Emily's Classic Movies: Robert Montgomery: Forgotten Leading Man

Robert Montgomery photographed in 1929.

I was looking through some of my books on Old Hollywood recently and was surprised by the omission of one actor: Robert Montgomery. But, I cannot be too surprised because not until recently did I start trekking through Mr. Montgomery's filmography. He's become one of my favorite actors! Now that I have been watching a lot of his films and have seen his acting, I am disappointed to see that Robert Montgomery is not a more well-known leading man of Hollywood's Golden Era. Or even just a more well-known actor in general. Robert Montgomery truly had the whole "package" as an actor. Good looks, a nice speaking voice, a great sense of style, humor, and above all loads of talent. Why is it that he is not more well known today? I wish that he was and that is why I am writing this, but first I will discuss how I ended up discovering him.

This past August was when Summer Under the Stars was on Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Where everyday during the month of August for 24 hours they show the films of one actor or actress. August 22nd was a Monday and Robert Montgomery was the actor that TCM was showing films for that day. I had seen a film or two of his prior to this day, The Divorcee (1930) and Private Lives (1931), which both also starred one of my favorites, Norma Shearer. I always thought that he was attractive and funny, but for some reason never really watched a lot of his movies. I saw people that I follow on Twitter talking about him and posting pictures of him that day and I was like, "Oh yeah, I remember him". But, once again I realized that he was one actor who I had not seen much of. So, the next day, I looked at On Demand (I have Comcast) for some movies with him to watch. I ended watching the 1931 film, The Man in Possession. And I'm glad I did. I was sold on him by the end of the film. He made me swoon and laugh at the same time. He was a dream! So, soon after that I wanted to watch all of his movies and I have been thanks to Warner Archive DVDS, TCM, and my local library! So, enough about me, lets talk about Mr. Montgomery.

Robert Montgomery was a talented actor and more than just a pretty face. He had a captivating onscreen presence, but in a subtle way. He had the gift to be able to do both comedy and drama. With him, it's the little things that made his acting so great. His facial expressions are a joy to behold, especially in his comedies. He had some great ones over the years! Robert was fantastic with most of his leading ladies onscreen. I loved how sometimes he would stroke his leading ladies hands (I can think of Untamed (1929) with Joan Crawford and The Man in Possession (1931) with Irene Purcell). He could be romantic, or hilarious, or a flirt, or sometimes a complete jerk. Most of the characters that he played were upper crust playboys. But sometimes, he played just your average character or even some nastier ones as well. He played a fabulous drunk onscreen. In my opinion, I think that he had a great sense of humor. And that shows through in his acting.

Besides comedies, he excelled in dramas too. He was wonderful in John Ford's They Were Expendable (1945), which was filmed right after he came back from the Navy as a Lieutenant during World War II. He gave a touching, honest, and nuanced performance. Maybe because of his direct involvement with the War, he was able to bring a lot of personal experiences to that role. My favorite role that he did, which garnered him an Oscar nomination was 1937's Night Must Fall. Robert plays a charming psychopath named Danny who has murdered a local woman and ends up taking care of a local older woman who trusts him and she has a niece who is curious about him, but also questions him and his motivations. He was brilliant in that film. Terrifying and charming at the same time, what a combination! This really proved to me how great of an actor he was. It's truly a shame that MGM did not always give him the best roles/films where he could show off all of his talent. The studio would hold him back and I'm happy that he fought MGM to get the role in Night Must Fall (1937). He also after World War II, started directing films. He directed Lady in the Lake (1947) and Ride the Pink Horse (1947), which are both Film Noirs (he directed 2-3 other films as well such as Once More My Darling a 1949 comedy co-starring Ann Blyth). It would have been interesting to see what career he could have had as a director because he had a lot of potential. He also ventured into Television with Robert Montgomery Presents in the 1950's.

I could talk all day about Mr. Montgomery, but I think now is a good time to stop. So, I hope that maybe this has inspired you to watch one of his films or read about him because he was a very interesting man who was involved in a plethora of things in and out of Hollywood. He was charming, handsome, but human like the rest of us. He's dead now, but will always be alive in his films and that is one of the things that make films so great. He acted in a film long ago and people watched him then in lets say 1930 and flash forward to 2016 and I'm watching him in the same film. How amazing is that? I'm a big advocate for preserving and remembering the past and films are a big gateway to the past. Robert Montgomery was just a man who ended up acting in films as his job, but I'm glad he did. I just adore him, I truly do.

If you want a brief biography on Robert Montgomery, here is a link: http://www.earlofhollywood.com/RMbio.html

He sadly does not have a book written about him, but I hope that will change!