Some silent films Louise Brooks saw before she left Kansas

My recent research into Louise Brooks' early life has turned up some of the silent films the actress saw before she left Kansas. Here they are, and on the exact dates she saw them. Dates in italics are approximate within a few days.

Nov. 15, 1919
Hosts an outing for friends, who take in the Dorothy Gish comedy I’ll Get Him Yet at the Best Theatre, followed by lunch at the Sunflower Pharmacy (in Independence).

Token from the Sunflower Pharmacy in
Independence, Kansas.

Jan. 5, 1921
Sees Once to Every Woman, starring Dorothy Phillips and Rodolph Valentino, at the Regent theater in Wichita. The film is heavily promoted in the local papers, plays a full week, and reportedly brought tears to the eyes of many patrons. Brooks critiques the film in her diary.

Jan 12, 1921
Sees Passion, starring Pola Negri, at the Regent theater, which Brooks records in her diary as being “wonderful.” Advertisements in the local papers claim this is its first showing outside of New York.

Jan 25, 1921
Sees The Love Light, starring Mark Pickford, at the Wichita theater.

Feb. 21, 1921
Sees While New York Sleeps, starring Marc McDermott, at the Regent theater.

Feb. 24, 1921
See Worlds Apart, starring Eugene O’Brien, during its three day run at the Wichita theater.

The Princess theater in Wichita, Kansas.

March 10, 1921
Attends a line party with friends at the Wichita theater, where the group sees the locally popular film, Lying Lips, starring Florence Vidor and House Peters.

April 19, 1921
Sees Way Down East, starring Lillian Gish, in the company of her mother at the New Crawford Theater.

Sept. 13, 1921
Sees The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse, starring Rudolph Valentino, at the Princess theater. The film played a week, and its presentation featured an augmented orchestra.

Nov. 27, 1921
Sees The Sheik, starring Rudolph Valentino, at the Regent theater during its week-long run.

A few more interesting bits about Louise Brooks

My research turned up a couple of rather interesting bits regarding Louise Brooks after she left Wichita, Kansas.

On July 18, 1922 the Wichita Daily Eagle reported that Brooks had been moved to the advanced class in dancing at the Denishawn school. Undoubtedly, she communicated as much in a letter home, which was then transmitted to the local newspaper.

And, on July 24, 1922 the Wichita Daily Eagle reported that Brooks had received an offer from the famous Shubert company, which she turned down; it was reported that Brooks intended to continue her studies with Denishawn before returning home to finish high school. Which she never did.

At the end of the summer, Alice Mills returned to Wichita and opened an authorized (meaning franchised) Denishawn school. This advertisement dates from September, 1922.

Alice Mills, The Chaperone, and Louise Brooks, the 15 year old dancer

Revealed here for the first time, pictures not seen in nearly 100 years, are two remarkable newspaper clippings. The first depicts Alice Mills, the Wichita, Kansas dance instructor who taught Louise Brooks and, as importantly, was the woman who chaperoned the 15 year old Brooks to New York City to study with Denishawn.

According to press reports from the time, Brooks was not the only local set to study with Denishawn; so did Mills. That may explain why Mills chaperoned Brooks, and not her mother, who was originally mentioned as the person who would accompany the aspiring 15 year old dancer. The stunning clipping shown below depicts Brooks shortly before she was to leave for NYC.

Tomorrow's post will contains some additional information on this turning point in Brooks' life, which is beautifully depicted in Laura Moriarty's novel, The Chaperone.

Louise Brooks in a two-act comedy, Mr. Bob, in 1921

On May 20, 1921, fourteen year old Louise Brooks played a lead role in a two-act comedy, Mr. Bob, which was staged in the auditorium of the Horace Mann intermediate school in Wichita, Kansas. Brooks played the role of Catherine Rogers.

Some 600 students attended the event. Below is a picture of the cast, which includes a seated, smiling Louise Brooks. She certainly stands out, at least in my eye, in the way she holds herself -- confident, relaxed.

I wasn't able to find much on Mr. Bob, except that it was royalty free and performed in a number of schools in the first few decades of the 20th century. I did a quick search, and managed to purchase an inexpensive copy from the turn of the last century. Here is a synopsis which I found online.

 
And here is a picture postcard of the Horace Mann school from 1920. Check in tomorrow for another blog post with another remarkable and little known image of the one and only Louise Brooks.

First known event advertisement to name Louise Brooks

Pictured here is what I believe to be the first newspaper advertisement to name Louise Brooks. This ad from May, 1919 states that Brooks -- then only 12 years old -- would appear in "The Progress of Peace," an allegorical pantomime featuring 50 characters. The ad notes that Brooks will perform a solo dance.

The event, held under the auspices of the local Y.W.C.A. under the direction of the women's committee of the Victory loan, was a benefit to further the sale of Liberty bonds, or what were known as war bonds. Vivian Jones, a childhood friend and the future actress known as Vivian Vance (of I Love Lucy fame), also took part. Jones played one of the "peoples of the world." Music was supplied by local Paul O. Goepfert and His Orchestra. And Eva Rude (Brooks' aunt) helped with costumes.

