sloth unleashed

Dorothy Mackaill portrait by Edwin Bower Hesser, scanned from Photoplay magazine, April 1924

Lars Hanson and Lillian Gish in The Scarlet Letter, 1926

Myrtle Lind holding camera, c. 1919

Joan Crawford And John Gilbert in a promo for Twelve Miles Out, 1927

“[Film producer Louis B.] Mayer and company then decided that, at long last, Joan was ready for a stellar pairing with the legendary matinee idol John Gilbert, known for his`burning glances’ and hypererotic lovemaking style. In 1927, Gilbert’s love scenes with Greta Garbo in Anna Karenina [aka Love] had scorched the screens all over the country. At the time, Mayer said, `Jack Gilbert will give Joan the ultimate cachet - and the chemistry will be right, too!’ Released in mid-1927, their first picture together was Twelve Miles Out. Joan played a society girl and Gilbert a hell-for-leather rumrunner. Of Gilbert, Joan later said:

`He was so in love with Garbo at the time — Garbo was living in his house — that he seemed completely distracted most of the time. Oh, he could work himself into the mood when that mood was called for — but as soon as the director called`Cut!’ he switched off so abruptly it made my head spin. He was always rushing to call Garbo. Once, I recall, she came to see him from a nearby set and he was as excited, showoff-y and nervous as any high school boy. What that lady did to that man was a caution indeed!’ “

~Joan Crawford, via Joan Crawford: The Essential Biography

Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle (March 24, 1887 - June 29, 1933) and Al St. John, The Waiter’s Ball, 1916

Today is the anniversary of Arbuckle’s death. I plan to do a more in depth tribute to him for his birthday, but wanted to make a few Arbuckle-related posts today!

(photo via EhlersReynolds)

Italian film actress Elena Sangro