Monte Blue Movies
A product of the Indiana orphanage system, the part-Cherokee-Indian Monte Blue held down jobs ranging from stevedore to reporter before offering his services as a movie-studio handyman in the early 1910s. Pressed into service as an extra and stunt man, Blue graduated to featured parts in D.W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation (1915). Thanks to his work with Griffith and (especially) Cecil B. DeMille, Blue became a dependable box-office attraction of the 1920s, playing everything from lawyers to baseball players. He was a mainstay of the fledgling Warner Bros. studios, where the profits from his films frequently compensated for the expensive failures starring John Barrymore. In 1928 he was cast in his finest silent role, as the drink-sodden doctor in White Shadows on the South Seas. After making a successful transition to talkies, Blue decided to retire from filmmaking, taking a tour around the world to celebrate his freedom. Upon his return to the U.S. in 1931, Blue found that he had lost his fortune through bad investments, and that the public at large had forgotten him. By now too heavy-set to play romantic leads, Blue rebuilt his career from the bottom up, playing bits in "A" pictures and supporting roles in "B"s. He was busiest in the bread-and-butter westerns produced by such minor studios as Republic, Monogram and PRC; he also showed up in several serials, notably as "Ming the Merciless" clone Unga Khan in 1936's Undersea Kingdom. Movie mogul Jack Warner, out of gratitude for Blue's moneymaking vehicles of the 1920s, saw to it that Monte was steadily employed at Warner Bros., and that his name would appear prominently in the studio's advertising copy. While many of his talkie roles at Warners were bits, Blue was given choice supporting roles in such films as Across the Pacific (1942), Mask of Dimitrios (1944) and especially Key Largo (1948). Extending his activities into TV, Blue continued accepting character roles until retiring from acting in 1954. During the last years of his life, Monte Blue was the advance man for the Hamid-Morton Shrine Circus; it was while making his annual appearance in this capacity in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that Blue suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 73. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1950
Lippert Studio's first 1951 release was the compact western 3 Desperate Men. The title characters are the Denton Brothers, played by Preston S. Foster, Jim Davis and Ross Latimer. Accused of crimes they didn't commit, the Dentons are obliged to become outlaws to survive. So long as they stay away from their home town, the brothers are able to pull off their crime spree unabated. But their fate is sealed the moment they head homeward to exact revenge against those who framed them. Critics of the period were satisfied with 3 Desperate Men, though it was felt that at least two of the three Dentons could have used some lessons in horsemanship. The film secured pretty good bookings for a Lippert production. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Preston S. Foster, Ross Latimer, (more)
- 1921
Tommy Dawes (Monte Blue) is a simple-minded young man who works on the ranch belonging to Bill Nyall (Les Bates). Dawes adores Nyall's little girl, Rosemary, who is crippled and must use a wheelchair (Mary Jane Irving). When he accidentally breaks her favorite doll, he sets out to a buy a new one, taking with him a 20-dollar gold piece which he has borrowed. Along the way he runs into an escaped convict who steals the gold piece and insists on changing coats with him -- the convict is wearing one he has stolen from Sheriff Hugh Bundy (Arthur Millette). Later Dawes runs into the convict again and manages to get the money back. Sheriff Bundy, believing that he is the convict, arrests him. Dawes manages to escape, and along the way meets Bundy's daughter, Harriet (Mary Thurman). Harriet goes to town and buys the new doll for him. The convict is rounded up and Dawes gets part of the reward money. He miraculously drops his simple-minded demeanor (one of the story's worst inconsistencies) and proposes to Harriet. Bundy gives his approval. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1920
The trade magazine Motion Picture News called Mary Miles Minter "a clever little star when she has the right backing." Read between the lines, it hints at the limitations of her talent. Here she had solid backing with co-stars like Monte Blue and John Bowers and an accomplished director in Charles Maigne. Easter Hicks (Minter) lives in the Cumberland mountains. Her father (Guy Oliver) is a moonshiner who is in hiding from the revenue officers. She meets Clayton (Bowers), a city man, and falls in love with him in spite of her father's violent disapproval. Another mountain dweller, Sherd Raines (Blue), loves Easter, but he is willing to give her up when Clayton convinces him that he is willing to marry the girl. Raines has been studying to become a preacher and he offers to perform the ceremony. But Pap Hicks shows up at the wedding with a gun, intending to kill Clayton. Raines jumps in front of Clayton to protect him, but Easter tries to protect Raines and takes the shot. As she recovers from her wound, she realizes she really loves Raines, and Clayton hands over the wedding ring. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1940
