The Street of Forgotten Men, with Louise Brooks, was released on this day in 1925

The Street of Forgotten Men, with Louise Brooks, was released on this day in 1925. The film underworld romance set among fake beggars and their “cripple factory” in the slums of the Bowery in New York City. The film is based on an O. Henryesque short story by George Kibbe Turner which appeared in Liberty magazine on February 14, 1925, just two months before the film went into production. The film is notable as the first in which Louise Brooks had a role, that of a moll (companion to a gangster). More about the film can be found on the Louise Brooks Society website filmography page.

[Though officially released on this day in 1925, the film debuted a month earlier, on July 19th at the Rivoli theater in New York City. See this earlier Louise Brooks Society blog post for a recap of that event.]

The Street of Forgotten Men was well regarded upon release, with star Percy Marmount singled out time and again for a fine dramatic performance often compared to the efforts of Lon Chaney. Director Herbert Brenon was also praised for his realistic depiction of Bowery life. Brenon, who the year before had directed Peter Pan (1924), went on to helm such classics as Beau Geste (1926), The Great Gatsby (1926), and Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928). His Sorrell and Son (1927) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director at the 1st Academy Awards.

The New York Daily News praised the film, noting “The Street of Forgotten Men dips into the dark pools of life. It shows you the beggars of life — apologies to Jim Tully — and in showing them it shows them up.”

Dorothy Evans of the Sacramento Union summed-up the feelings of many critics when she noted that the film’s “theme goes deeper than the average motion picture”. Roberta Nangle of the Chicago Tribune echoed her, “It is a startling tale of Bowery life, of the soiled, tawdry ladies and broken men of the underworld”. An exclamation point was added by A. F. Gillaspey of the San Francisco Bulletin, “For fine dramatic detail, for unusualness, for giving us a glimpse into a world we never see and into the other sides of characters we simply pass in pity on the streets, The Street of Forgotten Men is a photoplay revelation.”

Exhibitor’s Trade Review stated the film was tied for fifth among the year’s biggest “profit takers,” as reported by exhibitors. Commercial success was matched by critical acclaim. The National Board of Review named The Street of Forgotten Men one of the 40 best pictures of 1925; it was also picked one of the best films of the year by the Houston Chronicle, Pittsburgh Gazette Times, San Francisco Call & Post, Tacoma Times, and Topeka Daily Capital.

Though her role was small and she was not listed in the credits, Brooks received her very first notice for work in a film. In August, an anonymous critic for the Los Angeles Times wrote, “And there was a little rowdy, obviously attached to the ‘blind’ man, who did some vital work during her few short scenes. She was not listed.” At the time, this reference to Brooks was the extant of any attention she would receive for being in the film. Brooks, however, is depicted in at least two publicity stills issued by Paramount. Both show moments from the bar fight, a turning point in the film. Seemingly, neither of the stills were published in the United States, though both were published abroad, one in Brazil, and another in France.

SOME THINGS ABOUT THE FILM YOU MAY NOT KNOW:

— According to one newspaper article, some of the names or ‘monackers’ scrawled on the beggars’ lockers include Bridgeport White Eye and Easy Money Charlie, as well as London Tip, Ed the Flop, Chicago Stick, Handsome Harry’ and Diamond Dick.

— The role of Portland Fancy was played by Juliet Brenon, the niece of the director.

— In one scene, Mary Brian is shown playing the piano. The sheet music is from Peter Pan, which Brian had starred in the year before under the direction of Brenon.

— The dog in the film was played by Lassie, who also appeared in Tol’able David and other silent films. According to the New York Times, Lassie was a star, earning $15,000 a year as a canine actor. The article noted “It is said that the death of Lassie in The Street of Forgotten Men was so impressive that persons were convinced that she must have been cruelly beaten.”

— A 1926 article in the New York Times reported that the film may have inspired a group of beggars to feign handicaps. “The police are investigating the speakeasy. It was recalled that several months ago a motion picture, The Street of Forgotten Men . . . showed just such an establishment for equipping ‘cripples’ as that described by Williams, and the police thought the movie idea might have been put to practical use.”

 — The first ever book on the film, The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond, was published by the Louise Brooks Society in 2023. The book is authored by LBS Director Thomas Gladysz, and features forewords by film preservationist Robert Byrne and Oscar Honoree Kevin Brownlow. (Purchase on amazon.)

“It’s very much a ‘start to finish’ look at the film’s history…. The book is not only a deep dive into the history of this particular film, but it also serves as an excellent example of precisely how silent Hollywood created and marketed some of its finest products back in its heyday. It’ll be both interesting and helpful for film history scholars, and perhaps be a springboard for similar book projects in the future.” — Lea Stans, Silent-ology 

More about the film can be found on The Street of Forgotten Men (filmography page) on the Louise Brooks Society website.

