Maria Montez


María África Gracia Vidal, known professionally as Maria Montez, was a Dominican actress who gained fame and popularity in the 1940s starring in a series of filmed-in-Technicolor costume adventure films. Her screen image was that of a seductress, dressed in fanciful costumes and sparkling jewels. She became so identified with these adventure epics that she became known as The Queen of Technicolor. Over her career, Montez appeared in 26 films, 21 of which were made in North America, with the last five being made in Europe.

Early life

Montez was born María África Antonia de Santo Silas Gracia y Vidal in Barahona, Dominican Republic. and was the second of ten children born to Isidoro Gracia y García, a Spaniard, from Garafía, La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain, and Regla María Teresa Vidal y Recio, a Dominican of Criollo descent, although it is unclear how many survived into adulthood. Her paternal grandfather Joaquín Gracia Anadón was originally from Turuel, Aragon who settled the Canaries, the birthplace of her father.
Much of her back story was fictionally created by her publicity writers, who invented a story that her father was a well travelled diplomat who, at one time had been based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. This was to help explain her first marriage to a Northern Irish banker. In truth she was already married before travelling with her husband through France and England before briefly visiting his homeland in 1936. Indeed Belfast didn't have any foreign consulates in the 1930s.
"A finales de 1929, con 17 años, su padre la internó en un colegio de religiosas de Tenerife con la intención de que olvidara a un cincuentón del que se había enamorado. Pero en octubre de 1930, la actriz regresó a su tierra natal y reanudó sus relaciones con el banquero irlandés William G. MacFeeters, con el que terminaría casándose en 1932."

Montez learned English and was educated at a Catholic convent school in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain.

Career

On 3 July 1939, Montez arrived in New York. Her first job, for $50, was for the cover of a magazine.
Montez was spotted by a film talent scout in New York. Her first film was Boss of Bullion City, a Johnny Mack Brown western produced by Universal Pictures. This was the first film where she played a leading role and the only role where she speaks some Spanish.
Her next film role was in The Invisible Woman. It was made for Universal Pictures, who signed her to a long-term contract starting at $150 a week.
She had small decorative roles in two films with the comedy team of Richard Arlen and Andy Devine, Lucky Devils and Raiders of the Desert; the Los Angeles Times said she "was attractive as the oasis charmer" in the latter. She also appeared in Moonlight in Hawaii and Bombay Clipper. She had a small part in That Night in Rio, made at 20th Century Fox.
Universal did not have a "glamour girl" like other studios, an equivalent to Hedy Lamarr, Dorothy Lamour, Betty Grable, Rita Hayworth, or Ann Sheridan. They decided to groom Maria Montez to take on this role, and she received a lot of publicity. Montez was also a keen self-promoter. In the words of The Los Angeles Times "she borrowed an old but sure-fire technique to get ahead in the movies. She acted like a movie star. She leaned on the vampish tradition set up by Nazimova and Theda Bara... She went in heavily for astrology. Her name became synonymous with exotic enchantresses in sheer harem pantaloons." She took on a "star" pose in her private life. One newspaper called her "the best commissary actress in town... In the studio cafe, Maria puts on a real show. Always Maria makes an entrance."
In June 1941 Montez's contract with Universal was renewed. She graduated to leading parts with South of Tahiti, co-starring Brian Donlevy. She also replaced Peggy Moran in the title role of The Mystery of Marie Roget. Public response to South of Tahiti was enthusiastic enough for the studio to cast Montez in her first starring part, Arabian Nights. She claimed in 1942 she was making $250 a week.

''Arabian Nights'' and stardom

Arabian Nights was a prestigious production for Universal, its first shot in three-strip Technicolor, produced by Walter Wanger and starring Montez, Jon Hall, and Sabu. The resulting film was a big hit and established Montez as a star.
Montez wanted to portray Cleopatra, but instead Universal reunited her with Hall and Sabu in White Savage . They went on to make a third film, Cobra Woman. All three were audience favorites.
In 1943 Montez was awarded two medals from the Dominican government for her efforts in promoting friendly relations between the US and her native land.
Universal wanted three more films starring Montez, Hall, and Sabu. Sabu, however, was drafted into the US Army and so was replaced by Turhan Bey in Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Hall, Montez, and Bey were meant to reunite in Gypsy Wildcat, but Bey was required on another film and ended up being replaced by Peter Coe. Sudan starred Montez, Hall, and Bey, with Bey as Montez's romantic interest this time.
Flame of Stamboul was another proposed Hall-Bey-Montez film but it was postponed. Universal also announced that Montez would play Elisabeth of Austria in The Golden Fleece, based on a story by Bertita Harding, but it was never made. She did appear in Follow the Boys, Universal's all-star musical, and Bowery to Broadway.
In 1944 Montez said that the secret to her success was that she was
sexy but sweet...I am very easy to get along with. I am very nice. I have changed a lot during the last year. I have outgrown my old publicity. I used to say and do things to shock people. That was how I became famous. But now it is different. First the public likes you because you're spectacular. But after it thinks you are a star it wants you to be nice. Now I am a star, I am nice.

