ROBERT MONTGOMERY Presents...

Discussion of the actors, directors and film-makers who 'made it all happen'
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CineMaven
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ROBERT MONTGOMERY Presents...

Post by CineMaven »

I've developed a crush on Robert Montgomery.

There. I've said it. I admit it. You heard it here, first!

I've recently come to appreciate Robert Montgomery after seeing him in "Night Must Fall." That performance opened my eyes and heart to him. In May, a whole slew of his films will be presented by TCM. He appears in some films with his frequent 1930's screen queen co-star, Norma Shearer; in the 1940's, he appears with his equal 1930's icon: Carole Lombard. He tries his hand at directing and works with the inimitable Woody Van Dyke. And then there's him with the Duke. If you've a mind to join me on this thread, please let's talk about Robert Montgomery. If I'm missing any film, lemme know. I've posted this at TCM City. But there's nothing like an Oasis!

May 17th

4:00 AM Riptide (1934)

A chorus girl weds a British lord then falls for an old flame. Cast: Norma Shearer, Robert Montgomery, Herbert Marshall. Dir: Edmund Goulding. BW-92 mins, TV-G

May 21st

6:00 AM Their Own Desire (1929)

A young couple's affair is complicated by her father's relationship with his mother. Cast: Norma Shearer, Robert Montgomery, Lewis Stone. Dir: E. Mason Hopper. BW-65 mins, TV-G


7:15 AM Big House, The (1930)

An attempted prison break leads to a riot. Cast: Chester Morris, Wallace Beery, Robert Montgomery. Dir: George Hill. BW-87 mins, TV-PG, CC


8:45 AM Strangers May Kiss (1931)

A sophisticated woman risks her marriage for love of a ruthless schemer. Cast: Norma Shearer, Robert Montgomery, Neil Hamilton. Dir: George Fitzmaurice. BW-81 mins, TV-G, CC


10:15 AM Hide-Out (1934)

Farmers take in an injured racketeer and try to reform him. Cast: Robert Montgomery, Maureen O'Sullivan, Mickey Rooney. Dir: W.S. Van Dyke II. BW-81 mins, TV-G, CC


11:45 AM Last Of Mrs. Cheyney, The (1937)

A chic jewel thief in England falls in love with one of her marks. Cast: Joan Crawford, Robert Montgomery, William Powell. Dir: Richard Boleslawski. BW-98 mins, TV-G, CC


1:30 PM First Hundred Years, The (1938)

A working woman doesn't want to give up her career when she marries. Cast: Robert Montgomery, Virginia Bruce, Warren William. Dir: Richard Thorpe. BW-74 mins, TV-PG, CC


2:45 PM Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941)

A quarrelsome couple discovers their marriage isn't legal. Cast: Carole Lombard, Robert Montgomery, Gene Raymond. Dir: Alfred Hitchcock. BW-95 mins, TV-G, CC


4:30 PM Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)

A prizefighter who died before his time is reincarnated as a tycoon with a murderous wife. Cast: Robert Montgomery, Evelyn Keyes, Claude Rains. Dir: Alexander Hall. BW-94 mins, TV-G, CC


6:15 PM Lady In The Lake (1947)

Philip Marlowe searches for a missing woman in this mystery shot entirely from the detective's viewpoint. Cast: Robert Montgomery, Audrey Totter, Lloyd Nolan. Dir: Robert Montgomery. BW-103 mins, TV-PG, CC


May 23rd

5:30 PM They Were Expendable (1945)

A Navy commander fights to prove the battle-worthiness of the PT boat at the start of World War II. Cast: Robert Montgomery, John Wayne, Donna Reed. Director: JOHN FORD BW-135 mins, TV-PG, CC, DVS

Message was edited by CineMaven because I must make amends to lzcutter and the mighty name of JOHN FORD must be bolded and UNDERLINED.
Last edited by CineMaven on May 3rd, 2009, 10:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Ayres
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Re: ROBERT MONTGOMERY Presents...

