Norma Shearer, Robert Montgomery Their Own Desire 1929 Still Photograph
Item History & Price
ITEM: This is a vintage and original Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer production still photograph from the 1929 pre-Code romantic drama, Their Own Desire. This would be M-G-M's last film of the 1920s. The film's star Norma Shearer was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, but lost to herself for The Divorcee. Shearer is pictured here with her co-star, Robert Montgomery, in a soft, sepia toned, romantic still.
This is a rare and unique piece of memorabilia from the fil...m and this still comes from one of Shearer's own personal scrapbooks.
A Hollywood star from 1925 through 1942, Shearer often played spunky, sexually liberated ingénues. She was the first person to be nominated five times for an Academy Award for acting. Reviewing Shearer's work, film critic Mike LaSalle called her "the exemplar of sophisticated 1930s womanhood ... exploring love and sex with an honesty that would be considered frank by modern standards." As a result, Shearer is celebrated as a feminist pioneer, "the first American film actress to make it chic and acceptable to be single and not a virgin on screen".
Photograph measures 10" x 8" on a glossy double weight paper stock.
Guaranteed to be 100% vintage and original from Grapefruit Moon Gallery.
More about Norma Shearer:
A child model and bit player in New York-based films whose appearance in "The Stealers" (1920) caught the attention of producer Irving Thalberg. Thalberg signed Shearer to a long-term contract with MGM in 1923 and she quickly became a popular star in such films as "He Who Gets Slapped" (1924), "His Secretary" (1925) and "The Student Prince" (1927), typically as a gentle but vivacious ingenue. Thalberg married his star in 1927, after which she had her pick of films, parts and directors. A striking and often lovely brunette actress with a great profile, Shearer compensated for a slight lack of conventional beauty with great poise, elegance and charm. She played a wide range of roles in a glittering array of films; among her most notable efforts were "The Divorcee" (1930), for which she won an Oscar, "A Free Soul" (1931), "Private Lives" (1931; an especially fine and rare comic performance at this stage in her career), "Smilin' Through" (1932; one of her loveliest performances, and most romantic films) and "Romeo and Juliet" (1936).
One of MGM's biggest stars of the 1930s, the ultra-chic Shearer eschewed the more innocent image of her silent stardom during the racy pre-Code period of the early 30s to play a series of wronged wives who fight the double standard by turning into silken sinners in films including "The Divorcee, " "Strangers May Kiss" (1931) and "Riptide" (1934). She quickly became, along with Garbo, the studio's resident "prestige" star, and later in the decade played in several classy costume dramas, the most popular of which was "The Barretts of Wimpole Street" (1934, as poet Elizabeth Barrett).
Shearer lost interest in her career after Thalberg's death in 1936; this, coupled with a poor choice of roles (she turned down the leads in "Gone With the Wind" 1939 and "Mrs. Miniver" 1942 and opted instead for fluffy comedies) led her to retire from the screen in 1942. She did, however, leave her admirers with two excellent performances, easily among her finest, in two of her best-remembered films: as the tragic title heroine of the lavish, underrated "Marie Antoinette" (1938); and as the cheated-upon husband who must endure the "help" of her catty girlfriends in the all-star, all-female comedy, "The Women" (1939, in which she was first-billed over longstanding rival Joan Crawford).
As with Garbo, Shearer did receive offers after she left MGM and considered return vehicles to the cinema; in several cases, she backed out or else the projects never really got off the ground. Her glamorous image, though, was more accessible, less distant than Garbo's and so her absence from films never really contributed to any aloof star mystique; as the decades progressed she unjustly became somewhat forgotten and by the time the vogue in classical Hollywood nostalgia reached its apex her health had already begun to decline. Shearer did enjoy four decades of marriage, though, to her second husband, a former ski instructor and land developer she met and married in 1942. Her brother, Douglas Shearer (1899-1971), was a pioneering sound technician who won 12 Oscars and developed several key technical innovations.
Biography From: TCM | Turner Classic Movies
More about Robert Montgomery:
Dapper, talented MGM contract lead from 1929, primarily cast as amusing, boyish, upper-crust playboys opposite stars such as Greta Garbo ("Inspiration, " 1931) and Joan Crawford ("The Last of Mrs. Cheyney, " 1937). Besides Crawford, he was most often paired with glamorous Norma Shearer, opposite whom he co-starred in five films between 1929 and 1934; their best teamings were "The Divorcee" (1930) and the uproarious adaptation of Noel Coward's "Private Lives" (1931). As the decade wore on Montgomery fought for a wider range of roles, and achieved notable success as the deranged killer in "Night Must Fall" (1937). Another change-of-pace role came in an even more acclaimed and popular film, the comic fantasy, "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" (1941), with Montgomery as a pug who is "removed" to heaven by an angel before his appointed time and is allowed to continue his life on earth in another body.
Montgomery's image toughened even more after WWII, during which he had distinguished himself in naval action in Europe. Montgomery made his directorial debut when an ailing John Ford was unable to complete "They Were Expendable" (1945), and he attracted considerable attention with his screen adaptation of Raymond Chandler's "Lady in the Lake" (1946). The film was related entirely from a "subjective" camera perspective, and is considered one of the more interesting failed experiments in cinematic narrative. Montgomery kept making films until the early 1950s, and while never entirely eschewing the light entertainments with which he was long associated (e.g., "June Bride, " 1948, opposite Bette Davis), he did make the occasional worthy offbeat item (e.g., the noir "Ride the Pink Horse, " 1947, which he also directed).
Montgomery subsequently trained his sights on TV, hosting the well-received "Robert Montgomery Presents" anthology series for eight years. He also ventured onto the stage, winning a Tony for directing "The Desperate Hours" in 1955. At times Montgomery also became active in politics: he was, unfortunately, a friendly witness at the infamous HUAC hearings which led to the Hollywood blacklist; later, Montgomery served as a communications consultant to President Eisenhower following the 1952 campaign.
