Showing posts with label God's Gift to Women. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God's Gift to Women. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Celebrating Raymond Griffith, the Silk Hat Comedian

Raymond Griffith
Today, Film International published my new article, "The Unexpected Raymond Griffith." Please take a look.

My piece is a review of Raymond Griffith: The Silk Hat Comedian, a new two disc set from Undercrank Productions. This new DVD / Blu-ray release includes two of what are considered the comedic actor’s best films, Paths to Paradise (1925), and You’d Be Surprised (1926). As I state in my review, "The former is a minor masterpiece, the latter a small gem." I greatly enjoyed watching each.

As I mention in my review, both Paths to Paradise and You’d Be Surprised are presented in new 2K digital restorations of archival 35mm prints preserved by the Library of Congress, and each feature a new musical score by Ben Model. Also included on the disc is an informative twelve-minute video essay about Griffith by Steve Massa that uses film clips and still photos to outline the comedian’s life and career. Despite its brevity, it’s a very good introduction to Griffith that might be worth watching first – as it tips viewers to Griffith’s talents.

Raymond Griffith's may be a name familiar to at least a few fans of Louise Brooks -- at least who read the credits, as I do. Raymond Griffith, in fact, was one of the writers of God's Gift to Women (1931), Brooks' best talkie. I think his wit, the kind of wit and dry humor found in both Paths to Paradise, and You’d Be Surprised, is evident in God's Gift to Women, which was directed by Michael Curtiz.


Recently, I wrote a program essay for the Cleveland Silent Film Festival. I wrote about the silent version of All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), a film I was greatly impressed by and which I feel is more effective than the better known sound version. Coincidentally, Raymond Griffith had a bit part in that masterpiece. In his final acting credit, Griffith plays the French soldier Paul -- the hero of Lewis Milestone film -- attempts to kill, and then to help. It was a moving scene.

Lew Ayres and Raymond Griffith in a scene from
All Quiet on the Western Front.

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2023. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

God's Gift to Women, with Louise Brooks, was released on this day in 1931

God's Gift to Women, with Louise Brooks, was released on this day in 1931. The film is a Pre-Code musical comedy whose musical numbers were cut and whose humor and suggestive scenes are largely tempered by the presence of star Frank Fay. He plays the Parisian descendant of a Don Juan who vows to stop philandering in order to win the hand of a virtuous young lady with a disapproving father. Louise Brooks plays one of a handful of women irresistibly drawn to Fay’s character. More about the film can be found on the Louise Brooks Society filmography page.

Frank Fay and Louise Brooks in God's Gift to Women

Film Daily described the film as a “Merry French farce with amusing plot and deft comedy work by Frank Fay, fine feminine support and good direction.” Edward Churchill, writing in Motion Picture Herald, stated “Frank Fay is the whole show in this broadly sophisticated story of Parisian love and Parisian life. Fay has all the women in the world after him, so it seems, and they are all good-looking. In fact, some of them are very beautiful, and they seem to like Fay. . . . Jane Hinton hasn’t given the picture much of a story as far as the plot is concerned, but the situations are excellent. Jackson and Griffith have tossed in some rare gags and some excellent dialogue and the costume department at Warners has been busy. . . . Michael Curtiz has built a snappy, laughable and highly entertaining picture around Fay and the preview audience laughed plenty. Photography is good, settings are in perfect keeping with the vehicle and the sound is clear.”

The movie, indeed, belongs to Fay, who was a popular Broadway star of light comedies. Casting the not-quite leading man as a Casanova was a stretch, but his delivery is mildly amusing at times. The plot line is predictable, and there’s a twist in the final scenes. The San Francisco Chronicle thought “The picture is a bit of fluff, but it is amusing and is well produced.”

