Louise Brooks Society

All roads lead

2012-01-29T10:01:00.000-08:00

The Film Noir Festival currently underway at the Castro Theater in San Francisco concludes Sunday with a tribute to Dashiell Hammett. The author of The Maltese Falcon and other classic works of detective and crime fiction will be celebrated with the screening of six films based on his work. It is a not-to-be-missed all-day affair - and one with more than one connection to Louise Brooks.
The Film Noir Festival tribute is fitting.

Arguably, the noir aesthetic sprang from Hammett's work. His hardboiled characters and grim plots - which served as a counterpoint to the work of S.S. van Dine (another leading mystery writer of the time) - set the tone for a good deal of the noir fiction and film which followed. And secondly, Hammett lived in San Francisco in the 1920s. It is here that he wrote the novels and stories for which he is still read today.

Before beginning his life as a writer, Hammett worked for the Pinkerton detective agency. And it was as a private detective that he came to San Francisco. One of his assignments involved gathering evidence for the defense of Roscoe Fatty Arbuckle at the time the famous comedian was tried for murder.

Hammett wrote most of his now classic work during the eight years he lived in San Francisco. From apartments on Eddy, Hyde, Monroe, Post and Leavenworth streets he pounded out story after story, drawing inspiration from almost everything around him. Notably, more than half of Hammett's stories take place in the city, as do his novels The Big Knockover, The Dain Curse, and, of course, The Maltese Falcon. Also set in San Francisco is his longest series -- three novels and 28 stories -- concerning an unnamed operative for the Continental Detective Agency.

In the single best source for information on the writer's time in San Francisco, The Dashiell Hammett Tour: A Guidebook (City Lights, 1991 / expanded and revised edition 2010, Vince Emery Productions), Hammett expert Don Herron wrote, "Hammett's San Francisco stands as one of the great literary treatments of a city - it has been compared with Joyce's Dublin and Dickens' London for its evocation of place and time. . . . In the Continental Op tales, the nameless detective goes to every neighborhood in the city and encounters every level of society, from bankers with wandering daughters in Pacific Height's mansions to cheap gunmen living in furnished rooms in Tenderloin hotels who do their drinking in North Beach speakeasies."

All told, some 32 films or television episodes have been based on a Hammett story or novel. On Sunday, the San Francisco Film Noir Festival will screen six of them.

Roadhouse Nights(1930, Paramount, 68 min.)
At 12:00 noon: This rarely shown film - the first based on a Hammett book - is loosely based on the author's classic gang-war novel Red Harvest, a story which proved too brutal and cynical for pre-Code Hollywood. In this Hobert Henley-directedadaption, Hammett’s story becomes an action-comedy starring sultry torch singer Helen Morgan, Charles Ruggles, Fred Kohler (who played in the early gangster film, The City Gone Wild), and newcomer Jimmy Durante. Not on DVD.

The Maltese Falcon (1931, Warner Bros. 80 min.)
At 1:20 pm: This first of three adaptions was made the year after Hammett's landmark novel of the same name was published. This pre-Code version, directed by Roy Del Ruth and sometimes titled Dangerous Female, flaunts a sexier tone than John Huston's more famous 1941 remake. Here, Ricardo Cortez and Bebe Daniels star as Sam Spade and Ruth Wonderly (the Brigid O'Shaughnessy character), with other parts played by Una Merkal and the doomed Thelma Todd. And don’t miss an “appearance” by Louise Brooks, whose photograph hangs in Spade’s apartment as a curious piece of set dressing.

City Streets (1932, Paramount, 83 min.)
At 3:00 pm: In City Streets, Gary Cooper plays a carny sharpshooter who goes crooked in order to free his love (played by Sylvia Sidney) from prison. Paul Lukas, Willam Boyd and lovable Guy Kibee round out the cast. This film was made from the only story Hammett wrote specifically for the screen, and it's brilliantly realized by director Rouben Mamoulian and cameraman Lee Garmes. Restored print courtesy the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Not on DVD.

Mr. Dynamite (1935, Universal, 67 min.)
At 4:45 pm: Originally conceived as a second Sam Spade novel, Mr. Dynamite is the most rarely seen of all films based on Hammett's work. Edmund Lowe stars as a disreputable private dick hired by a gambler to solve a murder within the casino. The cast includes Jean Dixon, Victor Varconi and lovely Esther Ralston (who starred in The American Venus). Directed by Alan Crosland. Archival print courtesy of Universal Pictures. Not on DVD.

The Glass Key (1942, Paramount, 85 min.)
At 7:00 pm: Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake add lots of sex appeal to this second adaption of The Glass Key, Hammett's gritty behind-the-scenes novel of the dirty work that goes on in big-city politics. Director Stuart Heisler is at his rapid-fire best, eliciting terrific support from dashing Brian Donlevy and thuggish William Bendix. Not on DVD.

The Maltese Falcon (1941, Warner Bros. 100 min.)
At 9:00 pm: Noir City's 10th Anniversary celebration closes with an encore screening of the film version of the most influential work of crime fiction ever written. This classic film features legendary performances from Humphrey Bogart (whom Brooks knew and wrote about), Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and San Francisco's own Elisha Cook Jr. Written and directed by John Huston.

One other event Hammett fans won't want to miss takes place next month at the Jewish Community Center in San Francisco. On Tuesday, February 21st, Myrna Loy biographer Emily Leider will speak about "Nick and Nora's San Francisco." Leider's event will be presented by the San Francisco Historical Society and Museum.

According to the San Francisco biographer, whose Myrna Loy: The Only Good Girl in Hollywood was published late last year by the University of California Press, her talk will focus on three figures: Hammett, who wrote The Thin Man and created its sleuthing characters Nick and Nora Charles; actor William Powell (who starred as Philo Vance in The Canary Murder Case), who played Nick in the 1934 MGM movie of the book which spawned five sequels; and Loy (who played in A Girl in Every Port), the actress who portrayed Nora in all six films.

Utilizing film clips and photographs, Leider will discuss Hammett’s relationship with Nick, Nora and San Francisco, and the experiences of Powell and Loy in The City while filming After The Thin Man (1936) and Shadow of The Thin Man (1941) - two movies in the series shot in part in San Francisco. Leider will also touch on San Francisco’s reputation as a “wet” city during Prohibition, and on the impact of Prohibition’s repeal in 1933 on the audience for The Thin Man.

Dashiell Hammett character Nick Charles confronts S.S. van Dine character Philo Vance (both played by William Powell) in the trailer for The Thin Man. Curiously, both Hammett and van Dine did not care for one another or their writings, and they sparred in print.

Louise Brooks film screens in Berkeley, California

2012-01-22T22:54:00.000-08:00

As part of its 25 film, four month Howard Hawks retrospective, the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley, California will screen A Girl in Every Port. The 1928 Louise Brooks film, by consensus the best of Hawks' silent efforts, is set to play on Tuesday, January 24 at 7 pm.

A Girl in Every Port is a buddy film which tells the story of two sailors (Victor McLaglen and Robert Armstrong) and their encounters with various women in various ports of call. Brooks, under contract to Paramount at the time, was loaned to Fox for the film. She plays the girl from Marseille, France. Myrna Loy, Sally Rand, Leila Hyams, Natalie Kingston and Maria Casajuana (the soon to be Maria Alba) are among the other girls in other ports of call.

Brooks is cast as a vamp, a circus artiste / high-diver known as Marie (Mam’selle Godiva). McLaglen and Armstrong, each suitors, offer a towel and more. 'Mlle Godiva' handles each with Lulu-like aplomb.

When A Girl in Every Port premiered in February of 1928 at the massive Roxy Theater in New York City, it played to a packed house. At the time, advertisements placed by Fox claimed the film set a “New House Record – and a World Record – with Daily Receipts on February 22nd of $29,463.” Considering admission was likely less than a dollar, that’s a lot of movie-goers in a single day – then or now.

Popular as well as critically applauded, the film received good reviews in New York’s many daily newspapers. Mordaunt Hall, writing in the New York Times, described it as "A rollicking comedy,” while the New York Telegram called it “a hit picture” and the Morning Telegraph pronounced it a “winner.”

Irene Thirer, writing in the Daily News, noted “Director Howard Hawks has injected several devilish touches in the piece, which surprisingly enough, got by the censors. His treatment of the snappy scenario is smooth and at all times interesting. Victor’s great, Armstrong’s certainly appreciable, and Louise Brooks is at her loveliest. The rest of the gals from other ports are good to look at, too. Roxy’s got a winner this time.”

Similar sentiments would be echoed in other New York City papers including the German-language New Yorker Volkszeitung, the trade journal Women's Wear Daily, and even the socialist Daily Worker.

Reviewing the Roxy premiere, the anonymous critic for TIME magazine wrote, “There are two rollicking sailors in this fractious and excellent comedy. . . . A Girl in Every Port is really What Price Glory? translated from arid and terrestrial irony to marine gaiety of the most salty and miscellaneous nature. Nobody could be more charming than Louise Brooks, that clinging and tender little barnacle from the docks of Marseilles. Director Howard Hawks and his entire cast, especially Robert Armstrong, deserve bouquets and kudos.”

Critics singled out Brooks, and some described her as “pert.” Regina Cannon, writing in New York American, stated “Then comes THE woman. She is Louise Brooks, pert, fascinating young creature, who does high and fancy diving for a living. . . . Miss Brooks ‘takes’ our hero in somewhat the manner that Grant took Richmond. . . . Louise Brooks has a way of making a junior vamp and infantile scarlet lady seem most attractive.”

As well received as the film was in the United States, it was even more highly regarded in France, where it has been regularly revived.

Writing in Cahiers du Cinéma in January 1963, the French film archivist Henri Langlois stated “It seems that A Girl in Every Port was the revelation of the Hawks season at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. For New York audiences of 1962, Louise Brooks suddenly acquired that ‘Face of the century’ aura she had had, many years ago, for spectators at the Cinema des Ursulines. . . . That is why Blaise Cendrars confided a few years ago that he thought A Girl in Every Port definitely marked the first appearance of contemporary cinema. To the Paris of 1928, which was rejecting expressionism, A Girl in Every Port was a film conceived in the present, achieving an identity of its own by repudiating the past.”

A Girl in Every Port is considered by many scholars to be the most important of Hawks' early works because it was his first to introduce the themes and character types he would continue to explore throughout his long and distinguished career. And, notably, Louise Brooks is the first to portray what became known as the "Hawksian woman."

More info: A Girl in Every Port screens on Tuesday, January 24 at 7 pm as part of "Howard Hawks: The Measure of Man," a retrospective at the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley. The film will be introduced by UC Berkeley professor Marilyn Fabe; Judith Rosenberg will accompany on piano. Details at http://bampfa.berkeley.edu/film/FN19308

Louise Brooks lights up screens in coming months

2012-01-15T09:07:00.000-08:00

Louise Brooks was one of a handful of early moviestars given a cinematic shout-out in Martin Scorsese's 2011 blockbuster, Hugo. (if you haven't already seen it - go do so! You will love it.) That film, along with The Artist, has spurred renewed interestin the silent era and its many personalities.

This revival of interest includes Brooks, three of whose silentfilms will be shown in the coming months. Notably, not among them is Pandora's Box (1929) or even Diary of a Lost Girl (1929), two ofBrooks' most frequently screened and popular films.

Instead, the films being shown arethree of Brooks' lesser seen American silent films. Each of these events give fans an opportunity to see a rare Brooks film - none of which have been commercially released on DVD. If you live near any of these screenings, get your tickets now. (Follow the linked titles.)

A Girl in Every Port (1928)
Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley, CA
Tuesday, January 24 at 7:00 p.m.

AGirl in Every Port is being screened as part of a 25 film,four month Howard Hawks retrospective at the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley,California. This early Hawks' filmis considered by many to be the most important of the director's silent efforts.Why? Because as a "buddy film" it is the first to introduce thethemes and character types Hawks would continue to explore throughout his longand distinguished career. A Girl in Every Port is a “love story” between two sailors (Victor McLaglen andRobert Armstrong) which features an alluring high-diver, played by Brooks, asthe woman who attempts to break up their friendship. The film was a huge hitboth in the United States and Europe. The novelist and poet Blaise Cendrarssaid A Girl in Every Port "definitely marked the first appearanceof contemporary cinema." A Girl inEvery Port will be introduced byUC Berkeley professor Marilyn Fabe, and will be Judith Rosenberg on piano.

The Maltese Falcon (1931)
San Francisco Film Noir Festival in San Francisco, CA
Sunday, January 29 at 1:20 p.m.

No, this is not a Brooks film. And no, it's not theBogart version of Hammett's classic story, but rather the original - made theyear after Hammett's landmark novel was published. This pre-Code adaptation,directed by Roy Del Ruth and originally titled Dangerous Female, flaunts a sexier tone than John Huston's much morefamous 1941 version. Ricardo Cortez and Bebe Daniels star as Sam Spade and RuthWonderly (the BrigidO'Shaughnessy character). What's little known is that Brooks also makes an "appearance"in the film. In a key scene in Spade's apartment, a picture of Brooks can bespotted hanging above Spade's telephone; curiously, the camera lingers on this prominently placed piece of setdressing. Why Brooks is there . . . is amystery.

The Street of Forgotten Men (1925)
Cinefest 32 in Liverpool, NY
March tba

TheStreet of Forgotten Men is a romance(between Neil Hamilton and Mary Brian) and underworld story set among professional beggars in New York City. At the timeof its release, director Herbert Brenon was praised for his gritty depiction ofBowery life, while star Percy Marmount was rightly compared to Lon Chaney forhis vivid, dramatic performance as a fake cripple. And in an uncredited role,Brooks enjoys some 5 minutes of screen time in this, her first film. She makesa lasting impression. Long thought lost,six of the film's seven reels were found a number of years ago at the Libraryof Congress - that is the archive which will be providing the print for thisrare screening. Though a date has not been set, this screening has beenannounced on the Cinefest Facebook page.

Cinefest takes place March 15-18 near Syracuse, New York.

Beggars of Life (1928)
Bradford International Film Festival in Bradford, England
April 21

Over the last couple of years, the Dodge Brothers -a British country blues, rockabilly and skiffle four-piece outfit - have made aname for themselves among British cinema fans for their live accompaniment to Beggars of Life. The 1928 WilliamWellman-directed film stars Louise Brooks as a girl, wanted by the law, who dresses as a boyand goes on the run and rides the rails in pre-Depression America. At thisspecial event, the Dodge Brothers will be joined on stage by one of the world's best knownsilent-film accompanists, Neil Brand, to provide a live soundtrack for Beggarsof Life at the BradfordInternational Film Festival. The Dodge Brothers will be playing guitars, harmonica,banjo, double bass and a washboard, with Brand on piano, in the National MediaMuseum's renowned Pictureville cinema.

