ROBERT MONTGOMERY Presents...

[moira finnie]

Oooh, Miss G., now you've done it. One of the legacies I have from my mother is a magnificent, silk-covered, engraved illustrated edition of Saint-Exupéry's Night Flight from the early 1930s.

I would love to see this movie on TCM despite the flaws that you point out. And yes, I could probably appreciate Mr. Montgomery a bit more if I thought he did a role in this writer's work some justice, though the translation of this work to film sounds a bit shaky from your description.

Saint-Exupéry looked at life and the adventure of air travel with a poet's eye, and his writings on life in the desert were particularly vivid. If anyone ever wants to know what it might have been like to fly when aviation was new, Wind, Sand and Stars is also one of the most emotionally informative books I've ever read on that period, seen through Antoine's eyes. How sad that link to the Telegraph story about the German pilot being discovered who had shot this beautiful writer down. But, at least we have this man's words, such as those below:

"We don't ask to be eternal. What we ask is not to see acts and objects abruptly lose their meaning. The void surrounding us then suddenly yawns on every side."

The real Antoine

[MissGoddess]

A wonderful man, a tragic loss. Thank goodness for his remarkable writings. I second
Moira's enthusiasm, people--READ his books on flying and adventure if you never have. You owe it to yourself.

Life used to be like that, hmmm....for a precious few, but far more than today. Now I'm feeling weepy
again and I used up all my Kleenex last night watching "Directed by John Ford"....

That book is making me pea green, Moira...take care I don't sneak in and steal it!

[klondike]

That book is making me pea green, Moira...

Just making sure, April . . . is that adjective, legume or verb?

[MissGoddess]

Ha!! It's P-E-A, Mr Klondike---not P-e-e!

[JackFavell]

That's an amazing story! I've got a copy of Wind Sand and Stars floating around here somewhere, you all made me want to go read it over again. His words just ring with beauty and soul. I have always had the dream of adventure, and when I can, I look to Saint Exupery to guide me.

It's too bad that somehow with that great cast and Selznick, that they couldn't have come up with a better film. However, I'd still love to see it on TCM.

[feaito]

I also managed to get a very poor, faded copy of this film some years ago. I think that it cannot be aired due to copyright issues in relation with the underlying work upon which the film is based (due to the infamous ABEND Decision, which also prevents "Letty Lynton", "Constant Nymph", "Trial of Mary Dugan", among others, from being aired or screened).

I was pleased to see that some of the action took place in Chile!

Interesting film but not altogether successful. But to be fair to it I'd have to watch a decent print.

[MissGoddess]

I was pleased to see that some of the action took place in Chile!

Yes! I was waving to you as the plane flew over, did you see?

Thanks for pointing out the copyright issue---yes, I hadn't even considered that. Good grief. Imagine if Shakespeare's heirs were still kicking up a fuss about such things.

And it's true---if the print had been better I may have enjoyed it more.

[feaito]

Yes! I was waving to you as the plane flew over, did you see?

I winked at you didn't you notice?

[feaito]

Over the past weeks I have watched and revisited some Bob Montgomery flicks which I have reviewed in the "What Silents & Pre-Codes Have You Watched?": "Shipmates"(1931), "Faithless" (1932), "The Man in Possession" (1931) and "Lovers Courageous" (1932) and yesterday I saw another film which was a surprise for me: "Made on Broadway" (1933).

In this little known MGM film directed by Harry Beaumont, Bob is very good as a famous and influential NY Press agent who gets involved with the apparently-nice-and-innocent Minnie (re-baptized as Mona by Bob), played by Sally Eilers, whom Bob saves from drowning and turns into the toast of the town. Ms. Eilers is quite good as the flirtatious and amoral Mona. Madge Evans co-stars as Bob's ex-wife and she's great. Eugene Pallette is Bob's valet, Ivan Lebedeff a slimy gigolo, Jean Parker, a notorious actress, etc. The film runs 68 minutes and it's a completely entertaining, swiftly paced, interesting and well acted all round, with a completely winning, charismatic performance by Bob Montgomery, who´s fastly becoming one of my favorite mischievous characters and comedians.

By the way: Did anyone record "Another Language" (1933) a couple of days ago?

[MissGoddess]

Great, Feo! Made on Broadway is one of the few Bobby M films I haven't seen. I have *Another Language* already in my collection, it's a good one.

[feaito]

I've always had the feeling that "Another Language" is a film I'm going to like.

[MissGoddess]

I'm sure many couples can relate to its circumstances.

[JackFavell]

It's pretty modern in some ways isn't it? I'm glad others have seen that one, I thought I was the only one who knew it. I don't have it recorded, unfortunately.

[feaito]

I saw a minor entry in Bob's filmography: "Love in the Rough" (1931) a remake of William Haines' "Spring Fever" (1927) with Bob as a golf player who works as a clerk in one of the companies of the member of a fancy Country Club in which Bob -posing as this member's friend- falls for a rich man's daughter (Dorothy Jordan). There are a couple of song and dance numbers which feature Bob, Dorothy, energetic Penny Singleton and Benny Rubin, but all in all it's pretty forgettable stuff only redeemed by Bob's charisma. Dorothy Jordan never has convinced me much in these early 1930s MGMs opposite Bob, Ranon Novarro and others. She was definitely good though -much later- in John Ford's "The Searchers" (1956).

[feaito]

I watched another early talkie which features Bob, thanks to April: "Untamed" (1929) which stars a young and lovely Joan Crawford as Bingo, a wild and impulsive girl who was raised in the tropical jungles of South America. Her father dies leaving a huge inheritance and she goe sto live to NYC with her dad's best friend, portrayed by Ernest Torrence. Bob plays an engineer for whom she falls madly in love. The film is pleasant but nothing special. Bob has a scene in which he boxes with one of Bingo's suitors and it's pretty well done. Crawford looked so beautiful with the few make-up she wore around this time; she should have never changed her look, especially her mouth (which was broadened considerably with lipstick) and her eyebrows.