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.   

The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond

Following the 100th anniversary of the release of Louise Brooks' first film, The Street of Forgotten Men, I thought to post this about my 2023 book, The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond, the most recent publication of the Louise Brooks Society. Click HERE to purchase a copy. Or, click HERE to learn about other publications of the LBS.

 

The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond is a deep dive into the history of a single film - its literary source, its making, exhibition history, critical reception, and, most surprising of all, its little known legacy. Few film titles become a catchphrase, let alone a catchphrase which remained in use for half-a-century and resonated throughout American culture. The Street of Forgotten Men (1925) is one such film.

This provocative stab at realism was described as "strange" and "startling" at the time of its release. The Street of Forgotten Men was directed by Herbert Brenon, who is best known for Peter Pan, The Great Gatsby, Beau Geste, Laugh, Clown, Laugh and other early classics. The film was shot by Harold Rosson, one of the great cinematographers whose credits include Gone with the Wind and Singin' in the Rain. And, it features a stellar cast (Percy Marmont, Mary Brian, Neil Hamilton) which includes a future screen legend at the very beginning of her career (Louise Brooks).

At 389 pages and with more than a hundred illustrations both large and small, The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond tells the story of the film in rich, historical detail. As this book shows, this forgotten gem is exemplary of film making & film culture in the mid-1920s. Along with vintage clippings and unusual images - including rare production stills and location shots, this new book features all manner of historical documents including the short story on which the film was based, the scenario, a rare French fictionalization, newspaper advertisements, lobby cards, posters, and more. Among the book's many revelations:

-- Multiple accounts of the making of the film - suggesting what it was like on the set of a silent film.

-- A survey of the film's many reviews, including one by the Pulitzer Prize winning poet Carl Sandburg, another by a contributor to Weird Tales, and another by Catholic icon Dorothy Day, a candidate for sainthood.

-- Newly revealed identities of some of the film's bit players - a noted journalist, a future screenwriter, a soon to be famous actress, and a world champion boxer - which include accounts of their working on the film. There is also the story of Lassie's role in the film (no, not that Lassie, the first screen Lassie).

-- A look at the music associated with this silent film: the music played on set, the music depicted in the film, the music heard before the film was shown, and the music played to accompany the film itself (including the rare Paramount cue sheet and an alternative score).

-- And more... from the film's censorship records to its mention on the floor of Congress to its showing in multiple churches to its purchase by the United States Navy to a notice for the film's last documented public screening - at, of all places, a Y.M.C.A. in Shanghai, China in 1931 - six years after its release!

The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond includes dozens of illustrations and images and features two forewords; one is by noted film preservationist Robert Byrne, whose restoration of The Street of Forgotten Men saved it from undeserving obscurity. The other, by acclaimed film historian Kevin Brownlow, is an appreciation of Herbert Brenon which reveals little known details about the movie drawn, in part, from his correspondence with Louise Brooks.

All-together, there is much to recommend about The Street of Forgotten Men, which was both a popular and critical success at the time of its release. The film is based on a story by a noted writer of the time; it was made by a significant director, shot by a great cinematographer, and features a fine cast which includes a future screen legend.... these are just some of the many points of interest. My book is a deep dive into the history of just one film, though the primary intention of this book to show how one film might be exemplary of film making and film culture during the silent era.

There is more to this story.... One of John Donne's famous poems begins "No man is an island entire of itself; every man / is a piece of the continent, a part of the main". To me, what Donne's verse says about humanity is what I believe about significant works of art, including films. Everything is connected in some way, in that nothing is created in a vacuum. I have kept Donne's lines in mind while writing this book. If anything, this book achieves one thing - it places The Street of Forgotten Men in the rich cinematic and cultural context of its time. 
 
I had long thought of writing a book about The Street of Forgotten Men, and have been unknowingly gathering material for years, if not decades .... With the film's restoration, it should begin to make its way into the stream of available films. I hope this book prompts the interest of film buffs and film scholars alike, and acts as a companion work for those who have the opportunity to see the film. I also wrote this book for another reason, because it is a book I would like to read about this or any film. Does it matter that The Street of Forgotten Men is a somewhat lesser film in the larger scheme of things, or in the history of film? 

 

No. Because, no film is an island.

