A cinephilac blog about an actress, silent film, and the Jazz Age, with occasional posts about related books, music, art, and history written by Thomas Gladysz. Visit the Louise Brooks Society™ at www.pandorasbox.com
The riveting 1928 silent film, Beggars of Life, starring Louise Brooks, will be shown at the Cinema Arts Centre on Wednesday, January 24th at 7:30 pm. Part of the "Anything But Silent" series, this Long Island screening will feature live musical accompaniment by the one-and-only Ben Model. More information about this event can be found HERE.
--- Organized by Cinema Arts Centre, a 501(c)3 organization
and Long Island's only not-for-profit independent movie theater,
offering the most compelling American and international films today, as
well as many unique programs.
Louise Brooks’ best American film was made shortly before she left for
Germany and found everlasting fame in Pandora’s Box. Brooks plays a
young woman who flees her cruel stepfather and, dressed in boy’s
clothing, rides the rails with hobos. Based on the memoirs of
rough-and-tumble writer Jim Tully, which describes his hardscrabble
existence on the rails during the recession years of the 1890s and
1900s, this long-thought-lost silent classic features an unforgettable
turn by Wallace Beery as the hobo Oklahoma Red and dazzling location
photography set aboard speeding trains. Director William Wellman was in
top form for the movie, basking in praise for his work on the
Oscar-winning Wings (1927), although Louise Brooks felt he pushed her to
take unnecessary risks–especially during a stunt in which she was
nearly sucked under a train’s wheels. Nonetheless, Brooks lauded the
director for “how hard he studied his script and prepared for his day’s
work, how he always did his best, [and] how sure and fast he worked.”
The new restoration of Beggars of Life is a triumphant resurrection for a
classic of the silent era. (USA, 1928, 100 min., NR, English| Dir.
William A. Wellman)
Want to learn more about the film? Last Spring saw the release of my new book, Beggars of Life: A Companion to the 1928 Film, and this past Summer saw the release of a new DVD / Blu-ray of the film from Kino Lorber. If you haven't secured your
own copy of either the book or the DVD / Blu-ray, why not do so today?
It's been a great year for all things Louise Brooks....
In 2017, fans were gifted with the discovery of a previously lost film, Now We're in the Air. Wow! I must admit, after nearly 25 years of being a Louise Brooks' fan, I thought I would never see the day.... To date, there have been a few screenings of the preserved film, at its premiere at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, at the Library of Congress, and in Pordenone, Italy at the Pordenone Silent Film Festival -- where it proved popular. Fingers-crossed, they may be more next year.
San Francisco Silent Film Festival
This year also saw the home video release of what is by consensus Brooks' best American film, Beggars of Life, on DVD / Blu-ray from Kino Lorber. This new release marks the first time this now digitally restored film has ever been released on home video. And it looks great -- so much better than the poor and rather dark version floating around the web! This new release has received many good reviews, and in fact, it has made a few critic's lists of the best new release. If you haven't gotten a copy, do so today!
And that's not all. Also out this year were not one, not two, but three new illustrated books about the actress' films, Beggars of Life: A Companion to the 1928 Filmand Now We're in the Air (both Louise Brooks Society publications from PandorasBox Press), as well as Pamela Hutchinson's excellent Pandora's Box (BFI Film Classics).
As well in 2017, there have also been many screenings of Louise Brooks' films, especially Beggars of Life and Pandora's Box, held all around the United States and the world. Notably, as a result of these screenings and the accompanying media interest around the various new releases, the number of readers of this blog has increased steadily. As have the number of people following the Louise Brooks Society on Facebook and Twitter. Louise Brooks is more popular than ever.
Next year promises to be nearly as good a year for all things Louise Brooks. A few screenings have already been announced (watch/follow this blog for announcements), and there is at least one film (It's the Old Army Game, Kino Lorber) coming out on DVD / Blu-ray.
The Chaperone, which features a young Louise Brooks as a character, is also expected to be released next year (from PBS Masterpiece), as is, hopefully, Charlotte Siller's promising Documentary of a Lost Girl. And that's not all. I am also planning on releasing another book on Louise Brooks, and am working on another. Of late, I've also added a few new pages to the LBS website, and there have been nearly 150 LBS blog posts in 2017.
Who knows what else might pop up next year? It's just around the corner! Happy new year.
If you are in Brixton, England for New Year's eve, might we recommend this club with Louise Brooks borrowed imagery . . . . more at www.whitemink.co.uk/
WHITE MINK is the zeitgeist-capturing speakeasy where the sounds and styles of the
1920s and 30s are turned on their head and smuggled into the 21st century.
What started out as a launch party for our compilation CD series; White Mink : Black
Cotton (Electro Swing vs Speakeasy Jazz), became the accidental hub of a clubbing
scene and subsequently a hot festival circuit attraction. White Mink also runs the
regularly sold out Electro Swing nights at London’s Book Club, our own pop-up nights
and has hosted stages at dozens of major UK festivals since 2009.
