John Gilbert plays a master of escape (like Houdini) and a master of disguise in THE PHANTOM OF PARIS (MGM, 1931). The film is based on the novel CHERI-BIBI, by Gaston Leroux, who also wrote THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Leatrice Gilbert Fountain loaned me this photo years ago to publish when I was editing the John Gilbert Society Appreciation newsletter.
This is the dust jacket of a small copy of THE MERRY WIDOW novel, which was made into a film, starring John Gilbert and Mae Murray in 1925. The fly leaf reads “THE MERRY WIDOW; A NOVEL FOUNDED ON FRANZ LEHAR’S OPERA AS PRODUCED BY HENRY W. SAVAGE.”
The book was published by The Readers Library Publishing Company LTD. in London, England. The “Editor’s Note” includes a brief history of THE MERRY WIDOW as an on-stage musical comedy and pays homage to the 1925 film version. The novel does not include movie stills. It is old and fragile and probably dates to 1925.
However, I have a larger photoplay edition (A. L. Burt Company in New York) that’s missing a dust jacket but includes four movie stills.
JOHN GILBERT, ST. ELMO, & ME 