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 United Kingdom.
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".
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.[citation needed]
Death
Banks held dual Italian and American citizenship.[citation needed] 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]
French comic artist Louis Forton created a 1925-1927 celebrity comic, Ploum, of which the title character was physically modelled after Monty Banks. [11]
