Friday, July 10, 2009

Happy Birthday, John Gilbert!

Matinee idol John Gilbert would be a spritely 112 today—if he hadn't dropped dead of a heart attack in 1936.

Greta done wore him out.

But he was one of the good guys and he did some very under-appreciated work in such films as The Big Parade and Flesh and the Devil. Check out his work if you have time.

5 comments:

Who Am Us Anyway? said...

Thanks Myth!

Yon entry sent me to Wikipedia, where "if it's there, you know it's true!"

But they say, "According to the actress Eleanor Boardman and others, a fight between Louis B. Mayer and Gilbert erupted at what was to be his marriage to Greta Garbo, for which she failed to turn up, when Mayer made a snide remark. Gilbert promptly knocked his boss down, for which Mayer swore he'd get even. Mayer then proceeded to sabotage the recording of his voice by increasing the treble; giving direction of his films to an inexperienced director who was on narcotic pain medication; refusing him good scripts, such as 1930's The Dawn Patrol which directors wanted to star him in; and editing his projects to ruin his films."

If even half of that is true, you gotta feel badly for the guy.

Douglas Fairbanks said...

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!!!


ENOUGH WITH THESE FUCKING NO-TALENT BUFFOONS !!!!


I FUCKED MARY PICKFORD; GRETA GARBO AND JOHN GILBERT CAN KISS MY DEAD SWASHBUCKLING ASS !!!!!!!!!!!

Douglas Fairbanks said...

Sorry.

You don't need that kind of vulgar, petty display from me.

John Gilbert was a fine, now-under-appreciated actor.

I apologize to you and your readers.

Sincerely; I apologize.

Some things aren't funny . . . .

Mythical Monkey said...

Why, that's okay, Doug. You know, it occurs to me that since you and Mary P. divorced in 1936, you might be getting a tad, well, pent-up. Could fray the most even of tempers ...

I was going to wait and spring this as a surprise on Sunday, before I start talking about the Early Sound Era on Monday, but you sound like you could use some cheering up -- I'm announcing Katie Awards for each of the years 1919 through July 31, 1927. I hadn't done it before because I didn't feel like I'd seen enough silent movies to have an opinion, but after three months, I'm feeling more confident.

And Douglas Fairbanks with a fine assortment of performances to choose from -- The Mark Of Zorro, Robin Hood and The Thief Of Bagdad, in particular -- looks like an early favorite to join the elite club of Katie Award winners.

So take the tuxedo out of mothballs and clear your calendar for Sunday.

Mythical Monkey said...

By the way, speaking of Louis B. Mayer, a story I read in one of the papers reporting the death of Anita Page last year mentioned a meeting between Mayer, the 22-year old Page and Page's mother, in which Page asked for Mayer's help getting her career back on track. And in front of Page's mother, Mayer said that if Page would sleep with him, he'd make her a star; otherwise, he'd bury her.

That was the end of Anita Page's career.

Louis Mayer had issues ...