a young boy. 

Or at a joke by an old, dear friend.

Or simply enjoying one of Life's wonderful surprises.

It's an infectious smile, isn't it.  Thank you, kind sir, for sharing that smile with us all. 

Robert Montgomery Birthday Week - Co-Stars

Besides being favorite photos, I chose five ladies who were good matches for Bob.  The ever so cute Dorothy Jordan paired well with the youthful Beautiful Bob.  One of my favorite pairings was Bob and Maureen O'Sullivan, a truly beautiful couple.  Darn, but I wish they had made more movies together.  Helen Hayes was Bob's personal favorite leading actress and you can see his respect and adoration for her come through onto the screen.  After five movies together, Bob's and Rosalind Russell's performances were seamless, and a laugh shared at work was real, not just for the camera.  Lastly, only because of my timeline, 30-year-old Audrey Totter's "bad girl" was a great match for older Bob's tough guys.  And what did they all have in common?  The good fortune of sharing the screen with Bob.  Lucky ladies.

                    Love in the Rough (1930) with Dorothy Jordan

                       Hide-Out (1934) with Maureen O'Sullivan

                 Vanessa:  Her Love Story (1935) with Helen Hayes

                   Trouble for Two (1936) with Rosalind Russell

                         Saxon Charm (1948) with Audrey Totter

Happy Birthday, Mr. Montgomery!!

Captain Henry (Bob) Montgomery, Jr., U.S.N.R., and good friend Jimmy Cagney on the set of The Gallant Hours in May, 1959.  Bob is just turning 55.  The photo below is a blow up of Bob from the photo.  The baby face is gone, the sideburns are gray and the crow's feet are more pronounced, but, hey, he is still one handsome dude.   

Flashing forward to early 1968, we find an almost 64-year-old Bob aging gracefully, still dressing elegantly and, as always, eyeglasses in hand while being photographed.  Notice the colonnade on the left side of the photo....your simple Manhattan apartment! 

And now for a step backward in time to find Bob, 28, on the set of Hell Below in late 1932, with Walter Huston in the background.  Woof, one good-looking man.  

And speaking of looking good in a uniform ... two photos that have been used on the blog before, that, to me, represent Bob at his prime in both his private and professional lives.  When someone asks me who Robert Montgomery was, this is what I try to convey to them.  First, we have real Bob, or more correctly Henry, on board a ship at the beginning of his overseas duty in September, 1942.  What else could a 39-year-old Montgomery do to defend his country!  
 

And, professionally, it's Bob clad in his Hollywood uniform for Petticoat Fever (1936).  The old pro at 32 yrs of age, at the top of his game ... rrfff.

Thanks for being you, Robert.  Enjoy your day.