The tangled and convoluted history of the release of The American Venus

Of all of Louise Brooks American silents, The American Venus may well have the most tangled and convoluted of release histories. 

The American Venus is a romantic comedy set against the backdrop of a beauty pageant, namely the actual 1925 Miss America contest in Atlantic City. In the film, Brooks plays Miss Bayport, a beauty contestant and “mannequin” (then a term for a fashion model). The American Venus is the second film in which Brooks appeared, but the first for which she received screen credit. Brooks made something of a splash, and it was this film and her next, A Social Celebrity, which proved to be her “break-out” roles. Incidentally, both The American Venus and A Social Celebrity were named one of Photoplay magazine's "Six Best Films of the Month"-- and the rest, as they say, is history.

Apparently, The American Venus was originally set to open on Friday, November 27, 1925. However, due to delays in laboratory work on the film, it was postponed by nearly a month. (See the syndicated newspaper clipping shown here, which dates from December 17, 1925.) I wonder if the delay caused by laboratory work was due to the fact that part of the film was in Technicolor, which was then a new process?

According to Paramount corporate records, The American Venus was officially released on January 31, 1926. However, like many of Brooks' other films, it opened earlier — in this case a week earlier on January 24, 1926 at the Rivoli Theater in New York City. The following day, the film's copyright (LP22325) was registered by Famous Players-Lasky Corporation.

With that said, it should be noted that the film had already been shown a handful of times .... The American Venus was previewed at the Bellevue Theatre in Montclair, New Jersey on December 11, 1925, as reported after the fact in the local newspaper, the Montclair Times. (Preview screening were held in order to assess audience reaction to a film, and as such, the title to be previewed was not announced in advance.) 

The film was also privately screened at the Atlantic City Ambassador Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey as a benefit under the auspices of the Atlantic City Shrine Club on December 26, 1925. As the film had been, in part, set and shot in Atlantic City, there was local press coverage given to this special benefit event. (Those clipping are held in the Louise Brooks Society archive.) 

As well, there was another benefit screening of the film which took place at midnight on December 31, 1925 at the American Theater in Oakland, California — the hometown of star Fay Lanphier. Originally, the reigning Miss America was set to attend the Oakland benefit, but at the last minute she was named Rose Bowl Queen and was rushed off to Pasadena.

According to newspaper archives available online, a few other early screenings were announced. One was to be held at the Alvo Theatre in Medford, Oklahoma on December 28-29, 1925 (and then postponed to January 4-5, 1926); another was announced for the Gem Theatre in Pineville, Kentucky on December 31, 1925; and another was set for the Forsythe Theatre in East Chicago, Indiana on January 2, 1926. However, none of these ("seemingly random") small town screenings can be confirmed... as sometimes, films were announced, but never shown. The first confirmed engagement for The American Venus took place at the Colonial theater in Richmond, Virginia on January 4-6, 1926.

Otherwise, The American Venus "officially" premiered at the Stanley Theater in Atlantic City on January 11, 1926 — nearly two weeks ahead of its regular NYC opening.

More about The American Venus can be found on the newly revamped Louise Brooks Society website on its The American Venus (filmography page). And BTW: the surviving footage from the film can be found on the Flicker Alley Blu-ray, Focus on Louise Brooks. Order your copy today.

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original content copyright © 2026. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.