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| Monty's musical moments | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 06:43 pm EDT 08/27/21 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 06:34 pm EDT 08/27/21 | |
| In reply to: re: I honestly don't believe that his story is cut out for a film biography. - larry13 04:58 pm EDT 08/27/21 | |
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| Clift was 15 when he played Prince Peter in ''Jubilee.'' That show featured two of Cole Porter's biggest hits: ''Begin the Beguine'' and ''Just One of Those Things.'' Looking at the songlist, it doesn't look like Clift had any solos, but I imagine he joined in on the tunes for the whole company. A search of YouTube for any footage of Clift singing turned up two examples. In the first one, Clift sings a snippet of the French song ''Plaisir d'Amour'' to Olivia deHavilland in ''The Heiress'' (1948). The second clip comes from ''The Big Lift'' (1950), a Cold War drama. It's a rare and delightful sight to see him playing comedy as he tries to pass himself off as a member of a German vocal group singing ''Chattanooga Choo Choo.'' |
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| Link | 'The Big Lift' (1950): Montgomery Clift - 'Chattanooga Choo Choo' |
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| Monty in JUBILEE | |
| Posted by: showtunetrivia 10:14 pm EDT 08/28/21 | |
| In reply to: Monty's musical moments - WaymanWong 06:34 pm EDT 08/27/21 | |
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| I have done a ton of research on JUBILEE, a delightful show with a weird history. Young Montgomery Clift was performing in a comedy, FLY AWAY HOME, when cast for the role of Prince Peter. He turned fifteen the week JUBILEE opened. Prince Peter was the younger brother of Prince James, the show’s romantic male part, played by Charles Walters. Monty’s mother, Sunny, thought Charles was everything Monty should be, and told her son to emulate him in every way. That is, until—as Walters described it—she felt they were getting too attached! Prince Peter was the “good prince.” There was another princely cousin, Prince Rudolph (Jackie Kelk), and it was his prank that set the whole plot in motion. (Oooh, spoilers for a show that opened in 1935!) JUBILEE’s tryouts were scheduled for Boston. As the rail cars were being loaded, librettist Moss Hart, songwriter Cole Porter, producers Max Gordon and Sam Harris, and star Mary Boland all got letters warning them they were in danger if they went to Boston. Sunny Clift said she got a phone call at Grand Central Station. An unknown woman said if Monty played Prince Peter, “he’d have worse than a head cold.” The caller threatened to kidnap Monty…and Moss Hart, too. This phone call is reported in Patricia Bosworth’s biography of Monty (she’s interviewed in that documentary; I’ve seen half of it so far). Bosworth goes on to say a policeman was hired to stand guard at the Shubert, that Monty and Hart got bodyguards, that there was a newspaper account of the ominous phone call that was circulated among the cast, and that the FBI investigated, and determined the caller was an angry stage mother whose son lost the role to Monty. Bosworth says Monty himself told this story for years, as an example of how far a stage mom could go. Biographer George Eels also supports the “disgruntled stage mother” story. Fellow Chatterati, aside from Clift family anecdotes, there’s no evidence for this. Nor does Bosworth mention the letters or the arson fires. “What arson fires?” the collective voices of ATC cry. So glad you asked! Okay, there were those letters. There may have been that phone call. The JUBILEE family rolled into Boston. The producers hired detectives; this may be where Sunny’s memory of bodyguards and a policeman came from. But they didn’t hire very good detectives. One day, during rehearsals, a fire broke out backstage. Monty Woolley, who was co-director with Hassard Short (until he got the axe, but that’s another story), had just screamed at actor Michael Pearson and banished him. Pearson returned on stage minutes later. “Didn’t I tell you to get off the stage?” Woolley roared. “Yes,” Pearson answered, “but the theatre’s on fire.” And that wasn’t all. There were three backstage fires at the Imperial, and one performance had to be canceled. Add into the mix the death of one of the musicians in the orchestra, and the deaths of the mothers of three cast members, and some, including June Knight (Walters’ love interest in the show) felt JUBILEE was cursed. Biographer Stephen Bach has suggested the bizarre theory that Moss Hart’s Aunt Kate Solomon, who had mental health problems and was known to write weird letters was behind the whole thing. Letters are one thing. But he thinks an old lady is scurrying around two theatres in two different cities, setting backstage fires? I write fiction, but I wouldn’t try to pass this malarkey onto any readers. And yes, while Clift had no solo songs, he did sing with the ensemble. Laura, who also has documented Moss and Cole’s entire around the world itinerary on the Franconia, during which they wrote over 90% of the show |
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| re: Monty in JUBILEE | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 01:37 am EDT 08/29/21 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 01:32 am EDT 08/29/21 | |
| In reply to: Monty in JUBILEE - showtunetrivia 10:14 pm EDT 08/28/21 | |
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| ''Patricia Bosworth’s biography of Monty (she’s interviewed in that ['Making Montgomery Clift'] documentary; I’ve seen half of it so far).'' I wonder what you'll think of Bosworth after you've seen the whole documentary. Maybe you'll agree with VEG's posting above. ;) (By the way, I believe there's a clip of Clift in that documentary singing Dietz & Schwartz's ''Dancing in the Dark.'' ) Laura, your knowledge, and that of AlanScott & so many others on this board, never fails to entertain and inform. It makes All That Chat so special! |
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| re: Monty in JUBILEE | |
| Posted by: showtunetrivia 10:07 am EDT 08/29/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Monty in JUBILEE - WaymanWong 01:32 am EDT 08/29/21 | |
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| Thank you, Wayman! That totally made my morning! I love your posts, too, especially your incredible talent for puns in the header. For my research, I didn’t read more of Bosworth’s book beyond the JUBILEE section, but, as above, you can see I had suspicions about its credibility. I need to make a note to remind myself to watch the rest of that documentary. It’s been crazy busy here. Laura |
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