The production company is run by a stylish triumvirate of Nick Hollywood, Chris Tofu
and Dan O’Neill. Under the White Mink name they bring together the finest DJs, VJs,
live bands, dancers, cabaret and burlesque performers for an unforgettable and unrivaled
speakeasy experience.
Beggars of Life will be shown in Tromsø, Norway on Saturday, January 20, 2018. (Thanx Tim.) This event, sponsored by the Tromsø International Film Festival, is part of the festival's "Special Screenings" series. More information about this event with LIVE music by the Dodge Brothers & Neil Brand can be found HERE.
Nancy
(Louise Brooks) kills her abusive stepfather and tries to flee from the
law and leave the country. Dressed as a man and accompanied by a
vagabond named Jim (Richard Arlen), Nancy heads for Canada. Together
they face the harsh reality and struggles of hobo life. Things get
dangerous when they encounter a group of ragged and violent drifters led
by Oklahoma Red (Wallace Beery). In a high-speed runaway drama cutting
through the American continent in freight trains and stolen cars, with
romantic as well as threatening undertones, three of the great stars of
the silent film era give some of their best performances.
BEGGARS OF LIFE is an intense and entertaining story about oppressed
and desperate people on a dangerous journey through the dark underworld
of pre-depression America. All aspects of his rollercoaster of a story
are enhanced by the live soundtrack, composed and performed by
skiffle/bluegrass combo The Dodge Brothers, together with silent film
pianist Neil Brand.
THE DODGE BROTHERS W/NEIL BRAND
The Dodge Brothers are renowned for playing the hell out of classic
Americana with their exuberant hybrid of country blues, rockabilly,
jugband and skiffle. Firmly rooted in these traditions, The Dodge
Brothers bring to them a freshness that has feet stomping and hands
clapping wherever they go, now also Tromsø.
Neither brothers nor from Dodge City, the band consists of Mike Hammond
(lead guitar, lead vocals, banjo), Mark Kermode (bass, harmonica,
vocals), Aly Hirji (rhythm guitar, mandolin, vocals) and Alex Hammond
(washboard, snare drum, percussion). Cinematic landscapes come to life
when this potent musical brew joins forces with virtuous silent film
pianist Neil Brand, AKA The Fifth Dodge Brother, a previous guest at
Silent Film Days in Tromsø. These musicians and this film can only be
described as a match made in heaven. More at Dodgebrothers.co.uk
Want to learn more about the film? This Spring saw the release of my new book, Beggars of Life: A Companion to the 1928 Film (which mentions the Dodge Brothers), and this Summer saw the release of a new DVD / Blu-ray of the film from Kino Lorber. If you haven't secured your
own copy of either the book or the DVD / Blu-ray, why not do so today?
A 35mm print of Pandora's Box will be shown at HOME in Manchester, England on January 28. This special event will feature live music by Stephen Horne and an introduction by Pamela Hutchinson, author of the terrific new book on the film from BFI Film Classics. More information HERE.
The film will be introduced by Pamela Hutchinson, freelance writer and author of the BFI Film Classics volume on Pandora’s Box and will feature live accompaniment from Stephen Horne, silent film musician and composer.
Film details
One of the masters of early German cinema, G. W. Pabst had an
innate talent for discovering actresses (including Greta Garbo). And
perhaps none of his female stars shone brighter than Kansas native and
onetime Ziegfeld girl Louise Brooks, whose legendary persona was defined
by Pabst’s lurid, controversial melodrama Pandora’s Box.
Sensationally modern, the film follows the downward spiral of the fiery,
brash, yet innocent showgirl Lulu, whose sexual vivacity has a
devastating effect on everyone she comes in contact with. Daring and
stylish, Pandora’s Box is one of silent cinema’s great masterworks and a testament to Brooks’s dazzling individuality.
Did you know that the Louise Brooks Society has its own online radio station? It's called RadioLulu. You can listen to using the Tune-In app, or using Winamp or the Windows Media Player, or, you can even listen via the Tune-In app on ROKU on your TV.
RadioLulu is a Louise Brooks-inspired, silent film-themed internet station streaming music of the 1920s, 1930s, and today. Located on the web at http://192.99.8.170/start/radiolulu/ — RadioLulu features vintage and contemporary music related to Louise Brooks as well as the silent and early sound eras. This is music you're not likely to hear anywhere else.
Launched way back in 2002, this unique station now features vintage music from five of Brooks’ films — the haunting themes from Beggars of Life (1928) and Prix de Beauté (1930), as well as musical passages from The Canary Murder Case (1929), Empty Saddles (1936), and Overland Stage Raiders (1938). On RadioLulu, you’ll also hear the familiar “Sidewalks of New York” (which was played on the set of The Street of Forgotten Men),
as well as John Philip Sousa’s seldom heard “Atlantic City Beauty
Pageant” (which was written for the Miss America contest, as seen in The American Venus).
