Divine Decadence @oldfashionedal - Tumblr Blog

allaboutmargo

#WTF #Bette Davis #All About Eve #fake fans

starrystillness

oldfashionedal

Humphrey Bogart with Lauren Bacall, The Big Sleep 1946

#Humphrey Bogart #Lauren Bacall #The Big Sleep #1940s #1946 #Raymond Chandler

francissinatra

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Anchors Aweigh (1945)

#Gene Kelly #Frank Sinatra #anchors aweigh #jose iturbi #kathryn grayson #1940s #1945 #mgm musicals

hedda-hopper

Tony and Maria

#west side story #richard beymer #natalie wood #tony and maria #1961 #musicals

madfords

#Elizabeth Taylor #cleopatra #1963

mifunebooty

(Apology to the mismatched pictures) Montgomery Clift: October 17th of 1920 - July 23rd of 1966

On the early corner of 6 in the morning on July 23rd in 1966, Montgomery Clift was found dead in his bedroom by his assistant/nurse, Lorenzo James. He was only 45, found lying face up in bed with only his glasses on and both his fists clenched. His cause of death, “occlusive coronary heart disease” brought by “calcium deficiency” that had he had been suffering for the last 4 years and there was no evidence of foul play or suicide.These series of complications he had suffered for 10 years since his car accident in 1956, which altered his face dramatically and his mental and physical health declining ever since. He was planning on going to Rome to film “Reflections of the Golden Eye” with Elizabeth Taylor a few days later. His funeral, however limited, had over 700+ people where he was laid to rest in Brooklyn.

Montgomery Clift was the first reported Method actor of the 1950s film era, followed by also iconic Marlon Brando and James Dean. He had been nominated for an Oscar 4 times in a row, famously seen in “A Place in the Sun” with Elizabeth Taylor, “From Here to Eternity”, “The Misfits”, “I Confess”, “The Heiress” and a series more of a filmography of only 17 films. He was bisexual, having relationships with both men and women that were famous and not famous. However, of the treatment of such things those days he was shunned by even psychological professionals that it was sickening. This had plagued him for his short life, never embracing his bisexuality and having to neglect wanting to marry and have kids if he did not even accept something he could not change himself. Despite many studios begging him into a contract, Monty lived in NYC and carried onto an independent film career on his own. Along with Dean and Brando, they each carried a unique sense of brilliance in film and a new generation of actors. After his car accident, his face was extremely scarred and changed from emergency surgery but he pushed himself to still do films, despite his declining health and his alcoholism and suffered from more complications. Many people called the last decade of his life as “the longest suicide in Hollywood history”.

Montgomery Clift was seen in many people’s words as one of the most tragic and beautiful men ever to grace the film screen. He had shared his vulnerability, his sexuality, his passion into what he loved the most of the one thing that accepted him: his career. He would’ve been 94 today if he had lived, if he had not endured from the car accident. If he died in the car accident and such a similar way to James Dean’s death, he would’ve died at only 35. I’d like to imagine Monty if he had not endured from the accident, maybe he would’ve accepted himself in the 1970s when the lgbtq community became active and open. I’d like to see Monty, with his glittering eyes, thick eyebrows, sculpted face and that unique sense of him growing older and being happy and fulfilling his life as he wanted: growing older and wiser, getting married and having kids. He was unlike Marlon or James, Monty was himself and gave what he could and… how he did.

RIP MONTGOMERY CLIFT

#Montgomery Clifft #RIP