Louise Brooks got married 100 years ago today

One hundred years ago today -- on July 21, 1926 -- Louise Brooks married director Eddie Sutherland in New York City; the ceremony was performed by Deputy Clerk William McCormick at the city’s Municipal Building. Brooks and Sutherland met earlier in the year during the filming It's the Old Army Game. Sutherland was the film's director. 

This was big news in movie circles. Articles appeared in many American newspapers, as well as on the front page of the New York Daily News the following day. 

And here is the page 31 article with all the details.

And a page two piece from earlier in the day (prior to the newspaper's final edition).

Of course, things didn't work out and the two filed for divorce a couple of years a later....

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. 

Its the Old Army Game, with Louise Brooks, was released on this day 100 years ago in 1926

Its the Old Army Game, with Louise Brooks and W.C. Fields, was released on this day in 1926. The film is a comedy about a small town druggist (played by W.C. Fields) who gets involved with a real estate scam. Louise Brooks plays the druggist's assistant. The film was Brooks' fourth, and it reunited her with the Fields, the film's star. The two had worked together in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1925. 

More about the film can be found on the Louise Brooks Society website filmography page.

In its review, the Newark Star-Eagle stated, “This picture not only affords a good deal of typical Fields comedy in a suitable story frame, but also reveals the possibilities of Louise Brooks, Follies girl who is making decidedly good in the cinema. . . . All told, Fields need not regret his first Paramount production. Louise Brooks, with a touch of piquancy, a good range of registration, and the conception of restraint, is pleasing as the heroine.”

It's the Old Army Game was originally announced as starring Fields and future "It girl" Clara Bow, but she was shooting Mantrap (1926), so the female lead fell to Brooks. Exhibitor’s Herald stated, “Louise Brooks is the other important person in the picture and, as insinuated rather bluntly on the occasion of her first appearance -- in The American Venus -- she’s important. Miss Brooks isn’t like anybody else. Nor has she a distinguishing characteristic which may be singled out for purposes of identification. She’s just a very definite personality. She doesn’t do much, perhaps because there isn’t much to do but probably because she hits hardest when doing nothing, but nobody looks away when she’s on screen. If Miss Glyn should say that Miss Brooks has ‘it,’ more people would know what Miss Glyn is raving about. But in that case she would not be raving.”

The Portland Oregonian noted “Louise Brooks, the pert young woman who will be remembered for her work in The American Venus and A Social Celebrity, the latter with Adolphe Menjou, has the lead role opposite Fields. She poses a bit. An excuse was found to get her into a bathing suit too, which wasn’t a bad move, on the whole.” 

It's the Old Army Game received mostly positive reviews, though some critics noted its rather thin plot. Algonquin Round Table playwright Robert E. Sherwood (who would go on to win four Pulitzer Prizes and an Academy Award) was then writing reviews for Life magazine. His pithy critique read, “Mr. Fields has to carry the entire production on his shoulders, with some slight assistance from the sparkling Louise Brooks.” Ella H. McCormick of the Detroit Free Press countered with "Fields scored a splendid triumph in this picture. A great part of the success of the offering, however, is due to Louise Brooks, who takes the lead feminine part."

Today, It's the Old Army Game is largely remembered as a starring vehicle for Fields -- a comedic great, It is also remembered for the fact that not long after the film wrapped, Brooks married the film's director, Eddie Sutherland.

 SOME THINGS ABOUT THE FILM YOU MAY NOT KNOW:

 -- Clarence Badger was originally assigned to direct, but the film was soon turned over to Edward Sutherland, a onetime actor and Keystone Cop who began his directing career just a few years before with the help of Charlie Chaplin. The film was announced, at first, as starring W.C. Fields and future “It girl” Clara Bow, but as she was needed on the West Coast to shoot Mantrap (1926), the female lead fell to Brooks. It's the Old Army Game was the first of five Fields' films directed by Sutherland.

