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 Fa...

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 ...

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 st...

CoffeeDan, ha!

charliechaplinfan , I see Jack as having the career of Adolphe Menjou or John Halliday had he lived: good character parts. He seemed to be aging well and would have kept his looks-- if his health held out, which of course it didn't. I think he'd have been fine with letting stardom go, and segueing ...

JackFavell , Jack loved playing villains and character parts. Hated heroes. From the very beginning: P rincess of the Dark was one of his favorite early films, a character role. I'd like to have seen him in more comedies! He wanted to do Stephen Vincent Benet's John Brown's Body in the early '30s--...

Gagman , I was not able to attend the TCM Fest, and since I have The Big Parade on video, I really wasn't paying attention to the latest releases. You're right, I believe Monte Cristo and Cameo Kirby are the only Fox films to survive--Fox silents have a terrible survival record (see Theda Bara). Ha...

Robert Regan , isn't it nice that all of Jack's exes--except Garbo--were still in love with him decades (and husbands) later? Really speaks to what a flamingly charming guy he was. I also enjoyed Man, Woman and Sin and thought that everyone did themselves proud--Jeane Eagles was kind of affected an...

Hi, Moira --I am a bit out of sorts, as one of my crowns popped out this morning--serves me right for flossing so enthusiastically! Jack was great pals with Clarence Brown, Tod Browning and Edmund Goulding, he befriended them all and socialized with them. He trusted them, and they were willing to wo...

Rita, I hope you like it--and if you find any typos, you will be kind enough not to tell me!

jansullivanstravels , I don't know if Big Parade is being re-released . . . I am disappointed I could not interest Warner Bros. in a box set. Even a four-film Garbo/Gilbert set would be nice, though I would rather see some of his lesser films out there again. Jack had, happily, lots of friends. The...

Thank you so much, CineMaven ! And jansullivanstravels , too, for your kind words on my writing. I just try to write as though I am chatting to a friend. I have to sometimes stop myself from writing down, " Oh , I nearly forgot to tell you, the funniest thing . . ." I do have to go back an...

Rita Hayworth , that 1928 contract of Jack's was a disaster of timing: in late 1928, Jack was the second-biggest star at MGM (after Lon Chaney). No one at MGM thought talkies were a threat yet (MGM came late to that party), and UA was luring Jack away as his contract came up for renewal. UA's Joe S...

charliechaplinfan , I agree with just about everything you say! I think Renee Adoree was one of his most effective costars--maybe because he wasn't in love with her (I wonder why not?) and they were obviously pals who worked together so well and easily. You are right--Garbo was "the love of hi...

Good morning, all! Jansullivanstravels , If I met John Gilbert in 1925, I would hope he would whisk me off to his hilltop home for a weekend of . . . sorry, wait, where were we? No, I would shake him and tell him, " stop pissing people off! Stop taking everything so damn seriously! Every film c...