Post by Ayres »

Isn't he wonderful? When TCM made him SOTM a few years back, I made an effort to see all his works. I especially love HIDE-OUT; as good as Bob is at being aristocratic, he makes a marvelous Damon Runyon type as well. As for THEY WERE EXPENDABLE, it is apparently virtually autobiographical (given that RM did a great deal of the directing).
feaito

Re: ROBERT MONTGOMERY Presents...

Post by feaito »

That's a wonderful Line-Up Theresa! I am jealous, because TCM Latin will never run such a bunch of goodies.

"Riptide" (1934) was -I think- the first Bob Montgomery Pre-Code I ever saw -it was also my first Shearer Pre-Code. I recall it was the first VHS I ever bough at Amazon, at a very steep price! Although heavily edited it's a very enjoyable film. Definitely must-see.

"The Big House" (1930) is also excellent, although Chester Morris and Wallace Beery shine brighter in this one than Bob -well he has a very thankless role!

I loved "Strangers May Kiss" (1931). It's Norma's raciest Pre-Code IMHO.

"Here Comes Mr. Jordan" (1941) is a true classic and one of Robert Montgomery's very best. The only film of his I saw as a kid.

"Mr. and Mrs. Smith" (1941) -Hitchcock, Carole and Bob in one film, a must! Sort of reminiscent of "Private Lives" (1931).
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MissGoddess
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Re: ROBERT MONTGOMERY Presents...

Post by MissGoddess »

Pant! Pant! Drool.....


My favorite Bobby movies:

They Were Expendable
Hide-Out
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Fugitive Lovers
Ride the Pink Horse
The Mystery of Mr. X
Faithless
(Talullah, DAHLING!)
When Ladies Meet (IMHO, Greer's version doesn't hold up in comparison)
The Earl of Chicago
Night Must Fall
Piccadilly Jim
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney
(this is the movie that first made me take notice of how sexy he could be)
Forsaking All Others (you get Bobby AND Gable in this one)
and one of the best precodes he ever did, The Man in Possession



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feaito

Re: ROBERT MONTGOMERY Presents...

Post by feaito »

You named quite a few good ones there April, especially "Night Must Fall" (1937), "Faithless" (1932), "When Ladies Meet" (1933) (which I saw recently thanks to Birdy's comments) and "Forsaking All Others" (1934).

Other rarities of him I've seen are "Sins of the Children" (1930) and the amiable "Shipmates" (1931).

Besides of being a fine actor, not only in sophisticated comedy, but in dramas and Noirs, Mr. Montgomery gave us one of the wittiest comediennes, nicest ladies ever to grace Hollywood and TV sitcoms, the incomparable Elizabeth Montogomery, not only a skilled performer but a wonderful human being. God bless her!
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Bronxgirl48
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Re: ROBERT MONTGOMERY Presents...

Post by Bronxgirl48 »

Maven, I absolutely adore Robert in HERE COMES MR. JORDAN. It was the first film I'd ever seen him in, and I just can't forget Joe Pendleton. That character, so unlike a lot of the early parts Bob was cast in and excelled at, isn't urbane, witty or even well dressed -- he's a simple guy, a boxer, who loves his career, his saxophone, and manager Max Corkle. Joe is straightforward, stubborn, loyal, big-hearted, clean-living, and utterly adorable. In many of the roles Montgomery played, I always found him charming, yet somewhat aloof. But in Joe, he brings forth a warmth that is tremendously appealing, and the scenes with Evelyn Keyes towards the end are so very moving and never fail to bring me to tears.
Ollie
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Re: ROBERT MONTGOMERY Presents...

Post by Ollie »

Oh my... No one's named FAST & LOOSE (1939)? LIVE, LOVE AND LEARN (1937)?

