John Gilbert: The Last of the Silent Film Stars by Eve Golden

John Gilbert's ex-wife Leatrice Joy compared him to mercury, but he was never swift enough to outrun his demons. In "John Gilbert: Last of the Silent Film Stars," Eve Golden gives us story of a great star whose fall was legendary.

The story of John Gilbert, in some form or another, has always been with us. Is he Don Lockwood in "Singin' in the Rain"? Is he George Valentin in "The Artist"? Rumors and conspiracy theories have never been laid to rest. Was his romance with Garbo manufactured by MGM? Did MGM sabotage his career? Eve Golden takes on the mercurial "Great Lover" of the silent screen and paints a detailed portrait of a man whose worst enemy was himself.

1923- Gilbert without his signature mustache when
he was known as Jack Gilbert (with Bebe Daniels in "St. Elmo")

Gilbert's story is well-known - or is it? He peppered his own history with many half-truths not, as some actors do to make their pasts prettier, but to make it even uglier. His mother was a stock company actress. They lived an itinerant life, moving from place to place. While his mother may not have won any awards as mother of the year, Golden claims she was not the abusive whore Gilbert claims that she was. Nevertheless, poor John Gilbert grew up with a sense that the world had robbed him of his just due, a feeling that never left him no matter how much fame was heaped upon him.

Gilbert paid his dues, starting as an extra with the Ince Studios in 1915. He served a long apprenticeship before signing with MGM and reaching stardom in 1924 with a string of hits that began with "His Hour," "He Who Gets Slapped," "The Merry Widow," and, most importantly, "The Big Parade."

Gilbert and Mae Murray in "The Merry Widow," a big hit for MGM and Gilbert

The tales of the making of "The Merry Widow" never fail to amuse. Gilbert actually comes off as Mr. Cool compared to the volatile personalities of Mae Murray and director Erich Von Stroheim, but he did have his moments, at one point stalking off the set and claiming to have quit the film.  Mae's account of running naked after him through the MGM parking lot (in only her tiny size 4 slippers) grew over they years. it seems that would have been a memorable sight, but no one but Mae seemed to remember it that way. Well, Mae was never one to let the facts stand in the way of a good story!

Gilbert and frequent co-star Renee Adoree in "The Big Parade"

These films cemented Gilbert's fame, not only as a romantic leading man, but as an actor of substance. He was MGM's biggest star. Yet, he was unhappy with his scripts, the quality of the filming and his treatment by his employer. Worse, he continuously groused to the press, raising the ire of studio boss Louis B. Mayer. He was perceived as an ingrate and Mayer was not entirely wrong. It is amazing to see how perpetually dissatisfied Gilbert was when he had achieved so much. His public moaning is hard to sympathize with and he tweaked the noses of many studio big wigs while he was riding high. This arrogance would come back to haunt him later.

Garbo and Gilbert set the screen on fire in "Flesh and the Devil"

1926 found Gilbert paired with MGM newcomer Greta Garbo in "Flesh and the Devil." He was top billed, but Garbo's star was rising. Their chemistry ignited the screen and spilled over into their private lives, as well. There has always been much speculation about the Garbo-Gilbert romance. Was it real or was it cooked up by the studio? Louise Brooks (who never met a conspiracy she didn't agree with when it came to Hollywood) thought it was manufactured to cover up Garbo's lesbianism, but it seems unlikely that the very private and shy Garbo would have gone along with such a sham. On the other hand, the stories of a planned wedding and the flowery love prose propagated by the purple press (mainly by Adela Rogers St. John), seems not to have been true, either. Instead, Golden gives us a story of 2 people who were in love for a time, one a little more than the other. Garbo and Gilbert made 3 silents together, all tremendous hits for both stars and their studio.

A rare outing for the lovebirds

Throughout the silent era, Gilbert was unstoppable. And then it all came to a crashing halt. He had signed a tremendous contact with MGM (which rankled Mayer) before the advent of sound and suddenly, he became an albatross around the studio's neck. Sound revealed his voice to be adequate, if a little thin and affected, but certainly not the high squeak of legend. However, his film persona, the great lover, became ridiculous overnight. Just as Chaplin knew his Little Tramp could never speak, the great lover needed to be silent. Dialogue like "I love you, I love you, I love you" repeated over and over again made Gilbert a figure of ridicule. One can only wonder what would have happened to Valentino had he lived.

