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Jan 28, 2013

GRETA GARBO




GRETA GARBO-ACTRESS
(b. September 18, 1905, - d. APRIL 15, 1990




One of the most popular actresses during the latter part of the silent film era was the legendary, Greta Garbo.  She was a fascinating figure whose erotic sensuality captivated the audience. She was able to display a range of emotions with just a tilt of her head, rising of an eyebrow, or  hypnotic stare. When watching her in a scene, one could understand what her character was feeling just by looking into her eyes; they spoke volumes.  Garbo had an ethereal mystical quality and strangeness about her which was oddly alluring. Perhaps the most intriguing feature Garbo had was her reclusive demeanor.  No other movie star ever exuded so much mystery. The press and public’s curiosity was never-ending. The media relentlessly pursued her every move until her last days. Whether it was her talent, her spiritual essence, or secretiveness, one thing is certain, Greta Garbo was mesmerizing  on and off-screen.  Articles, books, and documentaries about her continue to be published to this day. She has remained popular and famous for over eight decades making her a true Icon. It is doubtful she will be forgotten any time soon.



EARLY YEARS

Greta Garbo was born as, Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, on September 18, 1905. She was the third and youngest child. She grew up in Soder, a poor district in the city of Stockholm, Sweden.  Her mother, Anna Lovisa, was a homemaker and her father, Karl Alfred Gustafsson, was a laborer who died of the Spanish flu when Garbo was a teenager. She had a brother, Sven Alfred, and a sister, Alva Maria.

As a child, Garbo always felt different then other kids her age. She was moody and aloof.  She preferred to stay away from people and liked to be alone. Very early on, she discovered the theatre. There was a cabaret and a local theatre close to her home. She would often sit on a porch near the back entrance and watch all the activities going on. She began to daydream and imagine herself as an actress.  During art class in school, while the other kids would paint on paper, Garbo would paint on herself thinking that was what actresses did. Garbo would often go into a corner and just imagine what it would be like to have a different life. She was to hold on to that passion until she achieved her goal.
A YOUNG GARBO IN " THE SAGA OF
GOSTA BERLING


By the time Garbo was sixteen years old, she entered into the, Royal Dramatic Theatre School, in Stockholm.  Through one of her tutor’s advice, Garbo met Mauritz Stiller, director/producer, who along with Victor Sjostrom, director, dominated the Swedish cinema.  After a few more meetings, Stiller decided he would mentor Garbo. He began to train her and featured her in some film advertisements. In September 1923, Garbo had her named legally changed to Greta Garbo. When Stiller thought Garbo was ready, he gave her a leading role in the Swedish film, “The Saga of Gosta Berling”1924.  The film had good reviews and caught the attention of German director, G.W. Pabst, who cast her in a main role in his film, “The Joyless Street”.
GARBO IN" THE JOYLESS STREET"

Garbo was very nervous during filming and was distracted with so many people on set. Upon Stiller’s recommendation, Pabst, removed most of the cast and crew to make Garbo more comfortable. She performed beautifully after that. The film became a major success in Germany. Garbo began to become popular within the European silent film industry. 


AMERICA                  
GRETA AND STILLER ON THE WAY TO AMERICA

Louis B Mayer, who at the time was Vice President at the MGM Studios in America, was on a trip in Berlin, Germany.  He was interested in signing Mauritz Stiller to a contract. Stiller agreed only if Garbo was signed to a contract as well.  After viewing, The Saga of Gosta Berling”, Mayer agreed.

In the summer of 1925, Garbo and Stiller arrived in New York. Three months later, they both went to Hollywood, California. At first, Mayer did not know what to do with Garbo. The studio put her on a diet and fixed her teeth. Next they experimented on various looks but nothing seemed to work. Finally, Stiller recommended they use a different approach and suggested they give her a more sensual appearance. The studio heads were very pleased with the results. 





GARBO IN A SCENE FROM, "TORRENT"
They cast her in the role of a vampy peasant girl in the film, “Torrent” 1926, starring alongside, Ricardo Cortez. Garbo had great difficulty during the filming of this movie especially since Stiller was not hired as the director. Too make matters worse, her co-star, Cortez, disliked Garbo and felt it beneath him to be co-starring with her.; he virtually ignored her throughout the filming. Monta Bell, the director of the film, paid practically no attention to her either. She felt like a total outcast.  The film itself though, received good reviews. 