Teenaged soprano Gloria Jean plays the Little-Miss-Fixit heroine in Universal's Little Bit of Heaven. The most precocious member of an impoverished 10th Avenue family, little Midge (Gloria Jean) makes an impulsive appearance on a "man in the street" radio interview show. Catapulted to stardom, Midge becomes the primary support for her family, all of whom begin behaving atrociously and overspended insanely. The only one who doesn't go over the top is Midge's lovable Grandpa (C. Aubrey Smith), with whom our heroine concocts a scheme (straight out of Shirley Temple!) to teach her relatives a lesson. In the previous Gloria Jean starrer If I Had My Way, Universal featured several former Broadway favorites, including Blanche Ring and Julian Eltinge, in cameo roles: the studio repeats this stunt in Little Bit of Heaven, showcasing such silent-movie greats as Maurice Costello, Noah Beery Sr., Charles Ray, Monte Blue, William Desmond and Pat O'Malley as the heroine's "adopted uncles". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gloria Jean, Robert Stack, (more)
- 1937
Puritan Pictures seldom turned out a film that looked most expensive than it really was. The studio's Million to One appears to have been made on a budget of eight dollars and a box lunch, but that doesn't lessen its entertainment value one bit. Herman Brix (later known as Bruce Bennett) stars as Johnny Kent, a hot-shot Olympic athlete who lets success go to his head. After a dizzying cycle of wine, women and song, Johnny is no good to anyone, least of all himself. He wises up in time to qualify for a decathlon competition with his arch-rival Hale (Reed Howes). Oldtimers Monte Blue and Kenneth Harlan play key supporting roles, while the ingenue is a pretty but antiseptic newcomer named Joan Burfield. By the time Million to One made it to New York (nearly three years after it was made), Ms. Burfield was billing herself as Joan Fontaine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Herman Brix, Joan Fontaine, (more)
- 1921
The homely but likable Monte Blue teams up with director Allan Dwan for this pleasing comedy-drama, adapted from a short story that ran in the Saturday Evening Post. Wally Griggs (Blue) is your classic meek, mild bank messenger, destined to a threadbare life of earning 63 dollars a month. At least this is what he seems to be. But when he's not working Griggs is the dashing James Brown, an adventurer and storyteller who is familiar with bank president Halliday (Hardee Kirkland). A publisher, fascinated by Brown's wild tales, offers him a deal. Griggs also uses his alter ego to help Mary Oliver, the girl her loves (Jacqueline Logan). District attorney "Big Bill" Thaine (Stanton Heck) has cheated her out of her fortune and is now trying to force her to marry him. Griggs is given twenty-five thousand dollars' worth of bonds to deliver but he mysteriously disappears. Thaine figures out the Brown-Griggs connection and Wally is arrested. After being given the third degree, Brown sues for false imprisonment, and the mayor forces Thaine to make restitution out of his own pocket. Griggs gives this sum to Mary. Meanwhile, he pretends amnesia and shows up at the bank with the bonds. Because of the proceeds from the book, Griggs is able to quit his low-paying job and wed Mary. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Monte Blue, Jacqueline Logan, (more)
- 1946
In this romantic melodrama, Bette Davis plays twin sisters for the first time (she would do so again in 1964's Dead Ringer). Kate Bosworth (Davis) is a sincere, demure girl and talented artist. Her twin sister Pat (also Davis) is a flamboyant, man-hungry manipulator. Orphans, the girls' guardian is their cousin, Freddie Lindley (Charles Ruggles), with whom Kate elects to spend a summer on Martha's Vineyard. There, she meets Bill Emerson (Glenn Ford), a handsome engineer spending a summer vacation as a lighthouse inspector. Kate falls deeply in love with Bill, but when Pat shows up, he goes for the more exciting sister, eventually marrying her. Devastated, Kate throws herself into her art, but she becomes discouraged under the tutelage of an abusive master, Karnock (Dane Clark). A sailing accident gives Kate the chance to take her sister's place -- but can she fool Bill into believing that this sweet, innocent woman is his philandering, scheming wife? A Stolen Life (1946), a remake of an earlier picture by the same name that had been produced by Paramount only seven years earlier starring Elisabeth Bergner in the twins role, was nominated for a Best Special Effects Oscar. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bette Davis, Glenn Ford, (more)
