90th Anniversary of
Montgomery Clift's birth


90º Aniversario del nacimiento de Montgomery Clift (1920-2010)

aaaaa TODA LA INFORMACIÓN SOBRE EL ACTOR MONTGOMERY CLIFT EN ESPAÑOL aaaaa

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30.12.08

29.12.08

Big Sky.- Christmas Tale

By Scott Malcolm, 12/29/02
Handsome, deceitful, believable, penitent and very wet, Montgomery Clift was nominated best actor for his role as the snowstorm. He had perfect delivery. They had considered Jimmy Stewart for the part, but his cold, wet character was just too lovable, his other end wouldn't stop wagging. Monty Clift was a fierce storm.
Lone Mountain was aptly named. A half eroded conical ancient volcano, Lone Mountain didn't have many close friends. Clusters of gregarious mountains would point and say things about Lone Mountain from afar, the Indians buried their dead at his feet. He tried not to be aloof and highbrow but eons of habits are hard to break. Monty Clift didn't mind that Lone Mountain was troubled and elite, or that he smelled of sage and pine and elk piss. Monty Clift wanted to make trouble and Lone Mountain gave him room to run.
Two days before Christmas Montgomery Clift left his tearful mother and roared east across Oregon. He topped off in Burns, rolled the stop sign in Idaho Falls and rear-ended Cary Grant and Marlon Brando on the Continental Divide. It was a superstar pile up on Christmas Eve, all the flurries were dancing and popping pills and sharing lovers. Grace Kelly wasn't a princess yet. Liz Taylor and Audrey Hepburn orbitted as menacing little blizzards. Leading the fray, drunken Monty Clift sprayed and spat with mocking irreverence. Lone Mountain welcomed Monty and his All-Star snowstorm cadre. Blizzards, flurries and squalls often stayed the night with Lone Mountain, this was a gala event. Throughout the night they gained recruits and gathered steam, the debauchery piled layer after layer of dendrite crystals over Lone Mountain's sprawling palace. Pill boxes, strange alliances, still-frames and goosedown cascaded in ticker-tape streams of confetti engulfing Lone Mountain's corridors and ballrooms.
Of course many of the neighbors found comfort against the Christmas Eve storm. Smoked Trout and Elk Roast wrapped themselves in malted milk balls and cheesecake and merlot and bristled against Monty's howl. Cary and Colleen and Magnum and Mary and Saint Erica broke bread with gouda and steamed broccoli and candied yams. Eddie made Randy a whipped cream pie and Scottie delivered it. Pecan Shorty got Pumpkin Pie pregnant trying to stay warm, Vanilla met Hazelnut again for the very first time, and ladles of steaming oyster stew reinforced our memories. Extra logs were split and burned, candles lit, frost glazed the windows obscuring the swirl and roar outside. The children feared that Rudolph wouldn't be able to navigate Montgomery Clift.
The sun didn't rise Christmas morning, darkness turned to grey, and grey tried to be white, but couldn't muster the strength. Monty Clift was intent on staying. Santa Claus must have visited because the Scotch and cheese were missing. At eight in the morning Lone Mountain's servants and chambermaids began detonating explosives to clean up after Monty and his wrecking crew. It's hard to see or hear or scream at 11,000 feet in the blowing frozen fog of a bingeing star-studded winter storm. There are no shadows, no rest, no smoke, you wouldn't know if you lit a burning fuse.
Montgomery Clift got best actor that year, but Saint Erica went gold. We miss you friend.Erica Pankow died Christmas Morning 1996 in a close range explosion while detonating explosives for avalanche control at Big Sky, Montana.
Hermoso, engaño, creíble, penitente y muy húmedo, Montgomery Clift fue nombrado mejor actor por su papel como la tormenta de nieve. He had perfect delivery. Tenía perfecta entrega. They had considered Jimmy Stewart for the part, but his cold, wet character was just too lovable, his other end wouldn't stop wagging. Que había considerado Jimmy Stewart para la parte, pero su frío, húmedo carácter era demasiado amable, su otro extremo se mueve no se detendrá. Monty Clift was a fierce storm. Monty Clift fue una feroz tormenta. Lone Mountain was aptly named. Lone Mountain fue acertadamente llamado. A half eroded conical ancient volcano, Lone Mountain didn't have many close friends. Un medio erosionado antiguo volcán cónico, Lone Mountain no tenía muchos amigos cercanos. Clusters of gregarious mountains would point and say things about Lone Mountain from afar, the Indians buried their dead at his feet. Grupos de gregario de montaña y decir cosas acerca de Lone Mountain desde lejos, los indios enterraban a sus muertos a sus pies. He tried not to be aloof and highbrow but eons of habits are hard to break. Trató de no ser indiferente y highbrow pero eones de hábitos son difíciles de romper. Monty Clift didn't mind that Lone Mountain was troubled and elite, or that he smelled of sage and pine and elk piss. Monty Clift no Lone Mountain cuenta que le preocupa y de élite, o que olía a pino y salvia y alces mear. Monty Clift wanted to make trouble and Lone Mountain gave him room to run. Monty Clift quería hacer problemas y Lone Mountain le dio espacio para correr. Two days before Christmas Montgomery Clift left his