Did MGM sabotage his career? Golden thinks not, but his past behavior made many loathe to help him. Clearly, the studio did not know what to do with John Gilbert once sound took over Hollywood. He belonged to an era of screen gods and goddesses. More down to earth stars like Cagney and Harlow and Gable were making the grade. Plus, Gilbert's salary was so large that it prohibited the studio from giving him a leading lady of real stature in any of his early sound films. After a string of fair to lousy films, he finally parted company with MGM in 1933. It was a bitter parting, as he had burned all bridges and alienated most friends.

Queen Christina: only Garbo's name above the title

But, he didn't stay away long. Garbo, who had survived the transition from silents to sound, requested him for her co-star in "Queen Christina." A young Laurence Olivier had originally been signed for the part of Christina's Spanish lover, but he proved inadequate. In a backward looking gesture to an old love and a glorious time, Garbo requested Gilbert and MGM agreed. The picture was a hit, but did little for Gilbert. He made one more forgettable film for Columbia.

During this period of decline, Gilbert systematically continued to drink himself to death. His marriages to Olivia Burwell, Leatrice Joy, Ina Claire and Virginia Bruce all ended in divorce. At the end, Marlene Dietrich attempted to help him both personally and professionally, but it was too late. At age 38 (in 1936), the bright star of John Gilbert burned and crashed when he died of a heart attack.

Eve Golden's "John Gilbert: The Last of the Silent Film Stars," is available at Amazon.

Gilbert's daughter, Leatrice Gilbert Fountain, has also written a loving tribute to her father, called "Dark Star." It, too, is available at Amazon.

It is my good luck that Turner Classic Movies is running a John Gilbert marathon this Wednesday, July 10th (his birthday). My DVR is set. Please take some time to get to know this important and tragic star.

6:30 AM	BARDELYS THE MAGNIFICENT (1926)
	A notorious womanizer falls for the woman he has bet he can trick into marriage. Dir: King Vidor Cast:  John Gilbert , Eleanor Boardman , Roy D'Arcy . BW-90 mins, TV-PG,
8:15 AM	SHOW, THE (1927)
	In this silent film, a sideshow dancer secretly loves the show's amoral barker. Dir: Tod Browning Cast:  John Gilbert , Renée Adorée , Lionel Barrymore . BW-76 mins, TV-14,
9:45 AM	WOMAN OF AFFAIRS, A (1928)
	Prejudice keeps a free spirit from the man she loves, triggering a series of tragedies. Dir: Clarence Brown Cast:  Greta Garbo , John Gilbert , Lewis Stone . BW-91 mins, TV-PG,
11:30 AM	DESERT NIGHTS (1929)
	In this silent film, diamond robbers get caught in a violent sandstorm. Dir: William Nigh Cast:  John Gilbert , Ernest Torrence , Mary Nolan . BW-62 mins, TV-G,
12:45 PM	REDEMPTION (1930)
	A man thought dead returns to find his wife has built a new life. Dir: Fred Niblo Cast:  John Gilbert , Renée Adorée , Conrad Nagel . BW-65 mins, TV-G,
2:00 PM	WAY FOR A SAILOR (1930)
	A devoted sailor jeopardizes his love life for love of the sea. Dir: Sam Wood Cast:  John Gilbert , Wallace Beery , Jim Tully . BW-85 mins, TV-G,
3:30 PM	PHANTOM OF PARIS, THE (1931)
	A magician is charged with killing his fiancee's father. Dir: John S. Robertson Cast:  John Gilbert , Leila Hyams , Lewis Stone . BW-74 mins, TV-PG,
5:00 PM	WEST OF BROADWAY (1931)
	A millionaire doesn't remember getting married but can't forget how much he hates his new wife. Dir: Harry Beaumont Cast:  John Gilbert , El Brendel , Lois Moran . BW-67 mins, TV-G, CC,
6:30 PM	CAPTAIN HATES THE SEA, THE (1934)
	A bond thief, a private eye and a drunken reporter wreak havoc on an ocean voyage. Dir: Lewis Milestone Cast:  Victor McLaglen , Wynne Gibson , Alison Skipworth . BW-85 mins, TV-G, CC,

Gilbert heats it up with newcomer Joan Crawford in 1927's "Twelve Miles Out."

