George Montgomery

George Montgomery (born George Montgomery Letz; August 27, 1916 – December 12, 2000) was an American actor, best known for his work in Western films and television. He was also a painter, director, producer, writer, sculptor, furniture craftsman, and stuntman. He was engaged to Hedy Lamarr in 1941, and married Dinah Shore in 1943.

Early years Montgomery was born George Montgomery Letz in 1916, the youngest of 15 children of German immigrant parents from Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine. He was born in Brady, in Pondera County, northern Montana near Great Falls. He was reared on a large ranch, where he learned to ride horses and work cattle as a part of daily life.

Career Montgomery was more interested in a career in film than in a college education. Therefore, he left Montana for Hollywood. Two days after his arrival there, he was working as a stunt man on a Greta Garbo film at MGM, Conquest (1937).

Those had all been Westerns. He was in an African adventure tale Hawk of the Wilderness (1938) with Bruce Bennett (billed as Herman Brix, his real name) and the bigger-budgeted Army Girl (1938).

In 1938, he appeared as one of the six men suspected of being the titular hero in The Lone Ranger. That year, Life included him in a photo montage of "Hollywood's Movie-struck Kids" and described Montgomery, still using his full name, as "6 ft. 3 in. tall, weighs 210 lb., rides well, is superlatively handsome."

He went back to Westerns in Southward Ho (1939) and The Arizona Kid (1939) with Rogers. He was in some non-Westerns such as The Mysterious Miss X (1939), S.O.S. Tidal Wave (1939), and I Was a Convict (1939), but mostly it was films such as South of the Border (1939) and In Old Monterey (1939) with Autry, Saga of Death Valley (1939), Wall Street Cowboy (1939), Frontier Pony Express (1939), Rough Riders' Round-up (1939), In Old Caliente (1939) with Rogers and The Night Riders (1939) with John Wayne. He worked on Republic's (relatively) big-budget Man of Conquest (1939).

His first film at the studio was The Cisco Kid and the Lady (1939), the first of the Cisco Kid series. Montgomery was billed fourth. He had a small role in Star Dust (1940), and a bigger one in Young People (1940), Shirley Temple's last film for Fox.

Montgomery was fourth-billed in a "B" about pilots, Charter Pilot (1940) with Lloyd Nolan and Lynn Bari, and third-billed in Jennie (1940).

Leading man Montgomery was promoted to leading roles in a melodrama written by Dalton Trumbo, Accent on Love (1941). Fox then starred him in some B Westerns: Last of the Duanes (1941), Riders of the Purple Sage (1941), and The Cowboy and the Blonde (1941). One writer called him "a handsome leading man in the Clark Gable mode."

Montgomery was teamed with Carole Landis in Cadet Girl (1941). He was given the lead in an "A" when he top-lined Orchestra Wives (1942) with Ann Rutherford, a film best remembered today for its authentic Big Band music and Glenn Miller in a realistic co-starring role as the titular orchestra's bandleader.

He starred in Ten Gentlemen from West Point (1942) with Maureen O'Hara, playing a role originally intended for Tyrone Power.

He was Ginger Rogers' love interest in Roxie Hart (1942) and played opposite Gene Tierney in China Girl (1942) for Henry Hathaway. All these films were popular at the box office.

The following year, Montgomery starred with Betty Grable in the Walter Lang-directed film Coney Island, which was his biggest hit to date. According to one obituary, "The actor's vocal mannerisms were often uncannily reminiscent of Clark Gable, and when he grew a moustache his similarities to the greater star were even more apparent. This was never more so than in Coney Island. However, Montgomery wound up joining the U.S. Army Air Forces First Motion Picture Unit in 1943 where he appeared in such training films as Survival of the Fittest (1944).

He returned to Fox in 1946, and played the lead in a musical Three Little Girls in Blue (1946). Fox then cast him as Philip Marlowe in The Brasher Doubloon (1947), a B-picture version of the novel The High Window by Raymond Chandler.

Montgomery was unhappy at Fox. The song "This is Always", Montgomery's major duet (albeit dubbed) with June Haver in Three Little Girls in Blue, was cut, and he was assigned to a minor Western, Belle Starr's Daughter (1948). Montgomery left Fox in September 1947 unhappy with his roles.

Low-budget action star Montgomery appeared in Lulu Belle (1948) and The Girl from Manhattan for Benedict Bogeaus.

Montgomery worked for other producers: Robbers' Roost (1955), Huk! (1956), a war movie shot in the Philippines, Canyon River (1956), Pawnee (1957), Black Patch (1957), Gun Duel in Durango (1957) for Small, Street of Sinners (1957), a rare non-Western, Last of the Badmen (1957), Man from God's Country (1958), The Toughest Gun in Tombstone (1958) and Badman's Country (1958) as Pat Garrett.

Television In the 1958–59 season, Montgomery starred in his own 26-episode NBC Western series, Cimarron City as Mayor Matt Rockford, with co-stars John Smith and Audrey Totter through his own production company Mont Productions. Montgomery claimed to have turned down the lead roles in the Western television series Gunsmoke and Wagon Train. Cimarron City ran one season.