tearful mother and roared east across Oregon. Dos días antes de Navidad Montgomery Clift lloroso salió de su madre y este roared en Oregón. He topped off in Burns, rolled the stop sign in Idaho Falls and rear-ended Cary Grant and Marlon Brando on the Continental Divide. Él coronada en Burns, laminados en la señal de stop en Idaho Falls y trasera-que terminó Cary Grant y Marlon Brando en la Cordillera Central. It was a superstar pile up on Christmas Eve, all the flurries were dancing and popping pills and sharing lovers. Era una superestrella se acumulan en la víspera de Navidad, todos los flurries baile y fueron apareciendo las píldoras y el intercambio de los amantes. Grace Kelly wasn't a princess yet. Grace Kelly no era aún una princesa. Liz Taylor and Audrey Hepburn orbitted as menacing little blizzards. Liz Taylor y Audrey Hepburn como amenazante orbitted poco ventiscas. Leading the fray, drunken Monty Clift sprayed and spat with mocking irreverence. Liderando el combate, borrachos Monty Clift rociarse con burlas y escupitajos irreverencia. Lone Mountain welcomed Monty and his All-Star snowstorm cadre. Lone Mountain Monty y celebra su All-Star de tormenta de nieve cuadro. Blizzards, flurries and squalls often stayed the night with Lone Mountain, this was a gala event. Ventiscas, flurries y turbonadas a menudo se quedó la noche con Lone Mountain, se trataba de un evento de gala. Throughout the night they gained recruits and gathered steam, the debauchery piled layer after layer of dendrite crystals over Lone Mountain's sprawling palace. A lo largo de la noche y se reunieron adquirida reclutas de vapor, el libertinaje amontonados capa tras capa de cristales de más de dendrita Lone Mountain expansión del palacio. Pill boxes, strange alliances, still-frames and goosedown cascaded in ticker-tape streams of confetti engulfing Lone Mountain's corridors and ballrooms. Cajas de pastillas, extrañas alianzas, y todavía los marcos en cascada goosedown ticker cinta arroyos de confeti sumida Lone Mountain de corredores y salones de baile. Of course many of the neighbors found comfort against the Christmas Eve storm. Por supuesto, muchos de los vecinos encontraron comodidad Nochebuena contra la tormenta. Smoked Trout and Elk Roast wrapped themselves in malted milk balls and cheesecake and merlot and bristled against Monty's howl. Trucha ahumada y Elk asado envueltos en bolas de leche malteada y tarta de queso y merlot y de cerda Monty contra del aullido. Cary and Colleen and Magnum and Mary and Saint Erica broke bread with gouda and steamed broccoli and candied yams. Cary y Colleen y Magnum y Santa María y Erica rompió gouda con pan y brócoli al vapor y candied ñame. Eddie made Randy a whipped cream pie and Scottie delivered it. Eddie Randy hizo un pastel de crema batida y Scottie entregado. Pecan Shorty got Pumpkin Pie pregnant trying to stay warm, Vanilla met Hazelnut again for the very first time, and ladles of steaming oyster stew reinforced our memories. Pecan Shorty se Pumpkin Pie embarazada tratando de mantenerte caliente, avellanas Vainilla se reunió de nuevo por primera vez, y los cucharones de caldo de ostras vapor reforzado nuestra memoria. Extra logs were split and burned, candles lit, frost glazed the windows obscuring the swirl and roar outside. Extra registros se dividieron y se queman, velas encendidas, las heladas, las ventanas de cristal que oculta al rugido de turbulencia y el exterior. The children feared that Rudolph wouldn't be able to navigate Montgomery Clift. Los niños temen que Rudolph no sería capaz de navegar Montgomery Clift. The sun didn't rise Christmas morning, darkness turned to grey, and grey tried to be white, but couldn't muster the strength. El sol no aumenta por la mañana de Navidad, se dirigió a la oscuridad gris, gris y blanco para ser juzgado, pero no pudo reunir la fuerza. Monty Clift was intent on staying. Monty Clift tenía la intención de quedarse. Santa Claus must have visited because the Scotch and cheese were missing. Santa Claus debe porque han visitado el escocés y el queso habían desaparecido. At eight in the morning Lone Mountain's servants and chambermaids began detonating explosives to clean up after Monty and his wrecking crew. A las ocho de la mañana del Lone Mountain públicos y las camareras de detonación de explosivos comenzó a limpiar después de Monty y su tripulación de derribo. It's hard to see or hear or scream at 11,000 feet in the blowing frozen fog of a bingeing star-studded winter storm. Es difícil de ver o escuchar o gritar a 11.000 pies en la voladura de una niebla congelada bingeing estrellas y tormenta de invierno. There are no shadows, no rest, no smoke, you wouldn't know if you lit a burning fuse. No hay sombras, no hay descanso, no fuma, usted no sabe si la quema de un fusible de encendido. Montgomery Clift got best actor that year, but Saint Erica went gold. Montgomery Clift tiene mejor actor ese año, pero fue San Erica oro. We miss you friend. Te extrañamos amigo. Erica Pankow died Christmas Morning 1996 in a close range explosion while detonating explosives for avalanche control at Big Sky, Montana. Erica Pankow murió la mañana de Navidad de 1996 en una explosión cerca de detonación de explosivos, mientras que para el control de avalanchas en Big Sky, Montana.
Ver web.

