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Post by spiderwort on Nov 7, 2018 13:50:48 GMT
There are many, many actors and actresses who transitioned from silent to sound pictures. Who are some of your favorites? (This was prompted by seeing Louis Calhern starring in a 1921 Lois Weber film this morning.)
I'll start with these:
William Powell and Myrna Loy, who as we all know went on to make many sound films together, but both started their careers in silent films like The Last Command (1928) and Noah's Ark (1928).
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Post by wmcclain on Nov 7, 2018 14:07:44 GMT
Ronald Colman. Who knew he had that voice?  |
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Post by OldAussie on Nov 7, 2018 14:14:00 GMT
Ronald Colman was my 1st thought too - and it occurs to me I've probably seen less than 10 of his films but I've always been a fan.
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Post by timshelboy on Nov 7, 2018 14:19:19 GMT
Evelyn Brent was a major silent star, the apex of her career being 3 movies with Von Stroheim in 1927/28... her career declined in the 30s and by 1937 she was taking bit roles and popping up in B movies and serials. She soldiered on gamely until her last movie in 1950.
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Many of her silents - in particular BEAU SABREUR, HIS TIGER LADY (see still above) and THE DRAG NET - are sadly lost.
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Post by vegalyra on Nov 7, 2018 14:58:56 GMT
Richard Arlen. The man was prolific in film. This is from Feel My Pulse, a film that also included William Powell (mentioned above).  |
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Post by bravomailer on Nov 7, 2018 15:08:38 GMT
Wallace Beery made the transition.
Emil Jennings (the lead in the aforementioned The Last Command), though he was more Hitler's favorite than mine.
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Post by Doghouse6 on Nov 7, 2018 16:07:50 GMT
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Post by Aj_June on Nov 7, 2018 16:12:46 GMT
Interesting question, Spiderwort. More difficult to answer than one might think at first sight. I started thinking about the names and it took me a long time to come up with names. There may have been quite a few actors who did transition well but I feel the percentage of those who didn't make successful transition is greater. And there may be many who made successful transition but I have either seen them only in silent or only in sound films.
I have always known that Joan Crawford is often cited example of a star who delivered in both silent and sound pictures but the problem is that even if I respect her she isn't among my favourites.
But I have two names to mention:
1. Victor Sjöström gave excellent performance even as an actor in the self directed The Phantom Carriage (1921). And he is unforgettable in the role of Dr. Eberhard Isak Borg in Wild Strawberries. Both movies are immortal in cinema history and Victor gave excellent performances.
2. Charles Chaplin - Yes, I know this would be considered a controversial choice and may be some don't see him as an actor of non-silent films. But he was absolutely awesome in The Great Dictator and I will never forget his famous speech. So I personally do see him as a great artist (and of course he is one of my fav stars ever) in both formats.
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Post by spiderwort on Nov 7, 2018 16:12:46 GMT
Doghouse6 Amazing. Thanks for the great images. And to complete the Astor record, she also became a successful novelist. What a remarkable talent.
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Post by Salzmank on Nov 7, 2018 16:17:52 GMT
I wonder what moviegoers thought when they first heard Stan Laurel and Babe Hardy’s voices for the first time in Unaccustomed as We Are. They had already done a number of silents up until that point, but their voices fit their personas so perfectly.
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Post by spiderwort on Nov 7, 2018 16:21:08 GMT
Aj_June I understand and completely agree with you about Sjöström and Chaplin, though in general I prefer Chaplin's silent films, with the exeption of Limelight and The Great Dictator, both masterworks, imo, and Modern Times, which is a silent film made in the sound era (with the great benefit of sound effects).