-- Outdoor scenes in Palm Beach, Florida were shot at El Mirasol, the estate of multi-millionaire investment banker Edward T. Stotesbury. In 1912, after having been a widower for thirty-some years, Stotesbury remarried and became the stepfather of three children including Henrietta Louise Cromwell Brooks (known simply as Louise Brooks), an American socialite and the first wife of General Douglas MacArthur. In her heyday, she was "considered one of Washington's most beautiful and attractive young women". Because of their names, the two women were sometimes confused in the press.

-- The late film historian John Bengston had written a series of posts on his Silent Locations website looking at various scenes from the film. Each are well worth checking out. They include "W.C. Fields in Palm Beach – It’s the Old Army Game" -- "It’s The Old Army Game – W.C. Fields and Louise Brooks Bring Magazines to Life" -- "It’s The Old Army Game – W.C. Fields and Louise Brooks in Ocala Florida – Part One".

-- It’s the Old Army Game was officially released May 25, 1926. The film opened in select cities on May 22, 1926, with the earliest showings taking place in Atlanta, Georgia, Hartford, Connecticut, and Indianapolis, Indiana. The film was advertised to open a few days earlier in Palm Beach, Florida (on May 18) and elsewhere, but was delayed.

More about the film can be found on the recently updated Louise Brooks Society website 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 content copyright © 2026. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.   

Its the Old Army Game, with Louise Brooks, was released on this day in 1926

Its the Old Army Game, with Louise Brooks and W.C. Fields, was released on this day in 1926. The film is a comedy about a small town druggist (played by W.C. Fields) who gets involved with a real estate scam. Louise Brooks plays the druggist's assistant. The film was Brooks' fourth, and it reunited her with the Fields, the film's star. The two had worked together in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1925. More about the film can be found on the Louise Brooks Society website filmography page.

In its review, the Newark Star-Eagle stated, “This picture not only affords a good deal of typical Fields comedy in a suitable story frame, but also reveals the possibilities of Louise Brooks, Follies girl who is making decidedly good in the cinema. . . . All told, Fields need not regret his first Paramount production. Louise Brooks, with a touch of piquancy, a good range of registration, and the conception of restraint, is pleasing as the heroine.”

It's the Old Army Game was originally announced as starring Fields and future "It girl" Clara Bow, but she was shooting Mantrap (1926), so the female lead fell to Brooks. Exhibitor’s Herald stated, “Louise Brooks is the other important person in the picture and, as insinuated rather bluntly on the occasion of her first appearance -- in The American Venus -- she’s important. Miss Brooks isn’t like anybody else. Nor has she a distinguishing characteristic which may be singled out for purposes of identification. She’s just a very definite personality. She doesn’t do much, perhaps because there isn’t much to do but probably because she hits hardest when doing nothing, but nobody looks away when she’s on screen. If Miss Glyn should say that Miss Brooks has ‘it,’ more people would know what Miss Glyn is raving about. But in that case she would not be raving.”

The Portland Oregonian noted “Louise Brooks, the pert young woman who will be remembered for her work in The American Venus and A Social Celebrity, the latter with Adolphe Menjou, has the lead role opposite Fields. She poses a bit. An excuse was found to get her into a bathing suit too, which wasn’t a bad move, on the whole.” 

It's the Old Army Game received mostly positive reviews, though some critics noted its rather thin plot. Algonquin Round Table playwright Robert E. Sherwood (who would go on to win four Pulitzer Prizes and an Academy Award) was then writing reviews for Life magazine. His pithy critique read, “Mr. Fields has to carry the entire production on his shoulders, with some slight assistance from the sparkling Louise Brooks.” Ella H. McCormick of the Detroit Free Press countered with "Fields scored a splendid triumph in this picture. A great part of the success of the offering, however, is due to Louise Brooks, who takes the lead feminine part."

Today, It's the Old Army Game is largely remembered as a starring vehicle for Fields -- a comedic great, It is also remembered for the fact that not long after the film wrapped, Brooks married the film's director, Eddie Sutherland.

