Variations on a Postcard Theme

 

 

 

Sorry, Debbie...No Thin Man Entrees

 July 29th is William Powell's birthday.  Happy Early Birthday, Bill!  TCM is showing 9 of his movies!!  The first movie has a 6:30 a.m. ET start time.  I hope TCM includes them all in its streaming movies.  There are some early ones I haven't seen and they all look great. 

Pointed Heels (1929) is not one of the films.  Just thought it a nifty lobby card. 

 

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,Joan,Frank,Una,Clark,Bill,Robert or Roz?

 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer did not pass up many opportunities to make a little extra money off their stars fame.  Besides the picture frame photos, there were photos used on notebooks (or writing tablets, as I knew them).  I wasn't around for these notebooks, but I would have dreaded having to select just one for the upcoming school year.  In all honesty, as an elementary school student I probably would have chosen .... Clark Gable!  And Robert Taylor would have been my second choice.  Hey, Gable and Taylor were still making movies in the 1950s.  While Robert Montgomery was a TV producer and advisor to President Eisenhower.  Who would you have chosen? 

Finding Hidden Treasures (Could Use a Few!)

 I bought this framed photo for the frame, not the picture of Constance Bennett, although it is a nice one of her.  It is one of those fan photos on slick thin paper that came with a new picture frame.  I love the pattern on the frame, a nice example of early 1930s artwork.  It is also 11x14 inches, not that common for the time.  Now I need to find the 11x14 inch photo of Bob from that period that would fit the frame! 

 Meanwhile, making this a really, really good find, when I took off the back to begin cleaning it, I found this fan photo of young Mr. Montgomery!  

It appears to simply have been added as a filler.  It's an 8x10 fan photo, that has been kicked out of its original frame and replaced by, who knows,  a family member...or another photo of Ms. Bennett.  Whatever, at least it wasn't thrown out in the trash...shudder the thought.