May 8, 2025 • 20 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, Robert Montgomery was a two-time Oscar nominee and one of the first major Hollywood stars to volunteer for service in World War II. Later, he became a trusted television advisor to Dwight D. Eisenhower during his 1952 presidential campaign—and went on to serve in the White House, becoming the first showbiz professional to hold an official role there. Historian Roger McGrath brings us this remarkable story of patriotism and Hollywood's role in wartime America.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
And we continue here with our American Stories. Robert Montgomery
was one of the first movie stars to volunteer his
service in World War Two, and when Dwight D. Eisenhower
ran for the presidency in nineteen fifty two, Montgomery was
his television coach. When General Eisenhower became president, Montgomery stayed
(00:31):
on in his role as television advisor to become the
first show business professional to occupy an office in the
White House. Here to tell another Hollywood goes to War's
story is Roger McGrath. McGrath is the author of Gunfighters,
Highwaymen and Vigilantes, Violence on the Frontier. A US marine
(00:52):
and former history professor at UCLA, Doctor McGrath has appeared
on numerous History Channel documentaries and is a d You
the contributor here at our American Stories, here's McGrath.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Robert Montgomery was an actor, director, and producer in Hollywood.
In a career that spanned more than thirty years, He
appeared in more than sixty movies and was nominated twice
for Best Actor. He won the Tony Award for his
direction of the Broadway stage version of The Desperate Hours.
(01:29):
He was awarded two separate Stars on the Hollywood Walk
of Fame, one for his work in motion pictures and
another for his work in television. His daughter and his
son followed him into Hollywood. The daughter, Elizabeth Montgomery, became
especially prominent with her starr and role as Samantha, a
beautiful and lovable witch in the television series Bewitched. Robert
(01:55):
Montgomery was born Henry Montgomery Junior in Fishkill Land, New York,
in nineteen three, according to New York birth records, but
is commonly said to be born in nineteen four. His
parents are of Scottish and Irish descent. He's raised in
the middle class home during his early years, but his
father's business fortunes turns sour, forcing the sale of Montgomery
(02:20):
home and the family moves into a boarding house. A
father becomes depressed and commits suicide by jumping from the
Brooklyn Bridge when young Henry is eighteen. By the time
his father dies, Henry has grown into a lean, six
foot one young man with dark hair and blue eyes.
(02:41):
His hopes of becoming a writer and acting on stage,
but right now he needs money and secures a job
as a deckhand on an oil tanker. He spends nearly
two years at sea, earning and saving money, before returning
to New York City and renting a small flat in
Greenwich Village. He's among writers and actors, and they urge
(03:03):
the handsome young man to audition for plays. Montgomery's first
appearances are nothing more than walk On's with an occasional
line or two, but he soon cast in substantial roles
in plays featuring several of the top actors of the
nineteen twenties. In nineteen twenty eight, Montgomery stars in four
(03:24):
Broadway plays, which brings him to the attention of Hollywood
and a contract with MGM. In nineteen twenty nine, MGM
allows him to keep his last name, but changes his
first name to Robert. For the year is out, he
appears in five movies as Robert Montgomery, albeit in minor roles. Nonetheless,
(03:47):
he gains prominence as Hollywood's newest up and coming star.
He appears in seven movies in nineteen thirty, usually as
a male lead. His co stars and supporting actors include
Joe Crawford, Buster Keaton, Lionel Barrymore, Norma Shearer, Wallace, Burry,
Chester Morris, and Dorothy Jordan. Robert Montgomery is now on
(04:11):
the a list. Montgomery is the leading man in six
movies in nineteen thirty one, and his leading ladies include
Greta Garbo and Constance Bennett. It's another fifteen movies from
Montgomery from nineteen thirty two through nineteen thirty four, added
to his list of leading ladies or Marion Davies to
(04:33):
Lula Bankhead, Roslyn Russell and Myrna Loy. Montgomery is at
the top of his game, and in nineteen thirty five
he's elected president of the Screen Actors Guild. He will
be re elected in nineteen thirty six and again in
nineteen thirty seven. His new duties don't slow down his
film production a bit. It appears in twenty movies from
(04:56):
nineteen thirty five through nineteen forty one, and his nomination
for Best Actor twice. The first nomination is for his
role in Night Must Fall and the second for his
role in Here Comes Mister Jordan. Movies, money, critical acclaim,
and fame are all his. However, Robert Montgomery has a
(05:19):
patriotic streak in him, and in nineteen forty one, with
war clouds looming, he applies for a commission in the
US Navy. It's the logical choice of branches of service,
since he sailed when growing up in New York and
later spent nearly two years at sea on an oil tanker.