Montgomery made an Imperial adventure for MGM, Watusi (1959), a sequel to King Solomon's Mines (1950). He followed it with King of the Wild Stallions (1959).

He made guest appearances on a number of television shows, including NBC's Bonanza and The Gisele MacKenzie Show.

Director Montgomery turned director with The Steel Claw (1961), a war film shot in the Philippines, which he also co-wrote and in which he starred.

He was in Samar (1962), From Hell to Borneo (1963), and Guerillas in Pink Lace (1964).

He was going to make Outlaw of Red River for Robert Lippert in Spain, but it appears to have not been made.

As an actor, he was in the filmed-in-Spain Battle of the Bulge (1965) and Django the Condemned (1966). He was in Hallucination Generation (1967), an anti-LSD movie. Montgomery was in Bomb at 10:10 (1967), Hostile Guns (1967), Warkill (1968), and Strangers at Sunrise (1970) (shot in South Africa). He also worked the dinner and stock theatre circuit, appearing in productions of Two for the Seesaw and A Hole in the Head.

1970s Montgomery acted in and directed Satan's Harvest (1970), made in South Africa. He also starred in The Leo Chronicles (1972) and The Daredevil (1972), and helped produce The Proud and Damned (1972).

He starred in the TV movie Ride the Tiger (1970) and made guest appearances on 1970s television shows including The Odd Couple, The Six Million Dollar Man and Alias Smith and Jones.

Other interests As a boy, George Montgomery had become an excellent wood craftsman. As an adult, he began building furniture, first for himself and then for a few friends. His skill was such that his hobby became a full-fledged cabinet-making business, in which he employed as many as 20 craftsmen.

Montgomery oversaw the furniture business for more than 40 years, and expanded his interest to house design. He became involved with the building of 11 homes for friends and family. His artistic instincts included learning how to sculpt in bronze. Self-taught, he sculpted upwards of 50 bronze sculptures of subjects such as John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Gene Autry, Randolph Scott, and Ronald W. Reagan. He received renown in particular for a sculpture he did of Custer's Last Stand.

Personal life Montgomery was briefly engaged to actress Hedy Lamarr in 1941.

Montgomery and singer Dinah Shore married on December 5, 1943. They had one child, Melissa Ann Montgomery. George and Dinah also adopted a son, John David Montgomery, in 1954. They divorced in 1962.

In 1963, Montgomery's private life made headlines when his housekeeper was charged in a failed attempt to kill him. Allegedly suffering from a fanatical attraction to her employer, the woman planned to shoot Montgomery, then commit suicide.

Death Montgomery died at home on December 12, 2000, aged 84. After cremation, Montgomery's ashes were divided and interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Cathedral City) near his Palm Springs home and at the Highland Cemetery in Great Falls, Montana, near his birthplace.

Legacy For his contribution to the television industry, George Montgomery has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6301 Hollywood Blvd. In 1995, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated in his honor. He is also honored with a statue in the square of Plentywood, Montana.

Filmography

Films

The Singing Vagabond (1935) as Soldier (uncredited)

Springtime in the Rockies (1937) as Cowhand at Dance (uncredited)

The Purple Vigilantes (1938) as Gambler (uncredited)

The Old Barn Dance (1938) as Rider (uncredited)

The Lone Ranger (1938, Serial) as Jim Clark

Outlaws of Sonora (1938) as Bank Teller (uncredited)

Gold Mine in the Sky (1938) as Cowhand (uncredited)

Under Western Stars (1938) as Cowhand (uncredited)

Army Girl (1938) as Soldier (uncredited)

Pals of the Saddle (1938) as Rider (uncredited)

Billy the Kid Returns (1938) as Henchman (uncredited)

Come On, Rangers (1938) as Ranger in Black Hat (uncredited)

Hawk of the Wilderness (1938) as Tom (uncredited)

Shine On, Harvest Moon (1938) as Rustler (uncredited)

The Mysterious Miss X (1939) as Policeman (uncredited)

I Was a Convict (1939) as Prison Guard (uncredited)

Rough Riders' Round-up (1939) as Patrolman Joe (uncredited)

Southward Ho (1939) (uncredited)

The Night Riders (1939) as Mob Member (uncredited)

Frontier Pony Express (1939) as Lieutenant Harris (uncredited)

Man of Conquest (1939) as Young Lieutenant, Jackson Aide (uncredited)

S.O.S. Tidal Wave (1939) (uncredited)

In Old Caliente (1939) as Curly Henchman (uncredited)

Wall Street Cowboy (1939) as Cowhand (uncredited)

In Old Monterey (1939) as Soldier (uncredited)

The Arizona Kid (1939) as Soldier (uncredited)

Saga of Death Valley (1939) as Henchman (uncredited)

South of the Border (1939) as Bandit (uncredited)

