#María Montez La Reina del Technicolor

[tina-aumont]

Il Ladro di Venezia, 1950

"Il Ladro di Venezia" is a 1950 Italian film directed by John Brahm. The US title was "The Thief of Venice".

It was released in the US two years after being made.

Plot (it may contain spoilers)

In 1575 Venice, the Doge has just died and Scarpa the Grand Inquisitor leads a plot to seize control of Venice.

Disani, a popular admiral works to stop the Grand Inquisitor's power grab with the help of Lorenzo, one of his officers. They manage to get back to Venice in record time by promising the galley slaves their freedom. When they arrive back Disani is killed and Lorenzo goes into hiding.

Lorenzo continues the fight against Scarpa, who plans to marry Disani's daughter Francesca. Lorenzo and Francesca fall in love even though Lorenzo is also loved by tavern girl Tina.

Lorenzo's rebellion against Scarpa is successful.

Cast

Maria Montez - Tina

Paul Christian - Alfiere Lorenzo Contarini

Massimo Serato - Scarpa the Inquisitor

Faye Marlowe - Francesca Disani

Aldo Silvani - Capt. von Sturm

Luigi Saltamerenda - Alfredo

Guido Celano - Polo

Umberto Sacripante - Durro

Camillo Pilotto - Adm. Disani

Ferdinando Tamberlani - Lombardi

Liana Del Balzo - Duenna

Paolo Stoppa - Marco

Mario Tosi - Mario

Vinicio Sofia - Grazzi

Leonardo Scavino - Sharp Eye

Shooting

Filming started November 1949 and went until February. Then it resumed in June. The movie was shot on location in Italy with studio work done at Scalera Studios. Filming finished by March 1950.

While filming a scene in the canal, Maria Montez almost drown herself, that's why when the filming ended, she decided to write her will.

It was released in Rome on the 22nd December 1950 and Maria's character was highly praised by the press & critics.

Here you can watch part 1, part 2, part 3 & part 4

Scans from "María Montez: La Reina del Technicolor", book written by Antonio Pérez Arnay & ebay.

[documentaryoncinema]

Inside  Actrices, 2

'Lynda Carter', TBC, VE.

'Yvonne De Carlo. Deslumbrante Lily', Lawrence Williams, 2000, VOSE. ('Familia Munster')

'Elizabeth Montgomery', Hilary Atkin, 1999, VO, SE en YouTube.

'Jamie Lee Curtis. Hollywood´s girl next door', Caroline Thomas, 2002, VE.

'Nicole Kidman. Icons big star profiles', Switch Int., VE.

'Salma Hayek', TBC, 2005, VE.

'María Félix, VE.

'María Montez', VE.

'María Montez. Reina del Technicolor', Festival de Cine Global Dominicano, 2011, VE.

'Lana Turner... los recuerdos de una hija', Carole Langer, 2001, VOSE.

'Alice Faye', Elizabeth K. Bronstein, Steven Smith, 1999, VE.

'Gene Tierney', VOSE.

’Harlow. La rubia platino’, Tom McQuade, 1993. VOSE.

'Barbara Eden', Van Ness Films, 1999, VO, SE en YouTube.

'Jayne Mansfield. Blonde ambition', Ed Singer, 2004, VO, SE en YouTube.

'Natalie Wood', Prometheus Entertainment, Foxstars Productions, 2003, VE.

'Myrna Loy. So nice to come home to', Richard Schickel, 1991, VOSE.

'In search of... Kim Novak', Jack Haley Jr., 1964, VO, SE en YouTube.

'Raquel Welch', VO.

'Claudia Cardinale. Being', Stefano Mordini, 2005, VE.

'Brigitte Bardot. The icon of France', Lyndy Saville, 2009, VOSE.

'Brigitte Bardot', 2003, VO, SE en YouTube.

'Sofia Loren. Buscando a Sofia', Roberto Olla, Danila Satta, 2004, VE.

'Elizabeth Taylor. Un retrato íntimo', Pat Shields, 1975, VOSE.

'Recordando a Elizabeth taylor', VOSE.

'Elizabeth Taylor. La otra reina de Inglaterra', Chris Bould, 2003, VE.

'Elizabeth Taylor. Biografía', Prometheus Entertaiment, Foxstar Productions, 2003, VE.

'Vivien Leigh. Más allá de Escarlata', Lisa Jackson, 1990, VOSE.

'Vivien Leigh: Scarlett and Beyond', Gene Feldman, 1990, VOSE.

'Janet Leigh', Jule Gilfillan, 2003, VE.

'Shirley MacLaine. Instinto de superación', Gene Feldman, Suzette Winter, 1996, VE.

'Carmen Miranda. That girl from Rio', John Cork, Lisa Van Eyssen, 2008, VO.

'Carmen Miranda', Cristina Fonseca, 1992, VO.

'Carmen Miranda. The South American way', Elizabeth Bronstein, 1996, VE.

'Carmen Miranda: Beneath the Tutti Frutti hat', Paul Bullock, 2007, VO, SE en YouTube.

