Happy New Year from the Louise Brooks Society

Happy New Year from the Louise Brooks Society. What a year it has been. I figure there is no better way to celebrate than to share a couple of 'swonderful pictures of Louise Brooks, and one less 'swonderful picture of me. 

My love and appreciation to all the fans of Louise Brooks who have supported me and this website for its 27 years of existance. Over the years, individuals and newspaper and magazines have said have said some rather nice things about me and the Louise Brooks Society. But none beats what I was told my the estate of Louise Brooks earlier this year; he simply thanked me for all that I have done. That means a lot. 

 

 

 

I had hoped to upload a couple of these celebratory pictures of Louise Brooks to the Louise Brooks Society Instagram account ( @louisebrookssociety ), but due to the pathetic actions of an individual who shall go unnamed, the LBS Instagram account has been suspended. 

The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society. (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2022. Further unauthorized use prohibited.

Reminder post: GoFundMe Launched for new Louise Brooks related book

First off, a BIG thank you to the thirteen individuals who have made a donation to my GoFundMe campaign towards the publication of  my forthcoming book, The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond.The $400.00 goal has been reached, and surpassed by $60.00 !

And a gentle reminder to those who thought about donating but have not had a chance that it's not too late to do so.... I am still working on finishing the book, and any donation, no matter how small, will help. 

Those who donate $20.00 or more will be acknowledged by name in the book, and those who donate $40.00 or more will received an acknowledgement and an autographed, softcover copy of the book (USA only). The GoFundMe page is located HERE.

As many of you may know, I have been working on a new book titled The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond. This approximately 350-page book is a deep dive into the history of a single film – its literary source, its making, its exhibition history, its critical reception, and its surprising cultural impact.

I am hoping to raise a few hundred dollars to purchase the rights to a small number of archival images that I hope to include in my forthcoming book, which is due out in early 2023. Any donations over the goal will be used to help defray costs already incurred. A draft of the front and back covers of the book are pictured below. (The price of the book is not yet set.)  

Though little known today, the 1925 silent film, The Street of Forgotten Men, was a popular and critical success at the time of its release. The film is based on a short story by a noted writer (George Kibbe Turner); it was made by a significant director (Herbert Brenon), shot by a great cinematographer (Hal Rosson), and features a fine cast (Percy Marmont, Neil Hamilton, Mary Brian) which includes a screen legend at the very beginning of her career (Louise Brooks). In many ways, The Street of Forgotten Men is exemplary of filmmaking & film culture in the mid-1920s. This new book tells its story in rich, historical detail. Along with dozens of rare images, my book contains all manner of vintage documents, clippings and advertisements as well as a foreword by Robert Byrne. (This noted film preservationist is responsible for the 2022 restoration of The Street of Forgotten Men, which debuted earlier this year at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.) Among the book's many revelations

• A detailed account of the making of the film - what it was like on the set of a silent film.  
• A thorough survey of the film's many reviews, including one by a Weird Tales contributor, and another by Catholic icon Dorothy Day, a candidate for sainthood.  
• Identification of a handful of the film's uncredited, bit players, including a noted journalist, a screenwriter, and a world champion boxer.
• The story of Lassie's role in the film (no, not that Lassie, the first Lassie). 
• The role music played in the making and exhibition of this silent film.  
• How the film's title entered into 
  
• The story of how future film legend Louise Brooks came to appear in the film - her first! 
• And so much more... from censorship records to its mention on the floor of Congress to a French fictionalization to a clipping noting the film's last documented showing, at a Navy Y.M.C.A in Shanghai, China in 1931 !
  

The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond is a book every silent film fan will want to own. It is also a must read for anyone interested in Louise Brooks.

 

The GoFundMe page is located HERE.

 

The Louise Brooks Society blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society. (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2022. Further unauthorized use prohibited.

Re: Boxer Harry Lewis, and a Happy Boxing Day from the Louise Brooks Society

Happy Boxing Day from the Louise Brooks Society. For those who may not be familiar with the term, "Boxing Day" is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (today - December 26). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It originated in Great Britain and is celebrated in a number of countries that previously formed part of the British Empire.