Harry Mines of the Los Angeles Daily Illustrated News thought “All the girls in the cast have the opportunity to wear beautiful clothes and look their vampiest. They are Laura LaPlante, Marguerite Livingston, Yola D’Avril, Louise Brooks, Joan Blondell, Ethelyn Claire and the Sisters ‘G’.” Not surprisingly, Jerry Hoffman of the Los Angeles Examiner considered the film little more than “album of Hollywood’s beautiful women.” Harry Evans of Life magazine quipped “These few amusing moments are the film’s total assets — unless you haven’t seen Louise Brooks, Joan Blondell and Yola D’Avril in their underwear.”

All were not so forgiving. Variety called God’s Gift to Women “no gift to audiences.” Richard Watts Jr. of the New York Herald Tribune called it a “thin farce.”  Thonton Delehanty of the New York Post was less generous, “The humor is in the style of the hackneyed French farce, so hackneyed that it is paralyzingly awful.”

Unfortunately, the film was nowhere near a star turn for Brooks. And, her second consecutive supporting role left some critics surprised. As with her small part in It Pays to Advertise, some, including W. Ward Marsh of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, could only wish…. “Louise Brooks (returning to the screen in a comparatively minor role)….”

Under its American title, documented screenings of the film took place in Canada, England, New Zealand, The Philippines, Sweden, and possibly Brazil and France. In the United States, the film was also promoted under the title O Presente de deus para as Mulheres (Portuguese-language press). 

Elsewhere, God’s Gift to Women was shown under the title Dar boha k ženám (Czechoslovakia); Gotten Geschenk au die Frauen (Germany); Bóg dal za duzo kobiet (Poland); and Tantas veo… (Spain). The film was also shown in South Africa and the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales) under the title Too Many Women.


SOME THINGS ABOUT THE FILM YOU MAY NOT KNOW:

The film was originally completed as a musical. Due to audience distaste for musicals, however, all the songs were cut in American prints. The complete film was released intact in other countries, where there was no such decline in popularity. Cut from the version released in the United States was a theme song sung by Frank Fay, then a major Broadway star. The theme song, which is heard over the credits, is underscored several times in the film. Also cut was an elaborate dance number by the Sisters “G” which appeared in the film during its nightclub sequence. The complete film was released intact outside the United States, but only the American print is known to have survived.

During the film’s April, 1931 showing in New York City, star Frank Fay made a personal appearance at the Strand Theater. (Fay was married at the time to Barbara Stanwyck).

—  Leading lady Laura La Plante played Magnolia in the first film version of Show Boat (1929); Charles Winninger, who plays her father in God’s Gift to Women, would play Cap’n Andy Hawks in the 1936 version of Show Boat.

— Fay’s character enjoyed a different lover each night of the week. Brooks – “brunette, bad and bold” – was assigned Thursday night.

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2023. Further unauthorized use prohibited.

Sunday, August 7, 2022

The Unlikely Louise Brooks, number 1 in an occasional series

This post is the first in an occasional series focusing on unusual finds, unusual material, and unusual connections all related to Louise Brooks - even if only tangentially. I run across these sorts of things regularly... and this a way to share them with my few readers.

Motion Picture Reviews was one of a handful of small-time publications which reviewed films back in the day. It was issued by the Motion Picture Committee of the Women's University Club, which was the Los Angeles Branch of the American Association of University Women. (Did other branch's around the country issue printed reviews? I don't know.) Well anyways, this slight, unillustrated and rather plain monthly publication was aimed at parents who wanted to know which films were "best" for children. Here is their statement of purpose from their first issue, which is dated January 1930. 

And here is a statement from their third issue, which states that the films they reviewed were shown to them by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences courtesy of the Association of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. All of which suggests that as a group, they had some credibility. 


I read a number of scattered reviews, and must admit that they contain little of interest -- EXCEPT WHEN THEY THREW SOME SHADE,which they occasionally did, as in the write up for The King of Gamblers, shown below. Sounds like a real recommendation to me. Below is a page of reviews from 1930. The review of the Lon Chaney reissue, The Phantom of the Opera, caught my eye. As did the write-up for Playing Around (1930), an Alice White film. It sounds fun. I wonder what they said about Dracula (1931), or Frankenstein (1931). Check out the run of the magazine HERE.