Vintage recordings by Brooks’ screen co-stars are also featured on
RadioLulu. Among them are Adolphe Menjou, Esther Ralston, Dorothy
Mackaill, James Hall, Lawrence Gray, Noah Beery, Frank Fay, Joan
Blondell, and Buck Jones. There is even a song by Blanche Ring, who
appeared in It’s the Old Army Game and was the aunt of Brooks’ first
husband, Eddie Sutherland. A few of Brooks’ European co-stars are also
represented, among them Siegfried Arno (Pandora’s Box), Kurt Gerron (Diary of a Lost Girl), and Andre Roanne (Prix de Beauté).
Each is a rarity. As well, there are vintage tracks associated with
Brooks’ brief time with the Ziegfeld Follies, including a handful of
recordings by performers who shared the stage with the actress, such as
Ethel Shutta, Leon Erroll, and the great W.C. Fields.
RadioLulu includes a number of songs by Brooks’ friends and
acquaintances, as well as individuals she worked with over the years.
Actress Tallulah Bankhead, chanteuse Lucienne Boyer, torch singer Libby
Holman, bandleader Emil Coleman, and nightclub owner Bruz Fletcher can
all be heard on RadioLulu. Other tracks associated with the actress and
featured on RadioLulu include George Gershwin’s “Somebody Loves Me”
(Brooks knew Gershwin, and this was her favorite Gershwin song), Xavier
Cugat’s “Siboney” (recommended by Brooks in her rare booklet, Fundamentals of Good Ballroom Dancing), and two numbers by Sid Kay’s Fellows (the jazz band seen playing in the wedding reception scene in Pandora’s Box).
All together, RadioLulu features more than 850 tracks! Notably, many
of them come from rare 78 rpm discs you’re unlikely to hear anywhere
else. Of course, there’s Maurice Chevalier’s much-loved “Louise” as well
as more than a dozen tracks with Louise, Lulu, or LouLou in the title.
Among them is the Coon-Sanders Nighthawks’ recording of “Louise, You
Tease,” as well as a number of different recordings of both “Don’t Bring
Lulu” and “Lulu’s Back in Town”.
Many contemporary tributes to the actress can also be heard on
RadioLulu. These include songs by Natalie Merchant, Rufus Wainwright,
Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark (OMD), John Zorn, and Soul Coughing.
Famed cartoonist Robert Crumb is heard on “Chanson pour Louise Brooks”.
And there’s Ross Berkal’s tribute, “MLB (for Louise Brooks).” Berkal,
who is mentioned in the Barry Paris biography and is a longtime member
of the Louise Brooks Society, was acquainted with the actress later in
her life.
Beyond songs related to Louise Brooks, RadioLulu also features
hundreds of songs from the 1920s and 1930s (along with a smattering from
the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s). There is music from the movies aplenty,
as well as rare recordings by early Hollywood stars and Jazz Age
celebrities. There are tracks by the popular crooners and torch singers
of the time, as well as little known numbers by regional dance bands and
hotel orchestras. There are also early Broadway show tunes, early
European jazz, popular vocal numbers, theme songs, and even a few
novelty numbers.
Recordings by early Hollywood figures such as Charlie Chaplin, Buster
Keaton, Lupe Velez, Clara Bow, Rudolph Valentino, Gloria Swanson and
Joan Crawford are streamed. So are recordings by later stars Buddy
Rogers, Claudette Colbert, Jean Harlow, Paulette Goddard, Barbara
Stanwyck, and Dorothy Lamour. A few of the European actors and actresses
heard on the station include Brigitte Helm, Camilla Horn, Anny Ondra,
Conrad Veidt, Pola Negri, and Marlene Dietrich (notably, her early
German-language recordings).
Among others, Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell are heard singing the
classic “If I Had A Talking Picture Of You,” one of a number of
movie-related songs. There’s also “Take Your Girlie to the Movies,” “At
the Moving Picture Ball,” and “Hooray for Hollywood,” as well as rare
vintage recordings about Chaplin, Garbo, Keaton, Mickey Mouse and Zasu
Pitts. Be sure not to miss H. Robinson Cleaver’s “Grace Moore Medley,”
Fred Bird & Luigi Bernauer’s “Hallo Hallo Hier Radio,” and Jack
Hylton and His Orchestra’s “My brother makes the noises for the
talkies.”