While living in Independence, Brooks studied gymnastics and aesthetic dancing with Mrs. May Argue Buckpitt, who wrote, directed and organized the pantomime. Brooks' contribution to "The Progress of Peace" was “The Gloating Dance of Destruction,” arranged by Mrs. Milburn Hobson, also from Independence.  According to press accounts from the time, a “large audience” turned out at the local Beldorf theater (pictured below).

According to the local newspaper, "The play dealt with Progress, rallying the peoples of the world to righteousness and truth, blesses them and gives them happiness. She is greatly perturbed by the coming of Destruction and Death" (played by Brooks). "Then the Peoples of the world are driven back and Progress is overcome. There is a call to arms and the Nations are mobilized. Belgium enters the fray and is back by the Allies, one by one. Columbia is supported by the Seven Assisting Organizations and the red Cross. The coming of Peace is represented in pantomime by the Allies and the Dance of the Dawn of Peace."

At the conclusion of the event, all of the cast as well as five old soldiers (Civil War? or from the Spanish American War?) and eight veterans of the then recent world war came on the stage.

This war/peace-themed event took place just 5 months after the end of the First World War, the "War to End All Wars." Admission to the benefit was 10 and 20 cents, which included an admission tax. I assume the admission tax was left over from the war, when movie theaters were taxed to raise funds for the war. (That tax continued into the 1920s; I have come across advertisements noting a "war tax" on performances by the Denishawn Dance Company while Brooks was a member.)

It's worth noting the ways in which the war in Europe impacted Brooks' youth -- both directly (like the two benefits she participated in), and indirectly (like the tax on movie theater admissions). As a bright youngster, she must have been very aware of the war and the many ways it affected daily life. As a youngster in Cherryvale, for example, Brooks had friends who came down with German measles, which during the war were known as "Liberty measles."

More importantly, Brooks knew a few men who served in the armed forces, among them neighbors in Cherryvale, as well as her cousin Robert Rude, of the 137th U.S. inf., Co. H., who was stationed at Camp Doniphan and who once visited the Brooks' family home while on a furlough.

Tomorrow's blog will look at another little known early Brooks' performance, and will include a rare image of Brooks not seen in nearly 100 years.

Louise Brooks as the bride of Tom Thumb, and other early performances

Many fans of Louise Brooks, at least those who have read Barry Paris' outstanding biography, will be familiar with the image of Louise Brooks as the bride of Tom Thumb. It was the first ever role for the pint-sized performer, who was just 3 years old.

What else do we know about the image and the circumstances behind its making? Very little, it turns out, until now. Recent research has revealed that . . . .

This photograph of little Louise Brooks was taken ahead of a September 2, 1910 production of Tom Thumb Wedding at the Christian Church in Cherryvale, Kansas. Admission to this Friday evening event, a benefit, was 15 and 25 cents.

Despite bad weather around the state, many turned out. The following day, a newspaper article stated there was “good attendance,” and that the “program pleased the audience, and netted the sum of $30 for the church.” Doing the math, that means the audience could have numbered around 100.

Here is a picture of the venue for Brooks' first performance, the Christian Church in Cherryvale. This postcard image dates to right around the time that Brooks' appeared as the bride of Tom Thumb.

Over the eight years, Brooks would dance and perform in public on a number of occasions in Cherryvale. For example, Brooks took piano lessons from a woman named Bertha Nusbaum, and on August 6, 1915 as one of Nusbaum’s piano students, an eight year old Brooks performed the “Little Fairy Waltz Op. 105, No. 1” by Ludovic Streabbog at the home of a neighbor. Below is a video recreation of the event :)

Another early documented performance took place on March 7, 1917 when a ten year old Brooks performed “Anitra’s Dance” (from the Peer Gynt ballet by Edvard Grieg) at the Cherryvale Arts Festival. Cherryvale resident Reba Randolph accompanied on piano.

On January 18, 1918 a then eleven year old Brooks, who was referred to as “Mistress Mary, Quite Contrary” in the local newspaper, lead a “Dance of the Flowers” with 12 other Flower Maidens in a Mother Goose Pageant at the local High School. This event, held while the war in Europe was still raging, was a benefit for the local Red Cross fund.

Below is a picture of the Cherryvale High School, where on May 9 and 10, 1918 Brooks performed as the Fairy Queen in “On Midsummer's Day,” a benefit to raise money to purchase Victrolas for the school.

Tomorrow's blog will highlight another of Brooks' early performances as well as the impact the First World War had on the future actress.

Looking ahead this week: Rare new material on Louise Brooks' early life in Kansas

Lately, I've been researching Louise Brooks' early life in Kansas from the time she was born through 1922, when she left the state headed for New York City to join Denishawn.

In doing so, I've uncovered all manner of new material -- new images, new clippings, new facts, new information.

I'll be sharing some of that new material this week on the Louise Brooks Society blog, starting tomorrow with "a first." Don't miss it. You simply won't believe what I've found!

Actually, Louise Brooks might turn a little red with embarrassment at some of the images I've uncovered.

I'm talking about pictures of the future actress that haven't been seen in about 100 years.

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