Under its American title, documented screenings of the film took place in Australia (including Tasmania), Bermuda, British Malaysia (Singapore), Canada, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Panama, and the United Kingdom (England, Isle of Wight, Northern Ireland, and Scotland). In Czechoslovakia, the film was promoted under the title The Old Army Game. In Japan, it was once promoted as It’s the Old Army.

Elsewhere, It’s the Old Army Game was shown under the title El boticario rural (Argentina); Ein moderner Glücksritter (Austria); Een Apothekersstreek (Belgium); Risos e tristezas (Brazil); El Boticario Rural (Cuba); To je starí hra armády (Czechoslovakia); Miehen ihanne (Findland); Un Conte D’Apothicaire (France); チョビ髯大将 (Japan); Laimes spekuliantai (Lithuania); Un Conte d’hapoticaire! (Luxembourg); El Boticario Rural (Mexico); Pierewaaier — Pilledraaier (The Netherlands); Ungkar og spillemann (Norway); El boticario rural (Spain); Mannen som gör vad som faller honom in (Sweden *); and El boticario rural (Uruguay).

* The film was censored in Sweden, though when released in 1930, it was deemed suitable for all audiences.

 SOME THINGS ABOUT THE FILM YOU MAY NOT KNOW:

 -- Clarence Badger was originally assigned to direct, but the film was soon turned over to Edward Sutherland, a onetime actor and Keystone Cop who began his directing career just a few years before with the help of Charlie Chaplin. The film was announced, at first, as starring W.C. Fields and future “It girl” Clara Bow, but as she was needed on the West Coast to shoot Mantrap (1926), the female lead fell to Brooks. It's the Old Army Game was the first of five Fields' films directed by Sutherland.

-- Outdoor scenes in Palm Beach, Florida were shot at El Mirasol, the estate of multi-millionaire investment banker Edward T. Stotesbury. In 1912, after having been a widower for thirty-some years, Stotesbury remarried and became the stepfather of three children including Henrietta Louise Cromwell Brooks (known simply as Louise Brooks), an American socialite and the first wife of General Douglas MacArthur. In her heyday, she was "considered one of Washington's most beautiful and attractive young women". Because of their names, the two women were sometimes confused in the press.

-- Silent film historian John Bengston has written a series of posts on his Silent Locations website looking at various scenes from the film. Each are well worth checking out. They include "W.C. Fields in Palm Beach – It’s the Old Army Game" -- "It’s The Old Army Game – W.C. Fields and Louise Brooks Bring Magazines to Life" -- "It’s The Old Army Game – W.C. Fields and Louise Brooks in Ocala Florida – Part One".

-- It’s the Old Army Game was officially released May 25, 1926. The film opened in select cities on May 22, 1926, with the earliest showings taking place in Atlanta, Georgia, Hartford, Connecticut, and Indianapolis, Indiana. The film was advertised to open a few days earlier in Palm Beach, Florida (on May 18) and elsewhere, but was delayed.

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. 

It's the Old Army Game - A round-up of reviews

It's the Old Army Game, Louise Brooks' fourth film, was officially released on this day in 1926. The film is a comedy about a small town druggist who gets involved with a Florida real estate scam. This silent film is extant and can be found on unofficial VHS and DVD releases.

The film stars W.C. Fields as Elmer Prettywillie (the small town druggist), Louise Brooks as Mildred Marshall (his assistant), Blanche Ring as Tessie Overholt, and William Gaxton as George Parker. This Famous Players-Lasky Corporation film, based on the screenplay by Thomas J. Geraghty and J. Clarkson Miller, was directed by Edward Sutherland (Brooks' future husband, and Blanche Ring's nephew).

The film received generally positive reviews, though some criticized its "thin plot." The film proved somewhat popular while playing all over the United States. Many critics praised Fields, and just as many noticed Brooks, especially when she wore her bathing suit. Here is a round up of magazine and newspaper reviews and articles drawn from the Louise Brooks Society archive.