New Pandora's Box score coming

2012-01-08T22:40:00.000-08:00

According to an article in the Yorkshire Evening Post, Icelandic composer Johann Johannsson has been commissioned to write a score for Pandora’s Box (1929), starring Louise Brooks. Stay tuned for further details as this story develops.

Rolled Stockings screenwriter Frederica Sagor Maas dies at age 111

2012-01-07T16:59:00.000-08:00

Silent era screenwriter Frederica Sagor Maas, who penned a handful of Jazz Age comedies and dramas including the 1927 Louise Brooks film, Rolled Stockings, died on January 5th at age 111.

Frederica Sagor's name appears in this 1927
newspaper advertisement for Rolled Stockings.
It was a rare honor for a writer and
suggest the esteem with which she
was once held.

The former La Mesa, California resident and "supercentarian" was one of the last surviving personalities from the silent film era, and perhaps the very last individual associated with one of Brooks’ silent films. Maas was also considered the second (or third according to some reports) oldest person in California.

As a woman, Maas was often assigned work on flapper comedies and light dramas. Her first big success, The Plastic Age (1925), was a smash hit for Clara Bow, the “It girl.” Maas' screenwriting and story efforts – sometimes credited, sometimes not – include other Bow films like Dance Madness (1926), Hula (1927), and Red Hair (1928), two films featuring her friend Norma Shearer, His Secretary (1925) and The Waning Sex (1926), the Garbo movie Flesh and the Devil (1926), and the now lost Brooks film Rolled Stockings (1927).

Rolled Stockings is a romantic drama set among carousing college students. It was one of a number of similarly-themed films aimed toward the youth market. To add a bit of verisimilitude, Rolled Stockings was filmed largely on and around the campus at the University of California, Berkeley. Local papers of the time reported on the arrival and activities of the film crew and cast.

The Richard Rosson-directed film was made for Paramount, and features the Paramount "junior stars." Besides Brooks, its cast includes then up-and-comers Richard Arlen, James Hall, Nancy Phillips, and El Brendel. Rolled Stockings, adapted from an original story idea by Frederica Sagor, proved popular in the summer of 1927 – and not only in the United States. It also played across Latin America and Europe.

In its review, the New York Morning Telegraph wrote, “Freddy Sagor has written quite a nice little story . . . . ,” while Robert E. Sherwood, writing in Life magazine, called Rolled Stockings “ . . . a surprisingly nice comedy . . . the characters are of importance, and they are nicely represented by the adroit Louise Brooks.”

Even the critic for the Ann Arbor Times News, a college town newspaper, appreciatively stated “The three stars, Louise Brooks, James Hall and Richard Arlen are so thoroughly likeable and the story so different from the usual line of college bunk, that Rolled Stockings proves to be a delightful bit of cinema entertainment.”

In 1999, at the urging of film historian Kevin Brownlow, Maas published her autobiography, The Shocking Miss Pilgrim: A Writer in Early Hollywood (University Press of Kentucky). Maas was 99 at the time. In the book, which features an introduction by Brownlow, she recalled her life both in and out of Hollywood - as well as her remembrances of Rolled Stockings and impressions of Brooks.

A youthful and lovely Frederica Sagor
adorns the cover of her 1999 memoir.

I first met Frederica Sagor Maas in May of 1999 at a lunch held in her honor at Musso & Frank's restaurant in Hollywood. At the time, I was attending the national booksellers convention in Los Angeles while scouting film books for the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. At her publisher's booth I spotted an advance copy of her book, and queried about the author. Learning of her connections to silent Hollywood, I managed to get myself invited to the lunch being held the following day. That night, I stayed up late reading her engaging memoir. And that's when I discovered she had penned the story to one of Brooks' films. (Subsequently, I read the manuscript of that story, which is held at the Margaret Herrick Library in Burbank.)

My meeting with Frederica at the annual booksellers convention led to a later July event at the San Francisco bookstore where I was then working. At the time, Maas was nearly blind and frail, and at this - her first ever bookstore author event - she agreed instead to be interviewed about her remarkable life. I sat with her and asked questions about the many remarkable personalities she had known - Brooks, Clara Bow, Norma Shearer, Erich von Stroheim and others.

During that memorable evening, Maas told many stories, including one about Joan Crawford, who was then known as Lucille LeSueur and was just starting out in the movies.

As an experienced Hollywood insider, Maas was assigned by her studio to greet the young actress at the train station. She did so, but found the young actress rather uncouth. LeSueur, seeing Maas as a person of experience and sophistication, nevertheless asked the well-dressed scriptwriter to help build her wardrobe and shape a more glamorous image. Maas agreed, but found the experience challenging. She thought Crawford a “tramp.” The assembled crowd howled with laughter.

The next day, Maas appeared at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, where she addressed a crowd of more than 1000, drew a thunderous round of applause, and signed copies of her book – which quickly sold out.

Over the years, I kept in sporadic contact with Maas' guardians. I remember when she turned 100. And then 110. And then 111. I still have my double autographed copy of her memoir (signed by Kevin Brownlow as well!) - as well as a rare autographed photoplay edition of The Plastic Age which Frederica signed especially for me. Both are treasured books, and memory evoking keepsakes.

Frederica Sagor Maas with LBS Director Thomas Gladysz (standing)
Christy Pascoe at the Castro Theater in San Francisco in 1999.

Following her death, a number of obituaries and articles have appeared on-line including those in the Los Angeles Times and Hollywood Reporter and on Alt Film Guide and Patch.com and examiner.com

A Girl in Every Port screens in Berkeley

2012-01-05T10:40:00.000-08:00

The Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley, California has announced that it will host a major Howard Hawks retrospective, "Howard Hawks: The Measure of Man." The series runs January 13th through April 17th.

The series spans Hawks' entire career. Films date from Fig Leaves (1926) through El Dorado (1967). Four silent era films are on the bill, including A Girl in Every Port (1928), which stars Louise Brooks. It will screen January 24th at 7 pm. Live piano accompaniment will be provided by Judy Rosenberg. (64 mins, Silent, B&W, 35mm, From the collection of George Eastman House, permission 20th Century Fox) More info at http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/film/FN19308

Save 25% off Louise Brooks edition of The Diary of a Lost Girl

2012-01-02T13:04:00.000-08:00

Enter coupon code ONEMORETHING305 at checkout and receive 25% off the "Louise Brooks edition" of The Diary of a Lost Girl, edited by Louise Brooks Society director Thomas Gladysz. This great offer expires on January 6, 2012 at 11:59 PM PST, so don't miss out! You can only use this code once per account, and unfortunately you can't use this coupon in combination with other coupon codes. Follow this link to place an order at Lulu.com

"Gladysz provides an authoritative series of essays that tell us about the author, the notoriety of her work (which was first published in 1905), and its translation to the screen. Production stills, advertisements, and other ephemera illustrate these introductory chapters. In today’s parlance this would be called a 'movie tie-in edition,' but that seems a rather glib way to describe yet another privately published work that reveals an enormous amount of research — and passion." -- Leonard Maltin

"Read today, it's a fascinating time-trip back to another age, and yet remains compelling. As a bonus, Gladysz richly illustrates the text with stills of Brooks from the famous film." -- Jack Garner, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

"Thomas Gladysz is the leading authority on all matters pertaining to the legendary Louise Brooks. We owe him a debt of gratitude for bringing the groundbreaking novel, The Diary of a Lost Girl - the basis of Miss Brooks's classic 1929 film - back from obscurity. It remains a fascinating work." -- Lon Davis, author of Silent Lives

"Long relegated to the shadows, Margarete Böhme's 1905 novel, The Diary of a Lost Girl has at last made a triumphant return. In reissuing the rare 1907 English translation of Böhme's German text, Thomas Gladysz makes an important contribution to film history, literature, and, in as much as Böhme told her tale with much detail and background contemporary to the day, sociology and history. He gives us the original novel, his informative introduction, and many beautiful and rare illustrations. This reissue is long overdue, and in all ways it is a volume of uncommon merit." -- Richard Buller, author of A Beautiful Fairy Tale: The Life of Actress Lois Moran

"Most certainly a book for all you Louise Brooks fans out there!! And silent cinema fans in general as well." -- Bristol Silents (UK) newsletter

Scrapbook novel depicts 1920s story

2011-12-27T10:25:00.000-08:00

Speaking of great new books, here is a non-Louise Brooks related title I would like to recommend. It is called The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt, by Caroline Preston.

Charming and a different,The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt (Ecco /HarperCollins Publishers) is a hybrid work where the pictures do the talking.One might even describe it as something F. Scott Fitzgerald might have come up withfor the Saturday Evening Post had he been a collage artist or even, intoday's parlance, a graphic novelist. And, like the best stories of that JazzAge writer, this engaging work is poignant, tender and leaves you wrapped up inthe tangled plight of its protagonist.

In many ways, Frankie Pratt is atypical small town young woman of the Jazz Age - she's envious of the flappersshe has read about in magazines, but is tentative about copying their modernways. She is also looking for love and success, and dreams of being a writer.

For her graduation from high school,Frankie receives a scrapbook along with her father’s Corona typewriter. Abright young thing, she begins to fill her scrapbook with clipping as well asher own thoughts and observations. Frustrated in her ambition, and about to seeher dreams fade away, Frankie forgoes a scholarship to Vassar in order to helpher widowed mother. Still living at home, a mysterious WWI veteran namedCaptain James sweeps Frankie off her feet, and her mother must find a way toprotect Frankie from the less-than-noble intentions of this unsuitable beau.

Frankie eventually makes it toVassar, and there crosses paths with other co-eds turned flappers as well as areal writer - alumna Edna St. Vincent Millay, who encourages Frankie to move toGreenwich Village and pursue her dreams.

In New York, she finds a job writingfor a pulp magazine and also experiences big city heartbreak. Frankie then setsoff for Paris and enroute keeps company with a spinster adventuress. Once inthe French capital, Frankie takes a room above Shakespeare & Company - thehub of expat life, and pursues her dreams until a the Captain from her pastreappears.

The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt is a coming-of-age story composed of visual scraps -postcards, photographs, letters, advertisements, ticket stubs, maps, catalogpages, fabric swatches, candy wrappers, headlines, fashion spreads, menus, andother ephemera from the roaring Twenties. Silent film stars Charlie Chaplin,Lillian Gish, John Barrymore, Vilma Banky and others are all referencedvisually. Though images dominate, text nevertheless plays a vital role inadvancing the narrative - and ever-so gracefully, Preston's tone is right onthe mark.

I was impressed, for example, when Iread that the 1918 Corona Portable used by Preston in the typewriting of thecaptions in The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt is the same model used byanother writer who came of age in the 1920's, Ernest Hemingway. That is thekind of detail one finds in this unusual book which helps enrich the story.(Font enthusiasts will know what I mean.) One reviewer has described thisbook as "lighter than lightweight" - but in a sincere, complementaryway. It is that, certainly, and also a lot of fun and a worthwhile read.

Preston's new book will appeal tomemorabilia collectors and those who scrapbook, as well as Jazz Age enthusiastsand those seduced by the charm and history behind Michel Hazanavicius' TheArtist or Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris. They each tread similarground. And what's more, there is full-color vintage ephemera from the author'scollection pictured on every page.

Preston has collected antiquescrapbooks since she was in high school, and has become an expert on thehistory of the scrapbook in America. She has worked as an archivist at thePeabody / Essex Museum and Harvard University Houghton Library. Preston isalso the author of three previous novels, Jackie by Josie (a New YorkTimes Notable Book), Lucy Crocker 2.0, and Gatsby’s Girl.That latter book is another charming Jazz Age period piece, the story of F.Scott Fitzgerald's first love - a pre-Zelda Chicago socialite named Ginerva.

A few selected pages from the book and more can be found on examiner.com Check it out! If you read The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt be sure and post your thoughts. I think fans of Louise Brooks will find a bit of the actress in Frankie.

Best 2011 releases for the Louise Brooks fan

2011-12-25T15:29:00.000-08:00

It’s that time of the year when bloggers issue their "Best of" lists - the year’s recommended new releases in books, film, music and more. Last year saw the release of a handful of important new releases related to or in homage to Louise Brooks. This year is no different. Though the number of new works related to or inspired by the actress is smaller, it is nevertheless distinguished. Prominent among them in 2011 is Martin Scorsese’s Hugo, in which Brooks is pictured in a book and included in a brief clip from her 1929 film Pandora's Box. Otherwise, fans of the legendary silent film star will want to check out each of these recent releases.

Ebook: My Afternoon With Louise Brooks, by Tom Graves (Rhythm Oil Publications)

-- In 1982, writer and journalist Tom Graves hoped to write a biography of one of the most reclusive stars in the history of cinema. My Afternoon With Louise Brooks is the author's brief account of his now long ago meeting and subsequent dealings with the actress, much of which centered on his never realized biography. Or, as the ebook description puts it, "After 30 years Graves finally tells his tale as the last journalist to ever be admitted into the bedroom of this cult legend." Following its release earlier this year, Graves expanded his ebook to include additional material, making it a more satisfying read. My Afternoon With Louise Brooks is available as an ebook on Amazon.com

Music: Lulu, by Lou Reed and Metallica (Warner Bros.)

-- Like the 1929 Brooks' film Pandora's Box, this musical collaboration between rock greats Lou Reed and Metallica was inspired by Frank Wedekind's two Lulu plays, which together tells the story of a young dancer's life and loves. At times noisy, repetitive, harsh, aggressive, droning, abrasive, and droll - this is 21st century expressionist music which stems not from any rock tradition, but rather an art-music background. Lulu won't be everyone's cup of tea. In fact, it has been poorly received among fans of Reed and Metallica. Nevertheless, it's a strong brew.

Book: Jim Tully: American Writer, Irish Rover, Hollywood Brawler by Paul Bauer and Mark Dawidziak (Kent State University Press)

-- Many saw the dark side of the American dream, but few wrote about it like Jim Tully (1886 - 1947). This first ever biography of the writer describes the hardscrabble life of the Irish American storyteller - from his immigrant roots, rural upbringing, and life as a hobo riding the rails to his success and eventual fame as a journalist and novelist in 1920s and 1930s Hollywood. Tully also authored Beggars of Life, a novelistic memoir made into a 1928 film starring Brooks. The two met then, and did not hit it off. Three years earlier, Brooks - in the company of Charlie Chaplin - attended the stage adaption of the book on Broadway.