(05:39):
The Navy also thinks it's a good match, and in
April twenty eighth, nineteen forty one, he's commissioned a Lieutenant
JG in the Naval Reserve at the age of thirty seven.
Montgomery's old for lieutenant JG. Moreover, he's married with three children.
He wouldn't be drafted the United States go to war,
(06:01):
and he would be assured of staying in Hollywood making
movies and raking in big bucks. But Robert Montgomery feels
he has a duty to serve his country in this
time of need. Montgomery's first duty station is that the
Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington, d C.
After a month of orientation, he's sent to the US
(06:24):
Embassy in London as an assistant Naval out of Shade.
His duties include tracking British ships in the Atlantic. In September,
he's designated a special Naval observer and sales aboard British
destroyers patrolling the North Atlantic in search of German U boats.
(06:46):
Following Japan's sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. Lieutenant JG. Montgomery
is recalled the Washington. While there, he narrates a radio program,
This is War, broadcast to the entire nation. He fears
this will be his war, making radio broadcasts and appearing
in war documentaries. At his request, he's sent to the
(07:09):
Navy's Motor Torpedo Boat School and Rhode Island. The PT
boats are wicked little craft, quick can agile, but they
are made of wood and are very vulnerable. After graduating
from the school, Montgomery has made skipper of p T
one O seven. He spends the next six months patrolling
(07:30):
the waters off the Panama Canal and is promoted to lieutenant.
He is in the order to the Solomon Islands, where
the Marines are battling the Japanese for control of Quadalcanal. Offshore,
the U. S. Navy is fighting one epic seed, bad
laughter another. So many ships are sunk, both Japanese and
(07:51):
American that the waters between Guadalcanal and nearby Tsavo and
Florida Islands get the nickname iron Bottom Sound. Montgomery serves
first on a light cruiser and then on a destroyer.
On the staff of the commander of a destroyer Squadron.
(08:12):
Montgomery is decorated with a commendation level for his excellent
service as assistant operations officer and intelligence officer, assisting the
commander in his planning execution of operations to prevent the
enemy from supplying and reinforcing his forces on Guadalcanal. This
(08:35):
was accomplished while in almost continuous combat with the enemy,
including bombardment of enemy troops and installations, and engagement with
enemy aircraft. He contributed materially to the hampering of enemy
operations and furnishing gunfire support and screening during landings of
(08:58):
our forces.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
And you've been listening to Roger McGrath tell the story
of actor Robert Montgomery, and what a story it is,
indeed two Oscar nominations. But what does he do at
the age of thirty seven in nineteen forty one war
clouds looming, he volunteers. When we come back more of
Robert Montgomery's story here on our American Stories. And we
(09:40):
continue with our American stories and with Roger McGrath hearing
the story of Robert Montgomery, another part of our Hollywood
Goes to War series. Let's pick up where McGrath last
left off.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
In March nineteen forty three, Montgomery is promoted to lieutenant commander,
but his days in the Solomons are numbered. He has
been suffering from dengee fever and has lost twenty pounds
from his already lean frame. In April, he's flown back
to the States to recover. In May, he's assigned to
(10:20):
the Operational Training Command in Seattle and remains there until August,
when he's transferred to the Small Craft Training Command at
San Pedro, California. In February nineteen forty four, Lieutenant Commander
Montgomery joins the staff of the commander of Destroyer Squadron sixty,
which is preparing for the invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord.