As far as I can tell, the publication ran from 1930 to 1944, which puts it somewhat out of range as far as Louise Brooks' primary career is concerned. But still, I found a few things of interest. Brooks three films from 1931, It Pays to Advertise, God's Gift to Women, and Windy Riley Goes Hollywood, were all covered. It is interesting to me that Brooks was not mention in the piece on Windy Riley; certainly, she was a bigger name than Jack Shutta, who played the title role?

Motion Picture Reviews did not review Brooks' sole 1936 film, Empty Saddles, but they did cover the the two films from 1937 which are part of her filmography, When You're in Love, and The King of Gamblers. The latter is a doozy. BTW, this publication also didn't bother writing up the other Louise Brooks' western, Overland Stage Raiders (1938). Who knows? Perhaps they didn't care for cowboy flicks, or westerns, or serials? Which is odd, because kids sure did.


This blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2022. Further use prohibited.

Saturday, October 16, 2021

More about Louise Brooks in the early 1930s

It is a shame Louise Brooks' career fizzled out in the early 1930s. She could have been a contender.

In early 1930, publications carried stories of Brooks’ return to Hollywood. Behind the scenes, the actress was being courted by Columbia Pictures, where there was talk of a possible role in a Buck Jones western. Brooks, however, refused the part and walked away from a contract with the up-and-coming studio – just as she had done with Paramount in 1928, and American Pathé in 1929. Eventually, she found work in a trio of American talkies released the following year.

Brooks’ career had achieved a momentum which necessitated a strong role in a good film to keep her in the public eye. . . that film might have been the celebrated crime drama, The Public Enemy (1931), if only Brooks had accepted the role offered her by director William Wellman. Instead, what the world got were supporting roles in three lesser films. Each received scant attention and relatively few showings - the most popular and certainly the best of the lot was the slightly suggestive pre-code farce, God's Gift to Women. Nevertheless, it too was a lesser film, and none of the three did anything to help her flagging career. 

Windy Riley Goes Hollywood promo photo

Which again is a shame, because Louise Brooks could have shined in pre-code films. The actress even adapted her look, brushing back her bangs, exposing her forehead, and letting her hair grow just a little bit longer as was the style of the time. 

It Pays to Advertise promo photo

God's Gift to Women promo photo

Following the release of the three films in 1931, Louise Brooks dropped out of Hollywood for what amounted to a five year absence. She declared bankruptcy in 1932, got married and divorced in 1933, worked and toured as a ballroom dancer in 1933 and 1934, and drifted along until 1936, when she played a supporting role in the Buck Jones western, Empty Saddles (Universal). But before that, she was considered for but never offered the title role in The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), James Whale's sequel to his 1931 hit film, Frankenstein. Oh, what might have been. . . . 

Thursday, October 14, 2021

Louise Brooks - Her Last Hurrah in 1931

I recently noticed that the fabulous Media History Digital Library has a bunch of issues of Broadway and Hollywood Movies magazine dating from 1930 through 1934. That's five years worth of this stylish though little known publication. I did my usual search through the magazines, looking for articles or mentions of Louise Brooks, and was a bit surprised by how little press the actress received. Of course, at the time, it was all about Garbo and Dietrich and Mae West and other stars both still remembered and now forgotten. Here is the cover of the February, 1931 issue of the magazine.