Playing on the word "boxing" - namely the combative sport in which two people throw punches at one another, I discovered that a once famous boxer appeared alongside Louise Brooks in her first film, The Street of Forgotten Men (1925). Like Louise Brooks, Harry Lewis (1886-1956) also played an uncredited bit part in the film; he as a saloon patron and witness to the fight between the characters Easy Money Charlie and Bridgeport White-Eye. Brooks unnamed character was a moll to Bridgeport White-Eye. 

Harry Lewis was once a pretty famous boxer, having been the Welterweight Champion of the World from 1908 to 1911. Lewis, who also boxed in the lightweight and featherweight divisions, fought around the world, including a losing match to French boxing great Georges Carpentier in Paris in 1911. Today, Lewis is rated the sixth-greatest welterweight of all time; he was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, and into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2008.

Like other sports celebrities of the time, including Carpentier, Lewis took a stab at acting. A bit in Exhibitors Herald reads, “Harry Lewis, former middleweight boxer, who acted as a comedy taxicab driver in Richard Dix’s Manhandled and in Herbert Brenon’s Street of Forgotten Men, is again behind the meter in W.C. Field’s latest starring picture, The Potters, just being completed at the Paramount Long Island studio under the direction of Fred Newmeyer.” (Exhibitors Herald, 12-25-1926)

(Left above) Boxer Harry Lewis, pictured early in his career. Courtesy of Wikipedia (Right above) Actor Harry Lewis, pictured far right wearing a cap, and two other background players during the fight scene near the end of The Street of Forgotten Men. Courtesy of San Francisco Silent Film Festival

(Left below) Harry Lewis, as a denizen of the Bowery (aka the street of forgotten men), observes an injured Bridgeport White-Eye (played by John Harrington), who is seen staggering along the bar of the Dead House as other forgotten men look on. Courtesy of San Francisco Silent Film Festival

The fight scene and its fallout (spoiler alert, Bridgeport White-Eye goes blind!) is also observed by various down and out Bowery locals, including saloon keep Diamond Mike, played by Riley Hatch, and Bridgeport White-Eye's sporty-looking moll, played by Louise Brooks – who is seen wearing a cloche hat with a question mark pin. (Below) Louise Brooks, Riley Hatch, and others observe the fight. Courtesy of San Francisco Silent Film Festival

 

All this information, newly revealed, comes from my forthcoming new book, The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond. I have launched a GoFundMe page for this project which is located HERE. Please consider donating making a donation, no matter how small. 

Notably, Harry Lewis is not the only boxer to have appeared in a Louise Brooks film. Another noted box turned actor, Edward "Gunboat" Smith, appeared in a minor role in the second film in which Louise brooks appeared as a gangster's moll, The City Gone Wild (1927). Edward "Gunboat" Smith (1887 – 1974) was an Irish American boxer, film actor and later a boxing referee. During his career, Smith faced twelve different Boxing Hall of Famers a combined total of 23 times. Among the all-time greats he faced were Jack Dempsey, Harry Greb, Sam Langford, and Georges Carpentier. 

Another boxer turned actor who appeared in a film featuring Louise Brooks was Victor McLaglen, the star of A Girl in Every Port (1928). Victor McLaglen (1886 – 1959) was a British boxer-turned-Hollywood actor. He was known as a character actor, particularly in Westerns, and made seven films with John Ford and John Wayne. McLaglen won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1935 for his role in The Informer. Before he got into acting, McLaglen earned a living as a wrestler and heavyweight boxer in Canada and elsewhere. According to Wikipedia, one of his most famous fights was against heavyweight champion Jack Johnson in a six-round exhibition bout at the Vancouver Athletic Club on 10 March 1909. This was Johnson's first bout since winning the heavyweight title from Tommy Burns. Between bouts, McLaglen toured with a circus, which offered $25 to anyone who could go three rounds with him. After World War I, he continued boxing, including a defeat at the hands of British champion Frank Goddard. His final fight was a loss by knockout to Arthur Townley in October 1920. McLaglen finished his professional career with a record of 16 wins, eight losses, and a draw. 

There are other boxers associated with the films of Louise Brooks, like Jim Tully, the author of Beggars of Life (1928), who once worked as a semi-pro boxer and later wrote a novel on the subject, called The Bruiser. But that may be a story for another day.

The Louise Brooks Society blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society. (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2022. Further unauthorized use prohibited.