Book: Making the Detective Story American: Biggers, Van Dine and Hammett and the Turning Point of the Genre, 1925-1930, by J.K. Van Dover (McFarland)

-- In 1929, Louise Brooks and William Powell co-starred in The Canary Murder Case; the film was based on bestselling book of the same name by the pseudonymous S.S. Van Dine, a once-popular and critically esteemed author of detective fiction. Though little read today, Van Dine is considered an important early figure in the development of the modern detective story. Back in the 1920s and 1930s, many of his books were bestsellers, and many were turned into popular films and radio programs. Van Dine is one of three writers featured in a this new book - a critical study.

Book: Myrna Loy: The Only Good Girl in Hollywood, by Emily W. Leider (University of California Press)

-- One might not associate Louise Brooks with Myrna Loy. Both were from Western cities, and both were teens when discovered. One was a silent film actress whose career largely faded with the coming of sound, the other a star of the sound era best known for her role in the Thin Man series of the 1930's. (The co-star of that series was William Powell.) Their careers intersected early on when Loy played one of the many international female sirens in A Girl in Every Port (1928), which starred Brooks. Later in life, in 1982, both were chosen as recipients of the George Eastman House for lifetime contribution to the movies. Emily W. Leider has penned a first ever biography of a wry and sophisticated actress whose extraordinary career spanned six decades. [Speaking of A Girl in Every Port, it is one of the films covered in The Fox Film Corporation, 1915-1935: A History and Filmography, by Aubrey Solomon (McFarland). A couple of passages about the film can be found in this other new book.]

Book: The Chaperone, by Laura Moriarty (Riverhead)

-- Looking ahead, the big Louise Brooks-related release in 2012 promises to be Laura Moriarty's The Chaperone (Riverhead). Set for publication in June of next year, this captivating new novel tells the story of the woman who chaperoned an irreverent Louise Brooks to New York City in 1922 (on her way to becoming a Denishawn dancer), and the summer that would change them both. Moriarty, who hails from Kansas, is a processed fan of the silent film star. Her earlier novels include While I'm Falling (2010) and The Center of Everything (2004).

Chaplin's Gold Rush to screen in San Francisco Bay Area

2011-12-23T21:01:00.000-08:00

Charlie Chaplin's The Gold Rush (1925) is considered not only one of Chaplin's best films and one the great films of all time - but it also plays an important, even pivotal role in the life story of Louise Brooks.

Legendary in the annals of film history, The Gold Rush is the film in which Chaplin as the Little Tramp eats his boot and, at a would-be New Year's Eve dinner gathering, poignantly performs the "Dance of the Rolls." In 1998, the American Film Institute chose The Gold Rush as one of the 100 greatest films ever made.

A newly restored 35 mm print of The Gold Rush screens for seven days beginning December 23 at the Rafael Film Center in San Rafael, California.

Seldom satisfied with his work, Chaplin added original music to the film in 1942, while also trimming several minutes and bridging the gaps with narration. Now, for the first time, the complete 1925 version - without narration - has been painstakingly restored. With the permission of the Chaplin estate, composer Timothy Brock has arranged Chaplin's 1942 orchestral score to accommodate the length of the original version. The film now runs 90 minutes, as it did at its New York City premiere at the Strand Theater.

That premiere, in the Summer of 1925, drew the famous comedic actor and director to New York. And it was there, at a cocktail party hosted by producer Walter Wanger, that Chaplin first met Louise Brooks - then a Ziegfeld Follies dancer performing at the New Amsterdam Theater. The two hit it off - and spent pretty much the entire season in one another's company. Chaplin (though married at the time) and Brooks even lived together for a time.

Chaplin and Brooks, who were often see together in public, were the subject of gossip as well as reports in some of New York City's numerous newspapers. The two also attended various plays and shows including Outside Looking In, the stage adaption of Jim Tully's book Beggars of Life. Brooks would later star in the film adaption of Tully's bestseller, as well as in later life recount the time spent with Chaplin in the Summer of 1925.

Today, The Gold Rush is regarded as one of Chaplin's best films. Though his opinion of his own work changed over the years, to the end of his life Chaplin often declared that of all his films this was the one by which he would most wish to be remembered. For those in the Bay Area, it is a great opportunity to see a great film.

More info: The Gold Rush plays at the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center (1118 Fourth Street) December 23 through December 29, 2011. A list of dates and show times for The Gold Rush at the Rafael Film Center can be found at http://www.cafilm.org/rfc/films/1644.html

A special offer from the SF Silent Film Festival

2011-12-13T10:54:00.000-08:00

Holiday Specials from the San Francisco Silent Film Festival

Here is the perfect stocking stuffer for the holiday season! Give heavily discounted SFSFF 2012 all-program Festival Passes to the film lovers you love. Until January 6, all Festival Passes are being offered at a very special holiday rate - lower than our early bird rates! We're planning at least 17 programs at our July 2012 Festival-wonderful films with extraordinary musical accompaniment by musicians from around the world, so don't miss out!

For each pass you purchase, you'll receive a gift voucher card suitable for giving during the holiday season. At the SF Silent Film Festival in July, you or your recipient can present the voucher card at the Will Call table at the Castro Theatre in exchange for the Festival Pass.

Members $150 | General $165

Members take their discount at checkout.

For questions, please email concierge@silentfilm.org

or call 415-777-4908 x 1

Pandora's Box with Louise Brooks to screen in Dubai

2011-11-30T09:43:00.000-08:00

Pandora's Box, the film in which Louise Brooks famously played Lulu, is considered one of the great works of world cinema. As such, it has been shown in many countries on at least five continents. Now, the silent era masterpiece is coming to Dubai, a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) located on the Arabian peninsula.

The Dubai International Film Festival has announced that six films representing contemporary and classic German filmmaking will make up “In Focus: Germany,” a segment of the eighth annual festival to be held December 7 to 14, 2011. Among them, representing the classic period, is Pandora's Box (1929). “In Focus Germany” is organized in cooperation with German Films and Goethe-Institut Gulf-Region.

The late silent melodrama, directed by G.W. Pabst, is based on Frank Wedekind’s Lulu plays. According to an article in a UAE newspaper Gulf Today, the film "stars Louise Brooks as a thoughtless young woman who brings ruin to herself and those who love her. Brooks’ intense and timeless performance as Lulu made her one of the icons of cinema."

It's not known if the Dubai International Film Festival showing of Pandora's Box marks its debut in Dubai (which is possible), or even more generally in the Arab Middle East. According to the Louise Brooks Society bibliography of articles about the film, Pandora's Box was shown in Jerusalem in 2002.

Records also show that Brooks' American and European silent films were screened in some of the larger cities in the region in the 1920's and 1930's. For example, it is known that Brooks' 1929 American film The Canary Murder Case was screened in Cairo in the early 1930's, and that her 1930 French film, Prix de Beaute, was shown in what is now Algeria, a former French colony.

Pandora's Box was not a success when it premiered in Berlin on February of 1929. It only became famous with the re-emergence of its star in the 1960's through the efforts of ardent admirers such as Henri Langlois of the Cinémathèque Française in Paris and James Card of the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York. In the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's it was revived at art houses and festivals in Europe and North America.

The print to be screened at the Dubai International Film Festival has been restored by Martin Koerber of the Deutsche Kinemathek, a project which took over 12 years. The print was shown late last year at the National Film Theater in London as part of the BFI London Film Festival. The new restoration is listed at 143 minutes, ten minutes longer than a “restored version” released by Criterion on DVD in 2008.

In cooperation with the Goethe-Institut Gulf Region, Pandora's Box will be screened for free at The Walk at JBR, the Festival’s outdoor venue, and will be accompanied by the UAE Philharmonic Orchestra (UAEPO) conducted by Philipp Maier.

A bit more about this event on Examiner.com at Pandora's Box to screen in Dubai - National Louise Brooks | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/louise-brooks-in-national/pandora-s-box-to-screen-dubai#ixzz1fD5Y4zcM

Save 25% off the Louise Brooks Edition of DIARY OF A LOST GIRL

2011-11-28T21:14:00.000-08:00

Thru December 15th - save 25% off the Louise Brooks Edition of The Diary of a Lost Girl, by Margarete Böhme. This is the book which served as the basis for the 1929 Louise Brooks film of the same name. This sensational bestseller has long been unavailable in English, and only came back into print through the efforts of the Louise Brooks Society. Get a copy today!

Visit http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/LBS1 to purchase the book, and to save, use coupon code BUYMYBOOK305 at check-out.

The 1929 Louise Brooks film, Diary of a Lost Girl, is based on a bestselling book first published in Germany in 1905. Though little known today, the book was a sensation at the beginning of the 20th century. Controversy, spirited debate, and even lawsuits followed its publication. By the end of the Twenties, it had sold more than 1,200,000 copies – ranking it among the bestselling books of its time.

Was it – as many believed – the real-life diary of a young woman forced by circumstance into a life of prostitution? Or a sensational and clever fake, one of the first fake novels of its kind? This contested work – a work of unusual historical significance as well as literary sophistication – inspired a sequel, a play, a parody, a score of imitators, and two silent films. The best remembered of these is the often revived G.W. Pabst film starring Louise Brooks.

This new edition of the original English language translation brings this notable work back into print after more than 100 years. And what's more, this special "Louise Brooks Edition" includes three dozen illustrations and a 20 page introduction by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society, detailing the book's remarkable history and relationship to the acclaimed silent film. Find out more at http://www.pandorasbox.com/diary.html

Praise for the Louise Brooks Edition of THE DIARY OF A LOST GIRL

"Most certainly a book for all you Louise Brooks fans out there!! And silent cinema fans in general as well." -- Bristol Silents (UK) newsletter

Kevin Brownlow visits the States

2011-11-24T09:05:00.000-08:00

Kevin Brownlow first befriended Louise Brooks back in the late 1960's. He visited her in Rochester, they exchanged hundreds of letters, and Brownlow filmed an interview with the actress on at least one occasion. Louise was always very interested in Brownlow's work as a film historian, and, his seminal 1968 book, The Parade's Gone By, acknowledges her help and is in effect "dedicated" to her.

This week, Brownlow is in the United States to give three presentations. If you have never seen him speak, do so. I have seen him speak at least a half-dozen times - and have always found him to be a fascinating speaker. [Pictured right is a snapshot of Kevin and I taken last year in San Francisco.]

On Friday, November 25th, Brownlow will speak at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. about his decades long effort to restore Abel Gance's epic Napoleon (1927). On Saturday, November 26th, Brownlow will give a talk at the Library of Congress about his life as a film historian. This latter presentation, which will include clips from early movies, is set to take place at the LOC Packard Campus Theater in Culpeper, Virginia. And, on December 1st, Brownlow will be speaking at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Follow the above links for more information about each event.

More on Brownlow and his work as a film historian and these upcoming events can be found on my column on examiner.com And more about Brownlow and his work can be found on Brownlow's own website, Photoplay Productions.

Happy Birthday Louise Brooks

2011-11-14T07:41:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to Louise Brooks, who was born on this day in 1906 in Cherryvale, Kansas. Celebrate, and give RadioLulu a listen!

Louise Brooks in the current issue of New Yorker

2011-10-30T22:31:00.000-07:00

Louise Brooks appears on page 16 of the current, October 31st, issue of the New Yorker. The image (pictured here) is captioned and references an exhibit at the Danziger Projects gallery in New York City.

The gallery had been hosting an exhibit, "Edward Steichen - The Last Printing" (September 15 through October 29, 2011).

Danziger Gallery opened their fall 2011 schedule with a show of 80 Edward Steichen photographs printed by the renowned photographer George Tice. Tice was the last person to print for Steichen in his lifetime. These prints remind us not only of Steichen's genius - and his remarkable talent for portraiture - but also highlight the formidable quality of printing that George Tice has been known for throughout his career. What follows are a few snippets from the gallery press release.

"By the mid-1920s Steichen was the highest-paid photographer in America. In 1923 he was hired as chief photographer for Condé Nast Publications, and at one point in the 1920s he earned $100,000 a year from his advertising work alone. "

"Steichen's portraits have survived the test of time. He had an uncanny intuition for how to distill the public personae of the famous and make them at once familiar and iconic. It was this that makes him the founding father of our present-day cult of celebrity. His portraits have a extraordinary place in our visual memory – his startling depiction of J.P. Morgan as the archetypical robber baron, clutching the chair arm that resembles a gleaming dagger; his close-up of a feline Gloria Swanson, glowering behind black-lace foliage; his restrained observation of an impossibly handsome and debonair Gary Cooper."

"Steichen's ingenuity in portraiture was coaxing his sitters into heightened expressions of their innermost character. He once considered going into the movies, and there was indeed a cinematic quality in much of his work. As Greta Garbo told him after one shoot: "You should be a motion-picture director. You understand." Sometimes performing artists even made his ideas their own. Steichen's portrait of Fred Astaire silhouetted against his own larger-than-life shadow was the inspiration for similar setups in the dancer's later films."

More information at http://www.danzigerprojects.com/exhibitions/2011_9_edward-steichen-the-last-pri/

LOUISE BROOKS & ZIYO: Puszka Pandory / Die Büchse der Pandora / Pandora's Box

2011-08-31T07:55:00.000-07:00

LOUISE BROOKS & ZIYO: Puszka Pandory / Die Büchse der Pandora / Pandora's Box

louise brooks ~ girlfriend in a coma

2011-08-16T07:19:00.000-07:00

louise brooks ~ girlfriend in a coma

Lulu Pandora's Box ❤ Lovefool ❤

2011-08-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Lulu Pandora's Box ❤Lovefool❤

Harvest Rain ~ "Drowsy Stare"

2011-08-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

Harvest Rain ~ "Drowsy Stare"

Louise Brooks vs Pictureplane's "Goth Star"

2011-08-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

Louise Brooks vs Pictureplane's "Goth Star"

OMD "Pandora's Box" (2010 Video Remix)

2011-08-10T21:57:00.000-07:00

OMD "Pandora's Box" (2010 Video Remix)

Silent film star Baby Peggy

2011-08-04T10:33:00.000-07:00

By the time Baby Peggy's film career was coming to an end, Louise Brooks' film career was just getting started. Today, Diana Serra Cary (who in the 1920's was known as Baby Peggy), is considered the last surviving major silent film star.

