An interesting find regarding the lost Louise Brooks film, The City Gone Wild

While preparing the previous post on the Louise Brooks Society blog, Searching for the lost films of Louise Brooks, I came across something -- something peculiar -- I had never seen before. It was in regards to the lost Brooks film, The City Gone Wild (1927), and one of its lesser known actors, Luke Cosgrave.

Admittedly, Cosgrave (1862-1949) wasn't someone I was much familiar with. He had a minor, uncredited role in The City Gone Wild, possibly as a bar keep or as the owner of a dive where the gangsters in the film congregated. There is a piece about him in the film's press sheet. And, there were a number of articles in the fan magazines from the time about this famously bearded old actor.

All-in-all, I wasn't able to find out much about him; I believe he was a touring stage actor who entered films later in life. According to his IMDb page, "Luke Cosgrave was born on August 6, 1862 in Ballaghdreen, County Mayo, Ireland, UK [now Republic of Ireland]. He was an actor, known for Hollywood (1923), The Light That Failed (1923) and Merton of the Movies (1924). He died on June 28, 1949 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA." Having been born in 1862, he is likely one of the earliest born individuals to have appeared in any Brooks' film.

Cosgrave got a role in The City Gone Wild through his friendship with the film's director, James Cruze. Some years before, Cosgrave had given the young Cruze his first work as an actor. Once Cruze established his own career as a director, he regularly brought on Cosgrave to play small parts in his films. 

A short bit penned by Will Hays Jr. in 1925 for the New Yorker put it this way. "From the Coast Cruze brought Luke Cosgrave, an old actor who has appeared in several of his pictures. Cosgrave is to have the leading role in Minick. The odd friendship of Cosgrave and Cruze is one of those curious stories of the movies. Years ago Cruze was making his way across country on the brake beams. Cosgrave was running a tent medicine show. They patched up an acquaintance and soon Cruze was joint proprietor, entertainer and cure-all salesman. The scene changes. Cruze is now a $1,000-a-day director. And Cosgrave is a feature movie actor." 

I mention all this because it ties in with The City Gone Wild, the now lost 1927 Louise Brooks film. Three years after its release, Cosgrave returned to Boise, Idaho -- where he had once lived, and gave a stage performance of his best known roles.  

When I first saw the ad shown above, I was stunned to think that this show included film clips from some of the many movies Cosgrave had appeared in -- which included The City Gone Wild; but, then I thought "no way," how would a minor actor get access to film stock? He was more likely re-enacting on stage whatever film scene he had been in. But then I came across this 1930 newspaper article, "Veteran Thespian in Capital City," published a few days later which states, "Next his act will consist of cut-outs of film from some of his best known pictures -- Toll of the Sea, The Mating Call, The Red Mark, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and The City Gone Wild." Did cut-outs = film clips? Who knows?

Click on the image for a larger view

 

If film clips (including a clip from The City Gone Wild) were actually screened, that would make for a unique happening in the annals of the film career of Louise Brooks. If a scene from the film was re-enacted on stage, that would also make for a unique happening in the annals of Louise Brooks. Either way, Cosgrave's one-off stage show (I don't think it was repeated elsewhere) is a singular occurrence, something I have never seen done before in relation to actress. I wonder where those film clips are now? If they somehow survived, it might be the only surviving material from The City Gone Wild. 

BTW, a few years after his death, Cosgrave's 1952 memoir, Theater Tonight, was published by a small press. I was able to track down an online copy, and while it is chock full of references to James Cruze and other Hollywood stars the actor worked with, it doesn't seem to mention The City Gone Wild. 

More about The City Gone Wild can be found on the newly revamped Louise Brooks Society website on its The City Gone Wild (filmography page).  

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