Welcome to Eve Golden, Biographer of John Gilbert

Past chats with our guests.
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JackFavell
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Re: Welcome to Eve Golden, Our Guest Author in May

Post by JackFavell »

The scenes in the cellar are really fantastic, the way he uses his hands to show his desperation... wow, you really see him almost going mad! And I loved the beginning, where he was performing for the audience, he had such flair and panache! He totally drew me into the story. Ian Keith looked like he had put on about 100 pounds before this picture, I could see a bit of resemblance had he looked like he usually did, but in this movie, gosh, I don't know what happened to him. He looks like he's on steroids.

What were the disasters with Hope Hampton? I know of her, she was married to a director I thought.
egolden
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Re: Welcome to Eve Golden, Our Guest Author in May

Post by egolden »

JackFavell, he really did have some great moments in Phantom of Paris (which was originally going to be a Lon Chaney film)--I wonder why it is not better known. I love Natalie Moorhead in that, too.

In 1920-21, Jack wrote a number of films for producer/director Jacques Tourneur and directed one starring Hope Hampton, and it was traumatic. Leatrice Joy later said he made too much of it, none of the films were that bad--but Jack was such a self-flagellating perfectionist, he threw up his hands, went back into acting and never directed or wrote again. He really took things too much to heart, poor fellow.
Last edited by egolden on May 19th, 2013, 5:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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CoffeeDan
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Re: Welcome to Eve Golden, Our Guest Author in May

Post by CoffeeDan »

Okay, onward:

Considering everything John Gilbert got in his second contract, did he have his own "unit" at MGM? I mean in a similar way that George Arliss and Richard Barthelmess had their own units at Warner Brothers at the same time. He seemed to be very "hands on" with his later talking pictures -- he even attended story conferences and made frequent contributions. And of course, DOWNSTAIRS was based on his own story. (There's some kind of justice in the fact that Gilbert's best talkie was one he wrote himself.)
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Re: Welcome to Eve Golden, Our Guest Author in May

Post by egolden »

CoffeeDan, no, he most assuredly did not have his own unit. Most of his films were overseen by Irving Thalberg, who was his friend (as much as Thalberg was anyone's friend), and he had a stable of directors he worked with: Vidor, Goulding, Bell, Brown. But he was a studio wage-slave like everyone else (what wages, though!).

Jack was always hands-on, about every little detail, to the despair of his producers and directors. He did not actually "write" Downstairs--it was his story idea, but it was written by Lenore Coffee and directed by Monta Bell, with lots of input and suggestions from Jack.
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Re: Welcome to Eve Golden, Our Guest Author in May

Post by egolden »

Well, dears, I am signing off for tonight--I lost a crown today, so a liquid dinner for me (absinthe), and an evening of Call the Midwife, Mad Men and bed.

Had a lovely time, thank you for having me, and if you have any other questions, Moira can get you in touch with me, or you can find me on Facebook or via my site, evegolden.com!
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Re: Welcome to Eve Golden, Our Guest Author in May

Post by moira finnie »

Eve, many thanks for your time and generosity with your wit and the graceful way that you share your erudition. I hope that your visit to the dentist is relatively painless. Come back any time.
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Re: Welcome to Eve Golden, Our Guest Author in May

Post by Sue Sue Applegate »

Eve, thank you so much for your visit!
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Re: Welcome to Eve Golden, Our Guest Author in May

Post by mongoII »

Thank you, Ms. Golden. My questions were answered with perfection.
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JackFavell
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Re: Welcome to Eve Golden, Our Guest Author in May

Post by JackFavell »

I'm sorry about your crown. Take care and I hope you can get an appointment soon! Thanks for all the great information. Your visit was so enjoyable!
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CoffeeDan
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Re: Welcome to Eve Golden, Our Guest Author in May

Post by CoffeeDan »

A very illuminating weekend, Eve! Thanks so much for coming over!
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Re: Welcome to Eve Golden, Our Guest Author in May

Post by charliechaplinfan »

Thank you for being here Eve. I wish you well with your next venture and I'm looking forward to reading your book. Do pass by again when you can.

Thank you to Moira for arranging it for us.
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Robert Regan
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Re: Welcome to Eve Golden, Our Guest Author in May

Post by Robert Regan »

Gagman, I'm curious about the source of your story of Jeanne Eagels being fired from Man, Woman and Sin. Neither Golden nor my friend who researched Fountain's book had heard about this.
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Re: Welcome to Eve Golden, Our Guest Author in May

Post by feaito »

I have been totally absorbed reading all your posts. Thanks Ms. Golden for all your insight on John Gilbert.

Robert, Re. your question, I came across this which appears on the link I post after the quoted excerpt:
Man, Womand & Sin at M-G-M

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer let it be known that Jeanne Eagels' behavior during the filming of Man, Woman and Sin was atrocious. Silent superstar John Gilbert, rumored to have been her lover during filming, said Eagels was the most temperamental actress he had ever worked with. (Autocratic studio boss Louis B. Mayer would one day turn on Gilbert, as he turned on Eagels.)

According to M-G-M, Eagels would appear late at the studio, and she once disappeared for several days. The Hollywood trade press credited Eagels' disappearance to a booze binge. At one point, she took off on a two-week vacation to Santa Barbara without informing her director, Monta Bell. Bell asked M-G-M management to terminate Eagels' contract, which they did. Fortunately, there was enough footage so Bell could salvage the film without re-shooting.

Gilbert said of Eagels, "She seemed to hate the movies for a popularity they could not give her....[The] blind, unreasoning adulation of the movie fans was a type of popularity she spurned. Fundamentally, Jeanne was much superior to us. Movie actors are crazy to be worshiped. Jeanne Eagels wanted to be understood and appreciated."

When the film was released, Eagels' performance received mixed reviews, but the picture was a failure primarily due to the poor reviews garnered by Gilbert. Critics rejected the great lover playing a naive mama's boy in this film. Gilbert's career was salvaged shortly thereafter by the release of his second film with Great Garbo, Love (1927), an adaptation of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina that was a smash hit and launched Garbo into the cinema superstardom that eluded Jeanne Eagels.

(Marilyn Monroe would become a superstar, but never achieved the kudos for her acting that were garnered by Eagels. Yet, Monroe is a legend while Eagels, the more talented actress, is barely remembered. Monroe is a cultural archetype while Eagels remains a footnote in Broadway and Hollywood history. Such are the vicissitudes of a life in the performing arts. Neither actress ever achieved happiness.)
http://voices.yahoo.com/jeanne-eagels-l ... 87125.html
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Robert Regan
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Re: Welcome to Eve Golden, Our Guest Author in May

Post by Robert Regan »

Thanks, Fealto. This is interesting, but what is his source? The Eagels site that he links is currently "under repair", so there's no answer there. From helping my friend Celia McGerr examine some of MGM's files, I know that they kept amazingly detailed records, and I would like to see a document quoted. Until then, I have to consider this as one more unsubstantiated Hollywood rumor. Still, thanks again for the link. Bob
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Re: Welcome to Eve Golden, Our Guest Author in May

Post by feaito »

Welcome Bob. He doesn't mention any source, but he states it so matter-of-factly...
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