It's the Old Army Game, with W.C. Fields and Louise Brooks, screens in May 2025

Attention W.C. Fields fans, save the dates May 22-25, 2025! That's when the Columbus Moving Picture Show in Columbus, Ohio will screen 16mm prints of four of the legendary comedian's classic films, including It's the Old Army Game, with Louise Brooks. More information about this annual event can be found HERE.

The schedule of events for next year's Columbus Moving Picture Show includes:

* IT’S THE OLD ARMY GAME (1926, with live piano accompaniment, preceded by 5 minutes of rare footage from the premiere and trailer of the lost silent THAT ROYLE GIRL, from 1925)

* MILLION DOLLAR LEGS (1932)

* THE FATAL GLASS OF BEER (1933)

* THE OLD FASHIONED WAY (1934)

Plus, a seminar and signing by author Richard S. Greene on his just released book, Bantering Ballyhoo! Selling W. C. Fields to 20th Century America  ‎ (BearManor Media, 2024). 

"Bantering Ballyhoo! Selling W. C. Fields To 20th Century America presents the many ways in which The Great Man was sold to American audiences in newspaper advertising, movie posters, lobby cards, publicity stills, magazine covers and retail merchandise. Bantering Ballyhoo! takes a colorful visual journey through all of W. C. Fields' sound features and shorts through more than 775 rare and compelling promotional images, many in full color and never in print before!" This softcover book, with a foreword by Ronald J, Fields, is available on https://amzn.to/49nIMoo.

When It's the Old Army Game first played in Columbus, in July 1926, the film received good reviews in the city's three major newspapers, the Columbus Dispatch, Columbus Citizen, and Ohio State Journal. The Dispatch wrote, “Louise Brooks, a dainty little brunette, with cute girlish ways, a way of flirting, a way of kissing and with a figure that formerly earned Ziegfeld or Carroll honors, looks like a good screen personality. If properly handled, she will be a real comer.”

Indeed, she was.

More about It's the Old Army Game can be found on the newly revamped Louise Brooks Society website on its It's the Old Army Game (filmography page). 

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2024. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Some Louise Brooks finds at the Ohio State University

I was in Columbus, Ohio this past weekend for a family wedding (congrats David and Brittni), and took the opportunity to visit the Ohio State University library. I was there to look through back issues of the school's student newspaper, The Lantern.

A few years back, I had surveyed the three Columbus newspapers of the 1920's and 1930's, and had acquired a good number of clipping regarding Brooks' two 1923 Denishawn performances at the city's Memorial Hall, as well as the later screenings of her various silent and sound films at Columbus movie theater's.

The three newspapers I surveyed were the Columbus Citizen, Columbus Dispatch, and the Ohio State Journal. I was curious as to whether or not The Lantern had covered any of these events, just had other student newspapers I have examined had done so.


I can report that I found an article about Denishawn and an advertisement, as well as small write ups about a couple of Louise Brooks' films. I also found a bunch of advertisements for the actress's films at the time they played in Columbus.

A big thank you to student librarian assistant at the Thompson Library who helped me access this material.

Here is some of what I came across.