(Courtesy of Patrick Curtis)

Above are the 5 Texas Rangers, one of whom would turn out to be the masked rider of the plains, in THE LONE RANGER (Republic, 1938) serial.  From L-to-R are Lee Powell, George Letz (Montgomery), Wally Wales (Hal Taliaferro), Lane Chandler and Herman Brix (Bruce Bennett).

In 1939, while under contract to 20th Century Fox, he starred in two remakes of Zane Grey Westerns, LAST OF THE DUANES and RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE. Soon he was starring in major productions with some of the most important figures in Hollywood: ORCHESTRA WIVES with Glenn Miller, TEN GENTLEMEN FROM WEST POINT with Maureen O'Hara, CHINA GIRL with Gene Tierney, ROXIE HART with Ginger Rogers, CONEY ISLAND with Betty Grable, and many others.

From L-to-R are Mary Beth Hughes, Montgomery, Fuzzy Knight and Alan Mowbray in THE COWBOY AND THE BLONDE (20th Century Fox, 1941).

In 1943, Montgomery's career was put on hold, when he joined the Army Air Corps. That same year, he married singer/actress, Dinah Shore.  George and Dinah were married for nearly twenty years, and they had a daughter and son, Melissa and John.

Upon his return from World War II duty, he appeared in several more films for 20th Century Fox. He then became one of Hollywood's first and most successful free lance actors, gravitating toward Westerns and action/adventure productions. He was soon established as one of the industry's top Western Stars and box office draws.

(Courtesy of Les Adams) Above, the buckskinned Montgomery with Brenda Marshall in THE IROQUOIS TRAIL (UA, 1950). (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from L-to-R are Howard Wright, Montgomery, and Karin Booth in the Sam Katzman produced SEMINOLE UPRISING (Columbia, 1955).

His hobbies of architecture and designing and crafting furniture for Hollywood friends soon expanded. He established a cabinet shop and worked with as many as 20 carpenters and cabinetmakers for nearly 40 years. At the same time he continued to direct and star in at least six films a year.

A true Renaissance man and art collector for many years, influenced by the great work of Charles Russell and the sculpture of fellow Montanan, Bob Scriver, George began creating sculpture himself. A self-taught artist, he has made bronze sculpture of fellow actors Randolph Scott, Clint Eastwood and Ronald Reagan. In 1976, he completed a bronze of John Wayne for an ABC TV Wayne tribute. It was followed by other trophies: the Ralph Morgan Award for the Screen Actors Guild, Fairplex's Ralph M. Hinds Pomona Invitational Handicap Award, and the Hollywood Westerners Hall of Fame, Ronald Reagan Award. This last award was recently presented by George to the Queen of the West, Dale Evans Rogers, who's first film role was with George in ORCHESTRA WIVES.

He recently completed heroic sized bronze statues of two of Palm Springs' favorite people, Charlie Farrell and Dinah Shore. Farrell's tennis playing likeness greets visitors who arrive at Palm Springs Airport. Dinah's is prominently displayed at Mission Hills Country Club, home of the world famous Nabisco-Dinah Shore Golf Tournament.

George passed away on December 12, 2000.

(Courtesy of Patrick Curtis)

George with daughter Melissa and son John.

George (what a great smile) with Ann Lindberg, his companion and love for the past twenty years.

(Courtesy of Patrick Curtis)

(Courtesy of Patrick Curtis)

George sandwiched between two old pals, Patrick Curtis on the left and John Bianchi (of Bianchi Gun Leather fame) on the right.

The Motion Picture Herald and Boxoffice polls were conducted from about the mid 1930s through the mid 1950s.  With a few exceptions, the annual results would list the 'Top Ten' (or 'Top Five') cowboy film stars.  In most cases, the winners were what you would expect --- Autry, Rogers, Holt, Starrett, Hoppy, etc.  George Montgomery was ranked during the end of the B western era in the Boxoffice poll.

George Montgomery Filmography Westerns and Serials only Special thanks to Les Adams for providing this filmography

(Courtesy of Vern Knuckles, Dale Crawford & Jim Sorensen)

Thanks to Jim Sorensen, Dale Crawford and Vern Knuckles for the photo of the tribute marker for George Montgomery at the Palm Springs Mortuary and Mausoleum, Cathedral City, California.

Jim Tipton's Find A Grave website has a photo of the marker for Montgomery at the Highland Cemetery, Great Falls, Montana: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6261001

The Obits.com website has info on Montgomery: http://obits.com/montgomerygeorge.html

  Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has information on George Montgomery.  Click HERE.

Amos Stevens has a fansite on Montgomery: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/georgemontgomery/

Brian's Drive-In Theater site has a Montgomery section: http://www.briansdriveintheater.com/georgemontgomery.html

The Palm Springs Desert Museum, Palm Springs, California, has an exhibit of Montgomery's furniture and art: http://www.psmuseum.org/exhibitions/permart.htm