23.12.08

Screen Guide.- diciembre 1950

Revista de cine Screen Guide, de diciembre de 1950, con un reportaje sobre Montgomery Clift, donde habla de su impronta como actor.


December 1950 issue of Screen Guide magazine with Lana Turner on the front cover. Featured in this issue (in order of my pics):

Montgomery Clift article "Screen Guide brings you the story to end all stories about that character Clift.." w/1 pic
Susan Hayward article "These Foolish Things" w/pics on 4 pgs.
Mario Lanza "Christmas Every Day" is 2 pgs.
Robert Taylor & Barbara Stanwyck "My Wife And I Visit Capri" is 4 pgs.
Esther Williams short article "Esther Has A Holiday" w/pics on 4 pgs.
Hollywood's $50,000 Dream Wardrobe is modeled by Virginia Mayo, Gene Tierney and
Jean Peters, Diana Lynn, Barbara Hale and Doris Day on a total of 12 pgs.
Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis "Santa's Little Helpers" is 5 pgs.
Errol Flynn & Patric Wymore article w/pics on 6 pgs.



Also featured in this issue are Tony Dexter, Gordon MacRae, Jane Wyman, Rita Hayworth and Liz Taylor (all on approx. 2 pgs. each) plus LOTS more great pics

22.12.08

6 retratos

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50º Aniversario del Estreno de Suddenly last summer (22 dic 1958)

Es la 12ª película de Montgomery Clift

también es la 3ª que rodó con Elizabeth Taylor. ella, una vez más, le animó a hacerla. será la última película de ambos pues aunque habrá un último proyecto (Reflections ina golden eye), que no se vería cumplido por el fallecimiento del actor.

se trata de un intenso drama psicológico basado en una obra de Tennesee Williams.

18.12.08

Retrato (12)

Este retrato se inspira en el famoso retrato de juventud de Monty que es la fotografía que le hizo Alfredo Valente a finales de los años 40, antes de llegar al cine. Para ver la colección completa (ver post).

Sheila Graham cuenta una anécdota del rodaje de Freud (18 dic 1962)

En su columna Gadabout's Diary del The Desert News, la periodista de cotilleos Sheila Graham cuenta una anécdota del rodaje de Freud. El artículo apareció el 18 de diciembre de 1962 (tal día como hoy) tras el estreno de Freud que había sido el 6 de diciembre. Lo curioso es que Monty no pudo asistir a la premiere porque ese mismo día ingresaba en el Cedars Sinai para su delicada operación de cataratas (ver post) pero la perioditas no dice nada.

16.12.08

Carta de Montgomery Clift.- a Sunny, su madre

Querida mamá:

¡Hola...! Me siento como si hubiera dado la vuelta al mundo seis veces: Londres, París, Roma, Atenas, Tel-Aviv, Neguev, Chipre, Atenas, Ginebra, Roma, Saint Moritz, París, Londres...

En cuanto a la salud, un resfriado, una ligera gripe, bronquitis. Sin descansar desde Hollywood, trataré de pasar dos semanas en Suiza y luego volveré a casa (en caso de que el cable no fuese bastante claro: hotel Stefani, Saint-Moritz)...

