Rudolph Valentino? Louise Brooks? Richard Barthelmess? Clara Bow? Who are the silent stars who make your heart skip a beat?
This is about pure chemistry, not acting ability, though I certainly will not condemn you for choosing acting dynamos. Talent is very attractive, isn’t it?
My top silent movie crushes are a brooding bunch:
Conrad Veidt
Ivan Mosjoukine
Sessue Hayakawa
And here is the random, chaotic element: Richard Arlen.
One of these things is not like the others. Clearly, I am dealing with some kind of weird issue. Arlen is far too normal.
Okay, I shared, now it’s your turn. There are no wrong answers, you like who you like and your crushes are your own.
Spill, my darlings! This will be fun.
Movies Silently 
Ramon Navarro.
😀
Indeed!
Charlie Farrell. No hesitation. I got to see Old Ironsides on the big screen last time I was in L.A., and was like, “Hellllloooo Gorgeous!” What a hunk.
Sigh… 🙂
Marion Davies…
Yay!
Nobody beats the smoldering look of Brooks.
Lovely woman
Conrad Veidt.
Lars Hanson.
INTENSITY for the win!
ZaSu Pitts or Lillian Gish 😀
😀
Buster Keaton, oh God, Buster Keaton ❤
Also: Sessue Hayakawa, Conrad Veidt, Betty Amann, Louise Brooks, Josephine Baker, Richard Barthelmess, Joseph Schildkraut, Lon Chaney Sr (yeah a bit weird, but he does it for me for some reason)
As someone with a terrible crush on Boris Karloff (most particularly in The Black Cat), I welcome weird 🙂
I also have a crush on Karloff! Especially in TBC as well. *high fives* The classic horror stars are the ones who tend to attract me the most.
Yeah, those eyes, those robes! Swoon!
I find Lon Chaney Sr quite attractive. He’s not the traditional “attractive” type but he was apparently a very charming, polite, and kind shy man in real life and I think that’s so adorable. I also find Theda Bara incredibly beautiful, of course. I wish more of her films existed! The stills from Cleopatra are so beautiful!
Most definitely! The loss of Bara’s prime vamp-era pictures (except A Fool There Was) is a crying shame.
I’ve got a bunch, is that OK? It doesn’t mean I’m unfaithful … I just can’t pick one!
Mary Pickford. I think she was SO hot in the Biographs. Like another dirty old man, DW Griffith, I love her “cute figure.” Yes, she was technically jail-bait when she made her first films, but this IS harmless fantasy, right?
Florence La Badie. Drop-dead gorgeous. I wish that more of her work survived, and that she had lived into the flapper era.
Marion Leonard. Might seem an odd choice, but she was Biograph’s first leading lady and the epitome of “The Gibson Girl.” Beautiful face, hourglass figure, and as an actress was an important bridge between the stage and early film acting.
Bebe Daniels. I especially love her with Harold Lloyd. (How he “lost” her is beyond me!) Fun-loving, sexy, funny, smart — and incredibly versatile, in comedy, drama and musicals. Her career (and stardom) covered virtually the entire silent era, and her vocal talent enable her to succeed in sound as well.
I welcome Nickelodeon-era choices! And Bebe Daniels really was a dynamo and she also conquered TV & radio. Had she lived longer, I have no doubt she would be ruling YouTube as well. 🙂
PS, in case anyone is curious about Marion Leonard, here is Columbia University’s profile:
https://wfpp.cdrs.columbia.edu/pioneer/ccp-marion-leonard/
Marion Davies,
Louise Brooks,
Janet Gaynor
Yay!
i’ll also add Paulette Goddard for the mostly silent Modern Times.
Lovely 🙂
Without a doubt, Novarro. Although he lacked the sizzle of Valentino, his honest vulnerability and beauty were captivating to me. And for a gay guy, he still knew how to kiss a woman!
Novarro seems to be a top choice all around
Colleen Moore.
The eyes! The charm! The humor! *swoon*
😀
Buddy Rogers. What a cutie!
Awww! 😀
I only have one. Louise Brooks. She’s one of my biggest classic film crushes, period.