Happy Holidays from the Louise Brooks Society

 

Happy Holidays from the Louise Brooks Society. Here follows a snapshot of the Louise Brooks bulb which hangs on my Christmas tree. It is handmade, and crafted by a fan; I believe I purchased it on eBay a number of years ago -- perhaps as long ago as ten or fifteen or more years ago (that is, way before anyone trademarked her name). Does anyone else have hand made Louise Brooks ornaments? I would love to see them. 

Here is a screen grab from Pandora's Box of Louise Brooks holding some mistletoe. She has such a warm, lovely smile. 

And lastly, a posed portrait of Louise Brooks standing near a small Christmas tree. Happy holidays, merry Christmas and happy new years to all good fans of Louise Brooks. Thank you for reading this blog.

A BIG thank you to everyone who has contributed to my GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to help me complete my forthcoming book, The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond. The GoFundMe page is located HERE.

The Louise Brooks Society blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society. (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2022. Further unauthorized use prohibited.

GoFundMe Launched for new Louise Brooks related book

Greetings fans of Louise Brooks and the silent film era. I have launched a modest GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to help me complete my forthcoming book, The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond. The GoFundMe page is located HERE.

I am hoping to raise $400.00 to purchase the rights to a small number of archival images that I hope to include in my forthcoming book, which is due out in early 2023. Any donations over the goal will be used to help defray costs already incurred. A draft of the front and back covers of the book are pictured below. (The price of the book is not yet set.) Here's how you can help:

• Any donation, however small, will be very much appreciated.
• Donate $20.00 and receive an acknowledgment in the completed book.
• Donate $40.00 and receive an autographed, softcover copy of the completed book, as well as an acknowledgment (USA only).
• Donate $100.00 and receive an autographed, softcover copy of the completed book, an acknowledgment, and an autographed copy of my earlier book, Beggars of Life: A Companion to the 1928 Film (USA only).

As many of you may know, I have been working on a new book titled The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond. This approximately 350-page book is a deep dive into the history of a single film – its literary source, its making, its exhibition history, its critical reception, and its surprising cultural impact.

Though little known today, the 1925 silent film, The Street of Forgotten Men, was a popular and critical success at the time of its release. The film is based on a short story by a noted writer (George Kibbe Turner); it was made by a significant director (Herbert Brenon), shot by a great cinematographer (Hal Rosson), and features a fine cast (Percy Marmont, Neil Hamilton, Mary Brian) which includes a screen legend at the very beginning of her career (Louise Brooks). In many ways, The Street of Forgotten Men is exemplary of filmmaking & film culture in the mid-1920s. This new book tells its story in rich, historical detail. Along with dozens of rare images, my book contains all manner of vintage documents, clippings and advertisements as well as a foreword by Robert Byrne. (This noted film preservationist is responsible for the 2022 restoration of The Street of Forgotten Men, which debuted earlier this year at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.) Among the book's many revelations

• A detailed account of the making of the film - what it was like on the set of a silent film.  
• A thorough survey of the film's many reviews, including one by a Weird Tales contributor, and another by Catholic icon Dorothy Day, a candidate for sainthood.  
• Identification of a handful of the film's uncredited, bit players, including a noted journalist, a screenwriter, and a world champion boxer.
• The story of Lassie's role in the film (no, not that Lassie, the first Lassie). 
• The role music played in the making and exhibition of this silent film.  
• How the film's title entered into 
  
• The story of how future film legend Louise Brooks came to appear in the film - her first! 
• And so much more... from censorship records to its mention on the floor of Congress to a French fictionalization to a clipping noting the film's last documented showing, at a Navy Y.M.C.A in Shanghai, China in 1931 !
  

The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond is a book every silent film fan will want to own. It is also a must read for anyone interested in director Herbert Brenon, actress Louise Brooks, etc.... The GoFundMe page is located HERE.

 

The Louise Brooks Society blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society. (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2022. Further unauthorized use prohibited.

A COMPLAINT against Etsy's intellectual property policies

The Louise Brooks Society is under attack. Over the last couple of months, a person named Michael Garcia Mujica (dba Vintage Brooks) has filed a number of complaints against me on Etsy, CafePress and even LinkTree alleging infringement of his intellectual property. 