GARBO IN "THE TEMPTRESS"


Her  following film, “The Temptress” 1926, she was to play  another vamp role. Although, she was unhappy with herpart, Stiller was going to be her director in this film which made things easier. Garbo got top billing and co-starred with, Antonio Moreno. From the beginning there were problems. Stiller, who was unaccustomed to being told what to do, shot the scenes as he saw fit often going against the wishes of the studio heads.  Things began to fall apart when he insisted that, Cortez, shave off his trademark mustache. The studio heads were shocked.  Irving Thalberg, production head at MGM, lost complete confidence in Stiller and fired him. Needless to say, both Garbo and Stiller were overcome by the change of circumstances.  Thalberg replaced Stiller with a new director, Fred Niblo. Next, he ditched all of the scenes Stiller had filmed and instructed Cortez to wear a fake mustache until his own grew back.  Garbo became extremely depressed and hoped the filming would be finished quickly. After a few weeks, Garbo received the news that her sister, Alva, who was 22 years of age, died of cancer. Although, Garbo was devastated, she was determined to finish the film and kept at it until the picture was finally completed. Much to her astonishment, this film which she hated, became a major success and virtually raised Garbo’s status to that of a star.


In the meantime, Stiller was hired by Paramount Studios. For the next two years, he made four films for them. Midway during filming of the last movie, he was fired as director due to constant disagreements with the studio heads.  By 1927, Stiller having had enough of Hollywood, returned back to Sweden. Garbo did not join him.  A year later, Stiller had a fatal heart attack and died on November, 18, 1928. He was 45 years old.

LARS HANSON, GARBO&GILBERT IN A SCENE
FROM FLESH AND THE DEVIL
JOHN GILBERT

Garbo’s next picture was, “Flesh and the Devil” 1926. Her co-star was the very popular dashing romantic star, John Gilbert.  The first time Garbo met Gilbert she was so  nervous that she unknowingly appeared as somewhat of a snob . Gilbert felt insulted by her pretentiousness and was hesitant to have any communication with her other than for professional reasons. After a while though, Gilbert realized that Garbo was  actually infatuated with him which he found amusing.  Within a short time, Gilbert found himself fascinated with Garbo and fell in love with her. Their romance developed quickly thereafter. In many of the love scenes, they were so consumed with each other; they would continue to embrace even after the cameras stopped rolling. The director, Clarence Brown, who was Garbo’s favorite director, (they made 7 movies together); thought Garbo was magical on screen. He once stated,” I never directed Garbo in anything above a whisper. The results were always stunningly effective”. The studio heads wasted no time in promoting the film taking advantage of the lovers’ on and off-screen romance. The film became a major success and elevated Garbo’s popularity to the top. They made two more silent films together, “Love”1927, and “A woman of Affairs” 1928; both were hits.

Garbo moved into Gilbert’s house. Gilbert had a special room built for her where she could relax and be undisturbed.  Gilbert introduced Garbo to the glamour of Hollywood lifestyle. He opened up her mind with philosophy, literature, and taught her how to play tennis.  For the first time, Garbo felt like a little child, happy and laughing. It was a sensation that was foreign to her. Up until then, she had been unable  express herself with such joy; it felt like a dream.  

Garbo’s only concern was Stiller’s reaction to her romance with Gilbert. She concocted various ways to keep Stiller from finding out, but, Stiller knew about their relationship almost from the start. He was not very happy about it and warned Garbo to be careful and to remember what he had told her long ago,” Greta, it is good to taste life, but, be careful, do not let it hurt  and destroy you”.

Throughout their relationship, Gilbert had repeatedly asked Garbo to marry him. She refused all his attempts of marriage. Even though she felt he was the love of her life, she knew that it would not work. They both had different values. He loved all the things that Hollywood had to offer, the glamour, the social scene, the money, and the fame.  Garbo on the other hand, disliked the Hollywood scene and longed for a private life where she could build a family and be herself.  Garbo realized that love had its’ costs. It could hurt at times and was not a smooth sailing venture.

Gilbert was relentless in his quest and continuously tried to persuade Garbo to marry him. Eventually, Gilbert, realized, Garbo would never marry him. Feeling rejected, he married his third wife, Ina Claire on impulse. Garbo was on location shooting a movie when she heard the news. She reacted well and stated, “How nice for them, it is far better, as we cannot have everything. Garbo must go on alone”. She chose a calm and peaceful existence over love and so, their great romance, finally came to an end.

GARBO IN,"THE KISS"
FAME 

In 1927, Garbo insisted on a better contract. When MGM refused, Garbo went on strike. After seven months, the MGM Studio heads, afraid of losing their most profitable star, surrendered to her demands. The silent films Garbo   made thereafter, were major successes and by the time, sound films came to be, Garbo was the top money making star at MGM studios. 