Brooks' best year in Broadway and Hollywood Movies was 1931. During the year she was mentioned 3 times, once erroneously, and once not at all when she should have been mentioned. In 1931, Brooks had been absent from Hollywood for nearly two years. She had worked in Europe, and returned to the United States hoping to make a comeback. That year, she appeared in three films, two feature, It Pays to Advertise (Paramount, directed by Frank Tuttle) and God's Gift to Women (Warner Brothers, directed by Michael Curtiz), and a short, Windy Riley Goes Hollywood (Educational, directed by William B. Goodrich aka Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle). Each were middling fair at best, and each did nothing to help restart or revive Brooks' flagging career. Brooks was also cast, but walked away from a film which would have helped her career a good deal, William Wellman's The Public Enemy (Warner Brothers).

Brooks' standing in Hollywood is exemplified by these mere mentions in various 1931 issues of  Broadway and Hollywood Movies magazine. In each, she referenced as having appeared in a film. Coincidentally, the write-ups for both God's Gift to Women and Windy Riley Goes Hollywood appeared side-by-side. Considering how concise these write-ups are, it's not surprising that Brooks didn't receive more coverage, especially in regards to Windy Riley Goes Hollywood, in which she is the co-star.

The other film Brooks appeared in in 1931 was It Pays to Advertise. Her role was little more than a brief bit, a five minute cameo at the beginning of the film. (Brooks reportedly played the part to complete her contract with Paramount.) Usually, she was billed fifth or sixth. Truth be told, at the time Brooks was the biggest name in the film; Carole Lombard was at the beginning of her career. However, despite her past fame, her cameo wasn't enough to be mentioned in this short write-up of the film. 


Brooks' one other mention in a 1931 issue of Broadway and Hollywood Movies was for her non- appearance in The Public Enemy. As mentioned, Brooks was cast in the film, and early publicity went out listing her among the cast of this sensational film. (William Wellman Jr, the son of the director and a friend to the Louise Brooks Society, thinks Brooks may have even shot a scene or two before leaving the production - but this has never been confirmed let alone proven.) Somehow, Brooks' name remained associated with the film, for decades to come. And in 1931, Broadway and Hollywood Movies magazine was not alone in mentioning the actress, even though she was far from one of the top billed stars in the film. (I have a thick file of similar erroneous mentions of Brooks' role in the film from film magazines which should have known better to big city newspapers which printed the publicity materials they received.)

And that's it. Brooks' acting career was in steep decline. The only other time she is mentioned in Broadway and Hollywood Movies was on their "Splits and Splices" page in March 1933 in relation to her ex-husband, Eddie Sutherland, who had just remarried.The magazine noted, "Eddie Sutherland is back in L. A. with another wife, his fourth. He flew to Yuma. Ariz., to marry Audrey Henderson, who is not an actress, like his other wives. They were accompanied by Harry Akst, song writer, and Lonnie D’Orsay. Sutherland is a nephew of Thomas Meighan. His former wives were Marjorie Daw, Louise Brooks and Ethel Kenyon. Miss Kenyon, incidentally, was married to Charles Butterworth, actor, in New York,, a few weeks ago." 


Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Silent era stars speak! includes Louise Brooks

They have voices then too. Here silent film stars speak in this YouTube compilation, which includes Louise Brooks, Lon Chaney, Mary Pickford, Rudolph Valentino, Nita Naldi, Buster Keaton, Theda Bara, and Clara Bow.



Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Reminder, God's Gift to Women on TCM today

A reminder that God's Gift to Women (1931), featuring Louise Brooks, will be shown on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) in the United States at 6:15 am ET.

This 71 minute Warner Bros. "laugh riot" stars Frank Fay and also features Joan Blondell, Laura LaPlante, Charles Winninger, Margaret Livingston, Yola d'Avril, and the delightful Sister's G. Louise Brooks plays Florine in one of last major starring roles. The film, written by one-time silent film star Raymond Griffith, was directed by the great Michael Curtiz. In case you need some incentive to tune in or change the channel, here is some a la Louise Brooks in a publicity picture for the film.

Monday, May 25, 2015

God's Gift to Women with Louise Brooks on TCM on May 26

God's Gift to Women (1931), featuring Louise Brooks, will be shown on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) in the United States on Tuesday, May 26. The showing is set to take place at 6:15 am ET.

