On and off over much of this year, I have been working on a certain web page on the Louise Brooks Society website. The page is titled Louise Brooks Day by Day 1906 - 1985. It is a timeline. And it is a work in progress.
Ever since I launched the Louise Brooks Society in 1995, I have wanted to create some sort of timeline page. There have been aborted attempts over the years -- but I was never satisfied with how the pages developed, until now. This timeline lacks the cultural and historical entries & context I had originally envisioned for a timeline page. Instead, it achieves something else. It tracks Louise Brooks day by day throughout her life. It is a crazy and ambitious project. And also a lot of fun.
This chronology contains entries both significant and mundane. It is based on multiple
sources including dates and events found in the Barry Paris biography,
as well as those recorded by Brooks in her notebooks (which she kept
from the mid-1950s through her death); other dates were gathered from
various magazines and newspapers (especially those located where Brooks
was resident), along with other disparate sources, such as books, census
records, and passenger manifests.
This timeline serves as only a partial record of Brooks’ life (both in and out of the spotlight), including her comings-and-goings and activities as a dancer, actress and writer. Brooks’ life ran over the course of 28,758 days, as best I can figure. She accomplished a great deal in her lifetime, appearing in 24 films, writing a book, appearing on radio, and performing hundreds of times on stage as a dancer. She even taught dancing, worked as a professional ballroom dancer, and had other jobs.
Relatively speaking, however, little is known about what Brooks was doing on any given day. From the mass of material the Louise Brooks Society has gathered, Brooks’ activities can be traced on nearly a thousand days throughout her lifetime. Best documented is the 18 year period – running from 1922 through 1940, a period of 6939 days – when Brooks worked as a dancer and actress and many of her activities were a matter of public record.
I invite everyone to check out what I have found so far at Louise Brooks Day by Day 1906 - 1985. If you know of a specific dated event which is not noted, please let me know. Otherwise, here are a few highlights from the early and the later years:
Nov. 14, 1906
Born Mary Louise Brooks in the town of Cherryvale, Kansas to Leonard and Myra Brooks. A small article announcing the birth appears in the local newspapers, the Cherryvale Republican and Cherryvale Daily News.
Sept. 2, 1910
Performs in “Tom Thumb Wedding” at the Cherryvale Christian church. Admission is 15 and 25 cents. The following day, a newspaper article states there was “good attendance,” and that the “program pleased the audience, and netted the sum of $300 for the church.” (Do the math. That's a big crowd.)
Feb. 25, 1914
Helps serve refreshments at a party of a neighbor, who entertained the Good Fellowship class of the M.E. church.
June 2, 1916
Is a pupil of Miss Minerva Warner’s sewing class, and is named secretary of its West side sewing club.
Nov. 23, 1917
A Cherryvale newspaper reports that Brooks, who has been out of school for almost five weeks due to illness, is expected to return to classes in 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.
July 24, 1922
Wichita Daily Eagle reports that Brooks has received an offer from the Shubert company, which she rejected; it is reported that she intends to continues her studies with Denishawn before returning home to finish high school (which she never did).
June 15, 1940
Los Angeles Times reports Brooks the victim of reputed swindler Benjamin F. Crandall; according to articles from the time, Brooks lost $2,000 in a Hollywood magazine stock promotion scheme.
June 29, 1943
Attends original Broadway production of Oklahoma! at the St. James Theatre in New York, with William S. Paley, Ben Gimbel and two others.
Dec. 24, 1944
Brooks and Lothar Wolff spend Christmas Eve with Blythe Daly and Jim Backus (the voice of nearsighted cartoon character Mr. Magoo, & Thurston Howell III on the 1960s sitcom Gilligan's Island).
Nov. 10, 1949
Brooks sees Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn perform “Creative Dances on Ethnic Themes” at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
Dec. 13, 1953
Receives confirmation in the Catholic Church at St. Patrick Cathedral in New York City. Bishop Flannelly presides. Before being confirmed, those seeking confirmation choose to take a saint’s name with whom they identify. After confirmation, the confirmed can pray to the saint for guidance and protection. Brooks chooses St. Therese, “the little flower.”