- 1928
Monte Blue, Edna Murphy, and Robert Ober star in this rather silly triangle melodrama, in which a supposed widow almost marries her husband's brother. Shot down over France, Blue survives but suffers from amnesia. Eight years later, his grieving widow (Edna) agrees to marry Ober, after taking one last look at the place in France where her "late" husband was last seen. Blue, meanwhile, has obtained employment at his father's aircraft plant when his memory suddenly returns. Claiming to be the son of the owner, he is immediately shipped off to the looney bin. Escaping, Blue takes himself to France where he is reunited with his wife. The assistant director of this film, Henry Blanke, later became one of Warner's most tasteful producers. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1942
- NR
A lively espionage drama that reunited the stars and director of the previous year's The Maltese Falcon, Across the Pacific was originally envisioned as the story of a Japanese invasion of Hawaii. Real-life events of December of 1941, however, precluded such a scenario and the location was changed to the Panama Canal. For reasons known only to Warner Bros., the title was retained despite the fact that none of the action takes place in the Pacific. Humphrey Bogart plays Rick Leland, a disgraced ex-army man, who, after being turned down by the Canadian military, jumps a Japanese steamer bound for the Panama Canal Zone. Also onboard are Alberta Marlow (Mary Astor), a small-town girl claiming to be en route to Los Angeles; Dr. Lorenz (Sydney Greenstreet), a corpulent sociologist with a suspiciously friendly regard for all things Japanese; and Joe Totsuiko (Victor Sen Yung), a happy-go-lucky second generation Japanese-American on his way to visit the old country. But no one is exactly who he or she claims to be and the voyage from Halifax via New York City to Panama becomes a matter of life and death for the passengers in general, and for the future of the United States in particular. Director John Huston was forced to leave the film three weeks into the four-week shooting schedule when summoned to report to the Department of Special Services. According to Huston, he purposefully placed Humphrey Bogart's character in a highly precarious situation and left it up to his replacement, Vincent Sherman, to come up with the solution -- which Sherman did in an especially fiery climax. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Humphrey Bogart, Sydney Greenstreet, (more)
- 1926
This melodrama, which involves the Philippine revolt during the final years of the 1800s, was based on a popular play from the same era by Charles E. Blaney. After his father brings disgrace on his family, Monte (Monte Blue) joins the Spanish-American War and goes with his regiment to the Philippines. Although he has a sweetheart back home, Claire Marsh (Jane Winton), Monte is enlisted to romance a half-caste girl, Roma (a very young Myrna Loy), who knows the whereabouts of the Philippine leader Aguinaldo (Charles Stevens). Monte must keep up the ruse, even when Claire comes to the islands to visit him. He finally gets the information he needs, but not before he is branded a deserter and then has to prove his mettle on the battlefield. When the insurrection is squelched and Aguinaldo is captured, Monte is able to explain everything to Claire, and the couple is reunited. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Monte Blue
- 1954
Stunt man Hugh Hooker starred in the title role of this late Grade-Z Western, written and directed by the redoubtable Robert Emmett Tansey. When crooked lawyer Monte Blue attempts to take over the ranch belonging to Pamela Blake and her elderly father, James Kirkwood, the Texas Kid and his sidekick (John Laurenz) come to their rescue. That is about all there is to this ramshackle affair, which, in reality, was composed of a couple of unsold television pilots. Silent stars Blue and Kirkwood were nearing the end of their long careers, while the supporting cast consisted of such relative newcomers as Terry Frost, John Compton, and Tansey regular Johnny Carpenter. Very little data exists on this film. Though completed in 1951 (just prior to Tansey's death), the picture's absolutely wretched quality reputedly caused it to go unreleased for three years. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Monte Blue, Pamela Blake, (more)
In trying to help Betsy (Joan Barclay), who has stolen a diamond her father left for collateral with loan sharks Crone (Monte Blue) and Jaffin (Jack Mulhall), artist Jimmy Baxter (Herman Brix) soon finds himself up to his neck in trouble. ~ Bill Warren, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Barclay, Jack Mulhall, (more)