On Sunday, August 7th at 2 pm, Cary will be speaking at the San Francisco Public Library. "An Afternoon with Silent Film Star 'Baby Peggy" will feature a Baby Peggy short film (courtesy of the actress), an on-stage conversation, and a book signing. A little more info about the event can be found on the SFPL website and on its Facebook page.

The library is expecting a good crowd. If you plan on attending, be sure and check out the various silent film exhibits on display around the library. More info on these exhibits can also be found at on the SFPL website. The exhibits run through August 28.

Earlier that same day, at 1 pm, there will be a 30 minute informal guided tour of one of the exhibits, "Reading the Stars," with exhibit organizers Thomas Gladysz, Christy Pascoe and Donna Hill. A little more info at the tour can be had at http://events.sfgate.com/san-francisco-ca/events/show/196140225-guided-tour-of-reading-the-stars-exhibit

"Reading the Stars" features rare vintage books relating to silent films stars such as Louise Brooks, Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks, Buster Keaton, Mary Pickford, Eric von Stroheim, William S. Hart, Sessue Hayakawa and of course Baby Peggy.

Mocny Czlowiek (1929)

2011-07-25T21:06:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have been smitten by a 1929 silent Polish film called Mocny Czlowiek (A Strong Man). Like Poland itself, which was situated between two dominating powers, Germany and Russia, this extraordinary Polish production shows both German and Russian influence - but remains an especially fine cinematic production. Embedded below is a 3 minute "run through" of the film to a contemporary Polish musical soundtrack.

If you like what you see, and I think you will, follow this YouTube link to watch the entire 78 minute film on YouTube. It is available there in nine parts.

Amy Winehouse, in memorium

2011-07-23T09:48:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: In its July 27th article, "A Bad Girl With a Touch of Genius," the New York Times wrote "Like much else about her, the visual persona Ms. Winehouse concocted over her brief career fused instinct with cunning. She was a 5-foot-3 almanac of visual reference. . . . a lineage of bad girls extending from Cleopatra to Louise Brooks’s Lulu to Salt-n-Pepa, irresistible man traps who always seem to come to the same unfortunate end."

Most treasured book

2011-07-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

"Louise Brooks," by Barry Paris has
been published around the world

For a short while now, the San Francisco Chronicle has been running a short feature in its book review called "Special edition: Most treasured book." Earlier contributors have included novelist Isabel Allende, actor Peter Coyote, science writer Mary Roach, linguist and NPR radio commentator Geoffrey Nunberg and other luminaries mostly local to the Bay Area.

Each contributor is given approximately 100 words to talk about their most treasured book. Because of these constraints, it is a difficult assignment; what can one say in only 100 words? However, because of the very specific nature of this topic, it is also an easy assignment. This is the book we value the most, and we want to tell the world about it.

I recently had the honor of being asked to contribute. My most treasured book is Louise Brooks, by Barry Paris. First published by Knopf in hardcover 1989, it has proved to be an enduring work. Because she is something of an icon, and there have been other books both by and about this singular silent film star. This is the place to start.

Because of the 100 word limit, it was difficult for me to fully express how much this book means to me, and how it "changed my life." My contribution appeared in the print version of the newspaper on Sunday, July 10, 2011 and showed up on-line a few days later.

I hope others read this outstanding biography. It is the best book I have ever read. It is the best book I ever will read. My San Francisco Chronicle piece can be found at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/07/08/RV731K43B3.DTL#ixzz1RuZPn6nK

Diary of a Lost Girl to show in Ireland on Sunday

2011-07-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

3epkano will accompany a showing of the 1929 Louise Brooks film, The Diary of a Lost Girl, at the Kinsale Arts Festival in Ireland on Sunday, July 17. For further details on this special event, please visit http://www.kinsaleartsweek.com/event/Music/3epkano/21

My most treasured book

2011-07-12T10:13:00.000-07:00

I wrote a small piece on "My most treasured" book for the San Francisco Chronicle. It appeared in the print version of the newspaper on Sunday, and showed up on-line today.

My most treasured book is Louise Brooks, by Barry Paris. It was difficult to express how much this book means to me, and how it changed my life, as I was given a 100 word limit. (Its a short format feature.) Nevertheless, I was flattered to be asked. Earlier contributors include novelist Isabel Allende, actor Peter Coyote, writer Mary Roach, linguist Geoffrey Nunberg and others. I hope reads check out this outstanding biography. It is the best book I have ever read. It is the best book I ever will read.

Remembering Theodore Roszak

2011-07-10T11:06:00.000-07:00

Theodore Roszak, the writer who coined the term "counter culture," has died. He was 77. Roszak (1933-2011) was a social critic, cultural historian, teacher and author who first came to prominence in the 1960s with the publication of The Making of a Counter Culture. That bestselling 1968 book chronicled the youth-movements of the time.

Roszak was also a novelist, and a fan of Louise Brooks. His singular 1991 novel, Flicker, was described by Publisher Weekly as a "magical mystery tour of the history of cinema" and "an acid satire on Hollywood." Kirkus Reviews called it a "Huge, deep-delving movie-lover's delight - and as rich a novel about the metaphysics of moviemaking as has ever been." While Booklist said Flicker was "An irresistible book . . . the perfect film buff's novel."

The publisher's description of Flicker goes like this:

"Jonathan Gates could not have anticipated that his student studies would lead him to uncover the secret history of the movies—a tale of intrigue, deception, and death that stretches back to the 14th century. But he succumbs to what will be a lifelong obsession with the mysterious Max Castle, a nearly forgotten genius of the silent screen who later became the greatest director of horror films, only to vanish in the 1940s, at the height of his talent. Now, 20 years later, as Jonathan seeks the truth behind Castle's disappearance, the innocent entertainments of his youth—the sexy sirens, the screwball comedies, the high romance—take on a sinister appearance. His tortured quest takes him from Hollywood's Poverty Row into the shadowy lore of ancient religious heresies. He encounters a cast of exotic characters, including Orson Welles and John Huston, who teach him that there's more to film than meets the eye, and journeys through the dark side of nostalgia, where the Three Stooges and Shirley Temple join company with an alien god whose purposes are anything but entertainment."

Later reviews were glowing. USA Today called Flicker "A novel of great force and originality, nearly every page of which crackles with lust for film," while Los Angeles City Beat, in reference to film critic David Thomson's book,said it was "The boldest novel about film since Suspects."

Roszak loved movies and movie stars, especially the films and actors of his youth. He also mentioned to me that he was a fan of Louise Brooks, and had seen her surviving films including Pandora's Box. The silent film star, or at least a character modeled after the actress, plays a part in Flicker.

If Flicker sounds like it would make a good movie, you're right. At one point, Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) was backing a production of a movie version of the book with screen adaptation written by Jim Uhls (Fight Club). However, like so many worthwhile projects, this one seems to have come to a halt. Read more here.

Theodore Roszak dies at age 77

2011-07-08T07:36:00.000-07:00

Theodore Roszak, a writer who coined the term "counter-culture," has died at age 77. Roszak was a multi-genre author best known for his seminal 1968 book, The Making of a Counter-Culture. He taught at Stanford University, the University of British Columbia, and San Francisco State University before joining CalState Hayward

Roszak first came to public prominence in 1968, with the publication of The Making of a Counter Culture which chronicled and gave explanation to the European and North American counterculture of the 1960s. His other books include include The Cult of Information, The Gendered Atom: Reflections on the Sexual Psychology of Science, The Voice of the Earth, and Ecopsychology: Healing the Mind, Restoring the Earth. Roszak was twice nominated for the National Book Award.

His fiction includes Flicker and the Tiptree award-winning Memoirs of Elizabeth Frankenstein. His most recent novel, published in 2003, is The Devil and Daniel Silverman.

Roszak described Flicker to me as "a secret history of the movies." Louise Brooks plays a part in the story. Roszak also told me he was a big fan of the actress, and had seen many of her movies. At one point, Darren Aronofsky was backing a production of a movie version of the book.

Rolled Stockings writer turns 111

2011-07-06T07:26:00.000-07:00

The woman whose story was the basis for the 1927 Louise Brooks’ film, Rolled Stockings, has turned 111 years old.

Today, Frederica Sagor Maas had a birthday. The La Mesa, California resident is one of the last surviving personalities from the silent film era, and perhaps the last living individual associated with one of Louise Brooks’ silent films. Maas is also thought to be the second oldest person in California. Read more about this remarkable woman on SFGate.

Louise Brooks news at paper.li

2011-07-04T17:20:00.000-07:00

Paper.li is a "custom newspaper" aggregation utility which builds webpages from articles, blog posts, videos and photos shared on Twitter or Facebook. What results are are not curated, but rather the function of automatic functions like rss feeds and content streams.

It's kinda neat. And kinda not. Actually, its kinda random. Nevertheless, the Louise Brooks Society set up its own paper.li at http://paper.li/LB_Society/1309372490. Check it out. Or not.

In the meantime, here is a charming Louise Brooks tribute video via YouTube.

Dryden Theater in Rochester turns 60

2011-07-02T14:29:00.000-07:00

The Dryden Theater, where Louise Brooks spent many an hour watching films, turns 60 years old. The theater is part of the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York.

Jack Garner, the noted film critic for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle and a friend of the actress, penned an article about the anniversary. Garner wrote:

The Dryden opened in March 1951, thanks to the vision of James Card, the museum's first curator of motion pictures. After Eastman House opened in 1948 as a museum for photography and motion pictures, Card saw the need for an exhibition space to show off the substantial film collection. Card got George Eastman's niece, Ellen, and her husband, George Dryden, behind the project as donors and supporters of a fundraising campaign.

I had a chance to take a peek inside the Dryden Theater when I visited the George Eastman House in 2006 (as pictured right). It was thrilling to think Brooks (and many other early film stars honored at Eastman House) entered the Dryden right where I was standing. More info about the Dryden Theater and the George Eastman House can be found at http://www.eastmanhouse.org/ and on my column at examiner.com.

A Girl in Every Port to show in Chicago

2011-06-30T00:29:00.000-07:00

The seldom screened 1928 Louise Brooks film, A Girl in Every Port, will be shown in Chicago, Illinois on Friday, July 22. This special screening, with live organ accompaniment by Jay Warren, is being put on by the Silent Film Society of Chicago. More info on the event can be found at my Louise Brooks column on examiner.com

When the film first showed in the Windy City in February, 1928 the local newspapers praised both the film and Brooks' role in it. Arthur Sheekman, writing in the Chicago Daily Journal, declared, "Your correspondent, partial to all the McLaglen performances, had a grand time watching A Girl in Every Port, in which so much loveliness is contributed by that dark young venus, Miss Brooks." While the curiously named Mae Tinee, writing in the Chicago Tribune said, "Various damsels rage through the action, but to Louise Brooks falls, as should, the plum feminine characterization. She pulls it off in her customary deft fashion - and the enchanting bob in which she first appeared before the movie camera."

I wish I lived in Chicago. I would be there in a heartbeat!

The Silent Film Society of Chicago's "Silent Summer" Film Festival runs Fridays from July 22 through August 26 at the Portage Theater (4050 N. Milwaukee Ave.) in Chicago. More on the festival and the Silent Film Society of Chicago can be found at www.silentfilmchicago.com/

Tickets can be purchased in advance from the Portage Theater box office during event box office hours, or by calling 773.736.4050. Tickets are also on sale at City Newsstand, (4018 N. Cicero Ave.). Tickets are $12 on the day of show (excepting $17 for the special August 12 screening of Sunrise). Advance prices and student / senior discounts are also available.

YouTube tribute to Louise Brooks

2011-06-29T14:48:00.000-07:00

Here is a rather swell YouTube tribute to the one and only Louise Brooks. The music is by Phil Harris. The song is called "Vamp."

Two new ebooks about Louise Brooks

2011-06-28T21:28:00.000-07:00

Two new e-books about Louise Brooks have been published for Kindle, the amazon e-reader. I've written short reviews of each on the amazon.com website. Here are my reviews, with links to each book.

=======================================================

My Afternoon With Louise Brooks
by Tom Graves
Publisher: Rhythm Oil Publications (June 10, 2011)

I can't get enough of Louise Brooks, the legendary silent film star. That's why I was excited when I came across this new e-pub by a professional writer with articles in major newspapers and magazines as well as a couple of earlier books to his credit. (Author Tom Graves is legit, and his 1982 meeting with the actress is mentioned in Barry Paris' definitive 1989 biography, Louise Brooks.) However, I found myself disappointed by this rather slight account of a now long ago encounter with the reclusive actress. More an anecdotal essay than a book (which can be read in under 10 minutes), "My Afternoon With Louise Brooks" largely fails to deliver. It is short on detail and perspective, and except for the striking cover image, there are no illustrations. The author mentions research and interviews he conducted with Brooks' family and friends - as well as the first chapters he wrote for a planned biography - but they are nowhere to be seen. I would like to read more. [More info here.]

=======================================================

Louise Brooks: Her men, affairs, scandals and persona
by Maximillien de Lafayette
Publisher: Times Square Press (May 23, 2011)

This "book" is terrible. It is poorly written, poorly laid out, padded with extraneous material (and lots and lots of white space) and otherwise riddled with innuendo, half-truths and errors. For example, I spotted one image of a Brooks look-alike who isn't Louise Brooks! There is no bibliography or list of sources to support the author's many outrageous claims regarding the actress, but there are numerous images seemingly gleamed from the internet. Where does the author get this stuff from? Or does he make it up? To call this rather slight cut-and-paste e-pub a "hack job" would be to give it too much credit. It's not worth the paper its not printed on. [More info here.]

=======================================================

Crazy Rhythm
by Daniel Vian
Publisher: Spectrum Beacon (May 31, 2010)

There is third book out, a work of fiction, which I have purchased but haven't had time to read. It is called Crazy Rhythm: A Novel of Hollywood, by Daniel Vian. Has anyone read it? [More info here.]

One other recently released ebook - a work of erotic fiction, Nymph: The Singularity by J.E. Lansing, features a character based on Louise Brooks. 'Nuf said. [More info here.]

Louise Brooks to be featured in exhibit

2011-05-24T20:54:00.000-07:00

At least one vintage book featuring Louise Brooks will be featured in "Reading the Stars," an exhibit of books, magazines and other vintage reading material published during silent film era which will be on display at the San Francisco Public Library. All of the material - published during the Teens, Twenties, and early Thirties - pertain to the movies.