’Judy Garland. The Hollywood greats’, Elaine Donnelly, 1978, VO.

'The real Judy Garland', VE.

'Judy Garland. Special Report', 1975, VO.

'Shirley Temple', VE.

'Doris Day', A&E Television Networks, 1991, VE.

'Louise Brooks', Arena, BBC, 1986, VO.

'Dúos de cine: Pola Negri y Ernst Lubitsch', Laurent Preyale, 2002, VE.

‘Dragon girls! Les amazones pop asiatiques’, Yves Montmayeur, 2016, VOFrancés.

‘Elaine Stritch: Shoot me’, Chiemi Karasawa, 2013, VOSE.

Trata sobre una celebridad que encuentra a Elaine Stritch, leyenda de Broadway analizando su jubilación e igualmente su propia mortalidad.

Con la presencia de Elaine Stritch, Alec Baldwin, George C. Wolfe, Tracy Morgan, Tina Fey, James Gandolfini, Cherry Jones, Nathan Lane, Harold Prince y John Turturro.

[miguel-garcia-rd]

María Montez Una Estrella Dominicana La Reina del Technicolor 6 de Junio de 1912, Barahona, República Dominicana. / 7 de Septiembre de 1951, París, Francia. Rindimos Homenaje a La Reina del Technicolor , La Estrella Dominicana Maria Montez, " Quisiera tocar el firmamento para convertime en una estrella lejana, pero fulgurante y bella, así todos me recordarán por lo que una vez llegué a ser " María Montez Fuente externa

[tina-aumont]

Beautiful photo showing Maria and her younger sister Consuelo. Both were together in 1947 film "Pirates of Monterey" where Consuelo had a very small part for that film.

Although she liked taking part in it, she refused to do more films in Hollywood as she didn't felt easy with English language, soon after the film was made, she pursued a more traditional lifestyle as she became mother of four young kids, and despite she wasn't easy with English, it seems she married Kenneth Carter, a Universal publicist, whom it seems English was his mother tongue.

Very special thanks to @74paris for sharing this article that comes from digitalcollections.oscars.org although it seems there's no exact date for this document.

[tina-aumont]

Maria Montez and Jean-Pierre Aumont pictured in London in 1946

In the first photo, we can see the couple with some authorities of London celebrating a reception, in the colour photos, Maria and Jean-Pierre were introduced to King and Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II parents: Queen Elizabeth, aka Queen Mother and George VI.

Colour photos from Shutterstock. Very Special thanks to @74paris for sharing these pics and the story behind them.

[tina-aumont]

Maria Montez pictured in California in 1948.

Photo from Truman Library, ✨very special thanks to @74paris for sharing!!✨

[tina-aumont]

Beautiful Montez/Gracia Sisters reunite in Beverly Hills, 1944

The four sisters are pictured in this sweet moment of reunion which happened in 1944. These photos were printed in December 1944 magazine and Maria said that they have been together for eight months.

The beautiful sisters are (L-R): Lucita, 17, Adita, 19, Maria, 32 but officially 24, and Consuelo, 18. Teresita, 12, was still in Dominican Republic with her mother and brothers.

Maria Montez was born in 1912 but she said she was born in 1920 so everybody thought she was much younger and her opportunities would be much better. This was a common thing in Hollywood back then.

US clipping December 1944 (my guessing in the date as next to these photos there's an ad featuring Shirley Temple which stars in "I'll be seeing you" that was premiered the 24th December 1944).

[tina-aumont]

Tuesday, 11 September 1951 - Consuelo Gracia Carter, sister of the late Maria Montez, early today left by TWA Constellation plane in Los Angeles, en route to Paris to attend funeral of the actress, who was found dead in her bathtub last Friday.

Despite a plane-side message from French authorities that a French visa had not yet been cleared for her, Consuelo boarded the big Constellation, scheduled to connect with a similar ship in New York tomorrow for the Atlantic crossing. It is expected that clearance will be awaiting the bereaved young woman at Orly Field, Paris.

Officials said Mrs. Carter took off despite last-minute notification from French authorities that she might encounter visa difficulties because of her Dominican Republic citizenship.

She would not comment about her sister's death except to term it a 'terrible tragedy'. 

From Digital Library.

Very special thanbks to @74paris, to @signorinaclaudiacardinale & to @shannendoherty-fans for sharing.

[tina-aumont]

In the same train as Winston Churchill, yesterday evening, at the Lyon station, we could see Jean-Pierre Aumont, Maria Montez, his wife, and their little daughter accompanied by Rex Harrison and Lilli Palmer, his wife, going to Marseille where they will take a part of a new film "Hans Le Marin".

23rd August 1948.

Very special thanks to @74paris for sharing this beautiful photo that comes from ebay.

[tina-aumont]

María Montez married William McFeeters and became Marie McFeeters, 1932.

In 1932, when Maria was 19 years old, she met the Irish banker William MacFeeters and they fell in love despite their age difference (he was nearly 50), they got married the 28th November 1932 when she was 20 in Barahona and lived there for a long time. In the house where they lived she was the perfect hostess as she prepared many good dishes which she served to her guests and which she then taught her mother to prepare. Maria and McFeeters’ house was very close to Maria’s parents’ house.