Nothing wrong with staying loyal to your top choice 🙂
Wat? No Anna May Wong fans here? (faint, THUD!) Oops. Sorry. Ow.
Louise Books, of course, Vina Fay Wray, Miss Baker makes me bananas (ha!), as do a few more ladies I see mentioned here.
And yep, Veidt, Karloff and Chaney Sr. have both given a gal or three I know that “Oooh, he’s somehow kinda… cute?” moments. That’s when I wish I had a Ben Turpin t-shirt that said “What About ME?” on it to whip out and wear, lol.
Oh I’m sure Miss Wong has her devotees, she was lovely! Josephine Baker’s infectious smile probably won her a few hearts too. 🙂
Clara Bow
Louise Brooks
Colleen Moore
Florence Vidor
Corrine Griffith
Nice!
Gotta include Anna May Wong, Louise Brooks and Marion Davies on my list.
Nice 🙂
Nobody beats Veidt in The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari. Somehow the messy hair, black makeup, and big eyes just make me swoon.
Yeah, he gets that yummy goth vibe (squeal!)
Milton Sills, Enid Bennett, Lars Hanson, Anna May Wong.
Can’t call Mabel Normand a crush…she always feels more like a bosom buddy you’re sharing a wonderful joke with.
Yeah I know what you mean, my dream silent movie BFFs are Leatrice Joy & Viola Dana.
Mary pickford and dorothy gish
🙂
Anna May Wong, Clara Bow and Marion Davies. Garbo always left me cold. U
Thanks!
Another for Ramon Novarro here, also Ronald Colman (those eyes…).
Yay!
I love Rudolph Valentino, Richard Barthelmess, and Wallace Reid. For comedians, I think Harold Lloyd, Al St. John, and Bobby Vernon are adorable.
Funny can be so attractive 🙂
Rudolph Valentino. And Sir John Martin-Harvey.
Two ends of the spectrum there! I like it 🙂
I find Theda Bara endlessly fascinating and alluring. I’ve even written a song about her.
Other favourites include Louise Brooks, Clara Bow, Buster Keaton, Keaton’s frequent co-star Sybil Seeley, Anna May Wong… I feel like I must be forgetting someone, I’m such a crush hoarder…
Nothing in the world wrong with that, I’m a bit of one myself 😉
Oh I remember now – Gerda Maurus from Spione / Frau im Mond!
Nice 🙂
Blanche Sweet, Florence La Badie, Jobyna Ralston, Betty Bronson, and Florence Vidor — these are the five actresses that make my heart smile whenever they appear on screen.
Yay! I wish more of Blanche Sweet’s 1910s feature work was available…
Two words: Richard. Barthelmess. Absolute screen perfection, though what happened to his face post-silents makes me want to weep…
Yeah, he was at his best during the silent era.
You did say “crushes”? I’m past the usual crush age, whatever it is, so: Louise Brooks because her intelligence shines through her eyes, Musidora because she’s an adventure, Clara Bow because she’s fun.
All are physically attractive of course.
Crushes are fab at any age 🙂
Greta Garbo
🙂
Valentino, of course. 💓 But…I also adore Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd. 💞
Classic 🙂
Ivor Novello because he just could do more than just act. Richard Dix when he’s all sweaty. John Gilbert because he was a bad boy with a dashing smile. Harold Lloyd…he was funny. Lon Chaney because of his dedication to his craft and Conrad Veidt because…..I’m not sure but he does something to me. Now I’m a healthy happy heterosexual but these gals just ar the bees knees for me….Dolores Costello because I always thought she was a beauty. Louise Brooks…what an intelligent cracker. Florence Labadie as she seemed more than just what she showed on the screen. Clara Bow because she always seemed to need a hug and a true friend. Anna May Wong…she was a beauty and deserved more. I could think of more but that is it for now.
It’s always nice to discover a favorite has something going for them in addition to looks & acting 🙂
I think George O’Brien first, then Messrs Novarro, Barthelmess and Mosjoukine
Very good 🙂
Mary Pickford
Lucille Hutton
Bebe Daniels
Alice White
Mary Brian
Marion Davies
Nice picks!