 

This 71 minute Warner Bros. "laugh riot" stars Frank Fay (at the time Barbara Stanwyck's husband) and also features Joan Blondell, Laura LaPlante, Charles Winninger, Margaret Livingston, Yola d'Avril, and the Sister's G. Louise Brooks plays Florine in one of last major starring roles. The film, written by Raymond Griffith, was directed by the great Michael Curtiz.

Leonard Maltin described the film this way: "Incorrigible philanderer has trouble adjusting his swinging lifestyle after being told he has a bad heart and must give up wine and women, or, as the doctor puts it, "Live like a clam, or die!'' Wild pre-Code sex farce with lots of racy humor. Legendary silent screen siren Brooks has a small part as one of Fay's lovers."



From the TCM website: "In a Parisian nightclub, Diane Churchill, an American woman, and her father are fascinated to learn that Jacques Duryea, the young man seated at a table near them, is an international lover known as Toto, able to have any woman he wants. Toto finds Diane very attractive and manages to dance with her, but as soon as their dance is over, Diane, who disapproves of him, leaves with her father. In the following days, Toto follows Diane everywhere. After she accidentally shuts the car door on his hand, she takes pity on him and bandages his injury. At tea, Toto tells her that she is his ideal woman and now that he has found her, he is finished philandering. She wants to believe him, but while she visits him at home, Tania, a former mistress, arrives with several suitcases, clearly intending to live there. Diane leaves and when Toto returns, he forces Tania to leave. That night, Churchill attends a concert, leaving Diane home alone. Wearing a disguise, Toto sneaks into her house to beg forgiveness. She admits that she is in love with him. When Toto tells Churchill that he intends to marry Diane, Churchill agrees on the condition that Toto stay away from Diane for six months. He also demands that Toto see his doctor to insure that he is in good health. After an examination, the doctor warns Toto that he has a bad heart and the least excitement may cause it to burst. In order to stay alive, he must stop drinking and give up women entirely. When they hear the news, several of Toto's old girl friends want to nurse him. Toto tries desperately to get rid of them and an angry husband appears, intending to kill him. After all this excitement, the doctor warns that even one kiss will kill him. Then Diane tells Toto that her father is taking her back to America and offers to spend an hour with him that night. Not wanting to say no, Toto arranges for his funeral. Diane arrives right on time, and Toto kisses her, expecting to die immediately. Nothing happens, however, and it turns out that Churchill paid the doctor to lie in order to discover if Toto loved Diane more than life. Now that he really believes in Toto's love for his daughter, he allows them to marry."

God's Gift to Women was released on DVD in 2012. 


Tuesday, April 15, 2014

God's Gift to Women - A Round up of Reviews

God's Gift to Women, Louise Brooks' third American talkie, was officially released on this day in 1931. The film is a pre-code romantic comedy - or rather a farce - about a Parisian playboy who falls in love with an American girl, but cannot consummate his love for fear of his life. An eminent cardiologist warned his terrified patient, “No excitement and no women. One kiss and you die!”

The film stars Frank Fay (the Parisian playboy), Laura LaPlante (his love interest), and Louise Brooks, Joan Blondell, Margaret Livingston, and Yola d'Avril (feminine distraction to the Parisian playboy). Charles Winninger plays the father of the love interest. This Warner Brothers film, based on the play called The Devil Was Sick by Jane Hinton, was directed by the great Michael Curtiz.

When first completed, God's Gift to Women included a few musical numbers, but due to growing audience distaste for musicals in the United States, all of the songs were cut in American prints of the film. Frank Fay (then Barbara Stanwyck's husband) sang the film's theme song, which is heard over the credits and is underscored several times throughout the story. As well, there is an elaborate dance number featuring the Sisters "G" (Eleanor and Karla Gutchrlein) in the nightclub sequence at the beginning of the film. The complete film was released intact in other countries; today, however, only the American version sans music is thought to have survived. The Warner Archive Collection released God's Gift to Women on DVD in December 2012.