Eddie Sutherland and Louise Brooks on the set of It's the Old Army Game (1926)

anonymous. "W.C. Fields, Comedian Howard Film Star." Atlanta Constitution, May 23, 1926.
--- "Louise Brooks, a little lady who promises to create nothing short of a sensation because of her portrayal as the girl Fields would like to marry, gives a mighty fine performance."

anonymous. "Pictures Playing Atlanta This Week." Weekly Film Review, May 26, 1926.
--- review; "There was considerable good acting on the part of the star, who was ably supported by Louise Brooks and William Gaxton."

Helm, Carl. "Army Game is Amusing Picture." San Francisco Examiner, May 31, 1926.
--- ". . . and the gloriously-wrought Louise Brooks . . . Miss Brooks has nothing much to do but look lovely in a swimming suit, no difficult task for her."

anonymous. "Hilarious Comedy Is Featured at Strand." Modesto News-Herald, June 1, 1926.
--- "Then there is the piquant pert little Louise Brooks featured along with Mr. Fields. She contributes a performance second only to that given by the star."

Starr, Jimmy. "New Comedy In Old Army Game." Los Angeles Record, June 5, 1926.
--- "Louise Brooks is evidently very proud of her comely figure. This is the third picture in which she has worn that black bathing suit. However, Louise is a clever little actress."

Craig, Betty. "Many Attractions Are Booked For the Week." Denver Post, June 6, 1926.
--- "In the meantime the young fellow from the big town has fallen in love with the lovely creature that serves as the store's only clerk, who is none other than the captivating Louise Brooks."

S., W. R. "Views and Reviews." Film Mercury, June 11, 1926.
--- "A new actress has broken into pictures in the name of Louise Brooks, she shines like a gem in the rough."

Irvin. "Fine Comedy Film Showing at Palace." Washington Herald, June 21, 1926.
--- "Louise Brooks played in Ziegfeld's Follies when Fields was running wild with Ray Dooley, et all. In this picture she has the feminine lead, and she surely confirms all promises of being the movie 'find' of the season."

McCormick, Ella H. "Reel Players." Detroit Free Press, June 21, 1926.
--- "Fields scored a splendid triumph in this picture. A great part of the success of the offering, however, is due to Louise Brooks, who takes the lead feminine part."

Marsh, Ward W. "Fields Whole Show in Allen." Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 21, 1926.
--- "Louise Brooks and William Gaxton carry what is generaly known as the necessary love interest. Gaxton amounts to nothing, but Miss Brooks parades the personal magnetism to the limit, and late in the story is found wandering around in a bathing suit - for no sound reason except to display a form which assuredly needs not bathing suit to set it off. There is no complaint, however, on the appearance in the bathing suit."

Adams, Carl B. "Photoplay Reviews." Cincinnati Enquirer, June 28, 1926.
--- "Next to Fields, the chief attration of It's the Old Army Game is Louise Brooks, one of the most promising finds of the season. All that she has to do to make a hit is wear a bathing suit, which she does in this picture."

Patton, Peggy. "Fields Pleases in Comedy Film." Wisconsin News, June 28, 1926.
--- "Louise Brooks, Blanche Ring and Rose Elliot are the featured players. Each contributes a very good bit of acting."

Service, T.O. "Service Talks." Exhibitor's Herald, July 3, 1926.
--- "Louise Brooks is the other important person in the picture and, as insinuated rather bluntly on the occasion of her first appearance - in The American Venus - she's important. Miss Brooks isn't like anybody else. Nor has she a distinguishing characteristic which may be singled out for purposes of identification. She's just a very definite personality. She doesn't do much, perhaps becuase there isn't much to do but probably because she hits hardest when doing nothing, but nobody looks away when she's on screen. If Miss Glyn should say that Miss Brooks has 'it,' more people would know what Miss Glyn is raving about. But in that case she would not be raving. "

Hall, Mordaunt. "A Clattering Farce." New York Times, July 5, 1926.
--- "Mr. Fields's clever and energetic performance is helped along by the attractive Louise Brooks."

