Monty Banks

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 Britain.

Monty Banks
Born
Mario Bianchi

(1897-07-18)18 July 1897
Cesena, 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)​

    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 sound films, Banks's strong Italian accent forced him to phase out his acting career in favor of working as a 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.

    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 Gracie Fields in 1935, subsequently directing her in four of her films, and they married in March 1940.[7] As an Italian national, he would have been classified as an 'enemy alien' in Britain during World War II. Consequently, he and Fields left the UK for Canada initially, and then the neutral United States in order to prevent his internment.[8] Italian American internment also came into place in the United States during 1941 and 1942, affecting thousands of Italians, but this was eventually relaxed.

    Death

    Banks held dual Italian and American citizenship. 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. "Monty Banks, 52, Screen Director". The New York Times. Associated Press. 9 January 1950. p. 20. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
    2. Robert S. Birchard (2015). Monty Banks: A Filmography 1920–1924. CreateSpace. pp. 1–72. 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. "Actress leaps to death". The New York Times. 10 March 1939. p. 19. ProQuest 102812231. Retrieved 8 January 2021 – via ProQuest.
    7. Gracie Fields (1960). Sing As We Go. Frederick Muller Limited. 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
    • Birchard, Robert S. (2015). Monty Banks: A Filmography 1920–1924. Seattle: CreateSpace. pp. 1–72. ISBN 978-1511695817.
    • Fields, Gracie (1960). Sing As We Go. London: Frederick Muller Limited. pp. 1–228. ISBN 1245763555.
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