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The Lina Lamont Fan Club: We Will Not Rest!

Greetings from the Lina Lamont Fan Club!

Yes, loyal fans, we are still here. No matter how hard her enemies try to destroy her legacy, Lina Lamont's fans will not rest until the truth is known and Lina is awarded her proper place in the history of film.

He could too talk!

Just as John Gilbert's legacy was harmed by those who sought to destroy him, Lina's reputation has suffered. For those not familiar with Mr. Gilbert, he was a huge star whose career was destroyed when his enemies made his perfectly adequate voice seem inadequate when talkies changed movies forever. Once the great lover of Greta Garbo, Gilbert made powerful enemies and - poof! -  bad sound, bad scripts, good-bye. Garbo, on the other hand, had scripts tailor-made to her vocal abilities and the best directors, sets, co-stars and costumes. Funny how that happened.

Lina's story is not unlike that of John Gilbert. From 1923 - 1929, Lina Lamont was Monumental Pictures biggest and brightest star. Women copied her and men longer for her. She especially excelled in historical romances and, once paired with Don Lockwood, was one half of a screen duo that rivaled the aforementioned Garbo and Gilbert. During the height of her popularity, Lina received more fan mail than Swanson and graced the covers of more magazines than Bow and Brooks - put together!

Garbo and Gilbert could not compare to Lockwood and Lamont

Naturally, Lina was Monumental's highest paid star. When talking pictures took over, the "masterminds" (as Norma Desmond called them) saw a way to force Lina to take a giant cut in pay. They did virtually nothing to prepare her for talking pictures, giving her only a few lessons with a half-baked vocal coach. MGM not only gave Garbo time to get up to sound speed, but also waited until they found just the right screenplay for her talkie debut ("Anna Christie"). Poor Lina was forced to transition at the snap of a finger from the silent "The Dueling Cavalier" to "The Dancing Cavalier," which showcased the much lower-paid Lockwood's strengths and set the stage for Kathy Selden, the chippie who was sleeping with the star, to claw her way to the top on Lina's back.

Lina had a perfectly lovely speaking voice that
 was manipulated by Monumental Pictures

Lina was also falsely accused of being a "dumb blonde." Lina was a high school graduate with straight "B"s. Her business savvy was legendary. In fact, Mary Pickford was known to admire Lina's negotiating tactics.  But besides being Monumental's highest paid and most glamorous star, Lina also had a keen, inventive mind. Not many people know this, but Lina Lamont was the real inventor of the internet. 

Lina loved to keep current with the likes of gossip columnist Dora Bailey

Others stole the credit, but those who know Lina's keen interest in electronics and gossip know that she was in the forefront of merging technology with up to the minute information. Even today, the 512 x 512 pixel standard test image is known as a "Lena." Coincidence? We think not.

Fans of fashion know Lina as one of the best dressed stars in Hollywood. Whether it be in a period romance, as in this sumptuous costume from "The Royal Rascal,"

or this chic and modern monkey-fur trimmed jacked, Lina knew how to accessorize and always looked better than any star in the room.

So, here's to you, Lina Lamont. Your fans still love you and will never rest until you have been recognized as the ultimate shimmering, glowing star in the cinema firmament.

Lina and whats-his-name

They have rediscovered Louise Brooks. Now it's time for a Lina Lamont revival!

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John Gilbert: The Artist

This is my contribution to the "Gone Too Soon" Blogathon, hosted by Comet Over Hollywood ,where you can see the complete line-up of tributes to those stars who left us too soon.

John Gilbert was a silent screen star whose specialty was hot-house, throbbing romance. He was a great star in the 1920s who, with the advent of sound, crashed and burned and sunk steadily into despair and ruin.

Sound familiar? If you have seen the movie "The Artist," it will. The many similarities between Gilbert and George Valentin are obvious, right down to the  pencil mustache, the subsequent alcoholic despair and even his act of writing his own film. However, like all legends, while there is a grain of truth to them, they leave out so much. And so it is with John Gilbert. 