McGowen, Roscoe. "Fields-Brooks Picture Lacks Real Sunshine." Daily News, July 5, 1926.
--- "The picture is worth going to see just to look at Louise Brooks, one of the most ornamental young persons we have on the screen."

anonymous. "It's the Old Army Game." Variety, July 7, 1926.
--- ". . . a chance for Louise Brooks to strut her stuff. Miss Brooks photographs like a million dollars and shows a screen personality that's 'there.' This girl is going to land right at the top in the picture racket and is a real bet at this time."

anonymous. "W. C. Fields and Pole Film at Mosque." Newark Star-Eagle, July 12, 1926.
--- "This picture not only affords a good deal of typical Fields comedy in a suitable story frame, but also reveals the possibilities of Louise Brooks, Follies girl who is making decidely good in the cinema. . . . All told, Fields need not regret his first Paramount production. Louise Brooks, with a touch of piquancy, a good range of registration, and the conception of restriant, is pleasing as the heroine."

Sherwood, Robert E. "The Silent Drama." Life, July 29, 1926.
--- "Mr. Fields has to carry the entire production on his shoulders, with some slight assistance from the sparkling Louise Brooks . . . ."

anonymous. "W.C. Fields, Comedian, Aids The Old Army Game." Portland Oregonian, August 16, 1926.
--- "Louise Brooks, the pert young woman who will be remembered for her work in The American Venus and A Social Celebrity, the latter with Adolphe Menjou, has the lead role opposite Fields. She poses a bit. An excuse was found to get her into a bathing suit too, which wasn't a bad move, on the whole. . . . By the way, Edward Sutherland, who directed the picture, has just married Louise Brooks." 

Baby Peggy

Considering all she has been through, Diana Serra Cary is a survivor. And a remarkable one at that. She is also, as Baby Peggy, one of the last surviving silent film film stars. Should you ever have a chance to see Captain January (perhaps her best surviving film), do so! It is wonderful.

And should you ever come across her recently reissued autobiography,What Ever Happened to Baby Peggy: The Autobiography of Hollywood's Pioneer Child Star, read it! It too is wonderful - a great read, a moving memoir. When I read a few years ago, and I think I fell a little bit in love with the author's indomitable spirit.

Today, I published a two pieces on this diminutive actress  - one was in the book section of the Huffington Post. My article is called "The Bookseller Who Became an Author and Who Once Had Been the Biggest Little Film Star in the World." It tells the story of Diana Serra Cary after she left Hollywood. The other was  a short article on examiner.com. (Today, Kenneth Turan also ran a piece on the actress in the Los Angeles Times.)

If you live in Los Angeles or San Francisco, you have a chance to meet Baby Peggy in person. Cary, aka "Baby Peggy," will give a short talk and introduce her 1924 film, Captain January, at the Cinefamily's Silent Movie Theater in Los Angeles on July 7th. And, she will be signing copies of her books at the Castro Theater in San Francisco on July 16th as part of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Don't miss one of these opportunities to meet a real movie star - a living legend.

OK, so you may be wondering, what does all this have to do with Louise Brooks, as Baby Peggy's film career was largely over with by the time Brooks' had started. Nevertheless, the one-time child star did encounter a few individuals who also figure in Brooks' story.

For example, one of the Baby Peggy's major films was Helen's Babies (1924), which co-starred Brooks' contemporary, Clara Bow. And in her autobiography, Baby Peggy tells a story about The Captain Hates the Sea (1934), a film in which her mother had a bit part as a dress extra. That Lewis Milestone film starred John Gilbert, and also featured three actors with whom Brooks worked - Leon Errol ("Louie the 14th"), Victor McLaglen (A Girl in Every Port) and Akin Tamiroff (King of Gamblers).

And, as the picture above shows, the 13 year old Baby Peggy also met Louise Brooks' former husband, director Eddie Sutherland. She is pictured in the middle, between her parents on the right and Douglas Fairbanks Sr. (with a monkey on his head) watched by a smiling Sutherland on the left. [Image courtesy of Diana Serra Cary.] Below is a short, three minute film in tribute to Baby Peggy and her appearance in Pordenone, Italy in 2005.