(10:46):
On d Day, June sixth, nineteen forty four, Montgomery is
aboard the destroyer Barton, which, along with other American warships
Bombard's German coastal defenses, is immediately offshore and in the
thick of the action. During the first hour of the invasion,
(11:07):
while under heavy fire, Barton rescues thirty one American soldiers
from a sinking landing craft. Day two and three are
more hot action for Barton until German coastal defenses along
the landing beaches at Normandy collapse. Barton continues bombardment of
(11:28):
German positions along the French coast and gets in a
particularly hot engagement at the port of Cherbourg on June
twenty five. German coastal batteries score several hits on Barton
before effective fire from the destroyer silences the enemy guns.
For his role aboard Barton during D Day in the
(11:51):
days that followed, Lieutenant Commander Montgomery is awarded the Bronze
Star with Combat v His citation reads in by his
cool and courageous performance of duty in the face of frequent,
devastating enemy aerial attacks throughout the entire assault period. Lieutenant
(12:12):
Commander Montgomery contributed essentially to the success of his unit
during this critical period of vital combat operations, and his
gallant conduct was in keeping with the highest traditions of
the US Naval Service. Montgomery is later awarded the Legion
(12:33):
of Honor by the French government. For the summer is out,
Montgomery is promoted to commander and ordered back to Washington.
He spends two months on special assignments and then is
released from active duty to make a movie with John
Ford honoring the daring, new and sacrifice of the PT
boats in the Philippines during nineteen forty two. Who could
(12:56):
be a better choice to play the skipper of a
PT boat than command Under Montgomery. In February nineteen forty five,
john Ford began shooting They Were Expendable, starring Robert Montgomery
and John Wayne. Montgomery plays Lieutenant John Brickley, a character
based on the real life Pet boat skipper and Medal
(13:19):
of Honor recipient John Buckley, who led a squadron of
six PET boats in fighting the Japanese invasion of the
Philippines during the first six months of the war. It
was Buckley who commanded the PT boat that evacuated General
Douglas MacArthur from Corrigador and Manila Bay and made a
(13:40):
seven hundred mile dash to the island of Minden, now
at the southern end of the Philippines. John Wayne plays
Lieutenant Rusty Ryan, based on the real life Robert Kelly,
who served with Buckley and was the recipient of the
Navy Cross two silver Stone hers in the Purple Art.
(14:03):
By the middle of May nineteen forty five, the filming
of the movie is nearing completion when John Ford breaks
his leg in a fall from a set from his
hospital bed. Ford announces that Robert Montgomery will take over
as director for the next week. Montgomery both directs and
acts in a cast. Ford returns to direct the last
(14:27):
sequence of scenes. After watching the footage of the last
weeks of shooting, Ford is highly pleased and tells Montgomery,
I couldn't tell where I left off and you began.
Released in December nineteen forty five, They Were Expendable is
both a box office and critical success, and is nominated
(14:50):
for two Academy Awards. John Buckley thinks the movie is
almost like a documentary, but with good actors. Years later,
he said, if you look at the movie carefully and
me when I was much younger, Montgomery and I look
like furthermore, our habits and the way we work, the
way we lead, we're very close together. Ford got someone
(15:14):
who could copy my mannerisms in my speech. Good performance
by Montgomery. Robert Kelly is not as happy with his
portrayal by John Wayne. The character Rusty Ryan is courageous,
to be sure, but also impetuous and hot tempered. Kelly
(15:36):
thinks those latter characteristics were exaggerated. Buckley thinks the portrayal
is accurate, saying Kelly is a very rambunctious irishman, very
difficult to get along with, but he's a very brave man.
He's got a Navy Cross. He's a good man, good sailor,
but he's a stubborn bastard. In nineteen forty six, Robert
(16:02):
Montgomery stars in and directs Raymond Chandler's Lady in the Lake.
It's also in nineteen forty six that he's elected to
his fourth term as president of the Screen Actors Guild.
As president, is instrumental in fighting communist influence in the
film industry. Montgomery will appear in seven more movies and
(16:24):
direct for them in the late nineteen forties and nineteen fifties.
Robert Montgomery retires from Hollywood after directing and co producing
The Gallant Hours, starring James Cagney as Admiral William F. Halsey.
