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Eve Golden – John Gilbert Biography - Now Online at Classic Movie Favorites

Over at my John Gilbert section of Classic Movie Favorites, I have just uploaded my interview with Eve Golden. 

Here is the introduction to that interview with links 

at the bottom taking you to each of the four sections of the interview.

Introduction  

I have been fascinated by John Gilbert since I first heard about him. And, what I heard wasn’t very flattering. All I knew about him, at the time, was that he failed to transition from silent to sound films for the reason that he had a high voice. I just had to find out for myself if this was true. Turns out that it wasn’t.

I got so fascinated by his story that I created a section here on Classic Movie Favorites about him.

Even with having done so much research about him for CMF, until reading Eve Golden's new biography titled, John Gilbert - The Last of the Silent Film Stars, I never really completely understood why he was considered to be such a liability by MGM or, why the studio hadn't helped him through the transition as they did with Greta Garbo.  At the time of his demise, he was still very handsome and highly talented, so why was he abandoned by the studio he had made so much money for? I thought his life tragic, so I wanted to know more.

The only book I had read on Gilbert until recently, was his daughter, Leatrice Gilbert Fountain’s book, “Dark Star.” Her account of her father’s life was a good one, but I still didn't find convincing answers to my questions about Gilbert’s failure in film. So, when Eve Golden’s book came out, I bought it right away. I also immediately contacted her and asked if she would be willing to be interviewed, and thankfully she said, "yes."

When we spoke, I was happy to find out that we have similar roots, both coming from Philadelphia and each of us huge classic movie fans who grew up sneaking into the living room to watch the "Late, Late show" on TV when we were supposed to be in bed. For us both, that love for classic film has never faded.

Until the last few years, I was never really interested in silent film, preferring sound films. But, now I've gained a new appreciation for silent films through meeting the great Kevin Brownlow, watching his documentary "Hollywood," and through films by stars such as the great, Garbo and of course, John Gilbert. My first viewing of a Garbo/Gilbert silent was "Flesh and the Devil," which is now one of my favorite films.

Here's the waltz scene from Flesh and the Devil:

My interview with Eve Golden took place last month and it was a joy. Below are just a few quotes from Eve that I wanted to particularly highlight from our discussion.

On watching silent films, Eve Golden says:

"You have to really sit still and pay attention, and its best with the lights out and it really takes you into another world, the way the talkies don’t."

On the transition from silent to sound films, Eve Golden says: 

"It’s funny because one of the things I liked about writing about John Gilbert was that whole change over from silent to sound that culturally never happened before or since where in a period of just three years, an entire art form died and an entire new art form was born, which is why you have films like Sunset Boulevard. When you look at Sunset Boulevard, you realize that Gloria Swanson [and her character, Norma Desmond] is still a young woman; she’s not even 50 and she’s talking about a period that’s only thirty years ago, like us talking about the 1990’s and yet, the silent era is like talking about the age of Louis the 16th."

For those who don't know much about Gilbert's career, before you read the interview, I suggest you watch this episode of Kevin Brownlow's documentary, "Hollywood." This episode features two of the biggest starts of the silent era who didn't make the transition to sound films, Clara Bow and John Gilbert. 

Clara Bow is featured first, and John Gilbert's portion starts at 18:24 minutes in. 

This interview with Eve is a long one that I have divided into four parts. Click on the links below to read each section:

• Part 1 - About Gilbert - From lowly beginnings to superstar
• Part 2 - Gilbert's film career - Silent to Sound
• Part 3 - Gilbert’s demise - The perfect storm of awfulness
• Part 4 - About the author - Eve Golden

The Story of Film: An Odyssey Premieres on TCM September 2

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will begin showing a new documentary called, The Story of Film: An Odyssey a 15-part documentary by film historian Mark Cousins premiering Monday, September 2nd at 10pm ET.

