Reviews that forever imply that John Gilbert's voice was somehow less than manly have always seemed strange to me. Here is an average sampling of how his voice sounded in his movies:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak5j4gEN_F0
To my ears he sounds as "manly" as any of the male stars of the 20's and 30's
Ironically, with today's technology his voice could have been tweaked to suit any taste!
I totally agree with you. There wasn't anything wrong with John Gilbert's voice or looks!
shareI guess people had hoped for him to have a deeper voice, which would be considered "sexier". I recently saw Gilbert's voice described as "reedy", as in high and thin. I believe that's an accurate description. Personally, I loved his voice. I thought it sounded very warm and friendly. It's a shame that the voice contributed to his career going down in the 1930s.
I consider "Gentleman's Fate" and "Downstairs" great examples of what an excellent actor John Gilbert could be in 'talking pictures'. He really should have had a longer, more successful career after the silent era. Such an underrated talent who burned out and died far too young.
Yes, I recently watched GENTLEMAN'S FATE, too (it was the first sound picture I've seen with Gilbert) and I didn't think his voice sounded "too high" at all. Not a barritone, for sure, but hell, how many guys really have voices that deep anyway? I guess audiences just imagined his voice being so deep they couldn't accept how it really was. Oh well, they rise...they fall...
"A riot is an ugly thing....but now I think it's about time that we had one!"
There is a rumor that he socked Louis B. Mayer over Greta Garbo. LBM, to pay him back, sabotaged his voice to kill his career. I think his voice is fine also.
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