Synopses & Reviews
He was a 1930s golf legend and Hollywood trickster who adamantly refused to be photographed. He never played professionally, yet sports-writing legend Grantland Rice still heralded him as “the greatest golfer in the world.” Then, in 1937, the secrets of John Montagues past were exposedleading to a sensational trial that captivated the nation.
From three-time New York Times bestselling author Leigh Montville
John Montague was a boisterous enigma. He had a bagful of golf tricks, on and off the course. He could chip a ball across a room into a highball glass, and knock a bird off a wire from 170 yardsand when the big man arrived in Hollywood in the early 1930s, he quickly became a celebrity among celebrities. He lived for a time with Oliver Hardy (whom he could lift, one-handed, onto the country club bar) and played golf with everyone from Howard Hughes and W. C. Fields to Babe Ruth and his close friend Bing Crosby, whom he famously beat while playing only with a rake, a shovel, and a bat. Yet strangely Montague never entered a professional tournament, and in a town that thrived on publicity, he never allowed his image to be captured on film.
The reasons became clear when a Time magazine photographer snapped his picture with a telephoto lens … and police in upstate New York quickly recognized Montague as a fugitive wanted for armed robbery. As Montague was indicted in the tiny upstate town of Jay, New York, hordes of national media descended and turned a star-studded legal carnival into the most talked about trial of its day – the trial of “the Mysterious Montague.”
From the glamour of 1930s Hollywood, to John Montagues extraordinary skill and triumphs on the golf course, to the shady world of Adirondack rumrunners and bootleggers, three-time New York Times bestselling author Leigh Montville captures a man and an era with extraordinary color, verve, and energy. The Mysterious Montague is Leigh Montvilles most entertaining achievement to date.
Synopsis
John Montague had a bagful of golf tricks. He could chip balls into a hammock hung on a balcony and pick a bird off a wire at 170 yards. When he arrived in Hollywood in the early 1930s, he quickly became a celebrity among celebrities. He lived for a time with Oliver Hardy and played golf with everyone from Howard Hughes to W.C. Fields to Bing Crosby, his close friend, whom he famously beat while playing with only a rake, a shovel, and a bat. Yet strangely, Montague never entered a professional golf tournament—and in a town that thrived on publicity, he remained conspicuously silent about his lavish lifestyle and absolutely refused to be photographed.
The reasons became clear when Time magazine published his picture...and police in upstate New York instantly recognized him as a fugitive wanted for armed robbery—and his name was not John Montague. The trial of the “Mysterious Montague” was held in a tiny upstate New York town, attracted hordes of national media, and became the most talked-about trial of its day.
From the glamour of 1930s Hollywood to Montague’s tricks and triumphs on the golf course, to the shady world of Adirondack bootleggers and rumrunners, Leigh Montville captures a man and his era with the verve and energy that have made his books major national bestsellers.
About the Author
LEIGH MONTVILLE is a former columnist at the Boston Globe and former senior writer at Sports Illustrated. He is the author of five books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth, Ted Williams: The Biography of an American Hero, and At the Altar of Speed: The Fast Life and Tragic Death of Dale Earnhardt. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.