John Gilbert (actor)
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| John Gilbert | |
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| Birth name | John Cecil Pringle |
| Born | July 10, 1899 Logan, UT |
| Died | January 9, 1936 Hollywood, California |
| Other name(s) | Jack Gilbert |
| Spouse(s) | Olivia Burwell Leatrice Joy Ina Claire Virginia Bruce |
| Notable roles | Prince Danilo Petrovich The Merry Widow Rodolphe La Boheme |
John Gilbert (July 10, 1899 - January 9, 1936) was an actor and major star of the silent film era.
Known as "the great lover," he rivaled even the great Rudolph Valentino as a box office draw. Though he was often cited as one of the high profile examples of an actor who was unsuccessful in making the transition to talkies, his decline as a star in fact had as much to do with studio politics and money as did the sound of his screen voice.
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[edit] Life and career
Born John Cecil Pringle in Logan, Utah to stock company actor parents, he struggled through a childhood of abuse and neglect before coming to Hollywood as a teenager. He first found work as an extra with the Thomas Ince Studios, and soon became a favorite of Maurice Tourneur, who also hired him to write and direct several pictures. He quickly rose through the ranks, building his reputation as an actor in such films as Heart o' the Hills opposite Mary Pickford. In 1921, Gilbert signed a three year contract with Fox Film Corporation, where he was cast as a romantic leading man.
In 1924, he moved to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where he became a full-fledged star with such high-profile films as His Hour (directed by King Vidor and written by Elinor Glyn), [1] He Who Gets Slapped] (co-starring Lon Chaney, Sr. and Norma Shearer, and directed by Victor Sjöström), and [2] The Merry Widow] (directed by Erich von Stroheim and co-starring Mae Murray). In 1925, Gilbert was once again directed by King Vidor in the war epic The Big Parade, which became the second highest grossing silent film in cinema history. His performance in this film made him a major star. The following year, Vidor reunited Gilbert with two of his co-stars from that picture, Renée Adorée and Karl Dane, for the film La bohème which also starred Lillian Gish.
Gilbert married the highly successful film actress Leatrice Joy in 1922. The union produced a daughter, Leatrice Gilbert Fountain, but the tempestuous marriage only lasted two years. The couple divorced in 1924, with Joy charging that Gilbert was a compulsive philanderer.
That same year, Gilbert made Flesh and the Devil, his first film with Greta Garbo. They soon began a very public relationship, much to the delight of their fans. Gilbert planned to marry her, but Garbo changed her mind and never showed up for the ceremony. Despite their rocky off-screen relationship, they continued to generate box-office revenue for the studio, and MGM paired them in two more silents - Love, a modern adaptation of Anna Karenina, and A Woman of Affairs.
Throughout his time at MGM, Gilbert had frequently clashed with studio head Louis B. Mayer over creative and financial matters. According to one story -- long since proven false -- while waiting to see if Garbo would show up for her wedding, Mayer allegedly made a rude remark to Gilbert that caused him to fly into a rage and physically attack the mogul.
Rumor had it that after that, Gilbert’s career began its downward slide. That, however, isn't true. In spite of Mayer's disdain for the actor, Gilbert did have a powerful supporter in production head Irving Thalberg. The two were old friends and Thalberg made efforts to reinvigorate Gilbert's career, but Thalberg's failing health probably limited such efforts.
With the coming of sound, John Gilbert's first spoke in the all-talking musical Hollywood Revue of 1929. He appeared in a Romeo and Juliet Technicolor sequence along with Norma Shearer in which they first played the part straight and then modernized it. Reviewers for the film did not note any problems with Gilbert's voice at this time and, in fact, some praised it. Gilbert’s career faltered mainly due to the quality of the projects he was given -- though it is certainly true that his light tenor voice did not match his dashing screen persona.