He is doing so because in 2019 he obtained a trademark on the name "Louise Brooks," and he is using his standing as a trademark holder to get the above named websites to remove content (listings, and even links) which he feels violate his trademark. He even made the "Louise Brooks Society" (which has been in existence as a website since 1995) change its Etsy account name, as he alleged it infringed on his intellectual property rights.  Despite the fact that "Louise Brooks Society" is different from "Louise Brooks" and despite the fact that the Louise Brooks Society had 27 years of prior use, Etsy forced me to change my name or else loose my account all together. BTW, the Louise Brooks Society account at Etsy is now called LuluPandorasBox

What follows is a complaint I posted in Etsy's forums regarding their intellectual property policies and their mishandling of a recent allegation of infringement regarding an item I listed for sale on their website. It makes for interesting, if not surreal reading. (UPDATE on 12/23/2022 - someone (Etsy?) removed the entire thread, include Vintage Brooks 12/21/2022 admission that he acted in error in filing a claim against me, and, would act to have his complaint withdrawn. As of today, the box of note cards is not listed as being for sale.)

### 

A COMPLAINT against Etsy's intellectual property policies

Out of frustration, I am posting this complaint regarding Etsy's intellectual property policies, and the way Etsy handled my counter notice.

Here's what happened. Some months ago, I posted a 20+ year old box of notecards for sale on Etsy. These notecards were manufactured by Fotofolio, a well known postcard/notecard company. These "Hollywood Glamour" cards depicted various movie stars including Garbo, Gloria Swanson, Marilyn Monroe, etc... The box itself pictures the silent film star Louise Brooks.

About a month or so ago, this guy who gained a trademark on the name "Louise Brooks" in 2019, filed a complaint with Etsy stating that my 20 year old box of notecards violated his three year old trademark! How ridiculous - not only that such a claim was made, but also that Etsy let is stand.

This set of boxed cards came from my collection. I believe it was clear in my original listing that these were older "vintage" cards made by a third party. I also made these details clear in my counter notice. It took Etsy eight days to respond, and when they did, all I received from someone named "Charlie" in Etsy legal was a generic, one size fits all email that failed to address the points I made in my counter notice. How disappointing.

I spoke with a trademark attorney who told me that trademark could not be applied retroactively. In my opinion, it also goes against common sense.

According to Etsy policy, allegations of intellectual property infringement are supposed to be made in "good faith." In my opinion, this is a "bad faith" claim. If it was done in "good faith," then I think the claimant is ignorant of the law, and it should not stand. If was done in "bad faith," then that is an abuse, and it should not stand.

I would like to hear back from Etsy on this forum as to how they can justify what I see to be their mishandling of this situation. I am sure that other Etsy sellers would also be interested, especially those that have likewise received claims against their Louise Brooks items for sale on Etsy.

###

 

Pictured above, the notecards at the center of the dispute. I would appreciate hearing back from any anyone else who may have suffered similarly at the hands of Vintage Brooks. What is your story?

The Louise Brooks Society blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society. (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2022. Further unauthorized use prohibited.

Little Seen Louise Brooks Film to Screen in Chicago, Illinois

The little seen Louise Brooks film, The Show Off (1926), will be screened in Chicago, Illinois one month from today, on January 10, 2023. This screening, presented by the Silent Film Society of Chicago, will include a live theatre organ score performed by Jay Warren. More information about this event can be found below. A BIG thanx to longtime LBS member Tim Moore for alerting everyone to this event.

The Show-Off  screened in Chicago, Illinois in various theaters in July and August of 1926. Overall, the film was well received. (It remains one of my favorite Louise Brooks comedies.) Here are snippets from a few vintage reviews.

Tinee, Mae. “Ford Sterling Almost a Perfect Bumptious, Bombastic Show Off.” Chicago Tribune, July 7, 1926.
— ” . . . splendidly cast and acted.”

Reel, Rob. “You’ll Remember and Like Ford Sterling as Show Off.” Chicago Evening American, July 27, 1926.
— ” . . . is well done, and a lot of fun. You ought to like it.”

anonymous. “A Hit on the Stage; as Good on the Screen.” Chicago Evening Post, July 30, 1926.
— “Louise Brooks and George Kelly also handle their parts most effectively.”