Despite Frank Fay's then enormous popularity, God's Gift to Women never really caught on. Though an A-list production, the film's silliness garnered it the attention and respect of a B-list flick. [A few songs recorded by Frank Fay can be heard on RadioLulu.] In fact, it was sometimes paired with a lowly instructional golf film featuring golfing star Bobby Jones. Here is a round up of magazine and newspaper reviews and articles drawn from the Louise Brooks Society archive.

anonymous. "Amorous Fluff Amusing at Warner Bros." San Francisco Chronicle, April 18, 1931.
--- "The picture is a bit of fluff, but it is amusing and is well produced."

anonymous. "Frank Fay as Don Juan at Warner." San Francisco Examiner, April 19, 1931.
--- "The cast is notable . . . . Joan Blondell, the blonde, and Louise Brooks, the brunette, are prominent among the principals."

anonymous. "Reviews of the New Films." Film Daily, April 19, 1931.
--- capsule review; "Merry French farce with amusing plot and deft comedy work by Frank Fay, fine feminine support and good direction."

Delehanty, Thonton. "The New Film." New York Post, April 21, 1931.
--- "The humor is in the style of the hackneyed French farce, so hackneyed that it is paralyzingly awful."

Mines, Harry. "Bobby Jones Reeler Clicks." Los Angeles Daily Illustrated News, April 25, 1931.
--- "All the girls in the cast have the opportunity to wear beautiful clothes and look their vamnpiest. They are Laura LaPlante, Marguerite Livingston, Yola D'Avril, Louise Brooks, Joan Blondell,, Ethelyn Claire and the Sisters 'G'."

Schallert, Edwin. "First Golfing Picture Clever." Los Angeles Times, April 27, 1931.
--- "Louise Brooks and Yola D'Avril participate zestfully in this conflict."

Starr, Jimmy. "Warner's Hollywood Has F. Fay as Modern Don Juan." Los Angeles Evening Express, April 27, 1931.
--- "Joan Blondell, Louise Brooks and Yola D'Avril are a trio of snappy charmers."

Evans, Harry. "The Movies." Life, May 8, 1931.
--- "These few amusing moments are the film's total assets - unless you haven't seen Louise Brooks, Joan Blondell and Yola D'Avril in their underwear."

Friday, December 14, 2012

Recommended New Releases for the Louise Brooks Fan

It’s that time of the year when critics, journalists, bloggers and others issue their "Best of" lists - the year’s recommended new releases in the world of books, movies, music and more. Here's the best of 2012 with a twist, exceptional new releases for fans of the silent film star Louise Brooks.

Like last year, 2012 saw the release of a small but distinguished number of new releases related to the legendary silent film star. Prominent among them is Laura Moriarty's widely acclaimed bestselling novel, The Chaperone, as well as a handful of DVD's including the first ever DVD release of Brooks' last film, Overland Stage Raiders. Fans of the actress will want to check out all of these recent releases.


In 1922, only a few years before becoming a famous silent-film star, fifteen-year-old Louise Brooks left Wichita, Kansas to study dance in New York City. Accompanying Brooks was her thirty-six-year-old, somewhat stodgy neighbor, who acted as chaperone. Based on these few facts, Laura Moriarty has penned a captivating, quietly powerful, and moving historical novel about these two woman and the summer they spent together which changed them both. Both critically acclaimed and a New York Times bestseller, this new book is highly recommended. Also available as an audio book read by actress Elizabeth McGovern. (Riverhead)