According to film reviews of the day, audiences actually laughed at Gilbert's overly ardent love-making in his first all-talking feature His Glorious Night (1929). The dialogue was unintentionally ludicrous and the film played more like a bad comedy than a romantic drama. In one scene Gilbert keeps kissing his leading lady while saying over and over again "I love you." Although Gilbert was given better roles in his later films, his career never recovered from this disaster. The film was released throughout the country to laughing audiences and his image as a great lover was tarnished. (The film has never been shown on television by Turner Entertainment due to the fact that MGM sold the rights to Paramount for a remake, so Turner doesn't own the film, and Universal -- the studio that currently owns the pre-TV Paramount library -- has absolutely no interest in doing anything with it).
In 1932 MGM made the film Downstairs from Gilbert's original story, in which Gilbert played against type as a scheming, blackmailing chauffeur. The film was well received by critics, but did nothing to restore Gilbert's popularity. Shortly after making the film he married co-star Virginia Bruce; the couple divorced in 1934. In 1933, he starred opposite Garbo for the last time in Queen Christina; Garbo was top-billed and Gilbert's name beneath the title. Although his scenes with Garbo are excellent the picture failed to revive his career, with his next film, The Captain Hates the Sea, being his last. By that point, alcoholism had severely damaged his health, and he died of a heart attack without ever regaining his former reputation. Towards the end of his life, Gilbert became involved with Marlene Dietrich, and at the time of his death he was slated to star opposite her in the film Desire.
On his passing in 1936, John Gilbert was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
He was married four times (including once to film and stage actress Ina Claire), and had two daughters. His daughter Leatrice Gilbert Fountain (from his marriage to silent film actress Leatrice Joy), wrote a biography of her father's life published in 1985.
John Gilbert has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1755 Vine Street and in 1994, he was honored with his image on a United States postage stamp designed by caricaturist Al Hirschfeld.
[edit] Selected filmography
- Heart o' the Hills (1919)
- He Who Gets Slapped (1924)
- The Merry Widow (1925)
- The Big Parade (1925)
- Ben-Hur (1925)
- La Bohème (1926)
- Flesh and the Devil (1926)
- Twelve Miles Out (1927)--with Joan Crawford
- The Phantom of Paris (1931)
- Downstairs (1932)
- Queen Christina (1933)
[edit] References
- Bangley, Jimmy (1999). “Interview with Leatrice Gilbert Fountain.”. Retrieved May 6, 2005.
- DeBartolo, John (2001). “Man, Woman and Sin.” Retrieved May 6, 2005.
- Fountain, Leatrice Gilbert (1985). Dark Star: the untold story of the meteoric rise and fall of legendary silent screen star John Gilbert. New York: St. Martin’s Press. ISBN 0-312-18275-9.
- Golden Silents (2004). “John Gilbert, Silent and Sound Film Star, Actor, Director, Writer.” Retrieved May 5, 2005.
- Lussier, Tim (2002). “Merry Widow” commentary. Retrieved May 6, 2005.
- Marowitz, Charles (May 2001). “Silent Writes.” Written By.
- Silents Are Golden (2005). Cossacks, Flesh and the Devil, He Who Gets Slapped, His Hour, La Boheme, Love, Merry Widow, Show, Twelve Miles Out, Woman of Affairs. In “Vintage Reviews.” Retrieved May 6, 2005.
- Thompson, Dean (2004). “Woman of Affairs” Commentary. Retrieved May 6, 2005.
[edit] External links
- John Gilbert Appreciation Society Official fan club
- Silent Ladies and Gents Photo Gallery
- All Movie Guide Entry for “John Gilbert”
- Sidereality review of “Gilbert and Garbo in Love” Book review/essay with considerable biographical material concerning John Gilbert
- John Gilbert at the Internet Movie Database
- Silent Film Legend John Gilbert Blog containing photos, clips and information dedicated to Gilbert.
- Interview with Marlene Dietrich's daughter mentioning Gilbert
- John Gilbert at Classic Movie Favorites