The Louise Brooks Society blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society. (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2022. Further unauthorized use prohibited.

Louise Brooks Society now on Post (a new messaging app)

I launched the Louise Brooks Society website way back in the summer of 1995. I was a pioneer. The LBS was one of the first websites devoted to silent film and/or a silent film actor. Today, my website is certainly one of the longest lasting. 

Along the way, I branched out. There was a Louise Brooks Society MySpace page at one point, as well as a TribeNet page, and a streaming music channel (RadioLulu) on Live365. Things come and go. This blog dates back to 2002, when I first started writing about Louise Brooks on LiveJournal. In 2009, I transitioned the LBS blog to Blogger, where it has been ever since. (Some of the other Louise Brooks Society social media accounts can be found in the right hand column. Or, check out the LBS on LinkTree.)

The LBS has been on Twitter since 2009. (See https://twitter.com/LB_Society) To date, I have tweeted more than 6,150 times and gained some 5,200 followers. Not bad considering Louise Brooks and silent film is something of a niche interest.

With all the changes and uncertainty around Twitter these days (I think you know what I mean, as some are predicting its demise), I figure it is best to have a back-up, twitter-like account - an alternative app. I plan to stay with Twitter for the time being, but have recently set up an account on POST. That account can be found at https://post.news/@louisebrookssoc

I would encourage anyone interested in exploring the brave new world of Post to check it out. The Louise Brooks Society already has a few followers, and a few posts! Come on and join the smart set.

The Louise Brooks Society blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society. (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2022. Further unauthorized use prohibited.

 

An Interview with Alexandre Lobao about his Louise Brooks story, A Caixa de Pandora

Back in 2000, the Brazilian writer Alexandre Lobão published one of the earlier works of fiction to include Louise Brooks. His book was titled A Caixa de Pandora (Pandora's Box and other stories). I remember hearing about it sometime around then, and even obtaining a pdf copy of the Portuguese-language book. I never had the chance to really connect with the author until recently, when we "ran into one another" in Instagram. I sent Alexandre, who is now a successful author, a message asking if he might answer a few questions about A Caixa de Pandora, his first book. He agreed.

 The 2000 edition                          The Author - Alexandre Lobão                        The 2015 edition     

Louise Brooks Society: Your first book, A Caixa de Pandora (Pandora's Box and other stories), is a collection of stories; it was first published in Brazil in 2000, and has been described as a work of "fantastic reality." What would you like readers to know about it?

Alexandre Lobão: This book has ten short stories, and it’s still being published nowadays, 22 years later - which is unusual, at least in Brazil. Most of the stories have some kind of fantastic or magical element. The main (and longest) story, “Pandora’s Box,” is about a writer who is researching Louise Brooks in order to write a book, and every new piece of information he gets about her, he finds her more and more appealing, until the point that he realizes he is in love with her. Knowing that there is little more information about her, after all the research he did, he becomes more and more uneasy, lonely and abandoned, until he goes one last time to the local university library to see if he can uncover anything else. At the library he experiences a strange moment, a dream that leads him to a small recess he never saw in the library, an old video cassette library where he finds some tapes about Louise. To his surprise, he discovers that the tapes are not movies, but instead they allow him, for a limited time, to talk with Louise Brooks using his TV.  It’s a blessing, but also a curse, because he has only a few hours to talk to her. In the end (which was a surprise even for me, when I first wrote) he manages to help Louise and help himself to go on with their lives, leaving the past behind and knowing that each other are fine.

Louise Brooks Society: When and how did you first discover Louise Brooks?

Alexandre Lobão: I first saw Louise in the video clip of the O.M.D. (Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark) song “Pandora’s Box.” I was in my twenties, in a train station during my first trip around Europe, and was mesmerized by her appearances in the video.

Louise Brooks Society: In the title story, you appear as a character in love with Louise Brooks. The narrator details your encounters with the actress. What lead you to write this story? Were you inspired by any other story or writer?

Alexandre Lobão:  After 25 published books, “Pandora’s Box” is still the story that most resonates with me. When I returned to Brazil after my trip, I started to look for information about her (which was rather difficult, because there are no internet back in 1991) out of curiosity. I started then to hunt around in libraries, and discover that Louise was also inspiration for the Dixie Dugan comic strip (1929, by J. P. McEvoy) and other works beyond the movies, and after some research the idea of writing a book about a writer that researches & searches for her came to me. By then, I was only published in magazines and short story collections; “Pandora’s box” was my first short novel (60 pages). The inspiration of it was only Louise and my own journey in discovering how amazing she was.