The Story of Film: An Odyssey is an unprecedented cinematic event, an epic journey through the history of world cinema that is a treat for movie lovers around the globe. Guided by film historian Mark Cousins, on whose book the series is based, this bold 15-part love letter to the movies begins with the invention of motion pictures at the end of the 19th century and concludes with the multi-billion dollar globalized digital industry of the 21st. The Story of Film: An Odyssey heralds a unique approach to the evolution of film art by focusing on the artistic vision and innovations of filmmaking pioneers. Cousins' distinctive approach also yields a personal and idiosyncratic rewriting of film history.

Filmed at key locations in film history on every continent – from Thomas Edison's New Jersey laboratory to Hitchcock's London and from post-war Rome to the thriving industry of modern-day Mumbai – this landmark documentary is filled with glorious clips from some of the greatest movies ever made. It also features interviews with legendary filmmakers and actors, including Stanley Donen, Kyoko Kagawa, Gus Van Sant, Lars Von Trier, Wim Wenders, Abbas Kiarostami, Claire Denis, Bernardo Bertolucci, Robert Towne, Jane Campion and Claudia Cardinale. 

The Story of Film: An Odyssey was written, directed and narrated by Mark Cousins, with Tabitha Jackson serving as executive producer and John Archer as producer. The series was produced by Hopscotch Films. 

Watch the trailer for it below:  

 

source: TCM.com

TCM to feature Barbara Stanwyck and Claudette Colbert DVD collections

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and Universal Studios Home Entertainment are joining forces on TCM Showcase, a brand new line of value-priced DVD sets featuring legendary stars in iconic roles. 

Available exclusively through TCM's online store (http://shop.tcm.com), the TCM Showcase collection has launched with DVD sets celebrating two of the brightest stars ever to grace the Silver Screen – Claudette Colbert and Barbara Stanwyck.

The TCM Showcase DVD collection marks a new phase in TCM's ongoing partnership with Universal Studios Home Entertainment, a collaboration that began with the launch of the TCM Vault Collection in 2009. While the TCM Vault Collection focuses on rare and hard-to-find titles, the TCM Showcase collection offers Hollywood's greatest stars in the roles that made them legends.

Each DVD set released under the TCM Showcase banner includes four films. 

First out of the starting gate is TCM Showcase: Barbara Stanwyck, featuring the tough and versatile actress in The Lady Eve (1941), Double Indemnity (1944), All I Desire (1953) and There's Always Tomorrow (1956). 

Also available, TCM Showcase: Claudette Colbert features the playful and sophisticated Colbert in Cleopatra (1934), Imitation of Life (1934), Midnight (1939) and The Palm Beach Story (1942).

Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is a part of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, world-renowned theme parks, and a suite of leading Internet-based businesses. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.

TCM Showcase: Barbara Stanwyck and TCM Showcase: Claudette Colbert are on sale now through the TCM store. Each set is available for the special low price of $24.99, 17% off the suggested retail price.

source: tcm.com

Clark Gable is featured on Summer Under The Stars on TCM 8/25

One of the featured actors on Classicmoviefavorites.com Clark Gable is featured on August 25 all day on Turner Classic Movies, TCM.

The films they will feature next Sunday are listed below. Those with links are featured on Classicmoviefavorites.com in various sections.


SUNDAY, AUGUST 25 CLARK GABLE

•  6:00 AM Dance, Fools, Dance (1931)
•  7:30 AM Laughing Sinners (1931)
•  8:45 AM Possessed (1931)
• 10:15 AM Chained (1934)
• 11:45 AM Cain and Mabel (1936)
•  1:15 PM Test Pilot (1938)
•  3:30 PM Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
•  6:00 PM Mogambo (1953)
•  8:00 PM It Happened One Night (1934) (also Essentials, Jr.)
•  10:00 PM Too Hot to Handle (1938)
• 12:00 AM Strange Cargo (1940)
•  2:00 AM The Hucksters (1947)
•  4:00 AM Betrayed (1954)

Bette Davis featured on TCM, Wednesday, August 14, 2013

This Wednesday, August 14  is Bette Davis day on TCM.  Below is a list of the films they will show that day including interviews. A must for all Bette Davis fans.