"Reading the Stars" is part of a small constellation of exhibits and programs titled "Shhhhhhh! Silents in the Library." The exhibits run June 25 through August 28 in the Main branch of the SFPL, on the Fourth Floor and Sixth Floor History Center Exhibit Space.

If you plan on coming to town to attend to the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, don't miss this chance to take a look at these library exhibits. I curated "Reading the Stars," and it is the fourth exhibit in about 12 years which I have helped put on. Additional details to follow. More info at http://sfpl.org/index.php?pg=1006779101

Requesting Louise Brooks

2011-05-05T10:11:00.000-07:00

A few bits of encouraging news.... yesterday, I received a request from a commentator for Michigan Public Radio who asked for a review copy of my Louise Brooks edition of The Diary of a Lost Girl. I realize a review copy request is not the same as a review, but here's hoping. And today, I exchanged emails with a Spanish-born writer living in Mexico who is working on a novel about Louise Brooks. This novelist was asking about certain historical details pertaining to the actress. The body of literature around the actress continues to grow.

The GREAT comics historian Bill Blackbeard has died

2011-05-01T21:05:00.000-07:00

The GREAT comics historian Bill Blackbeard has died. The New York Times has an article on his passing at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/arts/design/bill-blackbeard-comic-strip-champion-dies-at-84.html

"An author, editor, anthologist and ardent accumulator who died in March at 84, Mr. Blackbeard is widely credited with helping save the American newspaper comic strip from the scrap heap, amassing a collection considered the most comprehensive ever assembled." His collection included Dixie Dugan, Windy Riley and other strips associated with actress Louise Brooks.

Art Spiegelman,the RadioLulu listener who created the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic narrative Maus, said in a telephone interview with the New York Times, “A filmmaker like Martin Scorsese couldn’t make what he makes if he had never heard of D. W. Griffith and Orson Welles." "Similarly, as my art form develops, it’s clear that the future of comics is in the past. And Blackbeard was the granddaddy that gave us all access to it.”

"It Girls" article discusses Louise Brooks

2011-05-01T11:20:00.000-07:00

"It Girls," an article on Lapham's Quarterly by Academy Award winning documentary film maker Peter Foges, discusses Louise Brooks and Greta Garbo and the years they both lived in New York City. It is an interesting piece, and worth reading. I might even speculate myself and guess that someone, someday, might turn this bit into a short story.

[A small correction. Foges writes " Louise had worked at Saks for years selling gloves—and when she needed to, turning tricks." I beg to differ. Brooks only worked briefly at Sacks, and didn't turn tricks (as anyone can tell) in the sense she was a prostitute. She may have received cash or gifts for favors, though.] The article can be found at http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/roundtable/it-girls.php

Flappers' Dictionary: How To Talk The 1920s Talk

2011-04-12T20:24:00.001-07:00

Check out "Flappers' Dictionary: How To Talk The 1920s Talk" at the Huffington Pos, featuring you know who.

Call me

2011-04-11T23:06:00.000-07:00

Talking with The Dodge Brothers

2011-04-09T13:34:00.000-07:00

The Dodge Brothers are known around England for their robust approach to American music. Described as "wonderful stuff" on British radio, this UK-based group plays an exuberant hybrid of American country blues, jug band, skiffle and rock-a-billy. In the current lingo, they could easily be described as a “roots music” outfit - with a strong rural feel.

The Dodge Brothers are also know around England for their accompaniment to the 1928 Louise Brooks film, Beggars of Life. They have performed their original score to this acclaimed silent film twice within the last year - and each time to great acclaim. They will be doing it again on Sunday, April 10th,when the British Film Institute screens Beggars of Life as part of the 14th annual British Silent Film Festival at the BFI Southbank in London. Accompanying the film will be The Dodge Brothers, who will be joined on-stage by the acclaimed silent film accompanist Neil Brand.

The movie, and the 1924 bestselling book it was based on, are fast becoming classic works of Americana. The Dodge Brothers accompaniment is a natural fit. Beggars of Life was directed by future Academy Award winner William Wellman and was based on the acclaimed book by “hobo-author” Jim Tully. The film stars future Academy Award winner Wallace Beery and silent film stars Richard Arlen and Louise Brooks. Edgar "Blue" Washington, a noted African-American actor, also has a small part. The film tells the gritty story of a girl who dresses as a boy and goes on the run and rides the rails in pre-Depression America.

Mike Hammond - the group's singer (and silent film expert) took time out to answer a few questions about their score, their music, Louise Brooks, and silent film.

Thomas Gladysz: The Dodge Brothers will accompany Beggars of Life on April 10th. For those not familiar with the Dodge Brothers, what can you tell us about the group?

Dodge Brothers: Well here is the short version. The Dodge Brothers are a four-piece band modeled on the skiffle and jug bands of the 20s and 30s. Each of us plays more than one instrument, Aly plays acoustic guitar and mandolin, Alex plays washboard, snare and wine bottle, I play guitar, banjo, piano and tap dance while Mark plays double bass, harmonicas, accordion and is soon to unveil his prowess on the bag pipes.

We started from a love of the music that leads up to Elvis, which ranges widely from railroad songs, murder ballads to ragged street blues. We got going learning ten songs (‘Frankie and Johnny’ and ‘Stagger Lee’ among others) and over the years we have amassed about 150 songs. A couple of years ago we started to write our own songs that resulted in our album Louisa and the Devil. Mark started this by bringing in ‘Church House Blues’ and saying it was by an old jug band. We still do that; if it fools the rest of us into believing its authentic then we play it. (Did I say short version?)

Thomas Gladysz: With that said, what can one expect - musically speaking, from your score?

Dodge Brothers: The score for the film will draw from those old songs from the period. I am a silent film scholar and I know that Paramount had the most film theatres in the rural areas so it was not uncommon for them to release different versions of films, one for the big cities and one for the rural towns. I have kept this in mind when thinking about the score. The lovely Troubadors version of ‘Beggars of Life’ was meant as a theme for the film and we will be incorporating a version of that but combining it with motifs which call up railroad songs that were popular during the period, particularly those by Jimmie Rogers. Lots of those songs are really about hobos riding the rails and they have a wonderful wistfulness about them, a mixture of loneliness and humor that both fits the film and the way we play.

Thomas Gladysz: Beggars of Life is unlike any of Brooks' earlier American films. Had you seen it before? And what were your impressions?

Dodge Brothers: You’re so right about it being an exceptional Brooks film. Most people associate her with the Jazz Age flapper-type but in this film she plays a girl on the run, dressed as a boy! None of us had seen the film before and it was our fifth member, the fabulous pianist and silent film composer Neil Brand, who drew it to our attention. Brooks really ‘pops’ out of the screen and holds her own with Wallace Beery, which is no mean feat. The tension that is generated by her masquerade as a boy amongst a lot of rough hobos is tight as a drum. There is a real sense of menace and danger from the beginning where ‘The Girl’ (Louise) takes matters into her own hands with a firearm. She reminds me of Louisa in our song ‘The Ballad of Frank Harris’. Maybe that’s what I really like about this film, she is self-sufficient and an equal partner with Arlen. And she can shoot a gun!

Thomas Gladysz: Are you a fan of Louise Brooks?

Dodge Brothers: Oh yes and not only because of the fact that she is the most compelling of screen stars. She is intuitive as an actress and gives the sense that she is being rather than acting. I do think Pabst understood that best. However, I am as big a fan of her writing. She is incisive and brutal in her analysis of Hollywood and, perhaps most touching, of herself.

Thomas Gladysz: When did you first come across the actress?

Dodge Brothers: I can’t speak for the rest of the guys. I first saw her in an undergraduate film class in the 80s. It was Pandora’s Box. I remember thinking; of course these guys are giving away everything for her, who wouldn’t?

Thomas Gladysz: Louise Brooks has been getting the musical treatment of late. Rufus Wainwright recently released a musical tribute to Louise Brooks titled All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu. And of course, it was preceded by earlier rock and pop musical tributes by the likes of Orchestral Manuevers in the Dark (OMD), the prog-rock group Marillion, Australian Jen Anderson, Mike Doughty's Soul Coughing, and others - even the cartoonist Robert Crumb. Where might your score fit into this history?

Dodge Brothers: Well all of these tributes are really great and it’s nice to be in their company. I haven’t heard Rufus Wainwright’s but I guess in this history we will probably be closer to R. Crumb’s. We are trying to bring a flavour of the kind of music that might have been played in the rural areas of the US to this film. Remember that the orchestras in most of those theatres at the time would have been as small as a quartet. They also played to their audience who would have known the railroad songs as well as the popular tunes of the day so they would mix them up. We’ll be doing something similar and hopefully support the wide-ranging emotions in this film, from lonesome and sad, to tender, to fast action and gunplay. Louise does it all here and, come to think of it, that’s a good description of The Dodge Brothers’ music too.

For more info: The 1928 Louise Brooks film Beggars of Life will be shown at the BFI Southbank (Belvedere Road, South Bank, London, SE1 8XT). Start time is 18:15. More info at this page. The Dodge Brothers have released two albums to date. The group is made up of Mike Hammond (lead guitar, lead vocals), Mark Kermode (bass, harmonica, vocals), Aly Hirji (rhythm guitar, mandolin, vocals) and Alex Hammond (washboard, snare drum, percussion). More about the Dodge Brothers can be found at http://www.dodgebrothers.co.uk as well as http://www.facebook.com/dodgebrothers and http://www.myspace.com/dodgebrothers. A few video clips can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/dodgebrothersuk

Statue luminaire représentant Louise Brooks

2011-04-08T08:49:00.000-07:00

This art deco sculpture is said to represent Louise Brooks. I have my doubts. At best, it is an approximate look alike. This piece, which looks like bronze but is described as plaster, is for sale on eBay. The seller lives in France.

Does anyone know anything about this piece? Or the artist? I would be interested to find out more.

On it's eBay page, there is a photo of the base of the sculpture which shows the artist's signature. I can't quite make it out.

Louise Brooks films screen in London and Dublin Sunday

2011-04-07T07:29:00.000-07:00

Sunday is the day to catch a Louise Brooks' silent film if you live in either London or Dublin. My new article on examiner.com covers the events.

On Sunday, April 10th, the British Film Institute is showing Beggars of Life, a1928 American silent film. This special screening, part of the 14th annual British Silent Film Festival, takes place at the BFI Southbank in London. Accompanying the film will be The Dodge Brothers, who will be joined on-stage by the acclaimed silent film accompanist Neil Brand.

And over in Dublin, the Irish instrumental group 3epkano will be performing their soundtrack to the 1929 German classic Diary Of A Lost Girl. This special screening will take place at a popular Dublin venue known as The Button Factory.

Louise Brooks film shows in Toronto on April 6

2011-04-03T17:52:00.000-07:00

It’s the Old Army Game will be shown on Wednesday April 6 at 8:30 pm at the Fox Theater, 236 Queen Street East, in Toronto, Canada.

My short history of Toronto's long love affair with Louise Brooks can be found at "Louise Brooks film featured at Toronto Silent Film Festival" on examiner.com. Be sure and check it out, including the accompanying photo gallery, links and video.

I would love to hear from anyone who attends this historic event. Please post your observations in the comments field.

Who Is the Exotic Black Orchid?

2011-03-24T20:34:00.000-07:00

Be sure and check out Andi Brooks' rockin' Louise Brooks inspired song "Who Is the Exotic Black Orchid" at http://www.myspace.com/564763002/music/playlists/andi-brooks-s-playlist-202705

Might a couple of the other songs on this playlist also be inspire by our Miss Brooks? Listen and you be the judge.

Documentary filmmaker Richard Leacock dead at age 89

2011-03-23T21:33:00.000-07:00

Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Richard Leacock has died. He was 89 years old. Leacock, along with fellow directors D.A. Pennebaker, Robert Drew and the Maysles Brothers, helped pioneer the nonfiction format known as “direct cinema,” or Cinéma Vérité. His film-making carer spanned the years 1935 to 1996.

In 1984, he released Lulu in Berlin, a 50 minute filmed interview with Louise Brooks (intercut with film clips) shot in the 1970's. It is remarkable and rare document, and has often been incorporated into other documentaries and television programs. I had a chance to meet and speak with Leacock a few years back, when Lulu in Berlin and another of his documentaries was shown here in San Francisco. You can read more about the man and his work at www.richardleacock.com

The entirety of Lulu in Berlin can be found on YouTube. Part one is embeded below.

Diary of a Lost Girl now at Southern Utah University

2011-03-10T22:44:00.000-08:00

I am pleased to report that Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah now has The Diary of a Lost Girl (Louise Brooks edition) on their shelves. Southern Utah University is the 16 WorldCat reporting library to acquire the book.

Don't forget to ask your local or university library to get a copy. More info about the book at http://www.pandorasbox.com/diary.html

A portrait of Louise Brooks, by M.I. Boris

2011-03-07T22:34:00.000-08:00

A portrait of Louise Brooks, by M.I. Boris

Another Louise Brooks postcard

2011-03-02T22:15:00.000-08:00

I think this is one of the loveliest images of Louise Brooks....it stands apart from so many other portraits of the actress in that she is not wearing her trademark bob.

Louise Brooks postcard

2011-03-01T07:35:00.001-08:00

Louise Brooks peers over Hemingway's shoulder

2011-02-22T22:44:00.000-08:00

Louise Brooks, or at least a very good likeness of the actress, appears on the cover of a new book, peering over the shoulder of novelist Ernest Hemingway. The book, One True Sentence by Craig McDonald, was released just last week.

Set in Paris in 1924, One True Sentence is a historical and literary pastiche. The publisher describes it thus: "A Moveable Feast meets The Dante Club in this exquisite mystery that takes readers from the cafés of Montparnasse, through the historic graveyards of Paris, to the smoky backrooms of bookstores and salons."

The story centers on one "Hector Lassiter, crime novelist and best friend of Ernest Hemingway, [who] is crossing the Pont Neuf when he hears a body fall into the Seine, the first in a string of brutal murders that befall literary magazine editors on both banks of the City of Lights. Eager to solve the mystery, Gertrude Stein gathers the most prominent crime and mystery writers in the city, including Hector and the dark and intriguing mystery novelist Brinke Devlin. Soon, Hector and Brinke are tangled not only under the sheets but in a web of murders, each more grisly than the next, and Hemingway, Hector, and Brinke have to scramble to find the killer before they become the next victims."