Louise Brooks Society: Is Louise Brooks very well known in Brazil?

Alexandre Lobão:  Not really. I found some people that know her, some that love her, but she’s not a pop culture icon here – although many people would recognize her bob hair style.

Louise Brooks Society: What does she mean to you as an actress, or as a person?

Alexandre Lobão: Tough question! When I first found out about her, I fall in love as we usually do, loving not the real person, but the idealized person we have in our minds. After a while, I knew her flaws, her problems, the details that are not so lovable; but I still love her as a person. Nowadays my feelings for her are more like an old passion that, after the right time, became more like an ember that never fades away than a huge fire that burns bright and ends fast. I love seeing her movies, of course; I believe she was the greatest artist of her time, although she unfortunately hasn’t followed the evolution of the movies industry and language.

Louise Brooks Society: You have written fiction, as well as books for young readers, comics, and screenplays. You have written in may genre's. How can someone find out more? 

Alexandre Lobão: All my books and movie scripts and comics are on my web site, www.AlexandreLobao.com. I have some works published in English and Chinese, but only technical stuff – the rights for publishing my fiction works on other countries are currently available. 😉

* * * * * 

Pandora's Box and other stories is a book of short stories with varied themes, mostly containing fantastic elements. The tales present stories that take place in different times and places, in Brazil and abroad, from the past to the future, and have a common point in a personal, intimate view of each story, making the reader feel as if they were listening to a friend's story, the kind friends share around a campfire, when the lack of television increases interaction between people. The last story, “Plain”, subtly creates a link between all the stories, where the character has visions about situations that happen in several other stories in the book. More about Caixa de Pandora (Pandora's Box and other stories) can be found on the authors website. 

The Louise Brooks Society blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society. (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2022. Further unauthorized use prohibited.

Another great Louise Brooks film to screen in Toronto, Canada

It seems Toronto, Canada is the place to be if you are a Louise Brooks fan. 

Following the announcement that the rarely shown silent version of Prix de beauté will be shown on Saturday, December 3 at the Bell Lightbox in Toronto comes word that another great Louise Brooks film, Beggars of Life, will be shown early next year at Toronto's Revue Cinema. More information about this Sunday, January 29, 2023 screening can be found HERE. 

Beggars of Life was released in 1928, and this special afternoon event at the Revue Cinema (400 Roncesvalles Avenue in Toronto) is being billed as a 95th anniversary screening. The Revue Cinema's series of silent films, Silent Revue, is curated by Alicia Fletcher (who introduced Prix de beauté at the Bell Lightbox). And notably, the Beggars of Life screening will feature live musical accompaniment by Marilyn Lerner (who accompanied Prix de beauté at the Bell Lightbox). Evidently, Louise Brooks has at least a few fans in Toronto.

According to the Silent Revue event page, "Our season-long look at Planes, Trains and Automobiles continues with the rail-hopping thriller BEGGARS OF LIFE, starring the irresistible Louise Brooks. Co-starring Wallace Beery and Richard Arlen, BEGGARS OF LIFE is frequently cited as Brooks’ best American film, and under the direction of "Wild Bill" Wellman (of WINGS fame, which kicked off the current Silent Revue season), it is no wonder.

Brooks plays Nancy, who, on the lam after killing her abusive guardian, disguises her identity in hope of escaping to Canada. Tucking those signature bangs under a cap (don't worry -- they fall out from time to time) she passes as a boy among a gang of rail-riding hobos, where the threat of being revealed a killer takes a back seat to a more pressing danger: being exposed as a woman! Prefiguring many future Hollywood films’ treatment of hobo culture in the Great Depression, BEGGARS OF LIFE is a late silent-era masterpiece." It's true. Brooks' character, Nancy, does hope to escape to Canada! 

To celebrate the film's 95th anniversary, here is an advertisement and a short review of the film from the time it first showed in Toronto, back in October, 1928, at the Pantages. In case you are wondering, the Revue theater was showing Frank Capra's The Matinee Idol, starring Bessie Love, paired with The Sporting Age, starring Belle Bennett.

