We figured it was time to have a place to talk about Steve’s latest video subjects that do not have an UMR page.
(Visited 1,785 times)
We figured it was time to have a place to talk about Steve’s latest video subjects that do not have an UMR page.
4/By the 1950s [starting with 1948’s Belle Star in which his co star was another westerns stalwart of those years – Rod Cameron] Monty was back to his old B cowboy roles but this time as top billed star and that is the period of his career with which I am most familiar.
5/I saw him in a whole host of “oaters” in the fifties examples of which are Cripple Creek/Gun Belt /The Lone Gun/Robber’s Roost/The Pathfinder/Gun Duel in Durango and Masterson of Kansas in which he was the legendary hero Bat Masterson. My last experience of him was in the TV western series Cimarron City 26 episodes of which ran for just one season from Sept 58-April 59. However TV audiences wanted their own heroes and not “hand me downs” from the big screen as other cinematic stars bigger than Montgomery and some of them even mega stars at one time discovered to their cost –
(1)The Deputy[western] with Henry Fonda 1959/61 taken off after only 2 seasons
(2/)Cade’s County [western] with Charlie Bill Stuart 1971/72 – lasted one season only.
(3)The Jimmy Stewart Show [comedy] 1971/72 also and a ‘one season wonder’ too. My Jimmy played a small time university professor with his Bend of the River co-star Julia Adams of 20 years previously as his wife in the TV show.
LOOSELY RELATED TRIVIA
Germany’s Karl May [1842-1912] was known mainly for the droves of American Wild West novels that he wrote and which were loved by Adolf Hitler who passed copies of them to the 3rd Reich troops as examples of what warriors were meant to be. The hero and main warrior of May’s westerns was a fictitious Apache Chief called Winnetou. Hitler is always regarded as history’s Racist Supreme so at first sight his fascination with May’s western novels might seem a puzzle given that their central character IS an Apache Indian.
However apparently during the two world wars the Nazis found May’s books about the American ‘Wild’ West and the Indian wars ideal anti-US propaganda weapon. As it was Hitler wrote glowingly about May in the notorious Hitler-penned Mein Kampf where The Fuhrer waxed nostalgically about how May’s works “overwhelmed” the young Adolf as a boy. He preferred to forget that fact that May’s personal pacifist ideology had been against all of what the 3rd Reich stood for. Ironically both “Real Americans” of my Duke Wayne’s convictions on the one hand and the “Reds” on the other hand hated the May stories and the communists in fact banned them. Many of the May books have apparently since been the basis for movies and comic books.
My oh my – another one of my very fave 1950s cowboy heroes. You seem to be doing a round-up of them if I may use wester language. Here is my experience of the career of George Montgomery – he of the whispering voice.
1/From 1939 he was in 27 B movies which it appears were largely westerns featuring early screen cowboy stalwarts Gene Autry and Roy Rogers; and in that period he was also in one serial for which he did get credit – 1938’s The Lone Ranger with Lee Powell as the Masked Hero and actor Chief Thundercloud as Tonto. Chief Thundercloud aka Victor Daniels may not have been a real Indian but claimed to be.
2/In 1939 George got his first feature film credited role in Cisco Kid and the Lady which you cover in your Cesar Romero video. Monty then settled into A features and his career for a time resembled that of your other recent ‘cowboy’ subject John Payne in the forties; and indeed George’s first big break as the lead actor was in 1942’s Ten Gentlemen from West Point in which he replaced Payne who was said to be “emotionally upset” at the time.
3/George’s co-star in that was Payne regular Maureen O’Hara and George then went on the following year to the lead male role in Coney Island co-starring another Payne leading lady of the 1940s Betty Grable; and as your Romero video shows Cesar Romero was the ‘3rd wheel’ in that one. Other Hollywood divas with whom George appeared in the 1940s were Ginger Rogers and Dorothy Lamour but naturally was 2nd billed to them
Added Steve’s Cesar Romero video to this page. Our thoughts found on his channel found below.
Compared to your last video, I have seen a boatload of Romero movies. #33 Marriage on the Rocks….the end of the Rat Pack. #26 Strongest Man In The World…silly Russell movie. #23 Computer Wore Tennis Shoes..same comment as #26. #19 Now You See Now You Don’t…wow three Kurt Russell movies….these movies are why I am still a Kurt fan. #13Batman the Movie…more silly fun. #9 Ocean’s Eleven…good fun movie #8 Donovan’s Reef….not Wayne’s best movie but a fun one to watch. #3 Wee Willie Winkie…one of the better Shirley Temple movies. So that is a total of 8…so I am tied with Flora….that is good company. Voted up and shared
Hi Bruce, I was a bit surprised that Cesar Romero had such a varied career, I mostly knew him as the Joker in 60s Batman but he was a multi-talented, actor singer and dancer too. A Cesar Romero page at UMR is overdue.