During the  late fall of 1928,  Garbo was filming a scene in, “The Wild Orchid” when Louis B. Mayer suddenly rushed on set with a telegram informing Garbo of Stiller’s death. Garbo immediately collapsed and was carried into her dressing room.  After a short while, Garbo, who preferred to keep her emotions private, held on to her strength and proceeded to finish the scene. That night, Garbo drank champagne and cried herself to sleep. She was devastated. Stiller had been the most prominent person in her career and personal life. He had taught her so much and now he was gone. Garbo never got over his death for the rest of her life.  

In 1929, Garbo was cast in her last silent picture, “The Kiss”. It was MGM’S last silent film as well. It was during this time that Garbo requested her scenes to be shot on a closed set. She instructed that most of the crew be removed from the set and had black screens block out anything distracting to the scene. These requirements gave her a reputation for being a bit of a diva. However, the reality was quite the opposite. She was shy by nature and people made her nervous. It would greatly affect her  level of concentration. Thus,  when her surroundings were less crowded, Garbo, had the ability to focus more clearly allowing her to  evoke emotion into a scene which ultimately registered sensationally on screen.  


GARBO IN " ANNA CHRISTIE"
THE SOUND ERA

The silent movie industry came to an end when sound was invented. By the late 1920’s mostly all of the films being made had sound. The transition for a lot of actors was fatal to their careers. Everyone at MGM and the public were unsure of how Garbo’s first words would sound. She did have a Swedish accent and the studio heads were worried  that the public would not understand her and that the changeover would not be well received. Her first, “Talkie” film was in “Anna Christie”, 1930. The first words Garbo uttered were”Gimme a whisky, ginger ale on the side, and don’t be stingy ,baby”. The audiences thought Garbo was incredible and wanted more. The film was the highest financial success of that year. In the same year, 25 year old, Garbo, received her first Academy Award nomination for her role in, Anna Christie, and a second one for her role in, “Romance, 1930.



GARBO IN "MATA HARI"


In 1931 and 1932, Garbo made several more films including,  “Mata Hari”,1931,( her most successful film making  a profit of just under one million dollars, and in ”Grand Hotel” 1932, playing the part of an aging Russian ballerina.  The film which included an all -star cast, won an Academy Award for best picture.

Garbo having worked non-stop since arriving in Hollywood, took a break from filming. She left for Sweden and traveled to other countries in Europe. She was gone for over a year. On her return to America, Garbo signed a new contract which gave her more control of the films and co-stars appearing in her pictures.  She had been cast to play a queen in the film, “Queen Christina”, 1932. MGM chose British actor, Laurence Olivier, to be her co-star. Garbo wanting to help John Gilbert’s failing career insisted that he be her co-star.  This was to be the last film they would make together. The movie had many good reviews and turned out to be a success, although, it did not resurrect Gilbert’s career. He did one more movie in 1934 which did not do well. By then, Gilbert was an alcoholic and his health was poor. Within two years, in 1936, Gilbert died of a heart attack. He was 38 years old.

GARBO WITH ROBERT TAYLOR IN "CAMILLE"
LATER YEARS

The next few years, Garbo made several very successful films, including, “Anna Karenina”, 1935 and “Camille”, 1936, for which she received her third Academy Award nomination. This role is considered to be her best performance over all of her films. The cost of her next picture, “Conquest” 1937, went way over budget, had terrible reviews, and had a loss of over one million dollars. For the first time in her career, the critics were ruthless and considered her a has-been in the industry.

The following year, Garbo, made a comedy, “Ninotchka” 1939.  It was a huge hit and Garbo received her fourth Academy Award nomination for best actress. In 1941, Garbo was cast in another comedy, “Two Faced Woman”, 1941. Although, the film received acceptable reviews, the critics’ issued harsh remark about Garbo’s acting abilities. This was to be her last film. Garbo hurt by the terrible reviews announced that she would be leaving her career for good. Garbo always referred  to this particular picture as, “My grave”.By the time  Garbo  left the film industry, she was 36 years old and had made a total of 28 films in over a decade.

GARBO IN HER LATER YEARS
RETIREMENT

Garbo was proud for the most part of her acting achievements, but, her true desire was to lead a private life. Hollywood life meant one had to live in a world that was not sheltered, not protected. Back in the 1920’s and 1930’s, all kinds of people would randomly show up at Garbo’s house. There were times when  a fan would break into her house.  It was very distressing to live under that kind of pressure. 

Garbo avoided people, did not sign autographs, and never answered any fan mail. She was mostly cold towards the press and on the rare occasions where she would grant interviews, her remarks often had a tone of sadness to them.” Dead? I have been dead for years! I am a wanderer, just a wanderer! Everyone whom I love, dies”.