Connie Veidt oh how I adore you! You make my heart flutter and knees grow weak!
But of course!
John Gilbert, George O’Brien, Gilbert Roland, Wallace Reid
😀
First of all… Greta Garbo (the divine Garbo) will albays be the first and I ‘ve been fascinated by silent because of her. Also…
Louise Brooks (eternal Lulu), Gloria Swanson, Lillian Gish & Richard Barthelmess are unforgettable in Broken blossoms , also way down east, but (Broken blossoms) …I love this film, this pure love. Clara Bow the It girl but also awesome in “Wings”, Brigitte Helm is very special of course because of Metropolis and nobody thought of her but in “G.W Pabst s’ Pandora s’ box” is like very much countess Geschwitz (Alice Roberts) this character has marked my life many years ago.
Yes, so many great ladies in German cinema
I always found Doris May interesting, and Bebe Daniels as well. Florence LaBadie was another I found charming in many of the Thanhouser Films.
Yes, LaBadie seems to be winning a lot of hearts around here. Delightful!
Francis X. Bushman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
😀
Oh dear, I have so many, but here is a top 10. Sybil Seeley, Jobyna Ralston, Marion Davies, Bebe Daniels, Colleen Moore, Anny Ondra, Clara Bow, Janet Gaynor, Betty Compson & Phyllis Haver.
Nice list!
I think you already know my answer to this question! 😉
But I would also add sister Dotty, Louise Brooks, Mary Duncan (from Murnau’s “City Girl”) and Miriam Cooper.
I did have a thing for Harold Lloyd era Bebe Daniels too but she was only 15 at the time which makes it a bit awkward…
Bebe is another crush who seems have a lot of fans around here. Good for her!
Colleen Moore. It’s weird, because I’d have written her off as “too skinny” before I saw her in motion, but there’s something about those smiling eyes that captivates me.
Yes, it’s really necessary to see silent movie performers in motion to appreciate them fully.
My number one, silent movie star ‘crush’ is, without a doubt, ANTONIO MORENO!!!!
Well, he did have “it” 😉
Hi cheryl!! I love your enthusiasm. I had to say something 🙂 hehe
Mildred Davis is just the cutest. Also Carole Lombard is insanely pretty.
Very cute
Oh, Conrad Veidt. Without an expressionist shadow of a doubt.
Those eyes! Those lips! That dagger! 😉
Who I’d like to look like from the silent era? Garbo – no doubt.
Who I’d like to date from the silent era? John Gilbert around his The Big Parade time (even with only one leg)
Ah, so sans ‘stache?
Musidora. Constance Talmadge. Anita Page. Louise Brooks. Clara Bow. Francesca Bertini.
And based on her intertitles, Anita Loos. Is it proper for a gentleman to openly admire a woman’s intertitles?
Oh, I think so. Her intertitles were written from a place of empowerment and I think she would enjoy respectful admiration. Of course, you wouldn’t want to just shout, “Hey, nice intertitles!” to any random woman. 😉
i invited douglas fairbanks jr. to my bat mitzvah and a few months later named my new kitten after him
Sounds like an excellent course of action!
I’m tempted to say Fay Wray, but that’s cheating — she made only a few silents, and I’ve only seen her in talkies. But I also have a huge crush on another actress. She made only one silent (Exit Smiling) but I’ve seen it and loved it. Beatrice Lillie has won my heart!
Lillie is a delight! (And I am completely cool with cheating)
Ivor Novello. I’m glad I’m not the only one to mention him. Sooooo good looking.
Incredibly 🙂
I’m happy to see Florence LaBadie getting so much love. She’s my favorite actress from the teens. As far as crushes go I like Charles Farrell, Clive Brook, and my number one all time of any era – Gary Cooper!!! In the 1920s he was so gorgeous it’s almost unbelievable. The scene of him and Florence Vidor kissing in a hay bale (they were caught out in the rain and dug out some hay from a big bale and crawled inside it) in Doomsday (1928) is so romantic and beautiful it just takes my breath away.
Yes, the Coop was certainly a looker in the 1920s 🙂