Though most people today may remember Ricardo Montalbán for his work on television—Star Trek and Fantasy Island, to name a few—he first came to fame under contract at MGM in the 1940s and ’50s in roles that touted him as a handsome “exotic” type, a kind of Ramon Novarro or Rudy Valentino for the postwar set. Throughout his film career, he starred in a variety of romances, comedies, noirs, and westerns, and that section of his life is the subject of a new classic film screening series at the historic Hollywood theater that now bears his name: The Montalbán, at Hollywood and Vine.
The series kicks off on Monday, June 9 with On an Island With You, a musical comedy where Montalbán stars alongside Esther Williams, Peter Lawford, Jimmy Durante, Cyd Charisse, and the Xavier Cugat Orchestra. The full schedule of Mondays at the Montalbán screenings, as announced so far, will include:
- Monday, June 9: On an Island With You
- Monday, June 16: Right Cross, with June Allyson and Dick Powell
- Monday, June 23: Fiesta, another of his three collaborations with Williams, who this time plays his twin sister
- Monday, June 30: Border Incident, a film noir set at the US-Mexico border
Tickets are a $15 donation, and can be purchased ahead of time online (with a $2.26 service charge) or at the door. Discounted tickets ($4.75 – $10.50, including fees) also appear to be available for the first screening on Goldstar. All screenings start at 7:30pm, with doors opening at 7pm. Check out the Montalbán’s website for more information.
If classic movies aren’t quite your scene (in which case I’m not quite sure what you’re doing here), the Montalbán is also now offering rooftop dance lessons on Monday nights, in case you’d like some variety in your life.