En Jerusalén, viajé en un tanque lo más cerca posible del monte Sinaí, escalé la cumbre y, muy cuidadosamente, desde ese ventajoso punto, inspeccioné las murallas de la Ciudad Vieja. Todavía se producen escaramuzas periódicas en el monte Sión y en la Puerta de Sión. Es sorprendente escuchar las narraciones de Jerusalén... Ya te contaré más cosas cuando esté en casa... He ido en dirección a San Pedro... Todo mi cariño para ti; por mi propio bien desearía poder estar [en casa] por Navidad. Pasar Navidades son destelleantes adornos de plata durante vacaciones me parece increíble. Mucho cariño de

MONTY


Como el propio Monty cuenta, esta carta la escribe durante el intenso periplo que realizó por Europa y Oriente Próximo en el otoño de 1948 (entre noviembre y diciembre)

Las peculiaridades de ese viaje pueden leerse en este post.

12.12.08

Young Monty (8)

ca.1950

8.12.08

Artículo de Famous Gay People

* En esta web se recopilan biografías de gays y lesbianas conocidos de todos los tiempos. No podía faltar Montgomery Clift:

Famous Gay People
including gay celebrities, gay politicians, historians and artists.
The lists of famous gay, lesbian and bisexual people now features over 700 people from all over the world. Only people who are out or who were outed after their death are included. Pictures and a short biography are included on each person.

Montgomery Clift (October 17, 1920 - July 23, 1966)
Montgomery Clift was born on October 17, 1920 in Omaha, Nebraska. His father, a successful Wall Street stockbroker, was always in New York on business so his mother filled both parental roles. She would take Monty, his twin sister Roberta, and his older brother Brooks on long trips to Europe or spend time at their second home in Bermuda. Private tutors traveled with the family and taught Monty and his siblings. When Wall Street crashed, the Clift’s had to accept a different lifestyle and moved to a modest home in Sarasota, Florida when Monty was 13. He joined a local youth theatrical club there and tried acting for the first time. He was very committed to his work and his mother realized how natural he looked on stage. She started pushing Monty towards an acting career. His family moved to Sharon, Massachusetts where he auditioned for a part in the Broadway play, Fly Away Home. Monty was cast and the play ran for two seasons. His family moved to Manhattan when Monty secured another lead in the play Dame Nature. His lead in Dame Nature earned him Broadway star status, and he was only 17.

Over the next three years, Clift would take the lead in several Broadway plays like: There Shall Be No Night, The Skin of Our Teeth, Our Town, and Foxhole in the Parlor. During this time, members of the film industry continually tried to coax Monty to Hollywood. He rejected every offer. He loved to act, but on stage, not on camera. His passion was for Broadway. As with any growing young star, new horizons were inviting, and he finally decided to visit Hollywood for talks. He remained adamant about going there on his own terms. When MGM would not give him the agreements he requested, he walked out of the studio.

Almost immediately, United Artists agreed to what Monty wanted and he was cast alongside John Wayne and Walter Brennan in what became one of the most famous westerns of all time, Red River. Monty was excited to try a new type of role with both film acting and a western movie. Soon after Red River was completed, he was asked to play American G.I. Ralph Stevenson in The Search. This heartfelt war story gave Monty his Hollywood fame.

His sexuality was carefully guarded from fans but few in Hollywood did not know. He had one great love in hid life, a fellow actor and the pair were inseparable until he went into the Navy in 1942.

Becoming a Hollywood star, Monty formed many new friendships. One of his close friends was Mira Rostova, who coached Monty in almost every acting role he had. Perhaps the most famous friendship in Monty’s life was his relationship with Elizabeth Taylor. The bond between them strengthened when the two starred together in A Place in the Sun. He would act with Taylor in two other films, Raintree County (1956) and Suddenly Last Summer (1959). He accepted both roles without even looking at a script. He just wanted to act with Taylor. After A Place in the Sun, Clift did not make a movie for two years.

Clift's life as he grew older was filled with drink and drugs. Insecure about his acting abilities, and seeing a Hollywood fixated on youth, he lived much of the last third of his life in a haze.

His return to the movie screen was in From Here to Eternity, which won eight Oscars, and Monty was nominated for Best Actor. He starred in the Hitchcock film I Confess and the movie Indiscretion of an American Housewife before took another leave from acting. Monty was not seen on a stage or screen for more than three years.

One night in May of 1957, Liz Taylor was having a dinner party and Monty accepted the invitation. He was one of the first to leave, afraid he would not be able to see his way home on the winding road Taylor lived on. Monty veered off the road and his car collided into a telephone pole. The accident left Monty with a broken jaw and nose, a crushed sinus cavity, two missing teeth, and severe facial lacerations which required plastic surgery. His remarkable recovery let him return home after only eight weeks in the hospital and soon after Raintree County was finished.