For the remainder of her life, Garbo led a private and leisurely existence. She travelled all over the world, often with friends.  Although there is no factual evidence, there were many rumors about her sexual relationships, many of which were with rich high society figures. It was said that she liked both men and women.

In 1951, Garbo became an American citizen. She bought a seven room apartment in Manhattan, New York, where she lived until her death.  She had a daily routine of exercise and took long walks. She would disguise herself with plain clothes and wore huge sunglasses. The paparazzi were constantly lurking about waiting to take the next great picture of the reclusive star.

In 1984, Garbo was successfully treated for breast cancer. Towards the end of her life, Garbo had dialysis treatments three times a week. On April, 15, 1990, Garbo died from pneumonia and renal failure. She was 84 years old. Her entire estate of over thirty million dollars was left to her niece, Gray Reisfield. Garbo’s ashes were interned at a cemetery nearby Stockholm, Sweden.


THE FAMOUS GARBO PROFILE
SUMMARY

Greta Garbo had a spiritual essence that transmitted on the screen with such a force, it was mystifying.  No one had ever seen anything like her in films.  She had an incredible presence that induced an image of a mythical goddess. Her talent was fascinating. One could get in touch with their own erotic fixations just by watching her in a love scene. With the slightest movement of facial and body gestures, Garbo could communicate her character’s inner most thoughts. Most of the roles she portrayed were that of disreputable types of females, and yet, Garbo made them seem incredibly, decent. The audiences connected and sympathized with her characters. Garbo’s talent was that magical.  Greta Garbo achieved enormous success and was one of the most mysterious personalities of the motion picture industry.  She was a gifted talented artist who gave all of herself throughout her film career. Greta Garbo is, and will always be, the most astonishing legend that ever existed on the silver screen.  


Some of Garbo’s Films

1924-The Saga of Gosta Berling (Sweden)
1925-The Joyless Street (Germany)
1927-Love
1928-The Divine Woman
1929-The Kiss (last silent film)
1930-Anna Christie (1st Talkie)
1934-The Painted Veil
1941-Two Faced Woman

Comments about Garbo


The Motion Picture Herald-an American trade paper

-“A clean white flame, leaping from volcanic vapors for the heights above”.

Bela Balazs-Film Critic

-“Garbo’s beauty is a beauty of suffering, the shrinking of a sensitive plant from a rude touch is in this beauty, even when she plays a down-and-out tart”!

-“Garbo’s appeal was always the commonest of romantic conventions-the come-hither look. She managed, because she is a supremely beautiful woman, to make it look like a mark of religion”.


Thomas Wiseman- British Author and Screenwriter

-“There was something enormously worldly about her and at the same time, she showed a curious kind of detachment from the world, as if there were two people in her; the observer and the participator; the observer was always amused by the strange and impulsive behavior by the participator”.

Clarence Brown-Director

-“You could see thought. If she needed look at one person with jealousy and another one with love, she did not have to change her expression. You could see it in her eyes as she looked from one to the other”.


GARBO IN " A WOMAN OF AFFAIRS"

GARBO IN "ANNA KARENINA"


GARBO IN "AS YOU DESIRE ME "



GARBO AND GILBERT



GARBO IN "LOVE"




AN OLDER GARBO



A YOUNG GARBO



GARBO AND JOHN BARRYMORE IN" GRAND HOTEL"


GARBO SURROUNDED BY REPORTERS



GARBO AND GILBERT IN A SCENE FROM" LOVE"

GARBO AND GILBERT IN A SCENE FROM "FLESH AND THE DEVIL"


GARBO AND GILBERT IN " FLESH AND THE DEVIL"


GARBO AND GILBERT IN" FLESH AND THE DEVIL"














Jan 21, 2013

JOHN GILBERT


JOHN GILBERT – (b. July 10, 1899 – d. January 9, 1936)
DIRECTOR, SCREENWRITER, ACTOR

John Gilbert was one of the most popular movie stars during the silent film era. He was very devoted to his work and especially had a great passion for writing. Many of the stories he contributed towards pictures turned out to be very successful films. The audiences adored him and bestowed upon him the same title that Rudolph Valentino was known for which was as “The Great Lover”. By the mid 1920’s, he became the highest paid actor in Hollywood. Although, John Gilbert’s fame lasted a short while, he will forever be remembered as one of the greatest celebrities of the silent film industry. 