I think the cover is attractive, and the book sounds like a fun read. The author, Craig McDonald, is a journalist, editor, and fiction writer. In 2008, his debut novel, Head Games, was nominated for an Edgar and was also a finalist for the Anthony, Gumshoe, and Crimespree awards for best first novel. His previous book is Print the Legend. I've emailed McDonald asking for comment.

And by the way, doesn't the woman to the right of the Eiffel Tower look like actess Lya De Putti ? I think so.

UPDATE 2/23/2011: I heard back from author Craig McDonald. He wrote, "The woman depicted on the cover of the book is an artist's conception of a character in the book who is a mystery writer named Brinke Devlin. Louise is not a character in the book (although I am an admitted fan of Ms. Brooks')."

Louise Brooks in latest Vanity Fair

2011-02-20T20:46:00.000-08:00

I haven't seen it yet, but I'm told there is a photo of Louise Brooks on page 211 of the March (Hollywood) issue of Vanity Fair, in a story about femmes fatales. It is the latest appearance in the magazine by the actress, who first graced its pages in the 1920's,

Francis Lederer candid photo

2011-02-14T09:37:00.000-08:00

Here's one that gives pause.

Currently for sale on eBay is a candid photograph of the Austrian-born actor Francis Lederer. He, of course, co-starred in the G.W. Pabst-directed Pandora's Box (1929), with Louise Brooks. In the film, Lederer played Brooks' eventual lover, Alwa.

According to the seller, this candid image was taken in Hollywood in 1940 by a fan named Mary Louise (coincidentally Brooks' actual first and last name).

It's known that Louise Brooks was in Hollywood at the time. She left in 1940 and returned to Kansas.

I am not saying that this photo was taken by Louise Brooks. It wasn't. But the string of coincidences sure does give one pause. (Insert Twilight Zone theme here.)

-----

I've done a fair amount of research on this period of Brooks' life - the time she was living and working in Los Angeles in the late 1930s. Lederer lived there, as did many of her co-stars from her American films. Ruth St. Denis also came to town for performances. However, I never came across any evidence or printed record which indicated that Brooks reached out or associated with individuals from her past. Aside from a small circle of new friends, she really seemed to be a loner.

A little bit of Louise Brooks

2011-02-13T18:21:00.000-08:00

Though no Louise Brooks films were shown at yesterday's San Francisco Silent Film Festival winter event, the actress, I'm happy to report, was well represented just about everywhere.

Yesterday, I did my last formal book signing for the "Louise Brooks edition" of The Diary of a Lost Girl. To promote the my booksigning and others, an image of the book (with Brooks on the cover) was shown on the big screen of the historic Castro Theater. And afterwords, more than a few fans, as well as old friends like Bob Wilkins (pictured below), lined up to get a copy of the book. I was also pleased as well to have sold one of the rare hardback limited edition copies of this recently published book (a copy can be spotted on the table in front of me).

Sitting next to me was Karie Bible (pictured left, above), co-author of Location Filming in Los Angeles (Arcadia). Though we've emailed and are Facebook friends, this was the first time Karie and I really met. She is also the official tour guide for Hollywood Forever Cemetery and the creator of FilmRadar.com, a website dedicated to Los Angeles repertory and revival films. Karie has also spoken about film at various venues including the RMS Queen Mary, and has appeared on Turner Classic Movies. Location Filming in Los Angeles is an outgrowth of her interest in film.

Also among those at the event was documentary filmmaker Hugh Neely, whose Louise Brooks: Looking for Lulu, should be well known to all fans of Louise Brooks. If you haven't seen this stylish, Barry Paris-penned documentary - go out and find a copy NOW. It is splendid.

I first met Hugh (pictured above with yours truly) at the Cinecon film convention in Hollywood some years ago, before the Emmy-nominated Louise Brooks: Looking for Lulu first aired on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) in 1998. Hugh, like many of you, is a big fan of the actress. Thus, I was pleased to be able to present him with a copy of my book. I also told him about cartoonist Rick Geary, whose rubber stamp depiction of Louise Brooks I use while signing books. As the steward of TimeLine films, Hugh Neely has also made an number of other outstanding documentaries, including films on Clara Bow, Olive Thomas, Theda Bara, Mary Pickford, Cecil B. DeMille, Marion Davies and others. Each are exceptional.

The two vendors at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival winter event, Books Inc and the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum, each carried a few Louise Brooks items, such as books, DVDs, postcards and art. I spotted a few festival patrons, some sporting Louise Brooks' bobs, purchasing some of each. All in all, it was a good day for silent film and Louise Brooks.

Rick Geary draws Louise Brooks

2011-02-12T11:17:00.000-08:00

Writer & acclaimed comix artist Rick Geary draws a portrait of silent film actress Louise Brooks, to whom he is related. Geary is shown here in timelapse video.

I've been in touch with Geary in the past. Over on examiner.com, I had written about his graphic novel, Famous Players, the Mysterious Death of William Desmond Taylor (NBM Publishing). Geary is also the author of a graphic novel about the Bloody Benders of Kansas, whose crimes took place not so far in time and place from Cherryvale.

I first became aware of Geary (and his connection to Brooks) through Barry Paris. When I put on an event with Barry in San Francisco for the reissue of his biography of Louise Brooks, Barry signed books and then rubber stamped them using a rubber stamp design created by Geary. I carry on the tradition. At past events for The Diary of a Lost Girl, and at today's booksigning at the Castro Theater, I will be stamping copies of books with the Rick Geary design. It's similar, but not the same, as the image depicted in the video above.

Louise Brooks featured star

2011-02-11T21:47:00.000-08:00

Louise Brooks is the featured star of the month on the Silent Hollywood website. Check it out at www.silenthollywood.com.

More on Lulu and Mlle. God

2011-02-09T22:40:00.000-08:00

There has been a good deal in the press lately about Mlle. God, the Nicholas Kazan adaption of Frank Wedekind's Lulu plays. The Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA premiere of Mlle. God runs through March 6.

Earlier, referring to Louise Brooks' role as Lulu in the 1929 film, Pandora's Box, Kazan stated "I was inspired by Wedekind, by Pabst, and most of all by Louise Brooks’ luminous comic performance.” And today, in an interview with Los Angeles Times, the Oscar-nominated director was asked what inspired him to reconsider the Lulu plays and character? Kazan's answered, "Watching Louise Brooks in “Pandora’s Box,” G.W. Pabst’s 1929 film adaptation of Wedekind’s plays. Wedekind saw his story as a tragedy; Louise Brooks sees it as a triumph."

Check out the entire interview with Kazan at http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/02/the-spotlight-nicholas-kazan-on-mlle-god-at-atwater-village-theatre.html

LA Times Magazine names the 50 most beautiful women in film

2011-02-07T22:38:00.000-08:00

The LA Times Magazine has published a list of the 50 most beautiful women in film - and Louise Brooks is number six. Of her near contemporaries, only Greta Garbo (#16) and Hedy Lamarr (#27) made the list. The complete list can be found at

http://www.latimesmagazine.com/2011/02/50-most-beautiful-women-in-film.html

Lulu character featured in new play

2011-02-06T17:01:00.000-08:00

The latest adaption of Frank Wedekind's Lulu’s is Mlle. God, a new play loosely adapted by Nicholas Kazan from the original Wedekind texts. Naturally, many of the reviews have mentioned Louise Brooks, who played Lulu in G.W. Pabst's 1929 film adaption.

Kazan is an Oscar-nominated writer and director and the son of acclaimed director Elia Kazan, as well as the father of Zoe Kazan (who played the role of Lulu in a production at Yale University.) The Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA premiere of Mlle. God runs through March 6. Read more at http://www.examiner.com/louise-brooks-in-national/lulu-character-featured-new-play-mlle-god#ixzz1DEKc9VYd

In Mlle. God, Kazan has re-invented Wedekind’s Lulu, creating a muscular and outrageous dark comedy that is a paean to sex, art, and living in the millisecond. “I was inspired by Wedekind, by Pabst, and most of all by Louise Brooks’ luminous comic performance,” says Kazan. “Sex is, in a way, so simple...the means by which we reproduce. But the experience itself can be so powerful that it overwhelms us...as Lulu does. This is why the character, with her playful joy, still feels so dangerous and shocking: she refuses to assign a moral weight to what is, after all, a biological necessity."

The Diary of a Lost Girl (Louise Brooks edition) booksigning

2011-02-02T21:56:00.000-08:00

I will be signing copies of The Diary of a Lost Girl (Louise Brooks edition) at the Castro Theater during the upcoming San Francisco Silent Film Festival winter event on February 12.

Though I will be hanging around throughout the day, the set time for me and others to sign books is after the conclusion of Charlie Chaplin shorts program, around 2:15 pm. [Also signing are Karie Bible, co-author of Location Filming in Los Angeles, and Julie Lindow, editor and co-author of Left in the Dark: Portraits of San Francisco Movie Theatres.] I and the other authors may also be signing for a brief time around 6:00 pm, after L'Argent. This book signing is likely the last event for the book.

Additional information about this book signing can be found on the San Francisco Chronicle website. Additional information on the book itself can be found here. Hope to see some of you there.

Peter Bogdanovich singles out two Louise Brooks films

2011-01-31T21:27:00.000-08:00

Acclaimed director and author Peter Bogdanovich wrote a long blog about film in the year 1928, which is headlined "The Last and Greatest Year of the Original Motion Picture Art, B.S. (Before Sound)." His blog can be found at http://blogs.indiewire.com/peterbogdanovich/archives/1928_the_last_and_greatest_year_of_the_original_motion_picture_art_b.s._bef/

Bogdanovich begins his blog with the familiar claim that 1939 was the single greatest year in film history. Perhaps so. When considering the silent era, Bogdanovich thinks 1928 the single best year. In building his argument, Bogdanovich mentions some of the many outstanding films released that year - the last year before sound took over. Among the films mentioned are two starring Louise Brooks. Bogdanovich writes

Howard Hawks, only in his third year as a director, makes his first really Hawksian comedy-drama, A Girl in Every Port, featuring Louise Brooks in the role and haircut that defined her and caught German director G.W. Pabst’s eye, leading to this very American gal being cast in one of Germany’s most famous roles, Lulu in Pandora’s Box (1929). In the Hawks film, Brooks comes between the two male leads whose camaraderie outlasts all rivals. (Hawks’ first flying film, The Air Circus, is lost, but Fazil, a totally uncharacteristic novelty in his canon, has survived.)

In 1928, Louise Brooks also appears memorably in what is generally considered director William A. Wellman’s best and most personal film, Beggars of Life (only one of three films he put out that year)....

It's a long, thoughtful blog well worth reading. And whether you agree or not (perhaps you think 1925 or 1927 the best year for film during the silent era), Bogdanovich's blog is full of excellent recommendations.

New Facebook fan page for the Louise Brooks Society

2011-01-30T11:39:00.000-08:00

I've set up a new Facebook fan page for the Louise Brooks Society. It can be found at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Louise-Brooks-Society/117328855002736

Fan pages are more robust, and have more functionality than the old group pages on Facebook. Eventually, this new fan page should replace the longstanding LBS group page. Please check it out.

I've set up this new page as part of my long planned rebuild of the Louise Brooks Society website. Part of the rebuild includes integrating web 2.0 functionality - as well as lots of new content!

And don't forget, Pandora's Box airs tonight on Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Check your local listings.

Democrat & Chronicle article on Louise Brooks

2011-01-28T07:59:00.000-08:00

Jack Garner, film critic for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester, New York - and an old friend of Louise Brooks, has published an article about the actress and Turner Classic Movies' upcoming showing of Pandora's Box. The article, "TCM celebrates Louise Brooks, Oscars," can be found at http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20110128/LIVING0107/101280305/-1/rochesterarts/TCM-celebrates-Louise-Brooks--Oscars

The Democrat and Chronicle doesn't archive their articles online for very long, so be sure and check it out soon.

Lulu's reputation

2011-01-27T08:26:00.000-08:00

Pandora's Box (1929), which airs this Sunday on Turner Classic Movies, is now considered a classic of the silent film era - one of the last great films released before the talkies took over. However, its reputation has not always been so well regarded; as fans are aware, both the film and Louise Brooks role in it were once harshly criticized.

The fluctuating fortunes of Pandora's Box and Lulu are considered in my new column on examiner.com. Please check it out.

Also, please be aware that the long and otherwise informative article on the TCM website about Pandora's Box does contain a handful of errors. Here are a few: Brooks made 24 films between 1925 and 1938, not "1928." The director of the French Cinematheque was Henri Langlois, not "Andre Langlois." And wasn't it Brooks who wrote that "Dietrich would have been all wrong for Lulu," not director G.W. Pabst ?

Nevertheless, its great that TCM is playing Pandora's Box. I would also like to see them show Diary of a Lost Girl and the silent version of Prix de Beaute.

New song video includes Louise Brooks

2011-01-24T07:42:00.000-08:00

"Hang onto yourself" is the new single from Silent Pictures, a San Francisco Bay Area band with a special affection for early film and Louise Brooks. The new video which accompanies the single, available on youtube and elsewhere, features a few scenes from Diary of a Lost Girl among its various layers of imagery. I like it.

"Hang onto yourself" won't be officially released by Green Fuse Records until February 1st, but here is a sneak peak at the video.

Pandora's Box airs on TCM Jan 30

2011-01-23T17:20:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, January 30th, Turner Classic Movies will air the 1929 Louise Brooks film, Pandora's Box. An extensive essay on the film can be found at http://www.tcm.com/thismonth/article.jsp?cid=354711&mainArticleId=355239

Journal d'une Fille Perdue

2011-01-12T22:51:00.000-08:00

Tonight, in Paris - Journal d'une Fille Perdue
at the Village Voice bookshop and Action Christine.

SF360 write-up

2011-01-10T15:36:00.000-08:00

Thursday's event at the Village Voice bookshop got a write-up on SF360, the newsletter of the San Francisco Film Society. In "Notes from the Underground," Michael Fox wrote "Thomas Gladysz, director of S.F.’s Louise Brooks Society, appears at the Village Voice Bookshop in Paris on January 13 to talk about The Diary of a Lost Girl. Gladysz penned a lengthy introduction to the new edition of Margaret Boheme’s 1905 novel. …"

At Village Voice Bookshop

2011-01-09T14:37:00.000-08:00

This snapshot was taken outside the Village Voice bookshop in Paris. I will be speaking there on Thursday, and you can spot a small poster for the event in the shop window, as well as a collection of Louise Brooks books in the lower right hand corner of the window.

