Following the last couple of blog posts discussing letters from Louise Brooks, Philip Vorwald sent me scans of two letters which he owns and asked that I share them. Like the filmography in the form of a letter to Hollywood theater owner John Hampton, the second of the two letters posted here also discuss the actress' films.
If one didn't know better, it might be thought that Brooks had little if any interest in her own career. She quit Hollywood early on, and often declared that she never bothered to watch her own films. But, as these and the earlier posted letters show, she was a keen observer and knew most all of the details (the actors, the personal behind the camera, who visited the set, etc....) regarding her films.
This first brief note is dated March 10, 1967. The second longer letter is dated June 13, 1967. Both are typed and signed in crayon, as was Brooks' usually manner of correspondence.
A few observations: with such attention to detail, it is evident that Brooks was keen on accurately documenting her own career, whether it be regarding correct cast credits, acquiring stills and writing articles, or in finding out who might still have prints of her surviving films. Louise Brooks was 50 years old at this point. That is not old by today's "standards," but it was then considered a bit older than it is now. At this point in one's life (I've been there), one does start to consider legacy - what one will leave behind. With one's accomplishments largely in the past, one strives to make sure that they are at least accurately recorded, if not recognized.
It is interesting that Brooks was aware of Edna Mae Oliver's minor role in The American Venus (1926). Brooks herself had only a small role. (It was her second film appearance, following The Street of Forgotten Men, but her first screen credit.) Edna Mae Oliver was a popular character actor in the 1930s, and if your have ever seen A Tale of Two Cities (1935), starring Ronald Colman, you won't forget her.
It is also interesting that Louise Brooks thought Now We're in the Air "a lot of fun," though she never bothered to see it. It is fun. I wish more of it had survived.
By the way, my book on that film is widely available: One can buy it NEW from Amazon (USA) | Indiebound | Bookshop.org | Powells | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | Larry Edmunds (Hollywood, CA) | George Eastman Museum (Rochester, NY)
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