After the accident, Monty starred in seven movies, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in Judgment at Nuremberg. He also co-starred in The Misfits, which was Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable's last movie. 1962 was the last time the world would see Monty on-screen. He was to co-star with Elizabeth Taylor in Reflections in a Golden Eye, but filming would not start until after her current project. So in the meantime, he was cast for The Defector, which would be his last role. After The Defector, while he was still waiting to begin work on Reflections, Clift suffered a heart attack and died in his home on July 23, 1966. At the age of 46, he was buried in Quaker Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York. Films: Red river (1948), From here to eternity (1953), Suddenly last summer (1959), This misfits (1961).

5.12.08

Sesión de fotos (10): comentarios

La primera de las siguientes fotos es bastante conocida y común en las webs que hablan del actor.


En ella la sonrisa es muy abierta y franca, puede percibirse lo relajado o alegre que estaba y esa sonrisa luminosa centra toda la atención.


En la segunda foto yo lo veo más atractivo cuando adopta una expresión más formal y es entonces cuando su mirada penetrante traspasa el objetivo.


En ella se advierte mejor el contexto de la foto: entre tramoyas de un estudio y levemente apoyado en una escalera.

La tercera y cuarta fotografía son idénticas a las anteriores aunque más pequeñas.

Las tres últimas son viejas postales de época: en la quinta fotografía se lee asu nombre impreso; en la sexta se lee "Best Wishes Montgomery Clift" (yo dudo de la autenticidad de esa firma); y la séptima y última fotografía es de malísima calidad por el moteado que presenta.

Sesión de fotos (10)





3.12.08

Una propina

Se subasta en Internet esta cuenta de cafetería firmada por el propio Montgomery Clift a lápiz. Él y presumiblemente otra persona, tomaron un fielte, una tortilla, dos pasteles de queso y un vaso de leche. Los datos que acompañan son los siguientes.

(English text)

Likely signed while he was filming A Place in The Sun with co-star Elizabeth Taylor (he was 31 at the time, ca. 1951), this is a receipt for a meal (for two, it would appear) from the Paramount Studios Continental Cafe. On the day's menu for Monty:

1 Medium Filet 3.00
1 Vegetable Omelette 1.25
2 Cheese Cake .50
1 Buttermilk .10

And a Service Charge for .5

1.12.08

Foto del mes (14)

con Joanne Dru, su compañera de reparto en Red River (Río Rojo, 1948)

Una foto de estudio con la actriz Joanne Deru, donde Montgomery Clift, cn su rol de vaquero y su look de barba de tres días, aparece muy sexy.

En este post recojo otras fotos de estudio de la pareja.
Su carrera comprende 17 títulos entre 1948 y 1966. Trabajó con los grandes directores (Hawks, Hitchcock, Stevens, Zinnemann, Kazan, Huston, Wyler) y las grandes estrellas (Lancaster, Marilyn Monroe, Katherine Hepburn, Brando, Wayne, Elizabeth Taylor especialmente) de entonces.
Su carrera comprende 17 títulos entre 1948 y 1966. Trabajó con los grandes directores (Hawks, Hitchcock, Stevens, Zinnemann, Kazan, Huston, Wyler) y las grandes estrellas (Lancaster, Marilyn Monroe, Katherine Hepburn, Brando, Wayne, Elizabeth Taylor especialmente) de entonces.
Su carrera comprende 17 títulos entre 1948 y 1966. Trabajó con los grandes directores (Hawks, Hitchcock, Stevens, Zinnemann, Kazan, Huston, Wyler) y las grandes estrellas (Lancaster, Marilyn Monroe, Katherine Hepburn, Brando, Wayne, Elizabeth Taylor especialmente) de entonces.
The Right Profile
Lyric
Say, where did I see this guy?
In red river?
Or a place in the sun?
Maybe the misfits?
Or from here to eternity?

Everybody say, is he all right?
And everybody say, whats he like?
Everybody say, he sure looks funny.
Thats...Montgomery Clift, honey!

New York, New York, New York, 42nd street
Hustlers rustle and pimps pimp the beat
Monty Clift is recognized at dawn
He aint got no shoes and his clothes are torn

I see a car smashed at night
Cut the applause and dim the light
Monty's face is broken on a wheel
Is he alive? can he still feel?

Everybody say, is he all right?
And everybody say, whats he like?
Everybody say, he sure looks funny.
Thats...Montgomery Clift, honey!

Nembutol numbs it all
But I prefer alcohol

He said go out and get me my old movie stills
Go out and get me another roll of pills
There I go again shaking, but I aint got the chills