The movie focuses on Admiral Halsey's campaign in the Solomon
(16:46):
Islands during the Battle for Guadalcanal. This was also the
time that Montgomery was serving there as a lieutenant First
to board a light cruiser and then a destroyer. Montgomery
knows what Admiral Halsey thinned east and the almost daily
critical decisions the Admiral is forced to make nothing less
(17:07):
than the fate of the war in the Pacific hung
in the balance. With Montgomery directing and Cagny acting, the
Gallant Hours seems more like a documentary than a movie.
During the nineteen fifties, Montgomery produces and hosts his own
television series, Robert Montgomery Presents. He not only produces the series,
(17:31):
but also acts in many of the episodes. His stature
in Hollywood enables him to attract many of the finest
motion picture actors from the nineteen thirties and forties to
the new medium of television throughout the nineteen fifties. They
appear in episode after episode of the series, which has
top ratings and runs for eight seasons. Also making appearances
(17:56):
in the series are many of Hollywood's most promising young
up and coming actors who do some of their first
work in the series, including James Dean and Grace Kelly.
Robert Montgomery's own daughter, Elizabeth Montgomery, makes her first appearance
on television in the series. Actor director, and producer Robert
(18:20):
Montgomery dies in nineteen eighty one. He is remembered as
one of Hollywood's leading men during its golden era, but
he should also be remembered as a naval officer who
led men in battle during World War II and received
the Broadze Star, the Commendation Medal, and the French Legion
(18:44):
of Honor.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
And a terrific job on the editing, production and storytelling
by our own Greg Hengler, and a special thanks to
Roger McGrath. Again. He's the author of Gunfighters, High Women,
and Vigilantes, Violence on the Frontier, and he's a US
Marine and former history professor at UCLA, and you can
see him often on the History Channel, and he is
(19:10):
a regular contributor here in our American stories, and we're
grateful for our partnership. In nineteen forty four, Montgomery finds
himself in the thick of it in the most important
battle of not just the twentieth century, but maybe of
all time. And that was d Day on June sixth,
and not just in the thick of the action for
(19:31):
a day or two, but for what it turns out
to be weeks to follow. And he received the Bronze
Star for that work and he would soon be named
the commander. In nineteen forty six he became the president
of the Screen Actors Guild, and one of his chief
concerns fighting the Communist influence on the movie industry. The
(19:54):
story of Robert Montgomery, the story of service, the story
of valor, and the story of so much more. Here
on our American stories.
And we continue here with our American Stories. Robert Montgomery
was one of the first movie stars to volunteer his
service in World War Two, and when Dwight D. Eisenhower
ran for the presidency in nineteen fifty two, Montgomery was
his television coach. When General Eisenhower became president, Montgomery stayed
(00:31):
on in his role as television advisor to become the
first show business professional to occupy an office in the
White House. Here to tell another Hollywood goes to War's
story is Roger McGrath. McGrath is the author of Gunfighters,
Highwaymen and Vigilantes, Violence on the Frontier. A US marine
(00:52):
and former history professor at UCLA, Doctor McGrath has appeared
on numerous History Channel documentaries and is a d You
the contributor here at our American Stories, here's McGrath.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Robert Montgomery was an actor, director, and producer in Hollywood.
In a career that spanned more than thirty years, He
appeared in more than sixty movies and was nominated twice
for Best Actor. He won the Tony Award for his
direction of the Broadway stage version of The Desperate Hours.
(01:29):
He was awarded two separate Stars on the Hollywood Walk
of Fame, one for his work in motion pictures and
another for his work in television. His daughter and his
son followed him into Hollywood. The daughter, Elizabeth Montgomery, became
especially prominent with her starr and role as Samantha, a
beautiful and lovable witch in the television series Bewitched. Robert
(01:55):
Montgomery was born Henry Montgomery Junior in Fishkill Land, New York,
in nineteen three, according to New York birth records, but
is commonly said to be born in nineteen four. His
parents are of Scottish and Irish descent. He's raised in
the middle class home during his early years, but his
father's business fortunes turns sour, forcing the sale of Montgomery
(02:20):
home and the family moves into a boarding house. A
father becomes depressed and commits suicide by jumping from the
Brooklyn Bridge when young Henry is eighteen. By the time
his father dies, Henry has grown into a lean, six
foot one young man with dark hair and blue eyes.