Biography From: TCM | Turner Classic Movies
This is a rare and unique piece of memorabilia from the fil...m and this still comes from one of Shearer's own personal scrapbooks.
A Hollywood star from 1925 through 1942, Shearer often played spunky, sexually liberated ingénues. She was the first person to be nominated five times for an Academy Award for acting. Reviewing Shearer's work, film critic Mike LaSalle called her "the exemplar of sophisticated 1930s womanhood ... exploring love and sex with an honesty that would be considered frank by modern standards." As a result, Shearer is celebrated as a feminist pioneer, "the first American film actress to make it chic and acceptable to be single and not a virgin on screen".
Photograph measures 10" x 8" on a glossy double weight paper stock.
Guaranteed to be 100% vintage and original from Grapefruit Moon Gallery.
More about Norma Shearer:
A child model and bit player in New York-based films whose appearance in "The Stealers" (1920) caught the attention of producer Irving Thalberg. Thalberg signed Shearer to a long-term contract with MGM in 1923 and she quickly became a popular star in such films as "He Who Gets Slapped" (1924), "His Secretary" (1925) and "The Student Prince" (1927), typically as a gentle but vivacious ingenue. Thalberg married his star in 1927, after which she had her pick of films, parts and directors. A striking and often lovely brunette actress with a great profile, Shearer compensated for a slight lack of conventional beauty with great poise, elegance and charm. She played a wide range of roles in a glittering array of films; among her most notable efforts were "The Divorcee" (1930), for which she won an Oscar, "A Free Soul" (1931), "Private Lives" (1931; an especially fine and rare comic performance at this stage in her career), "Smilin' Through" (1932; one of her loveliest performances, and most romantic films) and "Romeo and Juliet" (1936).
One of MGM's biggest stars of the 1930s, the ultra-chic Shearer eschewed the more innocent image of her silent stardom during the racy pre-Code period of the early 30s to play a series of wronged wives who fight the double standard by turning into silken sinners in films including "The Divorcee, " "Strangers May Kiss" (1931) and "Riptide" (1934). She quickly became, along with Garbo, the studio's resident "prestige" star, and later in the decade played in several classy costume dramas, the most popular of which was "The Barretts of Wimpole Street" (1934, as poet Elizabeth Barrett).
Shearer lost interest in her career after Thalberg's death in 1936; this, coupled with a poor choice of roles (she turned down the leads in "Gone With the Wind" 1939 and "Mrs. Miniver" 1942 and opted instead for fluffy comedies) led her to retire from the screen in 1942. She did, however, leave her admirers with two excellent performances, easily among her finest, in two of her best-remembered films: as the tragic title heroine of the lavish, underrated "Marie Antoinette" (1938); and as the cheated-upon husband who must endure the "help" of her catty girlfriends in the all-star, all-female comedy, "The Women" (1939, in which she was first-billed over longstanding rival Joan Crawford).
As with Garbo, Shearer did receive offers after she left MGM and considered return vehicles to the cinema; in several cases, she backed out or else the projects never really got off the ground. Her glamorous image, though, was more accessible, less distant than Garbo's and so her absence from films never really contributed to any aloof star mystique; as the decades progressed she unjustly became somewhat forgotten and by the time the vogue in classical Hollywood nostalgia reached its apex her health had already begun to decline. Shearer did enjoy four decades of marriage, though, to her second husband, a former ski instructor and land developer she met and married in 1942. Her brother, Douglas Shearer (1899-1971), was a pioneering sound technician who won 12 Oscars and developed several key technical innovations.
Biography From: TCM | Turner Classic Movies
More about Robert Montgomery:
Dapper, talented MGM contract lead from 1929, primarily cast as amusing, boyish, upper-crust playboys opposite stars such as Greta Garbo ("Inspiration, " 1931) and Joan Crawford ("The Last of Mrs. Cheyney, " 1937). Besides Crawford, he was most often paired with glamorous Norma Shearer, opposite whom he co-starred in five films between 1929 and 1934; their best teamings were "The Divorcee" (1930) and the uproarious adaptation of Noel Coward's "Private Lives" (1931). As the decade wore on Montgomery fought for a wider range of roles, and achieved notable success as the deranged killer in "Night Must Fall" (1937). Another change-of-pace role came in an even more acclaimed and popular film, the comic fantasy, "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" (1941), with Montgomery as a pug who is "removed" to heaven by an angel before his appointed time and is allowed to continue his life on earth in another body.
Montgomery's image toughened even more after WWII, during which he had distinguished himself in naval action in Europe. Montgomery made his directorial debut when an ailing John Ford was unable to complete "They Were Expendable" (1945), and he attracted considerable attention with his screen adaptation of Raymond Chandler's "Lady in the Lake" (1946). The film was related entirely from a "subjective" camera perspective, and is considered one of the more interesting failed experiments in cinematic narrative. Montgomery kept making films until the early 1950s, and while never entirely eschewing the light entertainments with which he was long associated (e.g., "June Bride, " 1948, opposite Bette Davis), he did make the occasional worthy offbeat item (e.g., the noir "Ride the Pink Horse, " 1947, which he also directed).
Montgomery subsequently trained his sights on TV, hosting the well-received "Robert Montgomery Presents" anthology series for eight years. He also ventured onto the stage, winning a Tony for directing "The Desperate Hours" in 1955. At times Montgomery also became active in politics: he was, unfortunately, a friendly witness at the infamous HUAC hearings which led to the Hollywood blacklist; later, Montgomery served as a communications consultant to President Eisenhower following the 1952 campaign.
Biography From: TCM | Turner Classic Movies