DVD-R: God's Gift to Women, directed by Michael Curtiz

It's no secret that Louise Brooks appeared in mostly mediocre sound films. With her career in decline, the one-time silent era star took what roles came her way in the sound era. God's Gift to Women, one of three films she made in 1931, is easily the actress' best talkie. It is also an enjoyable pre-Code romp, a comedy about romance with an impressive cast that includes Frank Fay, Laura La Plante, Joan Blondell, Charles Winninger, Yola d'Avril and Margaret Livingston (Brooks' voice double in The Canary Murder Case). Brooks doesn't have a very big part in this farce, but she makes an impression in a bedroom scene when some of the film's pulchritude gets into a cat fight.  (Warner Archive)


BOOK: Valentina come Louise Brooks. Il libro nascosto, edited by Vincenzo Mollica and Antonio Crepax.

This Italian book was the companion publication to "Valentina Movie," an exhibit held this past summer at the Palazzo Incontro in Rome. It featured the work of the late Italian comix artist Guido Crepax, a longtime admirer of Louise Brooks. The exhibit detailed the influence the actress had on the creation and development of Crepax's best known creation, Valentina, a popular character who appeared in numerous comic strips, graphic novels, books, and spin-off films. Whether or not you read Italian, the dedicated fan will want to own this illustrated book. (Fandango Libri)





Louise Brooks' film career came to an end in 1938 with a supporting role in Overland Stage Raiders, a B-western starring a young John Wayne. This new release marks the film's first official release on DVD and Blu-Ray. (It had been released on VHS some years ago, and is now hard to find.) Said to be only for the John Wayne or Louise Brooks completist, Overland Stage Raiders (presented here in a 1950's revival print) is worth watching at least once. Brooks, 32 years old and sporting a new look, is still alluring and holds her own in what is essentially a guy's film. (Olive Films)





While a young man in the early 1980s, Berkal had the almost unique experience of meeting and befriending  the then older and reclusive Louise Brooks. The story of that friendship is chronicled in this self-published, ebook-only release. (It is also referenced in Barry Paris' 1989 biography.) Benevolent Siren is a brief recounting, which in the end leaves you wanting more. (Smashwords) Also keep in mind Youthful Places, a small collection of poetry also by Berkal. It contains "MLB," a poem about and dedicated to the actress. (Amazon Digital Services)




DVD/BluRay: La Canarina Assassinita (Canary Murder Case), directed by Malcolm St. Clair. 

The Canary Murder Case (1929), with Brooks in the title role of the "Canary," has not yet been released on DVD in the United States. But it has been, at least twice, in Italy. This new release is the latest out of Europe. Not seen at time of review. (Ermitage Cinema) Also keep in mind Mystery Movies Series of 1930's Hollywood, by Ron Backer. This recommended book opens with The Canary Murder Case and details the many subsequent Philo Vance films which followed. (McFarland)






This collection of academic essays on popular German literature of the late nineteenth century includes "Taking Sex to Market: Tagebuch einer Verlorenen: Von einerToten and Josefine Mutzenbacher, Die Lebensgeschichte einer wienerischen Dirne, von ihr selbst erzählt," by the English academic Elizabeth Boa. The essay, by a noted German scholar whose fields of interest include Frank Wedekind, looks at the book which was the basis for the 1929 Louise Brooks' film, The Diary of a Lost Girl.  That book was Margarete Bohme's Tagebuch einer Verlorenen, a controversial bestseller which sold more than 1.2 million copies. In its review of this new book, the Times Literary Supplement said, "The essays are often fascinating and always informative. The best of them make their arguments against the forgetting of their once-bestselling authors exciting. They share a passion for getting to the bottom of why, in or outside Germany, we know so little about books that were, in the main, not just flashes in the pan, as they often endured for up to a century." That's true for Boa's take on Bohme's still valuable and provocative work. (Camden House)

ALSO KEEP IN MIND....


