Star Treatment (25 Mar. 1980)

The glorious, tragic, and truncated careers of American silent stars like John Gilbert, Clara Bow, Louise Brooks, and Greta Garbo are highlighted.

Directors:

Kevin Brownlow, David Gill

Writers:

Kevin Brownlow, David Gill

Stars:

James Mason, Cedric Belfrage, Eleanor Boardman

Cast

Episode credited cast:
James Mason	...	Himself / Narrator (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Cedric Belfrage	...	Himself
Eleanor Boardman	...	Herself
Louise Brooks	...	Herself
Clarence Brown	...	Himself - 1969 interview (archive footage)
Douglas Fairbanks Jr.	...	Himself
Leatrice Joy Gilbert	...	Herself (as Leatrice Gilbert Fountain)
Leatrice Joy	...	Herself
Samuel Marx	...	Himself (as Sam Marx)
Charles 'Buddy' Rogers	...	Himself
Adela Rogers St. Johns	...	Herself
King Vidor	...	Himself

Storyline

The glorious, tragic, and truncated careers of American silent stars like John Gilbert, Clara Bow, Louise Brooks, and Greta Garbo are highlighted.

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Plot Keywords:

shakespearean quotation | movie star | swede | american filmmaking | silent movie | 

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Genres:

Documentary | History

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Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 March 1980 (UK)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Thames Television

Technical Specs

Color:

Color Black and White

Did You Know?

Connections

Features Flesh and the Devil (1927)

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Soundtracks

"Merry Widow Waltz"
(uncredited)
Composed by Franz Lehar (1905)
Instrumental version heard during "The Merry Widow" clip

User Reviews

Hollywood Episode 12

Hollywood: Star Treatment (1980)

**** (out of 4)

Another marvelous entry in the documentary series takes a look at how stars were treated when they were on top of the world and then when they were washed up and not needed. This episode first takes a look at Clara Bow, the "It" girl who used her sexuality on screen to become one of the biggest stars in the world only to have her career wrecked when reports of real sex in her real life hit the media. The second star looked out is John Gilbert who also found himself as one of the biggest stars in the world and his power rose even more after his films with Greta Garbo (their relationship lasted off screen as well). Gilbert would eventually have his career railroaded but as to who was to blame could lead to much debate. Some say it started after he punched Louis B. Mayer at a party but others say it was his voice, which had people laughing when talkies came into play. This episode is certainly amongst the best in the series as it did a great job at looking at two now legendary stars and hearing their rise and fall. The Bow case has always been an interesting one as it pretty much deals with hypocrites as people would pay to see her sexuality on the screen but once these same people heard she wasn't a virgin in real life they decided to rip her apart and pretty much throw her away. Even her attempted comeback was a flop and that pretty much washed her up at the age of 26. Gilbert wasn't as lucky as he's be dead at a young age due to alcohol but he's another interesting case of MGM as their "machine", which had the ability to destroy anyone, including their biggest star. Louise Brooks, Bow's supposed rival, speaks very highly of her here and Gilbert also gets a lot of support including from his ex-wife who is interviewed.