What else can be heard on RadioLulu? How about Constance Bennett
singing “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” or Alice White & Blanche Sweet
singing “There’s A Tear For Every Smile in Hollywood” (from the
soundtrack to Showgirl in Hollywood). The Waldorf-Astoria Dance
Orchestra performs “The Vamp,” Nate Shilkret plays “Flapperette,” and
Marion Harris sings “I’m a Jazz Vampire.” Regulations explaining proper
radio station identification are given by none other than Cary Grant,
co-star of the 1937 Brooks’ film, When You’re in Love.
RadioLulu features many of the leading stars of the Jazz Age and
Depression era—Rudy Vallee, Russ Colombo, Ben Selvin, Fred Waring, Ted
Weems, Paul Whiteman, Annette Hanshaw, Helen Kane, Mildred Bailey, Lee
Wiley, Ruth Etting, Kay Thompson, and Frankie Trumbauer. There are
recordings by such famous names as Duke Ellington, Fred Astaire, Bing
Crosby and Benny Goodman, alongside rarely heard artists like the Eskimo
Pie Orchestra and the Brox Sisters, as well as Scrappy Lambert, Fred
Elizalde, and Dorothy Dickson! You never know who or what will turn up
on this eclectic, always entertaining station.
And that’s not all…. RadioLulu plays Ragtime, swing, standards, and
some real hot jazz, including such popular hits as the “Charleston,”
“Black Bottom,” and “Varsity Rag.” There are vintage recordings of
popular favorites like “Stardust” and “As Time Goes By,” along with
great, but little known works like James P. Johnson’s “You’ve Got to be
Modernistic.” By the way, the single longest track is George Jessel’s
spoken word history “The Roaring Twenties 1920-1929.”
Among the unusual European numbers on RadioLulu are little heard gems
from the 1930s Polish chanteuse Hanka Ordonówna as well as the Gershwin
of Czechoslovakia, Jaroslav Jezek; there’s a stirring number by the
great British cinema organist Sidney Torch; and even a 1929 recording of
the German dramatist Bertolt Brecht singing “Mack the Knife.” Along
with lovely favorites by the likes of Josephine Baker, Django Rheinhart,
and Mistinguett. Also heard are artist models Suzy Solidor and Kiki of
Montparnasse. Both posed for the surrealist photographer Man Ray, an
admirer of Louise Brooks.
There is nothing else quite like RadioLulu.
Here are ten vintage RadioLulu tracks you won’t want to miss: “Makin’
Whoopee” by B.A. Rolfe & His Lucky Strike Orchestra, “Runnin’ Wild”
by Isabella Patricola, “The Sheik of Araby” by Fats Waller, “My Man” by
Fanny Brice, and “Puttin on the Ritz” by Harry Richman, as well as “You
Oughta be In Pictures” by Little Jack Little & His Orchestra,
“College Rhythm” by Jimmy Grier, “Singin’ In The Rain” by Cliff Edwards (Ukulele Ike), “Slumming On Park Avenue” by Alice Faye, and “Ramona” by Dolores Del Rio.
And here are ten contemporary RadioLulu tracks you won’t want to
miss: “Lulu” by Twiggy (the 1960’s supermodel), “Valentino” by Connie
Francis, “Louise” by Eric Clapton, “Weight Lifting Lulu” by The
Residents, “Interior Lulu” by Marillion, as well as “Marlene Dietrich’s
Favourite Poem” by Peter Murphy, “I’m In Love With A German Film Star”
by The Passions, “Just Like Fred Astaire” by James, “Lulu Land” by
Camper van Beethoven, and “Brandenburg Gate” by Lou Reed & Metallica
(from their Lulu album).
Over the years, this unique, long running station has gained many
fans and listeners. Famed film critic Leonard Maltin once rated it a
“Wow.” Likewise, Louise Brooks devotee and celebrated Dr. Who actor Paul McGann called it “incredible.” The Pulitzer-Prize winning graphic novelist Art Spiegelman (author of Maus)
has tuned-in on occasion, and told us so. As has the award-winning
science fiction writer Richard Kadrey. And would you believe that a
retro Spanish pop/swing/rock group named Radio Lulu named themselves
after the station?
Music has played a significant role in the life and films of Louise
Brooks. That’s why RadioLulu was started, as a means of sharing some of
the many rare and related recordings collected by the Louise Brooks
Society. Listen today for free by clicking on the widget at the top of
the page. Let us know what you like or don’t like, and what you might
want to hear. Got something to contribute. We would like to hear about
that too.
Louise Brooks listens to RadioLulu. How about you?
Thank you for your interest in Louise Brooks, RadioLulu, and the Louise Brooks Society. Be sure to follow RadioLulu on TWITTER or FACEBOOK. And, for even more fun, visit the LBS account on SOUNDCLOUD for more related audio rarities.
In 2018, the LBS hopes to put together some thematic podcasts featuring material from RadioLulu, as well as material (like classical music) not featured on the streaming station. For example, there is music related to the time Louise Brooks was in Denishawn....