Sunset Blvd. : Did sound really end movie stars' careers?

Did sound really end movie stars' careers?

I know that's the myth, and certainly what this movie implies but were actors' careers really hindered by the arrival of sound? Without any other factor contributing like age and drugs or alcoholism? Because even in the case of Swanson she continued to work quite a deal both in films and radio after sound came along, was a presence on talk shows, etc, I guess she wasn't popular because of age but I wouldn't say sound literally stopped her career. Are there any other examples were the sound was the culprit? Maybe Ramon Novarro? I don't know.

Re: Did sound really end movie stars' careers?

From what I had heard, a lot of the silent stars had horrible voices. Sort of like in "Singin' in the Rain".



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Re: Did sound really end movie stars' careers?

Another film that had an interesting commentary about talkies vs. silent film actors is The Carpetbaggers (1964)
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Re: Did sound really end movie stars' careers?

Yeah sound killed a lot of people's career, that's not a myth.

Re: Did sound really end movie stars' careers?

Some stars were able to make the transition to sound, some didn't. The reasons varied. It wasn't only a matter of not having a good speaking voice, but often having one that might have been good, even very good, but not what the public expected. John Gilbert is a good example of that, with a higher pitch voice than his image "demanded". Chaplin had a wonderful speaking voice, but he was afraid that the English accent wouldn't fit the "Little Tramp" character.

"What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence."

Re: Did sound really end movie stars' careers?

Sound ruining the careers of many actors certainly isn't a "myth". It impacted the careers of many stars to be sure. Many European actors such as Pola Negri's careers suffered in the States because they had thick accents. That wasn't the sole reason however because plenty of European actors with accents did fine in sound films.

The problems with many stars, especially the big ones, was that their voice didn't nessecarily line up with their persona. Some also had personas that were great only when they didn't talk. John Gilbert is a fine example. His voice recorded fine (contrary to rumors) and he was a good actor, but his lover persona was goofy when you heard him talk. I think Valentino would have suffered the same fate had he lived regardless of how his voice sounded. I think audiences of time identified certain stars with a certain era. Someone carefree and "wild" like Clara Bow seemed almost vulgar in the 30s. There was little to be carefree about during those years and the 20s was a lifetime away.

As for Swanson, she had a clothes horse, over the top glamour girl image that didn't work well during the Depression. She had also done a few flops during the time films were transitioning to sound that didn't help matters.

Re: Did sound really end movie stars' careers?

It actually is a myth, or at least overblown. The case most often cited is John Gilbert, whose voice, legend has it, was high-pitched and girly. But it's not true, as anyone can hear in recordings.

It wasn't so much that silent stars had bad voices, but that they simply seemed old-fashioned to new audiences, and their acting styles outdated.

Re: Did sound really end movie stars' careers?

Gilbert's voice wasn't that which the audiences expected. People, in the silent era, imagined how the stars would sound, and often they just sounded different. This is what worried Chaplin, who had a wonderful voice.

"What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence."

Re: Did sound really end movie stars' careers?

Clara Bow had many successful pre-code talkies before she got married and decided to leave Hollywood.

http://crewdtees.com/films-have-the-right-to-remain-silent

Re: Did sound really end movie stars' careers?


Sound ruining the careers of many actors certainly isn't a "myth".
In general, yes. But it's not the case with some actors, notably Buster Keaton, who had other problems in the 1930, when he worked at MGM.

Some of the actors, such as Swanson and Mary Pickford, had more of a problem with changing public tastes in the Depression, more than problems with speaking voices.

"What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence."

Re: Did sound really end movie stars' careers?

I don't remember the actress' name; but one silent star lost her career because her voice was referred to as a "Bronx Honk."
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