Your tally 8, Flora 8 and I managed 11.
Thanks again for the share, vote and comment, always appreciated.
Added Steve’s Warner Baxter video to this page. Our thoughts on the video and Baxter’s movies found below.
Hey Steve….He is on our list of actors to do. I have not seen many of his movies. Surprised that Flora has only seen 4. I have seen 2. #24 In Old Arizona and #1 42nd Street. Both were good but far from must re-watch. I have not seen any of the Loy/Baxter movies…Bob will be so disappointed. Good video. Voted up and shared
FROM THE WARNER BAXTER APPRECIATION SOCIETY Virginia Branch]
Dear Mr Cogerson:
“I have not seen any of the Loy/Baxter movies…Bob will be so disappointed. Good video. Voted up and shared.” YOUR quote Mr Cogerson.You seem to have the cart before the Horse in this statement and I am not making a pun at the expense of your apparent nickname on this site.
A more correct way to express the relationship between the two stars in the movie concerned would be Baxter/Loy. Indeed in the film Penthouse the precise billing is as Mr Lensman’s excellent poster illustrates [check it out!]-
WARNER BAXTER in
Arthur Somers Roche’s
PENTHOUSE
Also starring MYRNA LOY [and others].
2nd billing or less is usually the order of things in a “Myrna Loy” movie [though of course there was really no such thing]. And who says so? Why indirectly Mr Bruce Cogerson does! Witness for example the information in Part 2
1/On her Cogerson page Miss Loy was top billed in just 2 films [ie10%] of her top 20 highest grossing flicks.
2/Her best friend and rumoured romantic partner Miss Crawford was very top billed in 16 of HER top 20 biggest Cogersongrossers [ie 80%]
3/Crowd-pulling ‘stand alone’ specialist Deanna Durbin was only ever billed less than very top in 1 [her very first] movie of the total of the 21 feature films that she made. In 11 of the 21 [ie approx 52.4%] Miss Durbin was billed ALONE above the title.
4/Among the men Marlon Brando is credited with 38 movies on his Cogerson page. In one of them [Candy] billing is alphabetical and in the other 37 he is very top billed in 32 [or 86.5%]. Brando is one of the very few among even among major stars to be billed first in his debut movie The Men [aka Battle Stripe]*** – see posters on IMDB and Wikipedia.
Again – check it out! However the old saying is “Better a fool’s paradise than no paradise at all.” So Mr Cogersonif you wish to remain in denial in such matters grammarian scholars would possibly find it more pleasing in presentational terms if you expressed yourself thus –
Loy, Baxter.
*** “When James Dean first arrived in Manhattan in 1952, he watched this film several times at the 42nd Street Loews Complex in Times Square.” – IMDB. Already the worshippers were lining up to pay homage to Greatness.
Elvis is said to have watched 1953’sThe Wild One as often as Howard Hughes viewed John Wayne’s The Conqueror; and The King of Rock n Roll Was fond of sporting a leather jacket of the kind that Brando wore in The Wild One and indeed was an issue from that specific brand which was very popular among those who liked to be “cool”. Old fashioed Cary Grant was never seen in one nor was he ever spotted on a motor cycle as The KIng frequently was in his own leather jacket. Same for Miss Loy
“The jackets were marketed by Triumph, the manufacturer of the Triumph Thunderbird motorcycles featured in The Wild One, and were officially licensed by Brando’s estate. Brando was also considered a male sex symbol. Linda Williams writes: “Marlon Brando [was] the quintessential American male sex symbol of the late fifties and early sixties”
Yours sincerely
Signed Archie [Clark Archibald Powell]
President of the Warner Baxter Appreciation Society [Virginia branch]
Made it Ma! I feel on Top of the World today. As they say in Armed Forces circles I have been “mentioned in dispatches” in one of that Work Horse fella’s posts yesterday so HE is not the only one having a happy Monday.
However he might have been closer to the point if he had said-
“I have not seen any of the Loy/Baxter movies…It is disappointing but Bob would have been so disappointed if he HAD seen them.”