The Revue Cinema dates to 1912. It is a charming neighborhood theater with a notable history. (It is also home to the Toronto Silent Film Festival, Canada's only such festival.) But what's more, the Revue Cinema and Louise Brooks have a history. Over the last few years, the theater has shown a couple of Brooks' other films, including Pandora's Box in 2014, Beggars of Life in 2015 as part of their IT girl series, and most recently, Diary of a Lost Girl in early 2022. Evidently, Louise Brooks has at least a few fans in Toronto. Did I already say that ?

Beggars of Life -- a film the Cleveland Plain Dealer once described as “a raw, sometimes bleeding slice of life” -- is widely regarded as Louise Brooks' best American silent, as well as the film Oscar-winning director William Wellman thought his finest silent movie. The Revue Cinema screening is an event not to be missed.

Want to learn more? Allow me to recommend Beggars of Life: A Companion to the 1928 Film, by yours truly, Thomas Gladysz. This first ever study of the film features more than 50 little seen images, as well as a foreword by actor William Wellman, Jr., son of the legendary director. The book is available on amazon.com (in Canada) and amazon.com (in the United States).

The Louise Brooks Society blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society. (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2022. Further unauthorized use prohibited.

Rare Louise Brooks film to screen in Toronto, Canada

The rarely screened silent version of the 1930 Louise Brooks film, Prix de beauté, will be shown on Saturday, December 3 at the Bell Lightbox in Toronto, Canada. This special screening will feature a print, courtesy of the Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna in Italy, of the restored original silent version. And what's more, the film will be introduced by series curator Alicia Fletcher and will feature live musical accompaniment by Marilyn Lerner. More information about this event can be found HERE.

According to the Toronto International Film Festival website, "Weimar-era icon and prototypical Hollywood iconoclast Louise Brooks stars in Prix de beauté as Lucienne, a typist who enters a newspaper beauty contest and wins a chance to compete for the Miss Europe title in Spain. A tale of morbid jealousy and revenge co-scripted by G.W. Pabst and René Clair (the latter was intended to direct before Italian expat Augusto Genina was brought in), Prix de beauté had the unfortunate distinction of being filmed as a late-era silent, only to be hastily re-edited and released as a sound film (with Brooks dubbed by a French actress). The end result was a film out of step with the times in its format, yet one which was distinctly modern in its fashion sense, with Jean Patou of the famed House of Patou outfitting Brooks for her final starring role. The sophisticated originator of women’s sportswear who eradicated the flapper style of the ’20s and ushered in the dropped hemlines and elegance of the ’30s, Patou was the perfect outfitter for the rebellious, singularly fashion-forward actor. And, as the inventor of ladies’ knitted swimwear, he was also the perfect match for the film’s bathing-beauty sequence."

 

The internationalism of Prix de beauté is suggested in this vintage poster, which names the film’s American star, French actors, and Italian director, and also shows the flags of the four nations whose languages the film would be dubbed – Italy, France, England, and Germany.

Despite its delayed, problematic release (having to be converted from a silent to a sound feature), Prix de beauté was a considerable hit at the time of its release. It played continuously for a couple of months -- at a time most films only played a week -- following its May 9, 1930 debut at the Max Linder-Pathe in Paris, France. And soon thereafter, the film was shown all over Europe, in Northern Africa, parts of Asia, and in South America and the Caribbean well into the mid-1930s. In fact, the film remained in circulation for some six years. It was often revived in France. And, it played in present day Algeria, Brazil, Iceland, Japan, Madagascar, Turkey and the former USSR. And speaking of former nation states, the film even played in the one-time city-state of Danzig. Prix de beauté had legs (pun intended).

For example, records show that the film played in Havana, Cuba in March 1932, and then debuted at the Haitiana theatre in Port-au-Prince, Haiti later that year, in December 1932. Ever green, Prix de beauté returned to the Haitiana theatre in October 1933, April 1935, and July 1936 - that's six years after is debut. Truth be told, the film played just about everywhere, except for the United States and Canada.

Haitian newspaper ad

More about Prix de beauté can be found on the Louise Brooks Society website HERE. The Louise Brooks Society blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2022. Further unauthorized use prohibited.