My wife and I came across the shop while wandering the streets on our first day here in the City of Lights. After introducing myself, we were told that the famous French writer Roland Jaccard had been in earlier and had purchased a copy of The Diary of a Lost Girl. I believe he will be attending the Thursday event, along with a few others associated in some way with the actress and her legacy.

Jaccard, of course, is the author of the very first book on the actress, Louise Brooks: Portrait of a Anti-Star (1977). He also authored a not yet translated book, Portrait d'une flapper (2007). [Someday, we should start an American publishing company to publish it and the handful of other LB related books French-language books in English translation. I can think of a half-dozen titles right off.] If you don't already have a copy of Anti-Star, second hand copies can still be found online and on eBay on occasion. (I am proud of the fact that during my past tenure as a bookseller, I was able to sell more than 800 copies of that book.)

Louise Brooks

2011-01-08T11:08:00.000-08:00

Louise Brooks, 20th century icon

Polish film mag cover

2011-01-06T12:13:00.000-08:00

For sale on eBay is this 1993 Polish film magazine featuring Louise Brooks on the cover. And according to the seller description, there is also a 2 page article inside on the actress. The name of the magazine is ILUZJON. As someone of Polish descent, I enjoy coming across stuff like this.

There is also an article on Harrison Ford - not the silent film star Harrison Ford, but rather the contemporary film star of the same name. (If Harrison Ford were to appear in a bio-pic about the first Harrison Ford, would he then be playing himself?)

OK, enough kidding around. There are also articles on Federico Fellini and Jack Nicholson and others. The seller emphasizes these latter stars - but I would be willing to wager that it is the lovely picture of Louise Brooks on the cover which causes it to sell. Here is a scan of the back and front covers: the exotic and the erotic look across at one another through time.

Action Christine Cinema

2011-01-04T10:50:00.000-08:00

On January 13th, the Action Christine Cinema in Paris (France) will screen the 1929 Louise Brooks film, Diary of a Lost Girl. Here is the theater page listing for the event. And below is the press release announcing the event. [please note: The 8:30 event at the Action Christine will be preceded by a 7:00 author talk at the nearby Village Voice bookshop.]

Cinémathèque Française article

2011-01-02T09:41:00.000-08:00

France Today ran an article on the Cinémathèque Française which mentions Louise Brooks. The famous French film museum, founded by Henri Langlois, has at least a few items related to the actress on display, including " Louise Brooks's spangled silver flapper dress."

The article can be found at http://francetoday.com/articles/2011/01/01/the-cinematheque-francaise.html

I plan on visiting the Cinémathèque Française when I visit Paris in the coming weeks, in conjunction with an author event for The Diary of a Lost Girl at the Village Voice Bookshop / Action Christine Cinema on January 13.

A Girl in Every Port: a review of reviews

2011-01-01T13:49:00.000-08:00

As part of its month long tribute to director Howard Hawks, the British Film Institute will twice screen the 1928 Louise Brooks film, A Girl in Every Port. The film, by consensus the best of Hawks' early efforts, is set to play on January 2 and January 7, 2011.

Following its February 18, 1928 world premiere at the Roxy Theater in New York City (where on February 22 of that year it set a record for the highest ever single day gross), the Fox film received glowing reviews in New York's many daily newspapers. Read more on this story on examiner.com

The film also received positive reviews in newspapers elsewhere around the country.

Mae Tinee, writing in the Chicago Tribune, stated "A Girl in Every Port is a good little yarn that suits Mr. McLaglen better than other things he has had since What Price Glory? . . . Various damsels rage through the action, but to Louise Brooks falls, as should, the plum feminine characterization. She pulls it off in her customary deft fashion - and the enchanting bob in which she first appeared before the movie camera."

Arthur Sheekman, in the cross-town Chicago Daily Journal, echoed those sentiments. “Your correspondent, partial to all the McLaglen performances, had a grand time watching A Girl in Every Port, in which so much loveliness is contributed by that dark young venus, Miss Brooks.”

The critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer noted, “The picture fairly overflows with feminine near-stars. The outstanding feminine role is played very well, indeed, by Louise Brooks.”

The most extravagant praise Brooks received came from the critic for the Washington Times, who went so far as to state, “The girl is Louise Brooks, who could supply half the so-called stars of Hollywood with ‘IT’ and still have enough left to outclass Clara Bow.”

Canary Murder Case author featured in new book

2010-12-30T16:28:00.000-08:00

The 1929 Louise Brooks film, The Canary Murder Case, is based on bestselling book of the same name by S.S. Van Dine, a once-popular and critically esteemed author of detective fiction. Though little read today, Van Dine is considered an important figure in the development of the modern detective story.

Van Dine is one of three writers featured in a new book, Making the Detective Story American: Biggers, Van Dine and Hammett and the Turning Point of the Genre, 1925-1930 (McFarland), by J.K. Van Dover. This 221 page study also examines the fiction of Earl Derr Biggers and Dashiell Hammett during a crucial five year period when these three authors helped transform the detective story into the genre we know today.

Making the Detective Story American is well written, thoroughly researched, and a good read! Further consideration of this recommended new book can be found on examiner.com, along with some vintage newspaper advertisements for the film. Making the Detective Story American: Biggers, Van Dine and Hammett and the Turning Point of the Genre, 1925-1930 is available through online retailers and Indiebound.

RadioLulu reminder

2010-12-30T11:34:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder to be sure and check out RadioLulu - Louise Brooks inspired, silent film themed radio featuring music of the Twenties, Thirties and today - includes Brooks' related film music, early jazz, dance bands, songs sung by silent film stars, and contemporary pop music about the silent film star.

This unique station features music from six of the Brooks' films - including the haunting themes from Beggars of Life (1928) and Prix de Beaute (1930), as well as musical snippets from The Canary Murder Case (1929) and Empty Saddles (1936). Other vintage tracks associated with the actress on RadioLulu include Maurice Chevalier's much-loved 1929 recording of "Louise," and rare recordings by co-stars Adolphe Menjou, Noah Beery, Blanche Ring, Grace Moore, and Cary Grant. RadioLulu also plays contemporary musical tributes to the actress by the likes of Twiggy, Rufus Wainwright, Soul Coughing, OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark), Marillion, The Green Pajamas, Ron Hawkins, Sarah Azzara, Paul Hayes, and Clan of Xymox, among others.

Rare recording by Brooks' Hollywood contemporaries are also featured. Among the film world personalities heard on the station are Rudolph Valentino, Gloria Swanson, Charlie Chaplin, Joan Crawford, Pola Negri, Ramon Novarro, Dolores Del Rio, Lupe Velez, Bebe Daniels, Marlene Dietrich, Buddy Rogers, Jean Harlow, and Tallulah Bankhead. Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell can also be heard singing the charming "If I Had A Talking Picture Of You."

On RadioLulu, you'll also hear Jazz Age crooners, torch singers, dance bands, hotel orchestras, show tunes, standards, and some real sweet jazz! There are vintage recordings from England, France, Germany, and even Czechoslovakia. There are also tracks featuring the celebrated 1930's Polish chanteuse Hanka Ordonówna, the German dramatist Bertolt Brecht (singing "Mack the Knife" in 1929!), and the contemporary cartoonist Robert Crumb (playing on "Chanson por Louise Brooks"). And what's more, you'd be hard-pressed to find a station that plays more tracks with "Lulu" in the title than the always eclectic and always entertaining RadioLulu!

Who else can be heard on RadioLulu? How about the Coon-Sanders Nighthawks, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, Abe Lyman, Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians, Gertrude Lawrence, Annette Hanshaw, Rudy Vallee, Helen Kane, Paul Whiteman, Ted Weems, George Gershwin, Russ Colombo, Harry Richman, Libby Holman and Xavier Cugart - as well as Camilla Horn, Lillian Harvey, Anny Ondra, Josephine Baker, Lucienne Boyer, Mistinguett, and even Kiki of Montparnase.

RadioLulu plays great music, including numerous rare recordings of movie stars from the silent film and early sound era. Check it out !

Let's nominate Louise Brooks to the National Film Registry

2010-12-28T15:21:00.000-08:00

The Library of Congress today announced which 25 films will be included in the National Film Registry for 2010.

Under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act, the Librarian of Congress annually names 25 films to the National Film Registry. The films are deemed “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant. The films are not selected as the “best” American films, but rather, works of enduring significance to American culture. To date, more than 500 films have been honored.

Annual selections to the registry are finalized by the Librarian after reviewing hundreds of titles nominated by the public and having extensive discussions with the distinguished members of the National Film Preservation Board, as well as the Library’s motion-picture staff. This year 2,112 films were nominated.

So far, no Louise Brooks film is included in the National Film Registry. It's time that change. The Librarian urges the public to make nominations for next year’s registry at the Film Board’s website (www.loc.gov/film/vote.html). I would like to suggest the nomination of The Show Off (1926) or Love Em and Leave Em (1926) or Beggars of Life (1928). I think they are the best American films in which Brooks appeared.

It's the Old Army Game (1926), Love Em and Leave Em (1926), and Beggars of Life (1928) are each on the National Film Registry "shortlist" at http://www.loc.gov/film/NFRposs.html

[ More on this news story at www.examiner.com/silent-movie-in-san-francisco/early-films-selected-for-national-film-registry ]

Thomas Jefferson on silent film

2010-12-27T19:32:00.000-08:00

Today's New York Times has a fascinating article on crowd sourcing scholarly projects. The article, "Scholars Recruit Public for Project," can be found at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/28/books/28transcribe.html

The article ends with a quotation from a letter by Thomas Jefferson, who was commenting on national documents destroyed during the Revolutioniary War. I think his thoughts might well apply to silent film and silent film history. "The lost cannot be recovered; let us save what remains not by vaults and locks which fence them from the public eye and use in consigning them to the waste of time, but by such a multiplication of copies, as shall place them beyond the reach of accident.”

Prix de beauté screens Christmas Eve in Paris

2010-12-23T21:36:00.000-08:00

The 1930 Louise Brooks film, Prix de beauté, will be screened in Paris on Christmas Eve at the Forum des Images. The film, which will be shown at 2:30 pm, is being presented as part of the series of great films made in the French city.

The Forum des Images is located at Forum des Halles, Passage Rambuteau, 75001 PARIS 01.

Details on the Friday, December 24 screening can be found at www.forumdesimages.fr/Collections/notice/VDP1017 More on this special event on the Louise Brooks column on examiner.com

Toronto Silent Film Festival to screen It’s the Old Army Game

2010-12-22T20:06:00.000-08:00

The Toronto Silent Film Festival has announced it will screen the celebrated 1926 silent comedy, It’s the Old Army Game, at next year’s event. The film stars Louise Brooks and screen legend W.C. Fields. It’s the Old Army Game will be shown on Wednesday April 6 at 8:30 pm at the Fox Theater, 236 Queen Street East, in Toronto. The film will be accompanied by Toronto organist Andrei Streliaev. More at examiner.com

Christian Zimmerman - Diary Of A Lost Girl (World Of Apples Mojave Rehab Mix)

2010-12-19T12:39:00.000-08:00

Not sure if this piece of music by Christian Zimmerman has anything to do with the 1929 Louise Brooks film, Diary Of A Lost Girl, but here you go. If Christian Zimmerman sees this, please let us know.

Louise Brooks & Bruz Fletcher

2010-12-17T12:21:00.000-08:00

Anyone who check out my recent examiner.com list of recommended new releases for the Louise Brooks fan might be wondering who Bruz Fletcher is and what is his connection with the silent film star. The list includes a new book by Tyler Alpern titled, Bruz Fletcher: Camped, Tramped & a Riotous Vamp (Blurb Books).

Yesterday, I set out to answer that question with my latest column on examiner.com. My article, titled "Louise Brooks & Bruz Fletcher: Camped, Tramped, Riotous Vamps," discusses their apparent friendship as well as other individuals with whom both worked. Please check it out.

Tyler Alpern and I have been in contact for a number of years, and some time ago he graciously provided me with a .mp3 of one of Bruz's recordings. It was likely one of the songs Bruz sang when Louise Brooks heard him perform at the Club Bali in Hollywood in 1937 and 1938. I placed that song in rotation on RadioLulu.

Besides issuing his book, Alpern has also put out a compact disc of Fletcher's hard-to-find recordings titled Drunk with Love. The CD is available through CD Baby and other sources. You haven't lived till you've heard "Nympho-Dipso-Ego Maniac" and "She's My Most Intimate Friend" and "The Hellish Mrs. Haskell." These 1930's recordings take the double entendre to the limit.

Stanzas about Louise Brooks

2010-12-14T11:04:00.000-08:00

Did you know that Vachel Lindsay wrote poems about Mary Pickford? Or that Hart Crane wrote poems about Charlie Chaplin? Or that Frank O'Hara wrote a poem inspired by Louise Brooks?

The tradition of writing poems about silent film - and especially about silent film stars, goes all the way back to the silent film era. Lindsay was among the first, and is certainly the most famous practitioner. Anthony Slide's book, The Picture Dancing on a Screen: Poetry of the Cinema (Vestel Press, 1988) collects a number of early examples by both well known and little know writers from the first half of the 20th century. Another expansive anthology is The Faber Book of Movie Verse (Faber & Faber, 1995). This latter collection contains a selection devoted to the silent era. One book I've come across on the subject is Laurence Goldstein's The American Poet at the Movies: A Critical History (University of Michigan Press, 1995).

A blog which continues the tradition is Silent Stanzas. It bills itself as "poetry, photos and anecdotes about silent film." It's well worth checking out. And, its where I found this poem about Louise Brooks.

Scrubbie's Sonnet

Her liquid gaze could melt the coldest heart,
Her perfect face framed ‘round by ebony;
Since early on her dancing was an art –
Lithe hands and limbs in quaking ecstasy.
Not one to walk on eggshells, biting wit
And knife-blade tongue would often trouble make;
But unrelenting, in the face of it
She’d stand, too proud to let it see her break.
From featured player to forgotten star,
To author/critic, razor-edged and quick:
A sharpened, honey-coated scimitar,
A heady blend of sex and arsenic.
With such a life – complex beyond compare –
How strange her strongest legacy’s her hair.

