During this pandemic era, I continue to stay home and conduct what research I can over the internet. And recently, I came across a few items which I had never seen before. I thought I would share them with readers of this blog. Here is the first installment in a short series of new finds.
This new find has to do with the time Louise Brooks and her Mother, Myra Brooks, almost crossed paths in Hollywood, of all places. The late 1920's were a busy time for both women. Louise was making films on the east coast, and beginning in 1927, in and around Los Angeles, California. Her Mother was a public speaker with engagements around the Midwest.
On April 19, 1929, Louise departed New York City for Europe aboard the Ile-de-France. She was headed to Paris, where she was engaged to begin work on Prix de beaute. A few days earlier, Brooks' mother had arrived in Los Angeles, where she was set to give a series of "self-improvement" themed talks. Between April 15 and May 25, Myra Brooks was engaged to speak on "agelessness and the necessity and method of keeping youthful" and "What Every Woman Wants to Know" at the Studio of Philosophy in Hollywood. As with her talks elsewhere, promotional coverage sometimes mentioned that the speaker was the mother of a famous actress.
Over the years, I have uncovered a handful of articles about Myra Brooks' talks in Benton Harbor, Michigan (near Chicago), in Kansas, and as well listings for various engagements in scarce Chautauqua publications. However, this is the first time I have uncovered any documentary material related to her Hollywood engagements. Here are three advertisements for Myra Brooks' Hollywood talks.
I haven't been able to find anything about the Studio of Philosophy in Hollywood. Does any reader of this blog know anything more? To give some context, on the pages where the above clippings appeared there were articles and advertisements for Theosophy, Christian Science, and various Catholic and Christian movements and groups - even dieting. Today, I suppose, these self-improvement movements with a spiritual flavor might be called "pop psychology."
To me, it's interesting that both Louise and her Mother strove throughout their lives to make sense of the world. Myra seemed to do this through self-improvement and self-empowerment. Louise seemed to do this by reading, not only philosophy but also history and biography, and by writing in her journals and by writing letters. I think, Louise's writing was her way of explaining the world to herself.
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