Hi Bruce, well you’ve seen more than I have, I’ve only seen ’42nd Street’ from Baxters filmography. I’d like to check out In Old Arizona and other Cisco Kid films if they ever turn up here on TV.
Ironically Bob has seen more Myrna Loy movies than you or I, and we’re the Team Loy captains, oh for shame! 🙂
Thanks for the comment, vote and share, much appreciated.
STILLS/LOBBY CARDS
Not as many as usual but the ones I have listed below I loved and I think may be all there is. Anyway here goes!
1/Gentleman at Heart – The Work Horse’s perception of Al Leach
2/Cisco Kid and the Lady
3/Now U See Him Now U Don’t – film inspired by The Work Horse
4/Weekend in Manchester
5/Springtime in the Rockies – exhilarating lobby card
6/Diamond Joel
7/two for Captain from Castile – vintage TY in his swashbuckling years.
8/Myrna Cruz- “The battle of Giants is on in greatest spectacle of them all!”
9The Joker
10/The Devil is a Thin Woman
11/Joel’s role model with the rest of the Rat Pack/Clan
Thoroughly enjoyable STEVE – well done. Lost Continent brings the nostalgic memories flooding back. I was 10 years of age when I first saw it and it left such an impression on the young Bob that he went to see it 3 night in a row at a cheap local cinema that still had just wooden benches for seats which were a carry over from the 2nd world war austerity years. . Spencer Tracy probably wouldn’t sit at the same studio canteen table as Cesar for making a movie like Lost Continent !
Hi Bob, thanks for reviewing my Cesar Romero video, appreciate the generous rating, info and trivia. Glad you liked the posters, stills and lobby cards.
While I was preparing my Burgess ‘The Penguin’ Meredith video I thought ‘what about the Joker’ has he been in anything? A quick look at IMDB convinced me it was a worthy project.
It’s been many years since I last saw Lost Continent but I remember enjoying it even though the dinosaurs weren’t Ray Harryhausen standard.
Looking at your posts only two of your favorites are missing from the video. I have to ask, why is The Strongest Man in the World one of your favorites? Well it seems an unusual choice coming from you. Have you watched the other two Disneys with Kurt and Cesar?
Doesn’t Bruce have a Sonja Henie page? I remember we were chatting about her a while back. I was amused that there was such a thing as an iceskating movie star. What next? A body builder movie star who becomes governor of California? Nah.
One film scored 10 out of 10 in Cesar Romero’s filmography – The Devil is a Woman. One scored 9 – The Little Princess, and there are several 8s.
The Little Princess was no.1 at both IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes.
“I had enormous fun playing the Joker on Batman. I ended up doing something like 20 episodes of Batman, as well as the full-length feature film version. There was certainly nothing hard about that assignment! Even the makeup sessions weren’t too bad. It took about an hour-and-a-half to put the full makeup on, including the green wig. I didn’t mind it at all. When I get into an outfit like that, I’m not going to go “oh ha ha”, I’m going to go “ooh ha ha ha ha”…you fall right into it. I thoroughly enjoyed playing the Joker.”
Hey Steve. Commenting from a computer store, and checking out their new keyboard. I am videos behind on your channel but I will catch up. Good information from Bob as always.
HI STEVE: I usually check WH’s site index before making make any reference to whether or not he’s got a page on a particular performer. I slipped up today because I couldn’t remember a Henie page being done but it turns out I’m wrong. All I can say in my defence is that I’m not getting any younger!!! However the boot’s on the other foot this time as usually Bruce neglects me whereas on the present occasion I have neglected a page of his.
I don’t like Disney but I like Kurt Russell even in nonsense films such as Big Trouble in Little China. Hence my liking The Strongest Man. My fave Russell film is though The Best of Times with Robin Williams as Jack Dundee and Kurt as Reno Hightower. Indeed that film is a big family movie with my brothers and me.
I’ll not be too apologetic for overlooking WH’s Henie page as he and IMDB gave me a bum steer on Downhill by crediting it with dire ratings. It’s no classic but was passable entertainment and worth at least a 60% “good” rating in my opinion which W o Bob agrees with. It might admittedly be too slow for your liking as an action fan but I would have expected WH as a ‘family man’ to have had at least a moderate interest in it. It’s just 1 hr and 26 mins long so maybe many reviewers downed it because they thought they weren’t getting their money’s worth.
Anyway thanks again for your normal thoughtful feedback and for alerting me to the Henie page before WH comes kicking my door down in protest! Keep safe and have a good weekend.