(02:41):
His hopes of becoming a writer and acting on stage,
but right now he needs money and secures a job
as a deckhand on an oil tanker. He spends nearly
two years at sea, earning and saving money, before returning
to New York City and renting a small flat in
Greenwich Village. He's among writers and actors, and they urge
(03:03):
the handsome young man to audition for plays. Montgomery's first
appearances are nothing more than walk On's with an occasional
line or two, but he soon cast in substantial roles
in plays featuring several of the top actors of the
nineteen twenties. In nineteen twenty eight, Montgomery stars in four
(03:24):
Broadway plays, which brings him to the attention of Hollywood
and a contract with MGM. In nineteen twenty nine, MGM
allows him to keep his last name, but changes his
first name to Robert. For the year is out, he
appears in five movies as Robert Montgomery, albeit in minor roles. Nonetheless,
(03:47):
he gains prominence as Hollywood's newest up and coming star.
He appears in seven movies in nineteen thirty, usually as
a male lead. His co stars and supporting actors include
Joe Crawford, Buster Keaton, Lionel Barrymore, Norma Shearer, Wallace, Burry,
Chester Morris, and Dorothy Jordan. Robert Montgomery is now on
(04:11):
the a list. Montgomery is the leading man in six
movies in nineteen thirty one, and his leading ladies include
Greta Garbo and Constance Bennett. It's another fifteen movies from
Montgomery from nineteen thirty two through nineteen thirty four, added
to his list of leading ladies or Marion Davies to
(04:33):
Lula Bankhead, Roslyn Russell and Myrna Loy. Montgomery is at
the top of his game, and in nineteen thirty five
he's elected president of the Screen Actors Guild. He will
be re elected in nineteen thirty six and again in
nineteen thirty seven. His new duties don't slow down his
film production a bit. It appears in twenty movies from
(04:56):
nineteen thirty five through nineteen forty one, and his nomination
for Best Actor twice. The first nomination is for his
role in Night Must Fall and the second for his
role in Here Comes Mister Jordan. Movies, money, critical acclaim,
and fame are all his. However, Robert Montgomery has a
(05:19):
patriotic streak in him, and in nineteen forty one, with
war clouds looming, he applies for a commission in the
US Navy. It's the logical choice of branches of service,
since he sailed when growing up in New York and
later spent nearly two years at sea on an oil tanker.
(05:39):
The Navy also thinks it's a good match, and in
April twenty eighth, nineteen forty one, he's commissioned a Lieutenant
JG in the Naval Reserve at the age of thirty seven.
Montgomery's old for lieutenant JG. Moreover, he's married with three children.
He wouldn't be drafted the United States go to war,
(06:01):
and he would be assured of staying in Hollywood making
movies and raking in big bucks. But Robert Montgomery feels
he has a duty to serve his country in this
time of need. Montgomery's first duty station is that the
Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington, d C.
After a month of orientation, he's sent to the US
(06:24):
Embassy in London as an assistant Naval out of Shade.
His duties include tracking British ships in the Atlantic. In September,
he's designated a special Naval observer and sales aboard British
destroyers patrolling the North Atlantic in search of German U boats.
(06:46):
Following Japan's sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. Lieutenant JG. Montgomery
is recalled the Washington. While there, he narrates a radio program,
This is War, broadcast to the entire nation. He fears
this will be his war, making radio broadcasts and appearing
in war documentaries. At his request, he's sent to the
(07:09):
Navy's Motor Torpedo Boat School and Rhode Island. The PT
boats are wicked little craft, quick can agile, but they
are made of wood and are very vulnerable. After graduating
from the school, Montgomery has made skipper of p T
one O seven. He spends the next six months patrolling
(07:30):
the waters off the Panama Canal and is promoted to lieutenant.
He is in the order to the Solomon Islands, where
the Marines are battling the Japanese for control of Quadalcanal. Offshore,
the U. S. Navy is fighting one epic seed, bad
laughter another. So many ships are sunk, both Japanese and
(07:51):
American that the waters between Guadalcanal and nearby Tsavo and
Florida Islands get the nickname iron Bottom Sound. Montgomery serves
first on a light cruiser and then on a destroyer.
