Robert Taylor was a fine actor, a man of integrity and a nice guy. He was also drop dead handsome. Lloyd Nolan was only one of the colleagues who observed that Mr. Taylor never appreciated the advantage his looks gave him. His fans always have, though. Here I’ve put together a few frame grabs from “The Crowd Roars” just for visual enjoyment.
One thing I will never come to understand is the judgment of so many people (press included) that he couldn’t act (or be taken seriously) just because he was so good looking. That’s nonsense! Oh yes, he was breathtakingly handsome but, boy, that is NOT the way one should rate how good (or bad) an actor is. Unfortunately, RT flourished at a time when the not-too-good-looking leading men were the norm in movies—Bogart, Cagney, Cooper, Gable, Tracy, Garfield… I don’t think the next generation of handsome men, such as Tony Curtis, Warren Beatty, Robert Redford or Alain Delon faced the same trouble. Or did them?
Nice screenshots! Keep them coming!
Hi, Susana, I’ve always thought it was so unfair that his looks were held against him. I do think there was an element of jealousy. Someone wrote that all the critics were 5’5″ tall, wore glasses and were overweight and bald. Maybe so. I’m really glad you like the blog. Having a hip replacement tomorrow. So no new posts right away. All the best.
Oh yes, I agree about the critics and would have loved to see how skilled they were in front of a camera… Hey, lots of luck with your hip replacement. Get well soon and keep us posted! All the best to you!
I’m obsessed with your blog! Thank you so much for taking the time and giving us all this RT info. I used to have a youtube channel (twomenofmgm) where I uploaded all his films but it got taken down; I know how much work it is. Keep it coming!
Thanks. I love doing it. I think I looked at some of your things on You Tube. Too bad they took them down.