Apache was based on Paul I. Wellman's novel Broncho Apache, which in turn was inspired by a true story. Burt Lancaster plays Massai, a lieutenant of the great Apache warrior Geronimo (here depicted as an old man, played by Monte Blue). Though his tribe has signed surrender terms with the conquering whites, Massai refuses to do so. He escapes from a prison train and conducts a one-man war against the white intruders-and against some of his own people. Along the way, he claims Nalinle (Jean Peters), whom he previously regarded as a traitor to his cause, as his wife. John McIntire plays famed Indian scout Al Sieber, who-in this film, if not in real life-is sympathetic to the Indians' plight and Massai's single-purposed cause. The real-life counterpart to Massai was killed by Sieber's minions after agreeing to call off the hostilies; United Artists objected to this, forcing producer/star Burt Lancaster to shoot an unconvincingly happy ending. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Lancaster, Jean Peters, (more)
- 1941
The down-home Weaver family stars in this countrified drama set in Peaceful Valley where if things went any slower they'd be going backwards. Things pick up a bit when someone steals $50 from a widow. The townsfolk are outraged and Judge Weaver finds himself accusing the widow's cleaning lady of the crime. Unfortunately, the judge is very wrong. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leon Weaver, Frank Weaver, (more)
- 1950
When he's discharged from a military hospital, ex-GI Bob Corey (Gordon MacRae) goes on a search for his army buddy Steve Connolly (Edmond O'Brien). A reformed crook, Connolly is on the lam from a trumped-up murder rap, and Corey hopes to clear his pal. Tagging along is Army nurse Julie Benson (Virginia Mayo), who has fallen for Corey. The rest of the film emulates the 1946 noir exercise The Killers, with Julie and Corey interviewing various people with whom Connolly has come in contact. One of those people, of course, is the actual killer, who now adds the GI and the nurse to the "hit list." Warner Bros. used Backfire to test the dramatic potential of singing star Gordon MacRae, who passes that test with flying colors. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Virginia Mayo, Gordon MacRae, (more)
A mystery man works behind the scenes in this tuneful Roy Rogers western in which the local theatre owner attempts to ruin the honest businessmen of Deadwood. Even the sheriff, Jordan (Monte Blue), answers to nasty Jake Marvel (Ralf Harolde), whose reign of terror forces the decent people to become outlaws themselves. Enter Bill Brady, aka Brett Starr (Rogers), a sharpshooter with Professor Mortimer "Gabby" Blackstone's (George "Gabby" Hayes) traveling medicine show. Although a fugitive from justice, Bill comes to the aid of the beleaguered citizens, discovering along the way that a trusted friend isn't quite who he claims to be. Roy sings his own and Fred Rose's "Sundown on the Rangeland", Rose and Ray Whitley's "The call of the Dusty Trail" and Jule Styne and Sol Meyer's "Joe O'Grady". ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, (more)
- 1924
Darius Carpenter (Frank Currier) prides respectability above all else, and he's not thrilled when his son, Charles (Monte Blue), falls for flapper Valerie Winship (Marie Prevost). When he finds an opportunity to trick Charles into becoming engaged to Suzanne Schuyler (Irene Rich), the two have no choice but to carry it through and marry. The despondent Valerie goes away to forget, and the newlyweds soon have a child. When Valerie returns, Charles realizes he still loves her and they make plans to run away together. It's not Suzanne who inspires him to stay, but his infant son, and his desire to fulfill his duty. Comedienne Louise Fazenda makes an improbable appearance as Charles' sister, Deborah. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marie Prevost, Monte Blue, (more)
Bells of San Fernando was advertised as a romantic adventure, but it plays more like a Western. Donald Woods plays an Irish immigrant who teams with Mexican gal Gloria Warren to combat land baron Anthony Warde. Whenever the plot lags, Warren sings. Catch the name of "Renault Duncan" in the screenplay credits of Bells of San Fernando. It's really actor Duncan Renaldo, aka "The Cisco Kid" -- which may explain why the film looks like a thinly disguised "Cisco" episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donald Woods, Gloria Warren, (more)
- 1917
One of the most overused titles in the history of films, Betrayed was affixed to this early effort from director Raoul Walsh. Miriam Cooper, who at the time was married to the director, stars as Mexican peasant girl Carmelita Carruti. Not the brightest of senoritas, Carmelita falls in love with ruthless bandit leader Leopoldo Juares (Hobart Bosworth). She changes her mind about Juares as a result of a dream, in which her sweetheart is exposed as a double-dyed villain by handsome U.S. Cavalry officer William Jerome (Wheeler Oakman). Upon awakening, however, Carmelita throws over both Juares and Jerome in favor of her hometown boyfriend Pepo Esparenza (Monte Blue) -- who secures his financial future by collecting the 10,000 peso reward on Juares' head. For reasons unknown, Betrayed was reviewed in the trade magazine Variety under the title Betrayal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1917