On the staff of the commander of a destroyer Squadron.
(08:12):
Montgomery is decorated with a commendation level for his excellent
service as assistant operations officer and intelligence officer, assisting the
commander in his planning execution of operations to prevent the
enemy from supplying and reinforcing his forces on Guadalcanal. This
(08:35):
was accomplished while in almost continuous combat with the enemy,
including bombardment of enemy troops and installations, and engagement with
enemy aircraft. He contributed materially to the hampering of enemy
operations and furnishing gunfire support and screening during landings of
(08:58):
our forces.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
And you've been listening to Roger McGrath tell the story
of actor Robert Montgomery, and what a story it is,
indeed two Oscar nominations. But what does he do at
the age of thirty seven in nineteen forty one war
clouds looming, he volunteers. When we come back more of
Robert Montgomery's story here on our American Stories. And we
(09:40):
continue with our American stories and with Roger McGrath hearing
the story of Robert Montgomery, another part of our Hollywood
Goes to War series. Let's pick up where McGrath last
left off.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
In March nineteen forty three, Montgomery is promoted to lieutenant commander,
but his days in the Solomons are numbered. He has
been suffering from dengee fever and has lost twenty pounds
from his already lean frame. In April, he's flown back
to the States to recover. In May, he's assigned to
(10:20):
the Operational Training Command in Seattle and remains there until August,
when he's transferred to the Small Craft Training Command at
San Pedro, California. In February nineteen forty four, Lieutenant Commander
Montgomery joins the staff of the commander of Destroyer Squadron sixty,
which is preparing for the invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord.
(10:46):
On d Day, June sixth, nineteen forty four, Montgomery is
aboard the destroyer Barton, which, along with other American warships
Bombard's German coastal defenses, is immediately offshore and in the
thick of the action. During the first hour of the invasion,
(11:07):
while under heavy fire, Barton rescues thirty one American soldiers
from a sinking landing craft. Day two and three are
more hot action for Barton until German coastal defenses along
the landing beaches at Normandy collapse. Barton continues bombardment of
(11:28):
German positions along the French coast and gets in a
particularly hot engagement at the port of Cherbourg on June
twenty five. German coastal batteries score several hits on Barton
before effective fire from the destroyer silences the enemy guns.
For his role aboard Barton during D Day in the
(11:51):
days that followed, Lieutenant Commander Montgomery is awarded the Bronze
Star with Combat v His citation reads in by his
cool and courageous performance of duty in the face of frequent,
devastating enemy aerial attacks throughout the entire assault period. Lieutenant
(12:12):
Commander Montgomery contributed essentially to the success of his unit
during this critical period of vital combat operations, and his
gallant conduct was in keeping with the highest traditions of
the US Naval Service. Montgomery is later awarded the Legion
(12:33):
of Honor by the French government. For the summer is out,
Montgomery is promoted to commander and ordered back to Washington.
He spends two months on special assignments and then is
released from active duty to make a movie with John
Ford honoring the daring, new and sacrifice of the PT
boats in the Philippines during nineteen forty two. Who could
(12:56):
be a better choice to play the skipper of a
PT boat than command Under Montgomery. In February nineteen forty five,
john Ford began shooting They Were Expendable, starring Robert Montgomery
and John Wayne. Montgomery plays Lieutenant John Brickley, a character
based on the real life Pet boat skipper and Medal
(13:19):
of Honor recipient John Buckley, who led a squadron of
six PET boats in fighting the Japanese invasion of the
Philippines during the first six months of the war. It
was Buckley who commanded the PT boat that evacuated General
Douglas MacArthur from Corrigador and Manila Bay and made a
(13:40):
seven hundred mile dash to the island of Minden, now
at the southern end of the Philippines. John Wayne plays
Lieutenant Rusty Ryan, based on the real life Robert Kelly,
who served with Buckley and was the recipient of the
Navy Cross two silver Stone hers in the Purple Art.