The Cisco Kid and the Lady (1939) as Tommy Bates

Star Dust (1940) as Ronnie

Young People (1940) as Mike Shea

Charter Pilot (1940) as Charlie Crane

Jennie (1940) as Franz Schermer

The Cowboy and the Blonde (1941) as Lank Garrett

Accent on Love (1941) as John Worth Hyndman

Last of the Duanes (1941) as Buck Duane

Riders of the Purple Sage (1941) as Jim Lassiter

Cadet Girl (1941) as Tex Mallory

Roxie Hart (1942) as Homer Howard

Ten Gentlemen from West Point (1942) as Joe Dawson

Orchestra Wives (1942) as Bill Abbot

China Girl (1942) as Johnny Williams

Coney Island (1943) as Eddie Johnson

Bomber's Moon (1943) as Capt. Jeffrey Dakin

Survival of the Fittest (1944) as a downed USAAF pilot

Three Little Girls in Blue (1946) as Van Damm Smith

The Brasher Doubloon (1947) as Philip Marlowe

Lulu Belle (1948) as George Davis

The Girl from Manhattan (1948) as Rev. Tom Walker

Belle Starr's Daughter (1948) as Marshal Tom Jackson

Davy Crockett, Indian Scout (1950) as Davy Crockett

Dakota Lil (1950) as Tom Horn / Steve Garrett

The Iroquois Trail (1950) as Nat Cutler / Hawkeye

The Sword of Monte Cristo (1951) as Captain Renault

The Texas Rangers (1951) as Johnny Carver

Indian Uprising (1952) as Capt Chas McCloud

Cripple Creek (1952) as Bret Ivers

The Pathfinder (1952) as Pathfinder

Jack McCall, Desperado (1953) as Jack McCall

Fort Ti (1953) as Capt. Jed Horn

Gun Belt (1953) as Billy Ringo

Battle of Rogue River (1954) as Maj. Frank Archer

The Lone Gun (1954) as Cruze

Masterson of Kansas (1954) as Bat Masterson

Seminole Uprising (1955) as Lt. Carn Elliott

Robbers' Roost (1955) as Jim 'Tex' Wall

Canyon River (1956) as Steve Patrick

Huk! (1956) as Greg Dickson

Last of the Badmen (1957) as Dan Barton

Gun Duel in Durango (1957) as Dan

Street of Sinners (1957) as John Dean

Pawnee (1957) as Paul 'Pale Arrow' Fletcher

Black Patch (1957) as Marshal Clay Morgan

Man from God's Country (1958) as Dan Beattie

The Toughest Gun in Tombstone (1958) Captain Matt Sloane

Badman's Country (1958) as Pat Garrett

Watusi (1959) as Harry Quartermain

King of the Wild Stallions (1959) as Randy Burke

The Steel Claw (1961, also director, writer, producer) as Capt. John Larsen

Samar (1962, also director, writer, producer) as Dr. John David Saunders

Guerillas in Pink Lace (1964, also director, writer, producer) as Murphy

Battle of the Bulge (1965) as Sgt. Duquesne

Django the Condemned (1965) as Pat O'Brien

Hallucination Generation (1966) as Eric

Bomb at 10:10 (1967) as Steve Corbit

Hostile Guns (1967) as Sheriff Gid McCool

Hell of Borneo (1967) as John Dirkson (shot in 1963)

Warkill (1968) as Col. John Hannegan

Strangers at Sunrise (1969) as Grant Merrick

Satan's Harvest (1969, also director, writer, producer) as Cutter Murdock

The Leo Chronicles (1972)

The Proud and the Damned (1972, producer)

The Daredevil (1972) as Paul Tunney

Blood, Money and Tears (1980)

Wild Wind (1985) as Major Nestorovic (final film role)

Television

Studio One in Hollywood (1955, episode "The Conviction of Peter Sea") as Bakeland Stage 7 (1955, episode "The Traveling Salesman") as Dan Kelly General Electric Theater (1955, episode "The Return of Gentleman Jim") as Gentleman Jim Corbett Screen Directors Playhouse (1956, episode "Claire") as Dr. Stanley Wayne Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre (1956, episode "Ten Percent") as Mark Weston The Ford Television Theatre (1957, episode "The Quiet Stranger") as Daniel McKee General Electric Theater (1957, episode "Thousand Dollar Gun") as Buchanan Smith Wagon Train (1957, episode "The Jesse Cowan Story") as Jesse Cowan S1 E17 Cimarron City (1958–1959, TV Series) as Mayor Matt Rockford Sea Hunt (1960, Season 3, Episode 4) Hawaiian Eye (1963, episode "Boar Hunt") as Maitland Bonanza (1966, episode "The Code") as Dan Taggert I Spy (1966, episode "A Day Called 4 Jaguar") as Nicolai Ride the Tiger (1970, TV Movie, also directed) Alias Smith and Jones (1971, episode "Jailbreak at Junction City") as Curt Clitterhouse NET Playhouse (1972, episode "Portrait of the Hero as a Young Man") as Christopher Gist The Six Million Dollar Man (1974, episode "The Coward") as Christopher Bell / Garth The Odd Couple (1974, episode "The Hollywood Story") as Griff Children's Island (1984, TV Series) as The President