[María África Gracia Vidal & William MacFeeters wedding certificate, from FamilySearch.org]

One year later of her marriage to William McFeeters, María’s dad, Isidoro Gracia García suddenly passes away although Maria made big efforts to bring a doctor to her parents home. She lived near her mother one more year but by 1934 Maria and William McFeeters change their residence into San Pedro, a little village in Dominican Republic. There, they meet some friends of McFeeters who invited her to the United States. With her husband’s permission, she went and stayed for quite some time, under the name of Maria McFeeters, in fact she was looking for work and worked there for two or three months and returned to San Pedro. Then she went to Barahona where she told his mother that she wanted to divorce McFeeters. There were rumors that Maria wanted to separate because she wanted to go live in the USA but another reason was that he could not have children and she wanted to be a mother. They separated in 1940 but remained friends forever.

Photo and information from “De María África a María Montez, un mito en Technicolor” documentary directed by Jesús Reyes Mota, 2014.

[tina-aumont]

Jean-Pierre Aumont was, this morning, a happy man. He picked up, from Orly airport, his charming wife MARIA MONTEZ and his delicious little girl MARIE-CHRISTINE who arrived from America by Air-France Flight.

The Little family are all smiles at Orly Airport.

17th August 1948.

Photo by Robert Cohen, AGIP.

Very special thanks to @74paris for sharing this great quality photo which comes from ebay.

[tina-aumont]

Beautiful moment in Gypsy Wildcat film (Roy William Neil, 1944) when Carla (portrayed by Maria Montez) hugs very gently a white pigeon.

[tina-aumont]

Yes, visiting Tina Aumont and María Montez grave was a hightlight! I felt them there, with Tina's baby too, it was a special momnet I will never forget. I felt their happiness and joy as they were loved and remembered, they will never be forgotten, never ever!!

And well, I want to tell you a BIG thank YOU cause you are helping me a lot setting María II artistic career! I hope we find more things about her soon!

And yes, it's great when you met people who actually met Tina and her family and they are willing to help just to keep their memories alive, I think it's very important because it helps us to understand the people we admire, to form a complete image of them...

Shannen could write her memories (do you know if she will write a second part?) but Tina couldn't, although she had the idea in mind and in fact started to talk to different writers to set her memories written but it never happened, luckily a poet decided to do it and now we have a beautiful book with nice insights about her that help us to know her better, and I amb lucky to have them and I am double lucky as two people who met Tina (hopefully this year there will be more than two) are sharing their memories with me, I feel I'm touched by some kind of angel cause it's a very special thing, you know?

Well, thank you for your lovely message, have a grat 2024 you too :)

Eleni xoxoxo

Happy new year sweetie!!!

I hope this 2024 brings you good and beautiful posts about Shanen and well, this 2023 was great as we could meet her in person, I hope this 2024 we can meet her again in another convention cause it was great to be there in Paris and hear all the Charmed cast speaking, they were all very nice, it's a beautiful day I hope I'll keep in mind during all my life!!

Meeting your teenage idol is not a thing you do everyday, so...

Well, as I've stated in some of your posts, keep on with this beautiful blog as you show lots of respect, love and admiration towards Shannen and you always want to find the truth and I think your job is important in order to understand better the beautiful actress and how was the press back in the day and how things have changed (well some haven't 😢)

So I hope in this 2024 you find more rarities, clips, films, and pics you can share to all of us, thank you very much for all your hard work here!! :D

Eleni xoxoxoxo

Thank you very much!!!!!

Yes, this time hopefully she comes back to Europe and we can not just take a single photo with her but also some authographs, maybe group photos... that would be awesome, but meeting her last year it was just unbelievable!! If I can't meet her ever again I'm happy that I have already done so!

2023 was special for you too, as you could visit Tina's, her mom¡'s and her baby's grave, and you met interesting people that met her too and share stories and photos, which is really amazing. So I hope in 2024 these keep coming and there's even more!

Keep up your hard work on your Tina Aumont blog, her mum Maria Montez, her cousin Maria Montez II and all the beautiful and strong women of that talented family!

[tina-aumont]

Three photos of Montez sisters taken, according to ebay, in 1943.

In these photos we can see Lucita, Adita, Maria and Consuelo (L-R from the last photo) enjoying some time together. According to ebay these photos were taken in 1943 but as far as I know the beautiful sisters reunited in Hollywood in 1944. María left for Hollywood the July from 1940.

Unknown photographer.

[tina-aumont]

VIVE PARIS!

French Artist JEAN-PIERRE AUMONT arrived in Paris this afternoon with his charming wife, Mexican (?) artist MARIA MONTEZ. Here they are showing their bags at the customs officers, when they arrived at Orly airport.

30 August 1946.

Photos by Robert Cohen, AGIP

Very special thanks to @74paris for sharing these gems that come from ebay.

[tina-aumont]

Tina's beautiful mum!!

Thank you @fuehrer3345 for the shoutout!! :D

Maria Montez in Siren of Atlantis (1949)