(14:03):
By the middle of May nineteen forty five, the filming
of the movie is nearing completion when John Ford breaks
his leg in a fall from a set from his
hospital bed. Ford announces that Robert Montgomery will take over
as director for the next week. Montgomery both directs and
acts in a cast. Ford returns to direct the last
(14:27):
sequence of scenes. After watching the footage of the last
weeks of shooting, Ford is highly pleased and tells Montgomery,
I couldn't tell where I left off and you began.
Released in December nineteen forty five, They Were Expendable is
both a box office and critical success, and is nominated
(14:50):
for two Academy Awards. John Buckley thinks the movie is
almost like a documentary, but with good actors. Years later,
he said, if you look at the movie carefully and
me when I was much younger, Montgomery and I look
like furthermore, our habits and the way we work, the
way we lead, we're very close together. Ford got someone
(15:14):
who could copy my mannerisms in my speech. Good performance
by Montgomery. Robert Kelly is not as happy with his
portrayal by John Wayne. The character Rusty Ryan is courageous,
to be sure, but also impetuous and hot tempered. Kelly
(15:36):
thinks those latter characteristics were exaggerated. Buckley thinks the portrayal
is accurate, saying Kelly is a very rambunctious irishman, very
difficult to get along with, but he's a very brave man.
He's got a Navy Cross. He's a good man, good sailor,
but he's a stubborn bastard. In nineteen forty six, Robert
(16:02):
Montgomery stars in and directs Raymond Chandler's Lady in the Lake.
It's also in nineteen forty six that he's elected to
his fourth term as president of the Screen Actors Guild.
As president, is instrumental in fighting communist influence in the
film industry. Montgomery will appear in seven more movies and
(16:24):
direct for them in the late nineteen forties and nineteen fifties.
Robert Montgomery retires from Hollywood after directing and co producing
The Gallant Hours, starring James Cagney as Admiral William F. Halsey.
The movie focuses on Admiral Halsey's campaign in the Solomon
(16:46):
Islands during the Battle for Guadalcanal. This was also the
time that Montgomery was serving there as a lieutenant First
to board a light cruiser and then a destroyer. Montgomery
knows what Admiral Halsey thinned east and the almost daily
critical decisions the Admiral is forced to make nothing less
(17:07):
than the fate of the war in the Pacific hung
in the balance. With Montgomery directing and Cagny acting, the
Gallant Hours seems more like a documentary than a movie.
During the nineteen fifties, Montgomery produces and hosts his own
television series, Robert Montgomery Presents. He not only produces the series,
(17:31):
but also acts in many of the episodes. His stature
in Hollywood enables him to attract many of the finest
motion picture actors from the nineteen thirties and forties to
the new medium of television throughout the nineteen fifties. They
appear in episode after episode of the series, which has
top ratings and runs for eight seasons. Also making appearances
(17:56):
in the series are many of Hollywood's most promising young
up and coming actors who do some of their first
work in the series, including James Dean and Grace Kelly.
Robert Montgomery's own daughter, Elizabeth Montgomery, makes her first appearance
on television in the series. Actor director, and producer Robert
(18:20):
Montgomery dies in nineteen eighty one. He is remembered as
one of Hollywood's leading men during its golden era, but
he should also be remembered as a naval officer who
led men in battle during World War II and received
the Broadze Star, the Commendation Medal, and the French Legion
(18:44):
of Honor.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
And a terrific job on the editing, production and storytelling
by our own Greg Hengler, and a special thanks to
Roger McGrath. Again. He's the author of Gunfighters, High Women,
and Vigilantes, Violence on the Frontier, and he's a US
Marine and former history professor at UCLA, and you can
see him often on the History Channel, and he is
(19:10):
a regular contributor here in our American stories, and we're
grateful for our partnership. In nineteen forty four, Montgomery finds
himself in the thick of it in the most important
battle of not just the twentieth century, but maybe of
all time. And that was d Day on June sixth,
and not just in the thick of the action for
(19:31):
a day or two, but for what it turns out
to be weeks to follow. And he received the Bronze
Star for that work and he would soon be named
the commander. In nineteen forty six he became the president
of the Screen Actors Guild, and one of his chief
concerns fighting the Communist influence on the movie industry. The
(19:54):
story of Robert Montgomery, the story of service, the story
of valor, and the story of so much more. Here
on our American stories.
Host
Lee Habeeb
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