Monty, is a good friend and one of the regular contributors here on Noir and Chick Flicks. I thought it would be fun for us to get to know Monty a little better. Monty, loves to write,draw,travel and spending time with his wife Stephanie, family and friends. He loves all kinds of movies, especially the classics. He also collects comic books.
Dawn: Who are your top 5 favorite classic movie actor/actresses?
Monty: Cary Grant, Carole Lombard, Irene Dunne, William Holden and Myrna Loy.
Dawn: Awesome, list of favorites! I think my only surprise was, William Holden. I do not remember you blogging much about him. Cary Grant's, acting he just made it all look so easy. Carole Lombard, was beautiful and talented. A woman full of wit and charm. Irene Dunne, amazing and in my opinion an underrated actress. Myrna Loy, popularity was at its peak in the late 1930s. She was named "Queen of the Movies". She defiantly made her mark in Hollywood. Describe why they are your favorite?
Monty: Cary is just perfect. The master of the screwball comedy. He was the one that got me hooked on the classics. More on that in one of your other questions. But Cary Grant to me is the greatest actor that ever lived. And close behind him is Carole Lombard, my favorite actress ever. I always loved how she handle comedy and drama equally and like Cary wasn't afraid to do slapstick. It's tragic that her life ended so soon.
Irene Dunne is just awesome. Her early roles where she played the classy lady who was always smarter than everyone else, including sometimes Cary Grant. William Holden was a great leading man and I loved the fact that there was no role he couldn't do. He may have played a lot of dramatic type films but every now and then he could loosen up and do comedy. I loved it when he appeared on I Love Lucy.
And finally Myrna Loy, forever known to me as Nora Charles. I loved Loy's great chemistry with William Powell and I loved her in all those wonderful screwball films she did. But I also loved her in The Best Years of our Lives. And I loved the fact that she was a great supporter of women and minority's rights. A great woman.
Dawn: I think Myrna Loy, gets little recognition for The Best Years of Our Lives. She really is the glue that holds the family together in the film. What movie got you hooked on classic movies?
Monty: His Girl Friday. I was 12 and it was the first classic movie I ever saw and was immediately attracted to it. It's just ironic that the very first classic movie I saw turned out to be my favorite film of all time and Cary is my favorite actor. Weird right? But I watch His Girl Friday 2-3 times a year and it is still an awesome film. I've seen it so many times I have lost count. It's a perfect mix of comedy and drama and has great classic characters.
Dawn: His Girl Friday, I agree.. is a perfect Classic romance, the typical battle of the sexes. :) What is your favorite classic movie?
Monty: I guess I sort of answered that with my last answer. Friday is just slightly ahead of Bringing Up Baby, another Cary Grant film. So either way you can't go wrong. I have watched these two films many a night as a double feature, laughing until it hurts. True classics.
Dawn: Bringing Up Baby, certainly is one of the fastest moving comedies ever filmed, and the whole cast is wonderful. I can totally understand why it is one of your favorite films. Who are your top 5 current favorite actors /actress?
Monty: Sandra Bullock (right from the very beginning of her career, she's is terrific), Denzel Washington, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kate Winslet and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Dawn: Sandra Bullock, love her, she seems like a nice person and full Of Life. Denzel Washington, is an awesome actor! I have loved every performance I have seen him in. Sarah Michelle Gellar, I have not seen many of her performances, but.. what I have seen, she can play any character. Kate Winslet, she has an inner grace that reminds me of, Grace Kelly. Gwyneth Paltrow, I agree.. is one of the leading actresses of today. She also has inner grace. Thank you, Monty for taking the time to chat with us. Please check out Monty's other blogs located on the side bar. :)
If any one else would like to share some thoughts about their favorite actresses/actors/movies, please let me know. I would love to spotlight you too.
While anyone who is a fan of Carole Lombard automatically shows his or her good taste in classic movies (hope Monty is a fan of my "Carole & Co."), that isn't her vocalizing; she was dubbed in "White Woman." If you want to hear Carole sing, you need to check out "Swing High, Swing Low," where Mitchell Leisen insisted she do her own vocalizing...and she's not bad at all.
ReplyDeleteDawn, what a wonderful idea! I have enjoyed Monty's articles, and it's great to get to know him like this. When I heard I was elected to the CMBA Board, one of my first thoughts was getting to know one another better, to feel more like a union of close-knit movie companions. This was a great way to begin that! Congratulations for a great idea!
ReplyDeleteAwesome Dawn. You really did a great job with adding photos and videos. And I loved how you set up the post in an interview format. Very nice touch. I did mess up one part when I answered your questions. I had Ann Sheridan in my top 5 actors/actresses but it should have been Myrna Loy because that who I wrote about in detail in the next question. That was my fault, as I didn't change Ann to Myrna before I sent you the email. But still It was awesome and I loved everything about it. Thanks for doing it. Oh and VP I do love your Carole and Co page and thanks Classic Becky for the compliments.
ReplyDeleteMonty, I'm glad that you liked it.. It was fun to put together. I will change, Ann Sheridan to Myrna Loy. :)
ReplyDelete