6:00 AM - PARACHUTE JUMPER (1933) A gangster victimizes three friends trying to get jobs.

Dir: Alfred E. Green Cast:  Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Bette Davis, Frank McHugh. BW-72 mins, TV-G,

7:30 AM - GIRL FROM 10TH AVENUE, THE (1935) After a working girl reforms an alcoholic lawyer who was recently dumped, his ex wants him back. Dir: Alfred E. Green Cast:  Bette Davis, Ian Hunter, Colin Clive. BW-69 mins, TV-G,

9:00 - AM DANGEROUS (1935) A young fan tries to rehabilitate an alcoholic actress he's fallen in love with.

Dir: Alfred E. Green Cast:  Bette Davis, Franchot Tone, Margaret Lindsay. BW-79 mins, TV-G, CC,

10:30 - AM STARDUST: THE BETTE DAVIS STORY (2005) TCM original documentary that explores the life and career of legendary actress Bette Davis. C-88 mins, TV-14, CC,

12:00 PM - JEZEBEL (1938) A tempestuous Southern belle's willfulness threatens to destroy all who care for her. Dir: William Wyler Cast:  Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, George Brent. BW-104 mins, TV-PG, CC,

2:00 PM - LETTER, THE (1940) A woman claims to have killed in self-defense, until a blackmailer turns up with incriminating evidence. Dir: William Wyler Cast:  Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, James Stephenson. BW-95 mins, TV-PG, CC,

3:45 PM - NOW, VOYAGER (1942) A repressed spinster is transformed by psychiatry and her love for a married man. Dir: Irving Rapper Cast:  Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains. BW-118 mins, TV-G, CC,

5:45 PM - WATCH ON THE RHINE (1943) Nazi agents pursue a German freedom-fighter and his family to Washington. Dir: Herman Shumlin Cast:  Bette Davis, Paul Lukas, Geraldine Fitzgerald.

BW-112 mins, TV-PG, CC,

7:45 PM - CARSON ON TCM: BETTE DAVIS (2/9/83) (2012) TCM presents a classic interview from The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson. C-12 mins, TV-PG,

8:00 PM - EX-LADY (1933) A female artist is torn between her belief in free love and the constraints of romance.  Dir: Robert Florey Cast:  Bette Davis, Gene Raymond, Frank McHugh. BW-67 mins, TV-G,

9:15 PM - DARK VICTORY (1939) A flighty heiress discovers inner strength when she develops a brain tumor. Dir: Edmund Goulding Cast:  Bette Davis, George Brent, Humphrey Bogart. BW-104 mins, TV-PG, CC,

11:15 PM - MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER, THE (1941) An acerbic critic wreaks havoc when a hip injury forces him to move in with a midwestern family. Dir: William Keighley Cast:  Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan, Monty Woolley. BW-113 mins, TV-G, CC,

1:15 AM - DICK CAVETT SHOW, THE: BETTE DAVIS (1971) Bette Davis appears on The Dick Cavett Show in an interview that originally aired November 17, 1971. C-62 mins, TV-PG, CC,

2:30 AM - PAYMENT ON DEMAND (1951) A bitter divorcee thinks back on the mistakes that destroyed her marriage. Dir: Curtis Bernhardt Cast:  Bette Davis, Barry Sullivan, Jane Cowl.

BW-90 mins, TV-PG, CC,

4:15 AM - NANNY, THE (1965) A disturbed young man tries to prove his nanny is out to kill him.

Dir: Seth Holt Cast:  Bette Davis, Wendy Craig, Jill Bennett. BW-93 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format

Joan Fontaine Featured on TCM today - all day!

One of the stars featured on CMF is featured today on TCM with a day long tribute. They take a look at the career of Joan Fontaine, a star who got her start in the '30's but it wasn't until her breakout performance in REBECCA ('40) that she really became a household name. Don't miss BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT ('56) at 12:30pm ET.

We have a section here on CMF about Joan Fontaine, check it out here: http://classicmoviefavorites.com/fontaine.

source: TCM.com