Montgomery Clift became a star very quickly with his first couple of movies

Montgomery Clift became a star very quickly with his first couple of movies, The Search and then the classic Red River. He was talented and handsome, quickly gaining a following with the public and with critics.

He made a movie with Elizabeth Taylor ‘A Place In The Sun’ and they became great friends.

It was at a party in her house that his life changed for the worse. Driving home and falling asleep at the wheel he crashed and was badly injured. It was said that when Elizabeth rushed to the scene she saved his life by putting her hand into his mouth and pulling out a tooth that was choking him. Their friendship is well known.

I’m going to write about another true friend – Dean Martin. Dean and Monty, as he was known, made a movie together ‘The Young Lions’. Monty was well established as a dramatic actor and Dean was trying to make it in a serious role. Best known, at the time, for his partnership with Jerry lewis, this movie was important. He had failed in his first movie while going solo ‘Ten Thousand Bedrooms’ the year before and had a lot riding on this.

He and Monty hit it off right away. Dean was taken under Monty’s wing and the latter worked with him on his lines giving advice on how to best breathe life into Dean’s character.

During a particular scene which was meant to be light-hearted Monty sensed Dean’s nervousness and hid under a piano tickling Dean’s leg in a successful effort to loosen him up. The movie was a triumph for Dean and revitalised his career. He never forgot the debt he owed Monty.

After the accident Monty became addicted to pain killers which damaged his concentration and ability to perform and becoming an emotional wreck. He also had numerous other maladies.

Dean was there for him when Hollywood turned its back on Monty. He said in a later interview, “Monty was a dear friend to me. Nobody wanted him around, nobody would eat with him. I took him to dinner, or I would have a drink with him, or I would put him to bed because he was always on pills. He was so sad, such a sad, sad man, and he was like a boy, so unhappy and rejected, and so I’d say, ‘come on Clift, let’s go.’ I‘d bring him with me everywhere.”

Sadly Monty died in 1966 aged only 45.