John Gilbert had an ugly youth. Born John Cecil Pringle in 1897, his father was an absent comic actor and his mother an actress in touring companies. The hard life of living hand to mouth with his mother gave him an early awareness of the grittier side of life, but Jack, as he was often called, was filed with determination to get into the movies. By the time he was a teenager, he was working in Hollywood, both as an unknown actor and as a writer of screenplays. His first big break came in a 1919 Mary Pickford film called "Heart 'o the Hills" as one of Mary's handsome young suitors.

John Gilbert: With and Without His Mustache

From there it was a steady climb. Signed by Fox Studios, Jack Gilbert became John Gilbert and began evolving into a dashing leading man. One of the highlights of his Fox period is "Cameo Kirby." Based on the Booth Tarkington play, Gilbert sports his famous mustache, which transformed his looks from good to devastatingly handsome. During this time he married his second wife, actress Leatrice Joy.

In 1924, Gilbert moved from Fox to MGM and began the most successful period of his career. Full-fledged stardom was achieved with "His Hour," the type of florid romantic film that Gilbert would become famous for. As the Russian nobleman who makes love to Aileen Pringle, women swooned and an American Valentino emerged as a major Hollywood heart throb. A string of hugely successful films followed ("The Snob", "He Who Gets Slapped", "La Boheme", "The Merry Widow"), but Gilbert got the chance of a lifetime in 1925 as the WWI soldier of King Vidor's "The Big Parade."

As the soldier who learns about life, suffers the horrors or war and falls in love with a French girl, Gilbert proved he was more that a smoldering glance. The picture was an instant classic and he received rave reviews for his performance. However, more films like "The Big Parade," were not in Gilbert's future. The public wanted Gilbert the lover.

GarBert/GilBo

One of the things Gilbert is remembered for today is being one half of one of Hollywood's hottest romances. In 1926 Gilbert was divorced from Leatrice Joy and was assigned to a film called "Flesh and the Devil," starring none other than Greta Garbo. By all accounts, their eyes met, sparks flew and the rest was history. Dubbed "GarBert" or "GilBo" by the press (what, you though Bennifer or Brangelina was a first?) they were hot copy. This, of course, did not please the reticent Miss Garbo, who refused to commit. She would eventually leave him at the alter.

While they were a couple they made three successful romantic films: "Flesh and the Devil," "Love" and "A Woman of Affairs." All presented the lovers as ultra romantic beings who lived in a world of love we mere mortals can only imagine. This was the image that the public had of John Gilbert and it raised him to unimaginable heights and also caused his ultimate demise.

Silent screen stars were rarely viewed as "real folks." They lived and loved on a Mount Olympus called Hollywood that had only a passing resemblance to the world the audience knew. Movie stars loved more passionately, felt more deeply and generally experienced life more powerfully than the rest of us. That was the great art of the silent screen - to make the make-believe believable. And John Gilbert was one of its greatest artists. He was the romantic lover supreme.

It all went bad for John Gilbert so suddenly. First, Garbo finally put an end to the affair. On the rebound, he married the great stage star, Ina Claire. This union did not last. His relationship with studio boss Louis B. Mayer had reached toxic proportions and the new talking pictures caused concern. Gilbert's voice was light, but certainly acceptable. Here he is in 1929's "Hollywood Review." He and Norma Shearer (directed by Lionel Barrymore) perform the balcony scene from "Romeo and Juliet," as well as a modern jazz-age version for laughs. He is handsome, charming and very much at ease.

Unfortunately, "His Glorious Night" was making the rounds and did him in. This is the film so wickedly parodied in "Singing in the Rain." It's not Gilbert's voice that is wrong, but the repeated "I love you, I love you, I love you"s that caused laughter in the theaters. And when a heart throb is laughed at, well, the end is near. Gilbert was undone, not by his voice, but by the passing of his creation, the great lover. The great lover persona was never meant for sound. Valentino, had he not died, might well have met the same fate. Fairbanks, whose persona was also larger than life, was dealt a similar career-ending blow.

From then on, nothing seemed to work for John Gilbert. He gave a good performance in "Downstairs," a film written by him in which he played a cad to good advantage (he married his co-star, Virginia Bruce, but that union also ended in divorce). He then got a monumental chance when Garbo asked for him as her co-star in "Queen Christina." The film was successful, Garbo was applauded for her magnificent portrayal, and Gilbert got good notices, but it did little for his career. There was nothing wrong with John Gilbert except that too many new sound actors were in the forefront and there was no longer any room in Depression America for the grand, fantasy-image of The Great Lover.