Some Texas C.A.R.E. package headed to certain NYC burroughs may need to get fleshed out! FAST & LOOSE is part of a 3-film Thin-Man-esque characters "Joel & Garda Sloane", and all three are decent enough but this FAST & LOOSE is my favorite. This also convinces me that Man-Woman crime-solving teams always attract my attention. This series, the THIN MAN and the TORCHY BLANE pix plus the Jerome Cowen-Jane Wyman CRIME BY NIGHT (1943) and my oft-mentioned MRS O'MALLEY & MR MALONE make me think I'll watch this style of film any time.

LIVE, LOVE AND LEARN is usually rated toward the bottom of both Robert's and Rosalind Russell's efforts, but it's got a great cast that's fun to watch anyway. Robert Benchley, Monty Woolley, Helen Vinson, Mickey Rooney, E.E. Clive. Even as a lesser effort, this film surpasses today's average films. (Which is a real shame.)

Still, I don't know how any woman could forgive Montgomery for killing those other women! Bad boys, indeed!
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JackFavell
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Re: ROBERT MONTGOMERY Presents...

Post by JackFavell »

Still, I don't know how any woman could forgive Montgomery for killing those other women! Bad boys, indeed!
Hey, it's Robert Montgomery for goodness sakes! He's not only gorgeous - he's TORTURED.... a big turn on. I'd lose my head over him.....

(GROAN)

Oh, and Bronxie,

Here Comes Mr. Jordan was my first too. I love the movie... I posted a quote once from the end and started bawling just typing it. He has an air of confusion in this one, and of wanting to fight his way out of things. But the best thing about the movie is you see what a sweetheart he is, and that he can learn to hold back his fists. I love his performance, it is warm and emotional.
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Bronxgirl48
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Re: ROBERT MONTGOMERY Presents...

Post by Bronxgirl48 »

Hi, Wendy, it's lovely to be here at last.

I too love the way Montgomery as Joe has to grapple with this very unique situation -- here he is, an ordinary guy, "in the pink", and now he's got to go shopping for a body. His own. That of course is the comedic premise, but the romantic and spiritually comforting heart of the movie is what makes it so special and timeless, I think.
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MissGoddess
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Re: ROBERT MONTGOMERY Presents...

Post by MissGoddess »

Hi Bronxie!! Me and Bobbums welcome you to the fold! :P

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Bronxgirl48
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Re: ROBERT MONTGOMERY Presents...

Post by Bronxgirl48 »

Thank you, Goddess!

To paraphrase Rhett, I certainly took my sweet time about it. Silly me.
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MissGoddess
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Re: ROBERT MONTGOMERY Presents...

Post by MissGoddess »

Nice avatar! :P
"There's only one thing that can kill the movies, and that's education."
-- Will Rogers
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Bronxgirl48
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Re: ROBERT MONTGOMERY Presents...

Post by Bronxgirl48 »

:D
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Bronxgirl48
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Re: ROBERT MONTGOMERY Presents...

Post by Bronxgirl48 »

I saw ONCE MORE, MY DARLING years ago, and have vague recollections it was amusing, with our own little Veda developing a crush on Bob. Anyone remember it? I think Montgomery plays on his Brooks Brothers Peck's Bad Boy image, but, with my memory, I can't be sure.
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moira finnie
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Re: ROBERT MONTGOMERY Presents...

Post by moira finnie »

Ahem, I wonder if I could please interrupt this little love fest for Robert Montgomery...because I've really tried to see this guy, and I, uh, hate to tell you this, but I don't like the man, except when he plays some kind of malcontent, psycho, or a miscreant. Night Must Fall, Rage In Heaven, Ride the Pink Horse, Lady in the Lake, and The Saxon Charm, in all of which he played some degree of rather unsavory types, were the only times when I could stand the guy for more than 10 minutes. Yet, I've seen most of the movies you've named, but it was torture every time he appeared. One of the few times when he was a sort of "heroic" character I liked was as the youthful con in The Big House.

What is wrong with me? Can I be helped? Mr. M. just makes me uneasy. Why? I usually like society boy types alot and love romantic comedy and even have a weakness for drawing room dramas. Psychological analyses about this block of mine are heartily welcomed. Convince me, won't you gang?!
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