Conflicts with Universal

Montez said she was "tired of being a fairy tale princess all the time" and wanted to learn to act. She fought with Universal for different, more varied parts.
"Sudan is making more money than the others and Universal thinks on that account I should appear in more of these films", she said. "But I want to quit these films when they are at a peak, not on the downbeat. It isn't only that the pictures are all the same, but the stories are one just like the other."
Montez was suspended for refusing the lead in Frontier Gal; her role was taken by Yvonne De Carlo, who had become a similar sort of star like Montez and began to supplant the latter's position at the studio.
In 1946 Montez visited France with Aumont and both became excited about the prospect of making films there. In particular, Aumont negotiated rights to the book Wicked City and Jean Cocteau wanted to make a film with both. Aumont says they were determined to get out of their respective contracts in Hollywood and move to France.
Universal put Montez in a modern-day story, Tangier, an adaptation of Flame of Stamboul; it reunited her with Sabu, although not with Jon Hall, who was by then serving in the US Army. There was some talk Montez would star in The Golden Fleece project, produced independently with Aumont co-starring. The King Brothers reportedly offered her $150,000 plus 20% of the profits to appear in The Hunted. Neither film was made. Instead Montez appeared in a Technicolor western for Universal, Pirates of Monterey with Rod Cameron.
In February 1947 she and Aumont started filming a fantasy adventure, Siren of Atlantis for a fee of 100,000. In April she was borrowed by Douglas Fairbanks Jr. to appear in the sepia-toned swashbuckler The Exile, directed by Max Ophüls, produced by Fairbanks but released by Universal. Fairbanks Jr. says Montez wanted to play the role over the objections of Universal; she later insisted on top billing despite the small nature of the role. In August 1947 Universal refused to pick up their option on Montez' contract, and she went freelance. Montez sued Universal for $250,000 over the billing issue; the matter was settled out of court. In February 1948 Universal reported Montez has earned $78,375 that year.

Freelance career

In 1947 Hedda Hopper announced Montez and her husband would make The Red Feather about Jean Lafitte. She was also announced for Queen of Hearts, this time not the Elizabeth of Austria project but an adaptation of a European play by Louis Verneuil, Cousin from Warsaw. Neither film was made.
Siren of Atlantis ended up requiring re-shoots and was not fully released until 1949. It proved unsuccessful at the box office in the US. Montez later successfully sued the producer for $38,000 in unpaid contractual funds.
Montez endorsed Max Factor Cosmetics, Jergens Lotion, Deltah Pearls, Lux Soap, and Woodbury Powder.

European career

Montez and Aumont formed their own production company, Christina Productions. They moved to a home in Suresnes, Île-de-France in the western suburb of Paris, under the French Fourth Republic. According to Aumont, they were going to star in Orpheus, which Aumont says Jean Cocteau wrote for him and Montez. However, the filmmaker decided to use other actors instead.
In July 1948 Montez and Aumont made Wicked City for Christina Productions with Villiers directing and Aumont contributing to the script. It was one of the first US-French co productions after the Second World War. Christina provided the services of Aumont, Montez, and Lilli Palmer; in exchange Christina's share would be paid off first out of US receipts.
Aumont had begun writing plays and Montez appeared in the one-woman production, L'lle Heureuse ; reviews were poor, however. Her next film was Portrait of an Assassin, which was meant to feature Orson Welles but ended up co-starring Arletty and Erich von Stroheim.
In September 1949 it was announced Montez would make The Queen of Sheba with Michael Redgrave for director François Villiers; the film was not made, however.
Montez appeared in an Italian swashbuckler, The Thief of Venice, with a Hollywood director, John Brahm. Again in Italy, she was in Love and Blood, followed by another co-starring her husband, Revenge of the Pirates. This would be the last feature she ever made.
Montez also wrote three books, two of which were published, as well as penning a number of poems.
At the time of her untimely death, Montez's US agent, Louis Shurr, was planning her return to Hollywood to appear in a new film, Last Year's Show, to be made for Fidelity Pictures.