April 4, 1954
Attends reception at the guest house of John D. Rockefeller III in honor of Lillian Gish; others in attendance include Gloria Swanson, Josef von Sternberg, Neil Hamilton, Carmel Myers, Anita Loos, Ilka Chase, June Collyer, Aileen Pringle, and others.
Jan. 23, 1957
Sees Gloria Swanson on the television show, This Is Your Life. (Also on the show are Lois Wilson, Raymond Hatton, Monte Blue, Francis X. Bushman, Mack Sennett, Alan Dwan and others). Shortly thereafter, completes unpublished essay “Gloria Swanson.”
March 9, 1958
Watches poet W. H. Auden on television.
June 15, 1959
Views Loulou (1918), starring Asta Nielsen, at Eastman House.
July 18, 1959
Brooks meets with film historian William K. Everson at Rochester’s Treadway Inn, where they screen a copy of the Hal Roach Western, The Devil Horse (1926), with Yakima Canutt.
March 27, 1960
Listens to radio program from 7:00 to 8:00 pm which features Mitch Miller, Bosley Crowther, and Archer Winston.
June 26, 1960
Watches Camera Three on television. This episode features Yuriko, a dancer best known for her work with the Martha Graham Dance Company.
April 16, 1961
Watches television program on the music of the civil war hosted by noted conductor Frederick Fennell (of the Eastman Wind Ensemble).
July 25, 1962
“Retired actress Louise Brooks” is guest on “Woman’s World” program at 1:15 pm on WHAM in Rochester, NY.
Dec. 12, 1962
Meets Buster Keaton and his wife at the Sheraton Hotel in Rochester, New York.
July 12, 1966
Views The Wedding March at Eastman House.
July 4, 1968
Visits composer David Diamond at his Rochester home.
March 25, 1977
Writes 7-page letter to Tom Dardis containing notes on Buster Keaton and Joe Schenck and commenting on various books and articles.
April 2, 1979
Watches Meet the Press on television, with guest William S. Paley.
Aug. 10, 1979
Channel 21 in Rochester, New York broadcasts Pandora’s Box.
April 14, 1980
Erte is quoted about Brooks (“She was very, very charming.”), and Brooks about Erte in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
Aug. 8, 1985
Dies in Rochester, New York.
Ever since I launched the Louise Brooks Society in 1995, I have wanted to create some sort of timeline page. There have been aborted attempts over the years -- but I was never satisfied with how the pages developed, until now. This timeline lacks the cultural and historical entries & context I had originally envisioned for a timeline page. Instead, it achieves something else. It tracks Louise Brooks day by day throughout her life. It is a crazy and ambitious project. And also a lot of fun.
This timeline serves as only a partial record of Brooks’ life (both in and out of the spotlight), including her comings-and-goings and activities as a dancer, actress and writer. Brooks’ life ran over the course of 28,758 days, as best I can figure. She accomplished a great deal in her lifetime, appearing in 24 films, writing a book, appearing on radio, and performing hundreds of times on stage as a dancer. She even taught dancing, worked as a professional ballroom dancer, and had other jobs.
Relatively speaking, however, little is known about what Brooks was doing on any given day. From the mass of material the Louise Brooks Society has gathered, Brooks’ activities can be traced on nearly a thousand days throughout her lifetime. Best documented is the 18 year period – running from 1922 through 1940, a period of 6939 days – when Brooks worked as a dancer and actress and many of her activities were a matter of public record.
I invite everyone to check out what I have found so far at Louise Brooks Day by Day 1906 - 1985. If you know of a specific dated event which is not noted, please let me know. Otherwise, here are a few highlights from the early and the later years:
----------
Nov. 14, 1906
Born Mary Louise Brooks in the town of Cherryvale, Kansas to Leonard and Myra Brooks. A small article announcing the birth appears in the local newspapers, the Cherryvale Republican and Cherryvale Daily News.
Sept. 2, 1910
Performs in “Tom Thumb Wedding” at the Cherryvale Christian church. Admission is 15 and 25 cents. The following day, a newspaper article states there was “good attendance,” and that the “program pleased the audience, and netted the sum of $300 for the church.” (Do the math. That's a big crowd.)