 EARLY YEARS

JOHN GILBERT AT 11 YEARS OLD
John Gilbert was born in Logan, Utah. His mother, Ida Adair Apperly, was a mediocre stage actress who did not welcome the birth of her only child. She viewed the event as an intrusion and inconvenience to her career. He never knew his father, John Pringle, who left his wife shortly after John’s birth. His youth was spent in the quite corners at the backstage of one theatre to another. He lived mostly in run down unheated rooms in boarding houses. Gilbert never had toys, and rarely celebrated Christmas.  He seldom received any attention from his mother and when he did get some, it was not the nurturing kind a child normally receives. Ida often had mood swings in which she became temperamental and volatile. During these episodes, she would hit and kick John across the room, then lock him up in a closet for hours.

Occasionally a friend of his mother, another actress, Marie Stoddard, taking pity on him, would invite him to her place for the night. There, he would get glimpses of another way of life where he would have heat, food, and lots of books. These books became his salvation as he would escape into a fantasy world so far removed from his poor drab life. With the books and scripts left backstage, he taught himself how to read and learned as much as he could. He developed a great imagination, was extremely polite, and learned how to dress himself.

At 6 years old, Ida, no longer wanted to bring Gilbert along with her during her theatre tour, and so made arrangements with a seamstress she barely knew to look after him.  The seamstress left him to sleep in the corner of her daughter’s (a prostitute), room. There he learned all about the bitter part of life, from the drunks, the hustlers, chambermaids, and street women.

It so happened that one day, Marie Stoddard, saw Gilbert in the street. She found him thin as a rake, all dirty, and with torn clothing. Marie, learning of his dire situation, took him, fed, clothed him, and sent him on a train to his mother who was performing in a play in Rochester, New York.  Ida was not happy to see him and promptly sent him to her father’s farm, back in Utah. He lived there for a year and was sent back to his mother. She had married, Walter Gilbert, who was an actor in the theatre. Walter adopted the boy and changed his  name to John Gilbert. The marriage did not last long, and Gilbert was sent back to Utah to live with his grandfather yet again. This lasted a short while. Walter had agreed to pay for schooling and had Gilbert sent to a boarding school where after a slow start, he eventually excelled in all his classes.

He was particularly good at writing and had received a very high mark on one of his essays. Proud of his good grades, Gilbert went to visit his mother bringing along his pride possession and presented her with his highly graded paper. His mother was not impressed and treated him with disdain. Feeling completely rejected, Gilbert returned to the boarding school and cried himself to sleep. He never saw his mother again. Not long afterwards, his mother died on September 29, 1913. She was 40 years old. Gilbert attended the funeral and never returned to school.

Walter Gilbert informed Gilbert that he would no longer financially support his schooling. He gave him ten dollars and put him on a train to San Francisco, California. Gilbert was 14 years old and for the next couple years worked at various odd jobs, making no more than one dollar a day.  

HOLLYWOOD

By the time Gilbert was 16 years old, he discovered the movies and wanted to find work in the film industry. Through a connection of Walter Gilbert, John Gilbert presented himself at Inceville Studios where he met the owner, Tom Ince, who hired him for fifteen dollars a week. Gilbert  had never seen so much money before and was thrilled to have been given the opportunity. For a few weeks, he was not given too much work. In reality, the bosses did not know what to do with him. He was a skinny boy who was somewhat of a curiosity to them.  Everyone knew he came from poverty, and yet he dressed and had the manners of a gentleman. In the meanwhile, Gilbert spent the next three years learning as much as he could about the industry and began to get better parts and even sold a few screenplays he wrote. He got along with everyone and became popular with most of the cast and crews of the films he appeared in. His determination and creativity began to be noticed and eventually his salary rose to sixty dollars a week.

In 1917, Gilbert who was by now 18 years old, married his first wife, Olivia Burwell. The marriage was doomed from the beginning as Gilbert’s reason for marrying Olivia was mostly due to being so lonely. He really did not know her that well and quickly realized they were not suited for each other. Within a short time, he sent his wife back to her family promising to bring her back when finances were better. He never saw her again.

His first major break was in 1919, when he got a part in a movie with Mary Pickford, “Heart ‘O the Hills”. He played the part of one of Mary’s suitors.  He received good reviews and was signed to Fox Studios for 3 years where he was cast mostly as a dashing leading man. At one point, he grew a mustache which made him extremely handsome.For the next few years, aside from acting, Gilbert collaborated with many of the  directors and writers of  films he was cast in. He  directed, assisted directed , wrote, and co-wrote screenplays in many films. Gilbert had the ability and creativity to come up with story ideas with great ease. It is unfortunate that the studios did not give him credit for most of them. 