Colleen Moore was the cute-as-a-button silent era actress who first achieved stardom in Flaming Youth (1923). It was in that film, in which Moore plays a flapper, that the actress first sported bobbed-hair. That was also a couple years before Louise Brooks entered films and made her own mark. Both actresses were known for their signature look, a straight bob with bangs, and that fact has led some to wonder who first wore the iconic hair style. Codori discusses that question and more in this appealing biography. (McFarland)




Mae Murray, popularly known as "the girl with the bee-stung lips," was a fiery presence in silent-era Hollywood. Renowned for her sultry beauty, Murray rocketed to stardom as a dancer with the Ziegfeld Follies before entering films. She appeared in The Delicious Little Devil (1919), Jazzmania (1923), and most famously, The Merry Widow (1925). With the coming of sound, her career went into decline, and eventually Murray found herself nearly destitute. The parallels with Louise Brooks' career are striking. This highly recommended biography, featuring much original research, includes never before published observations about Murray drawn from Brooks' letters to Kevin Brownlow.  (University Press of Kentucky)

Thursday, December 13, 2012

God's Gift to Women now on DVD

Warner Archive has given the 1931 Louise Brooks film, God's Gift to Women, its first ever commercial release. This Michael Curtiz directed film (Robin Hood, Casablanca) is a 72-minute  pre-code farce starring Frank Fay, Laura LaPlante and Joan Blondell. Brooks has only a supporting role, but makes an impression. It was one of three films the actress made in 1931, and is probably the best of the her American sound films. That's the good news.

Now here is the not so good news. Like the other films released by Warner Archive, his item is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. This title has been manufactured from the best-quality video master currently available and has not been remastered or restored for this DVD/Digital Download release. It is expected to play back in DVD Video "play only" devices, and may not play in other DVD devices, including recorders and PC drives.

The Warner Archive descriptive text reads: "One kiss could kill him! Frank Fay, Joan Blondell and Louise Brooks sparkle in a pre-Code bedroom farce about a debonair heart patient who dares not pucker up for the girl he loves."

“If you want to live, you must follow the tranquil existence of an oyster,” the eminent cardiologist warns his terrified patient. “No excitement and no women. One kiss and you die!” Mon Dieu! No kissing? That’s the kiss of death for ladies’ man Toto Duryea. And especially now, when he’s found the woman who has won his heart forever. Too bad that heart is one sick ticker. Vaudeville and stage star Frank Fay portrays Toto in this jaunty pre-Code bedroom farce set in Paris and directed by the legendary Michael Curtiz (Casablanca, Life With Father). Vivacious kewpie doll Joan Blondell and flapper femme fatale Louise Brooks are among former lovers who rush to Toto’s bedside eager to provide comfort. But he rejects them all for a hard-to-get American beauty (Laura LaPlante) whose lips have touched his only once. And oh how he longs to repeat the experience. Will Toto give his life for one more heavenly smooch?  

God's Gift to Women can be purchased through Warner Archive or Amazon.com The Warner Archive webpage also has a three minute clip from the film (not the trailer) which has the character (played by Charles Winninger) mention he is from Rochester (NY? - Brooks' future home) while his French friend lets slip the phrase "a sweetheart in every port."

Friday, May 25, 2007

God's Gift to Women - trailer online

The trailer to the 1931 romantic comedy, God's Gift to Women, starring Frank Fay and a bevy of beauties Louise Brooks, can be found on the Turner Classic Movieswebsite. Wow, I had never seen the trailer before!  Brooks' role in the film is that of a supporting actress. However, in the trailer, she is the most prominent of all the beauties courted by Fay. More prominent even than stars Laura LaPlante and Joan Blondell, I would dare say. (And what's more, she's not wearing her trademark bangs.) Be sure and check it out. If you haven't seen the film, check that out too. It's not half bad.

The trailer is part of a newly announced section of the TCM website devoted to video content. According to a recent article, this  "video portal lives on the TCM.comsite and launched on Tuesday with more than 3,000 pieces of video content in the form of short films, movie clips, trailers and interstitials from TCM programming."
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