Hollywood Star Walk Category
Silent Screen Stars
"They had faces then,” proclaimed silent screen star Norma Desmond in Billy Wilder’s classic 1950 Hollywood tale, “Sunset Boulevard.”
Desmond was played by one of those “faces” of the silent era — Gloria Swanson — who had been one of the biggest and most powerful stars headlining such classics as 1919’s “Male and Female” and 1922’s “Beyond the Rocks” with silent cinema’s first male superstar, Rudolph Valentino.
Silent film stars had to use their faces to express every emotion — a skill that was lost on most actors when talkies came into favor.
There were funny faces such as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, Harold Lloyd, John Bunny and Ben Turpin; dashing faces such as Richard Barthelmess and Valentino, who died tragically at 31 in 1926, and astonishingly beautiful faces such as Norma Shearer, Clara Bow, Mary Pickford, Constance and Norma Talmadge and Pola Negri.
The silent era was also beset with scandals. Actress Mary Miles Minter’s career suffered after director William Desmond Taylor, with whom she was involved, was murdered, and leading man Wallace Reid’s drug addiction lead to his death at the age of 31.
Though several silent stars including Wallace Beery, Shearer, Laurel and Hardy, Greta Garbo and Janet Gaynor made a successful transition to talkies, several careers came to a rapid end.
One of the saddest tales was that of hunky John Gilbert, who starred in such classics as 1925’s “The Big Parade” and 1926’s “Flesh and the Devil,” which marked his first appearance opposite Garbo whom he nearly married. But his voice was reedy and thin in his first talkie “His Glorious Night.” Contemporary word has it that MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer — who hated Gilbert — had the soundtrack tampered with to make his macho star sound puny. Whatever was the cause, his stock in Hollywood went way down.
Subsequent films proved Gilbert had a perfectly find baritone voice, especially in 1933’s “Queen Christina,” which reunited him with Garbo. But it was merely a band-aid on a badly wounded career. Gilbert’s drinking problem spiraled out of control and he died at 40 in 1936.
— Susan King, who has covered Hollywood for The Times for more than 25 years.
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12 thoughts about Silent Screen Stars
I'd say the best silent film only star ever was Rudolph Valentino. Greats beside him would be Chaplin, Pickford, and Swanson. Where was Doug Fairbanks?
And Mr. Griffith? If he doesn't have a star I may revolt...
And Mabel Normand? Her star is right in front of that god awful Forever 21...so come on times how are you missing these?
Hala, thanks for your suggestions. D.W. Griffith -- who is on our page of directors -- and Mabel Normand -- who we will add to the silent screen stars -- already have complete pages in our database pages. Each person, organization or group on the Walk of Fame has page in The Times database.
Mabel Normand's page: http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/mabel-normand/
D.W. Griffith's page: http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/david-w-griffith/
See all the stars here: http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/list/
And read more about the project here: http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/about/
What about MMM--Mary Miles Minter?
Dorothy and Lillian Gish?
They were featured on T. V. recently as sisters.
Is Douglas Fairbanks listed? He was a major player in silent films.
William Haines and Lon Chaney should be listed. Major stars of the silent screen.
This is the most wonderful site. Having said that I would say Pickford, Fairbanks, and Chaplin best represents the group.
Yes, they all deserve a star for various reasons.
Let us not forget or overlook a star that made the transition from silent to sound and later television and touring musical theatre: Ramon Novarro. He was Metro's first Ben-Hur. As a silent film star he was marvelous.
J. Warren Kerrigan should be listed from The Covered Wagon (one of his many films).
Yes - leaving out Lon Chaney in this featurette is a crime - especially when Norman Kerry IS included. Nothing really against him, but put his performance as Raoul (or almost any of the other performances) against Chaney's Opera Ghost in "Phantom of the Opera"!! NO contest. :-)
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