ON THE RISE TO FAME

 One of the highlights of his career was his appearance in the film, “Cameo Kirby” 1923, which caught the attention of Irving Thalberg at MGM who signed him to a lengthy contract. They became very close friends.Within a short time,  Gilbert went from a leading man status to a fully fledged movie celebrity. During this time Gilbert married his second wife, Leatrice Joy.  John loved Leatrice very much, but, as in his first marriage, it was doomed. Leatrice was becoming a rising star under the guidance of Cecile B. Demille who disliked John Gilbert. He insisted that Leatrice not live with John while filming, thus, undermining the marriage. The marriage dissolved a year later, just before their first child, a daughter, Leatrice, was born. The timing and circumstances of the divorce outraged MGM’S Louis B. Mayer. It went against his morals and was the start of his hatred for Gilbert. One day  there was a meeting held between Irving Thalberg, Louis B. Mayer,, and John Gilbert. They were discussing Gilbert’s next picture. John wanted to do a film based on a poem by John Masefield, “The Widow in the Bye Street”. After Gilbert had given Mayer the story outline, ( a young lad infatuated with a prostitute) Mayer, stated that one could not make a movie about a descent boy falling in love with a whore. Gilbert mentioned that even though, both of the  films “Camille”, and “Anna Christie” had female leading roles portraying  upscale whores, these turned out to be quite popular and were financial successes. Mayer became enraged and commented that only a person of his stature would bring up a story of about a  whore.  Gilbert’s reaction was that there was nothing wrong  with it, after all, his own mother was somewhat of a  whore.  Rumor has it that Mayer, became furious at the insult Gilbert spewed about his mother and proceeded to punch Gilbert in the face. This incident made Mayer and Gilbert dislike each other even more than they had before and both attempted to avoid each other as much as possible from then on. 


In the meantime, Gilbert’s career was flourishing at MGM.  He made several films which made him famous. In 1925, he was cast in the movie “ The Merry Widow”, directed by Erich Von Stroheim  and  starring Mae Murray.  Early on in the film, Von Stroheim and Gilbert clashed. Von Stroheim constantly criticized Gilbert and one day went too far when he called his leading man a clumsy actor. John Gilbert immediately  walked off the set and got into his car. Just as he was about to drive off, Mae Murray  tried to convince Gilbert  to come back to the set. He only agreed to do so if Von Stroheim personally apologized to him. Mae Murray begged with the director to go and speak with Gilbert. Finally, with a bottle of Scotch in hand, Von Storheim entered Gilbert’s dressing room. The two men drank and settled their differences. Both men realized they had something in common; their intense dislike of Louis B Mayer. They got along after that and had no more issues for the remainder of the movie.

It was during the filming of “The Merry Widow” that Gilbert met his father for the first time. John Pringle happened to have a job as an extra on set and introduced himself to Gilbert.  Although Gilbert was angry and did not believe his father’s claim of never having been able to find his son, he sent money to his father for the rest of his life, but, never had anything else to do with him.

AD SHOT FOR "THE BIG PARADE"
















Later that year, Gilbert got a major break playing the part of a World War 1 soldier in” The  Big Parade”, directed by, King Vidor. It was a war movie mixed with a love story. The war scenes were very realistic. Gilbert's portrayal of the fear and horror that a soldier experiences in battle was incredible and very moving. This film was extremely successful and pushed Gilbert's status to complete stardom.  Men admired him, women swooned over him. He was at the top of his career.










 



  GARBO

THE TWO LOVERS IN A SCENE
In 1926, Gilbert was cast in the "Flesh and the Devil”, directed by Clarence Brown, and starring the young actress, Greta Garbo.  Garbo at the time was  fairly new to Hollywood, she had been brought from her native country, Sweden,  to California the year before in September 1925. She had appeared in a couple of movies in the United States,"Torrent", 1926, and ,"The Temptress", 1926.The second one had very good reviews which and thus Garbo was becoming popular with the audiences.  Initially, the first meeting between Gilbert and Garbo at the MGM lot was not as depicted in most stories in which their eyes met, sparks flew, and it was love at first sight. In fact it was quite the opposite for John Gilbert.  Garbo who had admired Gilbert’s work, was quite nervous in meeting with him. Her anxiousness came off as appearing quite snobbish. Gilbert was not impressed. It took a couple more meetings before they warmed up towards each other.  After a short time, it was clear that Garbo was smitten with Gilbert, and he became amused and flattered by the attention she gave him. Eventually, Gilbert became mesmerized by her presence. By the time they filmed their first love scene, it was evident to everyone that they were deeply and madly in love. There was a  love scene where they were both  horizontally positioned. This would be  the first time that  this type of love scene was ever filmed on camera.  It was daring, shocking, and very effective. Some of the scenes were so explosive, they had to be censored. Naturally, the publicity department took advantage of their  off camera relationship and  their intense  on camera love scenes which made the film a huge hit.  The movie became one of the most financially successful films of that year. MGM cast them in two more films together, “Love1927, and “ A Woman of Affairs” 1928. These movies represented lovers who lived in a world of passionate love. Gilbert’s image soared and pushed him to incredible popularity.

