Of John Gilbert's sound films, I would strongly suggest not missing the wonderfully written and expertly acted
Downstairs (1932), directed by Monta Bell, being shown at 6:30 PM EDT that day.
(L-R) Virginia Bruce and Olga Baclanova with John Gilbert in Downstairs.
Gilbert wrote the pre-code story, and he gives a superb, slyly malicious performance as an amoral chauffeur on the make with everyone below and above stairs. Set in post-WWI Germany, the movie also features Virginia Bruce as a naive, sexually inexperienced maid (Bruce married Gilbert after appearing in this with him) and Paul Lukas, as a staid, repressed butler. The marriage of these two characters opens the story. Olga Baclanova also shines as an amorous baroness married to the rather obtuse Reginald Owen. Gilbert had hopes of becoming a writer and director, (he'd directed a few silents and worked with Maurice Tourneur for a time). If this story is an example of his storytelling talent, his early death was even more of a loss than previously believed.
John Gilbert as "the master of disguise," Chéri-Bibi, in The Phantom of Paris. Love a guy in a monocle!
I have not seen either
The Phantom of Paris (1931) at 5pm EDT or Gilbert's last film,
The Captain Hates the Sea (1934), scheduled for 4:00 AM EDT on Aug. 25th. Everything I've read about
The Phantom of Paris (1931), taken from a Gaston Leroux novel, (The Phantom of the Opera author), makes me eager to see this, even if some don't think much of it. Many other people cite
The Phantom of Paris as Gilbert's most dashing vehicle in the sound era, allowing him to display his stylish romantic plumage for a final time. At the time of the release, a few critics admitted that Gilbert "had finally learned to speak" on camera, though the European-flavored film found more success abroad, it was a bit too late to salvage Gilbert's career. This movie also appeals to me because it casts him opposite an almost unremembered actor whose talent and capacity for self-destruction, some believe, paralleled that of John Barrymore, though Ian Keith seems to have never quite scaled the same heights, (or is it depths?). Despite this, I am interested in seeing this actor as Gilbert's nemesis in this movie, though perhaps Keith is best remembered as John Wilkes Booth in D.W. Griffith's
Abraham Lincoln, as Garbo's annoyingly persistent lover in
Queen Christina and as Pete, the surprisingly eloquent but doomed tosspot in
Nightmare Alley (1947).
I'm not expecting much from
The Captain Hates the Sea (1934), but there is certainly some poignancy in this final role as a drunk being played by John Gilbert. (Besides, how often do you expect to see Gilbert sharing the screen with The Three Stooges!?)
Though it was a relatively minor effort, my interest in Mervyn LeRoy's early career led me to see
Gentleman's Fate (1931), scheduled for 3:15 PM EDT, which features Gilbert in an unusually gritty setting with other silent era actors making the transition to talkies, including Louis Wolheim, Anita Page, Marie Prevost and Leila Hyams. I wrote about this movie
here if you'd like more info.
None of the films that I've seen of Gilbert from the sound era seem to have any problems with his voice being recorded, though I do feel that when he was ill at ease in some of his sound films, such as
Queen Christina, he fell into a somewhat mannered, old-fashioned and flamboyant way of acting. That being said, there is none of this evident in his very modern and naturalistic work in
Downstairs,
Fast Workers (not being shown this August, but great, cynical fun and an occasional movie on the TCM schedule), or for much of
Gentleman's Fate. Those are just my reactions to these various movies which have really helped me begin to appreciate this actor beyond the silent era. I hope that you'll offer your thoughts along with anyone else who is interested in this actor's work. I'm so glad that TCM is devoting an entire day to this interesting actor. Below are all the scheduled films and times (EDT) for Tuesday, August 24th:
24 Tuesday
6:00 AM
The Busher (1919)
In this silent film, a minor-league baseball player gets his shot at the big leagues. Cast: Charles Ray, Colleen Moore, John Gilbert. Dir: Jerome Storm. BW-55 mins, TV-G
7:00 AM
He Who Gets Slapped (1924)
In this silent film, a scientist flees his tragic past to become a circus clown. Cast: Lon Chaney, Norma Shearer, John Gilbert. Dir: Victor Seastrom. BW-72 mins, TV-G
8:30 AM
Merry Widow, The (1925)
In this silent film, a European nobleman courts the wealthy American widow he once loved to save his bankrupt homeland, Cast: Mae Murray, John Gilbert, Tully Marshall. Dir: Erich von Stroheim. BW-137 mins, TV-PG
11:00 AM
Show, The (1927)
In this silent film, a sideshow dancer secretly loves the show's amoral barker. Cast: John Gilbert, Renee Adoree, Lionel Barrymore. Dir: Tod Browning. BW-76 mins, TV-14
12:30 PM
Desert Nights (1929)
In this silent film, diamond robbers get caught in a violent sandstorm. Cast: John Gilbert, Mary Nolan, Ernest Torrence. Dir: William Nigh. BW-62 mins, TV-G
1:45 PM
Way For A Sailor (1930)
A devoted sailor jeopardizes his love life for love of the sea. Cast: John Gilbert, Wallace Beery, Leila Hyams. Dir: Sam Wood. BW-85 mins, TV-G
3:15 PM
Gentleman's Fate (1931)
A bootlegger falls apart when his wife leaves him. Cast: John Gilbert, Louis Wolheim, Leila Hyams. Dir: Mervyn LeRoy. BW-93 mins, TV-PG
5:00 PM
Phantom of Paris, The (1931)
A magician is charged with killing his fiancee's father. Cast: John Gilbert, Leila Hyams, Ian Keith. Dir: John S. Robertson. BW-74 mins, TV-PG
6:30 PM
Downstairs (1932)
An evil chauffeur seduces and blackmails his way through high society. Cast: John Gilbert, Virginia Bruce, Paul Lukas. Dir: Monta Bell. BW-78 mins, TV-G
8:00 PM
Big Parade, The (1925)
In this silent film, a young innocent enlists for World War I service but soon learns the horrors of war. Cast: John Gilbert, Renee Adoree, Karl Dane. Dir: King Vidor. BW-126 mins, TV-G
10:15 PM
Bardelys the Magnificent (1926)
A notorious womanizer falls for the woman he has bet he can trick into marriage. Cast: John Gilbert, Eleanor Boardman, Roy D'Arcy. Dir: King Vidor. BW-90 mins, TV-PG
12:00 AM
Flesh And The Devil (1926)
In this silent film, a femme fatale comes between childhood friends. Cast: Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Lars Hanson. Dir: Clarence Brown. BW-113 mins, TV-PG
2:00 AM
Queen Christina (1933)
Romantic tale of the 17th-century Swedish queen and her romance with a Spanish diplomat. Cast: Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Lewis Stone. Dir: Rouben Mamoulian. BW-99 mins, TV-G, CC
4:00 AM
Captain Hates the Sea, The (1934)
A bond thief, a private eye and a drunken reporter wreak havoc on an ocean voyage. Cast: Victor McLaglen, Wynne Gibson, John Gilbert. Dir: Lewis Milestone. BW-85 mins, TV-G