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Post by Doghouse6 on Nov 7, 2018 16:24:45 GMT
Doghouse6 Amazing. Thanks for the great images. And to complete the Astor record, she also became a successful novelist. What a remarkable talent. And you don't mean only her sensational diary (now I'm just being snarky). Her second autobiographical installment, A Life On Film, was one of the most intelligent and fascinating I've ever read, going into a great deal of detail about the acting craft and her personal approach to it. |
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Post by spiderwort on Nov 7, 2018 16:37:40 GMT
And you don't mean only her sensational diary (now I'm just being snarky). Her second autobiographical installment, A Life On Film, was one of the most intelligent and fascinating I've ever read, going into a great deal of detail about the acting craft and her personal approach to it. No, I didn't mean that.  I haven't read anything she wrote, but in addition to the two you mention, she also wrote several novels: "The Incredible Charley Carewe" (1960), "The Image of Kate" (1962), "The O'Conners" (1964), "Goodbye, Darling, be Happy" (1965), and "A Place Called Saturday" (1968).
It always saddened me that she ended her days at the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills. But at least she was with others who doubtless shared some of her history. It's really a gift to actors in the end. (Oh, sadness is coming now - friends who are no longer here, but who once were there. Sorry.)
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Post by BATouttaheck on Nov 7, 2018 18:26:27 GMT
Lillian Gish : My first thought Broken Blossoms (1919) +4.jpg)  The Wind (1928)  The Night of the Hunter (1955)  The Unforgiven (1960)  The Whales of August (1987)  and so many more : LILLIAN GISH IMDb Link |
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Post by llanwydd on Nov 7, 2018 18:30:42 GMT
My favorite such performer is Greta Garbo. Her looks made her famous but her exotic voice enhanced her screen presence. Looks and voice together gave her audience the full range of her talent. Some silent stars were not so lucky. Clara Bow is a case in point. She looked great on screen but her Brooklyn accent was a debit. Louise Brooks was similar in that way. What a stunning look but her voice ruined the effect.
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Post by BATouttaheck on Nov 7, 2018 18:56:04 GMT
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Post by TheGoodMan19 on Nov 7, 2018 19:27:14 GMT
Some made the transition, many didn't. Some were frozen out of lead roles because of their accents. Pola Negri, Emil Jannings. Some careers were ended due to their personal issues, Clara Bow, Louise Brooks. But so many silent stars were just driven out. Thomas Meighan, Eleanor Boardman just to name a couple. Huge stars in the silents, forgotten now. I always wondered if the studios didn't just clear the board of many of their high prices stars for fresh and cheaper faces.
Caveat: many of these stars did make talkies, but they were shadows of what they were. And even many who did continue, John Barrymore, Greta Garbo, had short shelf lives.
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Post by teleadm on Nov 7, 2018 19:46:33 GMT
 Maybe a bit forgotten today, Clive Brook, in movies from 1920 to 1944, plus one in 1963.  The gret profile, John Barrymore, in movies from 1912 to 1941  and his brother, Lionel Barrymore, in movies from 1905 to 1953. |
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Post by teleadm on Nov 7, 2018 20:00:52 GMT
Came to think of one more:  Victor McLaglen, in movies from 1920 to 1958 |
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Post by Doghouse6 on Nov 7, 2018 20:45:10 GMT
Reginald Denny  Something I hadn't known until recent years was that Denny had a robust silent career, often in lead roles. The coming of sound, his more mature years and well-bred English accent soon lent itself to character roles, especially lightly comedic ones, such as Bulldog Drummond's long-suffering and indignity-prone sidekick Algy Longworth and Simms, the alternately patient and flustered architect in Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (below). He remained a regular presence in film and then television until the year before his 1967 passing.  And when we're talking favorites, two others with extensive silent credits were enabled by the sound era - and their distinctive voices - to graduate from supporting to top-billed status: Boris Karloff  Bela Lugosi  Each an icon, what could possibly need to be said about either of them? |
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I haven't read anything she wrote, but in addition to the two you mention, she also wrote several novels: "The Incredible Charley Carewe" (1960), "The Image of Kate" (1962), "The O'Conners" (1964), "Goodbye, Darling, be Happy" (1965), and "A Place Called Saturday" (1968). 