Gilbert planned to marry Garbo and proposed to her several times. In the latter part of 1926,  King Vidor and his future wife, actress, Eleanor Boardman planned to wed and arranged for a double ceremony where Gilbert and Garbo were to be married as well. Unfortunately for Gilbert, Garbo never showed up. Louis B. Mayer, made a very nasty remark to Gilbert about Garbo, to which Gilbert responded with a fist to Mayer’s face. This incident was the beginning of the end for Gilbert. Mayer, vowed to destroy him no matter what the cost. 

 Mayer was not happy that Gilbert had signed an iron clad contract for six films  paying him a quarter of a million dollars for each picture.  Detesting Gilbert, Mayer deliberately gave him bad scripts and failing directors in hopes that Gilbert would walk out of his contract obligations. Much to Mayer’s dismay, Gilbert  was determined to stay on.

GARBO AND GILBERT TOGETHER



Despite Garbo not showing up to the wedding, Gilbert kept on loving her. He loved her glamour, the strangeness of her , and the mystery of her which he could never quite understand. They had such an intense love for each other, and yet, they did end up parting ways.  One of the main reasons for the failure of their relationship was because Garbo wanted to leave her career and lead a simple family life. She was a private person and  disliked the social scene that came with being a Hollywood star.  Gilbert on the other hand loved that world.He did not want to leave it. Gilbert  had such a great passion for  his work, writing stories and acting. He had invested too much  in that industry and found the idea of giving it all up impossible. Ironically , shortly after he and Garbo split, the work he loved so much, sort of became his downfall.



 LATER YEARS

Sound in films, “The Talkies”, was  the newest invention  and it changed practically everything in the film industry. Careers were cut short as many of the major stars could not make the transition. Gilbert who was feuding with Mayer at MGM, was caught up in a no win situation. Louis B. Mayer, had somewhat sabotaged his first talking role by playing with the sound, making his voice sound squeaky and  high pitched. The audience’s reaction to hearing him for the first time on screen, was to laugh.  The scene in “His Glorious Night”1929, where  Gilbert is kissing his leading lady and  saying, “I love you” repeatedly, was somewhat awkward and comedic. Gilbert was ridiculed. When a heart throb is laughed at, the end  is near. It is worthy to note, Gilbert actually made his first sound film, "Redemption"1930, before His Glorious Night. In it, there was no criticism of his voice sounding awful, in fact, the critics found his voice pleasant. Unfortunately for Gilbert, Redemption, was released after the fiasco, His Glorious Night. 

INA CLAIRE AND GILBERT


 




During the filming of “His Glorious Night”, Gilbert  who felt so rejected by Greta Garbo, impulsively married his third wife, Ina Claire.  She was  major Broadway star who had come to Hollywood to star in her first film. The two came from different worlds. In those days, theatre actors felt superior to film actors. Claire often belittled Gilbert. After a while, it became evident that their marriage was not working. Less than two years later, they divorced.






VIRGINIA BRUCE AND GILBERT
The films in which Gilbert was obligated to appear in were inferior to those of prior years. There were long stretches between the makings of each movie. Gilbert grew increasingly depressed, however, he was determined to see the contract through.  He made several more pictures, including, “Downstairs”, 1932 which was based on Gilbert’s original screenplay.  Although he fought hard to return to his former glory and some of his last few films  were well received by both audiences and critics, Gilbert never quite captured back his stardom. Shortly after making “Downstairs”, he married his 4th and last wife, Virginia Bruce and had another daughter, Susan Ann.  The marriage lasted less than two years.  Their divorce was a bitter one and Virginia got a huge settlement.





In 1933, Greta Garbo was cast in the movie “Queen Christina”.  Wanting to help Gilbert in his failing career, Garbo insisted that he be cast as her leading man.  Although the movie received positive reviews and was somewhat of a commercial success, it did not resurrect Gilbert’s career.

LAST YEARS





 Gilbert’s next movie, was to be his last. His contract got picked up by Columbia Studios and they cast him in “ The Captain Hates the Sea” 1934.  In order to keep from being sea sick, Gilbert and many members of the crew, drank alcohol throughout the filming of the movie. The film was a flop.  During this time, Gilbert became involved in a relationship with , Marlena Dietrich. He was to appear and star in her film, “Desire”.  Unfortunately, his drinking had severely damaged his health. Within a year, Gilbert had a massive heart attack and died on January 9, 1936. He was 36 years old.  Although Dietrich, insisted, Gilbert made a new will, it was never found, thus, Virginia Bruce got the bulk of his estate. Gilbert was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California.