After "Queen Christina," Gilbert made one more film, "The Captain Hates the Sea." In 1936, drinking heavily and in the midst of a love affair with Marlene Dietrich, John Gilbert suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 38. Gone too soon.

John Gilbert's daughter, Leatrice Gilbert Fountain, has done much to set the record straight regarding her famous father. She continues to promote the revival of his films and is the author of "Dark Star, the Untold Story of the Meteoric Rise and Fall of Legendary Silent Screen Star John Gilbert."

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Star Transformations: This Does not JUST Happen!

Sometimes - a lot of times - most times - okay, all the time - when I look in the mirror I get very downhearted. It seems as though it takes a lot of product and effort to get me together to face the world and the results are not very encouraging. No matter how hard I try, I never look like a star. But then I remember that a star did not always look like a star. I'd like to think that, with a team of industrial strength beauticians giving me the Star Treatment, the same results could be achieved for me and I could be transformed from a caterpillar to a butterfly.

Here are a few that needed just a little assistance to achieve that "extra" something:

Greta Garbo:
Before the Star Treatment

No so impressive, is she?

After the Star Treatment:

Much better, no?

Marlene Dietrich:
Before the Star Treatment

Umm...not quite.....

After the Star Treatment

There she is!

The Star Treatment is not just reserved for foreign actresses who might not have the advantages of American Glamor. Here are a few American gals who needed the Treatment:

Joan Crawford:

Before the Star Treatment:

Not her best look

After the Star Treatment

Glamor Puss

Lana Turner:

Before the Star Treatment

(Yes - she needed a little assistance)

to go from this.....

to this!

Rita Hayworth
Even a goddess needs a hand. Before the Star Treatment:

 a pretty enough girl

After the Star Treatment

They did a good job with this one!

The guys are not immune to a make-over, either. A good haircut (both head and facial) as well eye makeup and lighting can do wonders.

John Gilbert
Before the Star Treatment

an ordinary fellow

After the Star Treatment

Wow!

Clark Gable:
Before the Star Treatment

Not bad, but not quite  royalty

After the Star Treatment

His Majesty, The King

James Cagney
Before The Star Treatment

Not so tough...

After the Star treatment. As Lady Gaga can tell you, a little eye makeup can make you look fierce...

You've got my attention!

Even Lassie needed some help!
Before the Star Treatment:

No one is immune to a bad hair day

After the groomer works his magic

Ready for my close-up!

So, I face each day looking like a "before" picture, but I just know that if MGM would send those beauticians to my house and follow me all day with the proper lighting, I, too, could look like a star!

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Silent Films: It's Personal

Watching a silent film is an intensely personal experience. No matter how many people are with you in the theater (if you are lucky enough to see one in a theater), you are truly alone in the dark. You are alone with your thoughts, your dreams, the (imagined) sound of a voice, the throb of your heart. The right music casts an even larger spell and you are carried away on an internal magic carpet ride. Norma Desmond was only half right when she said they had the eyes of the whole wide world. The marriage of film and silence created a portal to a pure and primitive place in the viewer's consciousness.

The unspoken longing, the secret desire, the private passion, these belong to the owner in their most perfect form. Once spoken and shared they cannot be altered. The internal has found a voice and the spell is broken.The silent film enlists the viewer in a very intimate partnership. Each viewer's interpretation of the images on the screen is slightly different, colored by each individual's inner landscape.The personal ideal of love, beauty, humor and heartbreak is added.  One gives life to the other.  No one's experience can be exactly the same.If sound films are prose (beautiful, passionate, exquisite, hilarious prose), then silents are poetry.

The language of silent film is not our native tongue anymore. If you ended up living in a country where the language was not the one you grew up learning and speaking, most likely, no matter how expert you become, it will always feel slightly foreign. You might even think first in your native language and speak in your adopted one. And so, watching a silent film today requires a bit of adjustment. As viewers, we are not used to being asked to fill in the blanks. Silents requires you to strip yourself of all self-consciousness and delve into your inner realm. 

I invite you to spend 10 minutes or so with Greta Garbo and John Gilbert in "Flesh and the Devil." Click on the gray right-pointing arrow and turn up your speakers to listen to the gorgeous music of Carl Davis. There are no words......

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