Feb. 25, 1914
Helps serve refreshments at a party of a neighbor, who entertained the Good Fellowship class of the M.E. church.
June 2, 1916
Is a pupil of Miss Minerva Warner’s sewing class, and is named secretary of its West side sewing club.
Nov. 23, 1917
A Cherryvale newspaper reports that Brooks, who has been out of school for almost five weeks due to illness, is expected to return to classes in 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.
July 24, 1922
Wichita Daily Eagle reports that Brooks has received an offer from the Shubert company, which she rejected; it is reported that she intends to continues her studies with Denishawn before returning home to finish high school (which she never did).
June 15, 1940
Los Angeles Times reports Brooks the victim of reputed swindler Benjamin F. Crandall; according to articles from the time, Brooks lost $2,000 in a Hollywood magazine stock promotion scheme.
June 29, 1943
Attends original Broadway production of Oklahoma! at the St. James Theatre in New York, with William S. Paley, Ben Gimbel and two others.
Dec. 24, 1944
Brooks and Lothar Wolff spend Christmas Eve with Blythe Daly and Jim Backus (the voice of nearsighted cartoon character Mr. Magoo, & Thurston Howell III on the 1960s sitcom Gilligan's Island).
Nov. 10, 1949
Brooks sees Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn perform “Creative Dances on Ethnic Themes” at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
Dec. 13, 1953
Receives confirmation in the Catholic Church at St. Patrick Cathedral in New York City. Bishop Flannelly presides. Before being confirmed, those seeking confirmation choose to take a saint’s name with whom they identify. After confirmation, the confirmed can pray to the saint for guidance and protection. Brooks chooses St. Therese, “the little flower.”
April 4, 1954
Attends reception at the guest house of John D. Rockefeller III in honor of Lillian Gish; others in attendance include Gloria Swanson, Josef von Sternberg, Neil Hamilton, Carmel Myers, Anita Loos, Ilka Chase, June Collyer, Aileen Pringle, and others.
Jan. 23, 1957
Sees Gloria Swanson on the television show, This Is Your Life. (Also on the show are Lois Wilson, Raymond Hatton, Monte Blue, Francis X. Bushman, Mack Sennett, Alan Dwan and others). Shortly thereafter, completes unpublished essay “Gloria Swanson.”
March 9, 1958
Watches poet W. H. Auden on television.
June 15, 1959
Views Loulou (1918), starring Asta Nielsen, at Eastman House.
July 18, 1959
Brooks meets with film historian William K. Everson at Rochester’s Treadway Inn, where they screen a copy of the Hal Roach Western, The Devil Horse (1926), with Yakima Canutt.
March 27, 1960
Listens to radio program from 7:00 to 8:00 pm which features Mitch Miller, Bosley Crowther, and Archer Winston.
June 26, 1960
Watches Camera Three on television. This episode features Yuriko, a dancer best known for her work with the Martha Graham Dance Company.
April 16, 1961
Watches television program on the music of the civil war hosted by noted conductor Frederick Fennell (of the Eastman Wind Ensemble).
July 25, 1962
“Retired actress Louise Brooks” is guest on “Woman’s World” program at 1:15 pm on WHAM in Rochester, NY.
Dec. 12, 1962
Meets Buster Keaton and his wife at the Sheraton Hotel in Rochester, New York.
July 12, 1966
Views The Wedding March at Eastman House.
July 4, 1968
Visits composer David Diamond at his Rochester home.
March 25, 1977
Writes 7-page letter to Tom Dardis containing notes on Buster Keaton and Joe Schenck and commenting on various books and articles.
April 2, 1979
Watches Meet the Press on television, with guest William S. Paley.
Aug. 10, 1979
Channel 21 in Rochester, New York broadcasts Pandora’s Box.
April 14, 1980
Erte is quoted about Brooks (“She was very, very charming.”), and Brooks about Erte in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
Aug. 8, 1985
Dies in Rochester, New York.
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