Artist Includes Louise Brooks in Mural Series

2010-12-10T21:23:00.000-08:00

A Kansas artist has included an image of Louise Brooks in a series of murals currently on display in a museum in Salina, Kansas. The portrait of Brooks is part of the exhibit, "Remarkable Kansas Women," by Jennifer Randall at the Smoky Hill Museum. The Salina Journal ran a piece about the exhibit, which is about to go on display in Salina. An image of Randall's art can be found at http://www.salina.com/photos/encore-eyes-jpg

And here is a page from artist Jennifer Randall's website about Louise Brooks which includes a better image of her piece depicting the Kansas born and raised film star.

Visit http://jenniferrandall.net/women/kswomen/LouiseBrooks.html

Diary of a Lost Girl, with Louise Brooks, to screen at National Gallery of Art

2010-12-09T13:07:00.000-08:00

It has just been announced that Diary of a Lost Girl, starring Louise Brooks, will be shown at National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. on January 2, 2011. This special screening will feature live musical accompaniment by 3epkano.

This Irish musical ensemble, which specializes in silent film accompaniment, will perform their original score to the G.W. Pabst directed film. The January 2nd screening marks the first appearance by 3epkano in Washington D.C. Their score to Diary of a Lost Girl was premiered in June at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

More about this special event and the Irish group and the German film can be found on examiner.com

Pandora's Box mentioned in Sight & Sound

2010-12-08T19:53:00.000-08:00

Bill Kromm wrote from England to let everyone know that the January 2011 edition of Sight & Sound contains a couple of references to Pandora's Box. It's from the annual critics' list of favorite movies and year's highlights:

from David Thompson, "critic and documentarian, UK" --

"Highlights: Two magnificent presentations of silent cinema: the newly restored (courtesy of Hugh Hefner!) Pandora's Box, looking as though it were shot yesterday, premiered in Paris; and Hitchcock's Blackmail (1929) -- the superior silent version -- at the Barbican. Both were supplied with electrifying musical scores by Neil Brand."

and from Vlastimir Sudar, "critic UK" --

"Highlights: The nicest surprise -- finally a high-quality restoration of Pabst's Pandora's Box, thanks to Berlin's Deutsche Kinemathek."

Bill concluded by stating, "Here's hoping this newest restoration will find its way DVD and Blu-ray (Criterion or UK's Masters of Cinema?) very soon."

Shop window in London features Louise Brooks likeness

2010-12-07T08:25:00.000-08:00

Melanie, a Louise Brooks fan in Zurich, tipped me off to this image of a London store window which includes a pair of likenesses of Louise Brooks. (The image of LB is based on the now famous nude by Alfred Cheney Johnson taken in 1925.) The window display, at/for Zoot Allure, is the work of Emily Forgot, a London based graphic artist and designer.

According to the Emily Forget website, "Emily Forgot is the moniker of London based graphic artist Emily Alston. Having worked in the creative industry for the past 5 years she has amassed a diverse range of international clients. Embracing the odd, the everyday and the sometimes surreal, Emily Forgot’s playful visual language and image making continues to evolve and surprise. Turning her hand to anything from illustration, retail display, print design and visual identity she prides herself on approaching all briefs with creative thought, originality, humour and beauty in mind. . . . Along side commercial endeavors Emily produces personal work in the form of limited edition prints and ceramics. Her work has been exhibited both in London and abroad most notably in 2007 at the “Fragiles” show as part of the prestigious Miami Art Basel."

Seen a store window which features a likeness of Louise Brooks? Send your sighting to the Louise Brooks Society at LBS [at] pandorasboxDOTcom or silentfilmbuff {at} gmailDOTcom

Shop window in Rome features Louise Brooks likeness

2010-12-06T10:13:00.000-08:00

This shop window in Rome features a likeness of Louise Brooks. No, I'm not referring to the more obvious Betty Boop likeness in the middle right, but rather the Valentina pillow in the bottom center. Valenina, as is well known, was a European comix character modeled after Brooks.

This recent image was sent to me by Gianluca Chiovelli. It was taken in Rome on the Via di Boccea. Be sure and visit Gianluca's excellent Louise Brooks website at

When two dollars is worth four-hundred, or more

2010-12-05T09:53:00.000-08:00

Here's a real curio. On eBay, someone is selling a two dollar bill apparently signed by Louise Brooks. The bill dates from 1976, and the signature looks right. However, there is no story of how this piece of American currency came to be autographed by Brooks.

Yuna Yang fashion designs Louise Brooks

2010-12-04T12:08:00.000-08:00

Yuna Yang is a New York City based fashion designer who also happens to love Louise Brooks. I've been in touch with Yang, and in our email exchanges, she has said so. Yang also made mention of her interest in the Brooks' look in her most recent blog post. Yesterday, Yang wrote

Yuna Yang FW 2010 was inspired by the provocative style of the 1920’s

silent movie starlet Mary Louise Brooks. Also known as ‘Lulu,’

Brooks traveled across the world, performing as a dancer and actress

in both Europe and America. With her forward

thinking fashion sense; her clothes became an external representation

of her innovative and liberal spirit. Lulu’s fashion heralded the

emergent role of women in society, part of the twentieth century’s

momentum that would give rise to feminism, women’s liberation and its

corollary, ready-to-wear fashion.

Yuna Yang FW2010 collection, manufactured right here in Manhattan, is

unique in providing couture quality ready to wear designs.

There is a bit more about Yuna Yang at my Louise Brooks column on examiner.com. Also, check out Yang's blog at http://yuna-yang.blogspot.com/ or her website at http://www.yunayang.com/

More This and That

2010-12-03T19:43:00.000-08:00

More good news: another library has acquired the Louise Brooks edition of The Diary of a Lost Girl for their collection. The Thousand Oaks Library (the "Grant R. Brimhall Library") in southern California now lists the book as part of their collection.

And today, Book Passage in Corte Madera, California also took copies for their store. Book Passage is a well known independent bookstore located in Marin County.

Also, the small exhibit of material related to the book on display at the San Francisco Public Library has been extended and will remain on display through December 14th. The display - pictured below - is on the fourth floor.

If you haven't already done so, please check out this guest blog I wrote about the book in anticipation of the November 14th event at the SFPL. This guest blog is hosted on the San Francisco Public Library Art, Music & Recreation Center blog at http://sfplamr.blogspot.com/2010/11/diary-of-lost-girl.html

This and that, The Diary of a Lost Girl & Louise Brooks

2010-12-02T11:44:00.000-08:00

I just received the most recent email newsletter from the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum. They announced their December line-up of films, and also included a few pictures from their gift shop and film vault. There always seems to be a lot going on at the Fremont, California film museum. On Christmas night, they are screening Ella Cinders, starring that other bobbed-haired wonder from the Jazz Age - Colleen Moore.

I was especially pleased to see Louise Brooks front and center in a snapshot of one of their gift shop displays.

My recent Louise Brooks edition of The Diary of a Lost Girl is doing well. A friend emailed me to say they saw it on display at the Neue Gallerie in New York City. And this past weekend, I visited Petaluma, California (a little more than an hour north of San Francisco) where I saw the book on display at Copperfields. According to the clerk at the cashier, this large stire has already sold 3 of the 5 copies they ordered! That's a pretty good sell-through. Here's an in situ snapshot of the book at Copperfields, right next to a George Clooney cover in the fiction section. Oh, and that's me.

The other good news is that another library has acquired the book for their collection. The Dakota County Library in Eagan, Minnesota go a copy last week. God bless em - as they are the second Minnesota library to acquire the book - the other being the Hennepin County Library. And here at my local San Francisco Public Library, their are 16 holds on the 4 copies they have in their collection! Wowza.

On January 13th of next year, I will be speaking about The Diary of a Lost Girl at the Village Voice Bookshop in Paris - with a screening of the film to follow at the nearby Action Cinema. While in France, I also plan on visiting the Cinémathèque Française and other Parisian sights connected with the actress's time there. More about the book can be found at http://www.pandorasbox.com/diary.html.

King of Gamblers star subject of new book

2010-12-01T08:24:00.000-08:00

(adapted from my article on examiner.com)

King of Gamblers was one of the last films in which Louise Brooks had a role. Unfortunately, her small part – as the fiancé to a character played by Lloyd Nolan - was cut at the time of the film’s release. Nevertheless, this 1937 Paramount drama - an underworld crime story about a slot-machine racket and the crusading reporter who uncovers it – is a terrific “B” movie given “A” treatment at the hands of director Robert Florey. Should you ever have a chance to see it, you won’t be disappointed. [Duped copies of the film sometimes show up on eBay. it has never been officially released on either VHS or DVD.]

The film stars Akim Tamiroff as a syndicate boss. However, it’s the crusading reporter in King of Gamblers, played by Nolan, who steals the show.

Nolan, a venerable character actor whose career spanned 50 years, is the subject of a new book by broadcaster Joel Blumberg and writer Sandra Grabman. The 294-page Lloyd Nolan: An Actor's Life With Meaning has just been published by BearManor Media. The book is a good read, contains a few bits about King of Gamblers, and is worth checking out.

Joel Blumberg and writer Sandra Grabman’s Lloyd Nolan: An Actors Life With Meaning (BearManor Media) is available through amazon.com and Indiebound.

A Girl in Every Port to screen at BFI in January

2010-11-30T07:03:00.000-08:00

A Girl in Every Port, the 1928 Howard Hawks film starring Louise Brooks, Victor McLaglen and Robert Armstrong, will screen at the British Film Institute on January 2 and January 7. The film will be shown with live piano accompaniment, and is part of a Hawks retrospective taking place at the BFI. The film is being described as "Perhaps the most significant of Howard Hawks' silent films."

The BFI website notes, "History ranks this as the most significant of Hawks' silent films, because it seemingly persuaded GW Pabst to ask for Louise Brooks in Pandora's Box.

The Hawks film casts Brooks as a circus artiste, 'Mlle Godiva', who dives from a height into a small pool of water. She has Victor McLaglen and Robert Armstrong offering a towel, and she handles that with Lulu's aplomb, enjoying them both at the same time. So Brooks stands as the first Hawksian woman."

Further details can be found on the BFI website at http://www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/bfi_southbank/film_programme/january_seasons/howard_hawks/a_girl_in_every_port

CyberMonday 15% off on The Diary of a Lost Girl (Louise Brooks edition)

2010-11-29T07:40:00.000-08:00

Here's the perfect gift for the Louise Brooks / silent film fan on your holiday shopping list. Purchase The Diary of a Lost Girl (Louise Brooks edition) at Lulu.com and receive 15% off with coupon code STOCKING305

Use coupon code STOCKING305 at checkout and receive 15% off The Diary of a Lost Girl (Louise Brooks edition). This offer good only on Lulu.com. Maximum savings with this promotion is $10. You can only use the code once per account, and you can't use this coupon in combination with other coupon codes.

This great CyberMonday offer ends on December 15, 2010 at 11:59 PM EST. (Link to purchase.) This offer good only on Lulu.com, the recommended site on which to purchase this new book.

"In today's parlance this would be called a movie tie-in edition, but that seems a rather glib way to describe yet another privately published work that reveals an enormous amount of research and passion." - Leonard Maltin

"Read today, it's a fascinating time-trip back to another age, and yet remains compelling." - Jack Garner, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

"An important contribution to film history. . . . a volume of uncommon merit." - Richard Buller, author of A Beautiful Fairy Tale: The Life of Actress Lois Moran

"Thomas Gladysz is the leading authority on all matters pertaining to the legendary Louise Brooks. We owe him a debt of gratitude for bringing the groundbreaking novel, The Diary of a Lost Girl, back from obscurity." - Lon Davis, author of Silent Lives

15% off The Diary of a Lost Girl (Louise Brooks edition)

New stage adaption of Lulu in Paris

2010-11-28T11:05:00.000-08:00

The La Colline - théâtre national in Paris is putting on a new stage adaption of Frank Wedekind's Lulu plays. After this productions plays Paris, it will then tour around France next year. Here are the details via the La Colline website. (The production runs through December 23 - more images and video at the theater website.)

overview

In a world where eroticism seems to have become a common law, no man can resist Lulu, even if death is the consequence of pleasure. Wedekind started writing this sensational drama in 1892, and went over it for twenty years, as if the period itself was giving birth to this mythical heroine. In Lulu’s story, the enchanting eros, promise of happiness, ends up turning to trash. The grotesque accents Wedekind valued so much echo till the very last tragic burst of the plot. It is this vim and the combative strength of this writing Stéphane Braunschweig will nourish his staging of the “monstrous tragedy” with.

english subtitled performances
Saturday 4 December at 7.30 p.m
& Tuesday 14 December at 7.30 p.m

cast and creative

director and stage designer Stéphane Braunschweig
artistic collaboration Anne-Françoise Benhamou
costumes Thibault Vancraenenbroeck
lighting Marion Hewlett
sound designer Xavier Jacquot
stage designer collaborator Alexandre De Dardel
director assistant Caroline Guiela
make-up and hair Karine Guillem
with Jean-Baptiste Anoumon, John Arnold, Elsa Bouchain, Thomas Condemine, Claude Duparfait, Philippe Faure, Philippe Girard, Christophe Maltot, Thierry Paret, Claire Rappin, Chloé Réjon, Grégoire Tachnakian, Anne-Laure Tondu

publication
The entire work of Wedekind is published by the edition Théâtrales/Maison Antoine Vitez. The theatrical version of Stephane Braunschweig relies on the first primitive version of the play (1894), translated from german by Jean-Louis Besson and Henri Christophe, to which were integrated a few elements of the 1913 version, translated by Ruth Orthmann, Eloi Recoing and Philippe Ivernel.

tour
Grenoble MC2 - 7 to 13 January 2011
Nantes Le Grand T - 19 to 22 January 2011
Toulouse TNT - 27 to 30 January 2011

Lulu / F.Wedekind / bande annonce
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Love Em and Leave Em

2010-11-26T19:32:00.000-08:00

An especially charming image: Louise Brooks and Lawrence Gray in the 1926 film, Love Em and Leave Em.

Rufus Wainwright comments on Louise Brooks

2010-11-23T20:42:00.000-08:00

In an article on Straight.com, Rufus Wainwright commented on Louise Brooks and his recent CD, All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu. In an interview, Wainwright said this about the "Weimar-era icon":

“I was definitely thinking of Louise Brooks in Pandora’s Box,” says the piano-playing singer, calling from a San Francisco stop on his current tour. “But Lulu has become many different people over the past few months. It’s the concept of the ravaging, destructive beauty who kills you with a smile—something I worship and at the same time am frightened to death of. When I started touring, though, I felt like I was Lulu. Or my mother or Shakespeare’s Dark Lady would become Lulu.”