Monty Banks

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Monty Banks
Born
Mario Bianchi

(1897-07-18)18 July 1897
Cesena, Kingdom of Italy
Died7 January 1950(1950-01-07) (aged 52)
Arona, Italy
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • actor
  • director
  • producer
Years active1916–1945
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1929; div. 1932)​
​
(m. 1940)​

Montague (Monty) Banks (born Mario Bianchi; 18 July 1897 – 7 January 1950)[1] was a 20th century Italian-born American comedian, film actor, director and producer who achieved success in the United States and United Kingdom.

Career

Banks was born Mario Bianchi in Cesena, Italy. In 1914, Bianchi emigrated to the United States, first trying his luck on the New York stage. By 1918, he was an actor in Hollywood with the Arbuckle Company, performing in over 35 silent short comedies by the early 1920s,[2] and then, starring in feature-length action comedy-thrillers as Play Safe (1927). (A large excerpt from this movie is included in Robert Youngson's compilation film Days of Thrills and Laughter (1961) and the car-to-train transfer stunt explained in the 1980 documentary series Hollywood).

Like Harold Lloyd, the comedy-thrillers he produced were popular but became increasingly risky and Banks was seriously injured after being roped to the back of a car and dragged down a cliff face.[3]

With the arrival of

gagman and director. He directed Laurel and Hardy in their film Great Guns
, under the name "Montague Banks".

By the 1930s he had relocated to the United Kingdom where he produced and directed “quota quickies“ for the comedy team of Leslie Fuller and Syd Courtenay, and later the breakthrough films of George Formby and Gracie Fields. After Warner Bros. purchased Teddington Studios outright in 1934, he directed (and occasionally acted in) various comedies and crime stories intended for UK release only, featuring actors of the caliber of Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Edmund Gwenn and Margaret Lockwood.[4]

Banks subsequently became an associate producer at

20th Century Fox.[citation needed
]

Personal life

He was married to American actress Gladys Frazin. The marriage was not a happy one and they divorced on 29 April 1932 as a result of her abusive behaviour.[5] She subsequently committed suicide in March 1939.[6]

Banks met British singer and actress

Italian American internment also came into place in the United States during 1941 and 1942, affecting thousands of Italians, but this was eventually relaxed.[citation needed
]

Death

Banks held dual Italian and American citizenship.[citation needed] He died, reportedly in the arms of Fields, while traveling on the Orient Express train just outside Arona, Italy, of a heart attack, aged 52.[1]

Aula Didattica Monty Banks

In his home town of Cesena a Foundation was created in honor of Banks, entitled the Aula Didattica Monty Banks.[9] It is "an initiative promoted by the municipality, the course is open to all and provides the opportunity to create videos".[10]

Selected filmography

Actor

Director

References

  1. ^ a b "Monty Banks, 52, Screen Director". The New York Times. Associated Press. 9 January 1950. p. 20. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
  2. ISBN 978-1511695817
    .
  3. ^ Arthur Wise & Derek Ware, Stunting in the Cinema, Constable, London, 1973, p. 89.
  4. ^ Hirschhorn, Clive, The Warner Bros. Story, Octopus Books, London, 1979, p. 446.
  5. ^ Westhollywoodusa.com Archived 18 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ProQuest 102812231. Retrieved 8 January 2021 – via ProQuest
    .
  7. ISBN 978-1245763554
    .
  8. ^ "Our Gracie". Time. 1 September 1947. Archived from the original on 14 May 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
  9. ^ www.comune.cesena.fc.it, Comune di Cesena-. "Monty Banks: per fare, per scoprire". www.comune.cesena.fc.it (in Italian). Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  10. ^ "Aula Didattica Monty Banks - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 6 November 2020.

Sources

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Monty Banks.
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