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Monty Banks
Montague (Monty) Banks (born Mario Bianchi; 18 July 1897 – 7 January 1950) was a 20th century Italian-born American comedian, film actor, director and producer who achieved success in the US and UK.
Banks was born Mario Bianchi in Cesena, Italy. In 1914, Bianchi emigrated to the US.
He initially performed 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, 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. Banks was seriously injured after being roped to the back of a car and dragged down a cliff face.
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. Credited as Montague Banks, he directed Laurel and Hardy in their film Great Guns.
By the 1930s, he had relocated to the UK 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 such as Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Edmund Gwenn and Margaret Lockwood.
Banks subsequently became an associate producer at 20th Century Fox.[citation needed]
In his hometown Cesena, the foundation Aula Didattica Monty Banks was created in his honor. It is "an initiative promoted by the municipality, the course is open to all and provides the opportunity to create videos".
Monty Banks
Montague (Monty) Banks (born Mario Bianchi; 18 July 1897 – 7 January 1950) was a 20th century Italian-born American comedian, film actor, director and producer who achieved success in the US and UK.
Banks was born Mario Bianchi in Cesena, Italy. In 1914, Bianchi emigrated to the US.
He initially performed 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, 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. Banks was seriously injured after being roped to the back of a car and dragged down a cliff face.
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. Credited as Montague Banks, he directed Laurel and Hardy in their film Great Guns.
By the 1930s, he had relocated to the UK 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 such as Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Edmund Gwenn and Margaret Lockwood.
Banks subsequently became an associate producer at 20th Century Fox.[citation needed]
In his hometown Cesena, the foundation Aula Didattica Monty Banks was created in his honor. It is "an initiative promoted by the municipality, the course is open to all and provides the opportunity to create videos".
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