How Could Any Woman Possibly Say No

                      Bob and June Walker in War Nurse (1930)

Thanks for the Memories, Mr. Montgomery

Robert Montgomery died on this day, September 27th, in 1981.  That is 35 years ago.  A short period of time looking back as a senior.  A lifetime and more for a youth.  He was 76, a decent lifespan for a man of his time, but it is sad the cancer that ended his life forced him to spend his final weeks in a hospital in Manhattan.  Not the death one wishes.  The country squire he had become would have imagined, hoped for a peaceful death at his beautiful estate with his family in attendance.  It would have been a more fitting death for the man.  But even Mr. Montgomery could not control his final destiny.

           View of the estate from the terrace of Bob's final home,
                       Hollow Brook in the Canaan Valley, CT.

In the April, 1982 issue of Architectural Digest, good friend Brendan Gill wrote an article on Robert, which ends with the following tribute.

"For a conservative Republican from an old family, Montgomery possessed a rather moody restlessness of spirit.  At a certain point as he grew older, nothing would do but that he and Buffy sell the Hook Pond property and move on to new adventures --- a summer place on the water in North Haven, Maine, and in winter a beautiful ancient farmhouse in the Canaan Valley in northwestern Connecticut.  It was here in 1981, a short drive from the family house overlooking the Hudson at Fishkill, NY (where he was born), that Montgomery died. "

                A portion of the main residence at Hollow Brook.

"He had played many roles in his lifetime, off-camera and on-; the slender playboy of Our Blushing Brides had become a no-longer-slender country squire, but the grace of the performer remained what it had always been:  a prompting to merriment, an occasion for applause."

You are missed Mr. Montgomery.  The smile.  Ah, yes, the smile.  Thanks for sharing.

Pidgeon Day Minus One

What is not to like about Walter Pidgeon.  Born in Canada on September 23, 1897, Walter had a very successful career in movies, beginning in 1926 and lasting into the mid 1970s.  The movie that solidified his role as a leading actor was Mrs. Miniver (1942), for which he received an academy Best Actor nomination. 

                  With co-star Greer Garson in Mrs. Miniver (1942)

In 1948 he co-starred with Clark Gable, another movie which is a favorite of mine.  Walter gave another excellent performance, as did the entire amazing cast of Van Johnson, Charles Bickford, John Hodiak, Brian Donlevy, Edward Arnold, Marshall Thompson, Cameron Mitchell, Clinton Sundberg, Ray Collins, Warner Anderson and John McIntire.  Guess one has to give credit when it's due to the director, Sam Wood.  (And, in my opinion, it has one of the best performances of Mr. Gable's career, up there with Rhett in GWTW and Gay in The Misfits.)  Gosh, if you have not seen this before, do give it a try ... and the same for Mrs. Miniver.
 
             Walter as Clark Gable's boss in Command Decision (1948)

By the way, Walter began his theatrical career as a singer!  So, of course, he begins his movie career in the silents.  His earliest talkies were musicals, for one of which this photo was taken.  The magazine article that featured it was titled, "He has the Girls Gasping!"  Love it. 

The Surprise Between the Covers

Ran across this 1930s Italian magazine a while back.  That's Madge Evans with Bob on the front cover, as well on the back.  (Please excuse the images being truncated.  I really do need a larger size scanner!)  There are any number of magazines from England with Bob on the cover, as well as a good number of French and Spanish publications.  His image does not grace too many Italian magazines.

The magazine is not just a fan mag, but covers items of general interest.  For instance, what's an Italian magazine of the 1930s without stirring photos of Benito Mussolini, "Il Duce."  Bob and Madge wrapped around a fascist dictator ... difficult for me to grasp that concept.  Can't imagine that Bob was pleased. 

Happy Birthday, Mr. Benchley!

I just have to smile every time I think of Robert Benchley.  A funny, funny man.  He graced two of Bob's movies:  Live, Love and Learn (1937) and Piccadilly Jim (1936).  This photo was taken in 1944, a year before his death at the young age of 56.  One too many martinis. 

              Robert Benchley b. Sept. 15, 1899; d. Nov. 21, 1945.

Robert shows his acting chops in this scene from Live, Love and Learn. 

A Happy Birthday goes out to my big brother who share's Mr. Benchley's birthday, and is almost as funny.  Well, in his own way ....