Monta Bell(1891-1958)
- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Producer / director/ screenwriter Monta Bell was born on
February 5, 1891, in Washington, DC. He attended public schools there, graduating from Eastern High School. Bell turned to the stage as an actor
after trying his hand at journalism in that city. He was cast by
Charles Chaplin in the great comedian's The Pilgrim (1923), which was Bell's sole
screen appearance as an actor. He worked for Chaplin as an editor
and assistant director before becoming a director in his own right in
1924. He specialized in comedies of manners akin to early Cecil B. DeMille and
Ernst Lubitsch. He directed Greta Garbo in her American film debut, The Torrent (1924), at MGM.
Bell left MGM to take over Paramount's New York City Astoria Studios as head of production. While he was studio chief, Astoria turned out The Marx Brothers' debut film The Cocoanuts (1929). Going back behind the camera, Bell directed comedies and melodramas in the early '30s, the time of the "talkies". He quit directing in 1933 to return full-time to producing. Twelve years later, he directed his final film, China's Little Devils (1945), starring former silent film star Harry Carey.
Monta Bell died on April 4, 1958, in Hollywood, CA.
Bell left MGM to take over Paramount's New York City Astoria Studios as head of production. While he was studio chief, Astoria turned out The Marx Brothers' debut film The Cocoanuts (1929). Going back behind the camera, Bell directed comedies and melodramas in the early '30s, the time of the "talkies". He quit directing in 1933 to return full-time to producing. Twelve years later, he directed his final film, China's Little Devils (1945), starring former silent film star Harry Carey.
Monta Bell died on April 4, 1958, in Hollywood, CA.