 SUMMMARY                             

John Gilbert’s talent, elegance of style and magnetism, translated on screen with great intensity. He loved to  act, direct, write, was always full of ideas for stories, loved the company of writers, and had a strong determination to struggle onward in life. He was extremely generous and gave money to various charities and many needy individuals. He was dealt with raw cards in his youth, but,  Gilbert certainly tried his best to  overcome his undesirable circumstances. He lived life to the fullest,  loved passionately, drank deeply, and wrote his stories with great devotion. One of the most important things in his quest for personal growth and success was to remain true to himself, to be honest. The honesty though, landed him into trouble at the studio, especially for speaking his mind to the powers that be. It cost him his friends, acting parts, and got him many headlines for being temperamental and difficult to work with. He had so many glorious chances and so many bad breaks. However, at the peak of his career,  the impact he had in silent films was huge. He was a great star whose light shone very bright for a time. Gilbert made over 100 movies. His  talent and  contributions towards the silent film industry  deserves to be cherished and  remembered as one of the truly gifted artists of the silent film industry.



Some of Gilberts Films

1915-The Coward
1916-The Phantom
1917-Happiness
1917-The Dark Road
1918-Wedlock
1918-The Mask
1919-The Busher
1919-Heart o’ the Hills
1920-Deep Waters
1921-Shame
1922-Monte Cristo
1923-St.Elmo
1924-Cameo Kirby
1924-His Hour
1924-The Snob
1925-The Merry Widow
1925-The Big Parade
1926-La Boheme
1926-Bardelys the Magnificent
1926-Flesh and the Devil
1927-Love
1928-A Woman of Affairs
1928-Desert Nights(last silent film)
1932-Downstairs
1933-Queen Christina
1934-The Captain Hates the Sea




Some of the films John Gilbert wrote and directed

1920-The White Circle-Co-Screenwriter with Jules Furthman
1920-The Great Redeemer-Co-Screenwriter with Jule Furthman
1920-Deep Waters-Screenwriter
1921-The Bait-Screenwriter and Director(uncredited-The actual director had to leave on an emergency and had Gilbert direct the picture in his absence)                                         
1921-Love's Penalty-Director and Screenwriter
1927-Love-Co-Screenwriter with Edmund Goulding
1932-Downstairs-Screenwriter





Some film reviews

1921-Love's Penalty-Director and Screenwriter,John Gilbert. Although Gilbert felt that he did a horrible job directing this picture, the reviews were not as devastating as he thought, most critics thought this was a nice little picture.
Photoplay Magazine review-" A dramatic story not lacking in entertainment value. There are flashes of originality and suspense.
Variety Magazine review- "This film is the first 'hokum' melodrama magnificently produced, ably directed, and well cast. Written and directed by Jack Gilbert, is well done and will satisfy the average exhibitor and picture patron"

1924-He Who Gets Slapped-Gilbert had a small part in comparison to the stars of the movie, Lon Chaney, and Norma Shearer.
Photoplay Magazine review- "The acting is remarkably fine. Norma Shearer and John Gilbert as the lovers are delightful."

1925-The Merry Widow
Photoplay Magazine review-" Not since Rudolph Valentino has there been such a performance of a glowing romantic role as Gilbert's and ought to be considered as one of the greatest of them all".

1925-The Big Parade
Robert Sherwood review- "The acting is flawless, one of the greatest performances ever seen".

1926-Bardelys the Magnificent
One critic wrote-"It is doubtful if anyone could have done more with the role of Bardelys then Gilbert, he was superb"!

1926-Flesh and the Devil
The New York Times review-" Admirable artistry, a compelling piece of work"
The Herald Tribune review- " Never before has John Gilbert been so intense in his portrayal of a man in love".


A VERY HANDSOME JOHN GILBERT



GILBERT AT HOME
GILBERT POSING FOR THE CAMERA



GRETA GARBO AND JOHN GILBERT



GARBO AND GILBERT IN A SCENE FROM "FLESH AND THE DEVIL"




GARBO POSE



GRETA GARBO

GRETA GARBO 


IDA ADAIR(John Gilbert's mother)

JOHN GILBERT IN "THE BIG PARADE"


GILBERT WITH MAE MURRAY IN "THE MERRY WIDOW"
GILBERT IN "BARDELYS THE MAGNIFICENT"



GILBERT'S LAST MOVIE"THE CAPTAIN HATES THE SEA"