It's hard to imagine the vivaciously stylish Constance Talmadge as a boarding-house drudge, but that's the part she plays here. An old couple resides at the house with a mysterious box, which they watch over constantly. Harry Brent, an equally mysterious young man (Kenneth Harlan), moves in and convinces Betsy that there are items in the box that belong to him, and she obligingly steals it. Oscar, a grocery clerk and aspiring detective (Clyde Hopkins), believes that Harry is a crook. There are real crooks afoot, but they have nothing to do with Harry. They kidnap Betsy and the box (which she emptied into her trunk before their arrival), kill the old husband (Joseph Singleton) and knock Oscar --who is in the couple's room -- unconscious. Harry gives chase while Oscar comes to and calls on some real detectives. The police capture the crooks, and Betsy reveals the contents of the box -- the Brent family jewels and a will in Harry's favor. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1921
It's hard to say what Metro's intention was when they bought the film rights to Big Game, an unsuccessful melodrama by playwrights Willard Robertson and Kilbourn Gordon. What wound up being released was not a melodrama, but a comedy. However, the jumpy editing suggested that perhaps it was shot straight and was given a humorous bent later. Eleanor Winthrop (May Allison) is disappointed to find out that her new husband, Larry (Forrest Stanley) is a wimp and a coward. When he goes on a business trip to Canada, she insists on going with him. He looks even worse next to big, virile trapper Jean St. Jean (Edward Cecil). Eleanor finally decides to see if Larry has any backbone at all bribes Jean, offering him five hundred dollars if he can make Larry jealous. Larry finally comes through and wallops Jean. Jean gets his money and Larry wins his wife's admiration. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary Miles Minter, Monte Blue, (more)
- 1927
One of seven Monte Blue vehicles filmed by Warner Bros. in 1927, Bitter Apples casts the reliable Blue as wealthy John Wyncotte. Hoping to get even with her faithless sweetheart, Belinda White (Myrna Loy) marries John out of spite. She makes it clear that she does not love John, and she never will. All this changes when John and Belinda are shipwrecked on a desert island, leading to a variety of predictable but amusing complications. Our hero proves beyond doubt that he's a worthy husband to the icy Belinda when he rescues her from a band of pirates. Bitter Apples represented the first true starring assignment for Myrna Loy, though she would continue appearing in minor roles until she was "rediscovered" at MGM in the early-talkie era. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Monte Blue, Myrna Loy, (more)
- 1923
Although Moving Picture World claimed that director Sidney A. Franklin's work on this drama earned him a long-term contract with Warner Bros., it wasn't long before he was back directing Constance Talmadge pictures, and beginning a prestigious career at MGM. The story, based on a very popular novel of the day by Charles G. Norris, involves the romance between country boy Philip Baldwin (Monte Blue) and frivolous city girl Marjorie Jones (Marie Prevost). The couple marries, but Marjorie believes that she is being neglected by her husband. She leaves Baldwin and their baby, and, egged on by her mother (Vera Lewis), gets a divorce. The child is left in the care of a trained nurse and widow, Mrs. Grotenberg (Irene Rich), who falls in love with Baldwin. His sister, Lucy (Miss DuPont), tries to find him an suitable mate and encourages Mrs. Grotenberg to leave. During this time, Marjorie has married again and divorced, and she decides she wants Baldwin back. Mrs. Grotenberg, believing that the couple will reconcile, goes away. But Baldwin no longer loves Marjorie, and prefers to wait for Mrs. Grotenberg's return. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Monte Blue, Marie Prevost, (more)
- 1927
Brass Knuckles opens with a prison break, which is quelled by good-natured convict Monte Blue. As a reward, Blue is pardoned, whereupon he honors a promise made behind bars and visits orphanage resident Betty Bronson, the daughter of a condemned prisoner. Assuming that the girl is a mere adolescent, our hero is pleasantly surprised to discover that Bronson is a fully-grown young lady. He isn't so keen on Bronson escaping the orphan asylum and tagging along with him, but what can one do? The plot takes a sinister turn when escaped con William Russell shows up, claiming to be Bronson's late father. Blue gets there just in time to prevent the heroine from being raped, whereupon he realizes that he's been in love with her all along. Monte Blue is well served by the formula-bound screenplay, but Betty Bronson's unique talents are wasted once more. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Monte Blue, Betty Bronson, (more)