“It’s very much a ‘start to finish’ look at the film’s history…. The book is not only a deep dive into the history of this particular film, but it also serves as an excellent example of precisely how silent Hollywood created and marketed some of its finest products back in its heyday. It’ll be both interesting and helpful for film history scholars, and perhaps be a springboard for similar book projects in the future.” — Lea Stans, Silent-ology 

AUTOGRAPHED copies available direct from the author @ $35.00 (includes shipping & handling within the USA). To place an order via PayPal, please send an email to louisebrookssociety AT gmailDOTcom 

 

Or buy NEW online from Amazon (USA) | Bookshop.org |  Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

 

The English-language edition may also be purchased through Amazon in Australia | Brazil | Canada | France | Germany | India | Italy | Japan | Mexico | Netherlands | Poland | Singapore | Spain | Turkey | United Arab Emirates | United Kingdom ||| Additionally, the English-language edition is available from Saxo (Denmark) | Open Trolley (Indonesia) | MightyApe (New Zealand) | Waterstones (UK)

More about the film can be found on The Street of Forgotten Men (filmography page) on the Louise Brooks Society website, which this year is celebrating its 30th anniversary online.

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 © 2025. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 

The Street of Forgotten Men, with Louise Brooks, was released on this day in 1925

The Street of Forgotten Men, with Louise Brooks, was released on this day in 1925. The film underworld romance set among fake beggars and their “cripple factory” in the slums of the Bowery in New York City. The film is based on an O. Henryesque short story by George Kibbe Turner which appeared in Liberty magazine on February 14, 1925, just two months before the film went into production. The film is notable as the first in which Louise Brooks had a role, that of a moll (companion to a gangster). More about the film can be found on the Louise Brooks Society website filmography page.

[Though officially released on this day in 1925, the film debuted a month earlier, on July 19th at the Rivoli theater in New York City. See this earlier Louise Brooks Society blog post for a recap of this event.]

The Street of Forgotten Men was well regarded upon release, with star Percy Marmount singled out time and again for a fine dramatic performance often compared to the efforts of Lon Chaney. Director Herbert Brenon was also praised for his realistic depiction of Bowery life. Brenon, who the year before had directed Peter Pan (1924), went on to helm such classics as Beau Geste (1926), The Great Gatsby (1926), and Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928). His Sorrell and Son (1927) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director at the 1st Academy Awards.

The New York Daily News praised the film, noting “The Street of Forgotten Men dips into the dark pools of life. It shows you the beggars of life — apologies to Jim Tully — and in showing them it shows them up.”

Dorothy Evans of the Sacramento Union summed-up the feelings of many critics when she noted that the film’s “theme goes deeper than the average motion picture”. Roberta Nangle of the Chicago Tribune echoed her, “It is a startling tale of Bowery life, of the soiled, tawdry ladies and broken men of the underworld”. An exclamation point was added by A. F. Gillaspey of the San Francisco Bulletin, “For fine dramatic detail, for unusualness, for giving us a glimpse into a world we never see and into the other sides of characters we simply pass in pity on the streets, The Street of Forgotten Men is a photoplay revelation.”

Exhibitor’s Trade Review stated the film was tied for fifth among the year’s biggest “profit takers,” as reported by exhibitors. Commercial success was matched by critical acclaim. The National Board of Review named The Street of Forgotten Men one of the 40 best pictures of 1925; it was also picked one of the best films of the year by the Houston Chronicle, Pittsburgh Gazette Times, San Francisco Call & Post, Tacoma Times, and Topeka Daily Capital.

Though her role was small and she was not listed in the credits, Brooks received her very first notice for work in a film. In August, an anonymous critic for the Los Angeles Times wrote, “And there was a little rowdy, obviously attached to the ‘blind’ man, who did some vital work during her few short scenes. She was not listed.” At the time, this reference to Brooks was the extant of any attention she would receive for being in the film. Brooks, however, is depicted in at least two publicity stills issued by Paramount. Both show moments from the bar fight, a turning point in the film. Seemingly, neither of the stills were published in the United States, though both were published abroad, one in Brazil, and another in France.

Under its American title, documented screenings of the film took place in Australia (including Tasmania), Bermuda, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Ireland, Jamaica, Korea, New Zealand, Panama, South Africa, and the United Kingdom (including England, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales). In the United States, the film was presented under the title La Calle de los Olvidados (Spanish-language press), A Rua dos Homens Esquecidos (Portuguese-language press), and Az Elfelejtett Emberek Utcája (Hungarian-language press).

Elsewhere, The Street of Forgotten Men was shown under the title L’école des mendiants (Algeria); Die Straße des Grauens (Austria); De School der Bedelaars (Belgium); O mendigo elegante and Um mendigo elegante (Brazil); La calle del olvido (Chile); La calle del olvido (Cuba); Ulice zapomenutých mužu (Czechoslovakia); Tiggerkongen (Denmark); De Straat der Ellendigen (Dutch East Indies); De Straat der verlaten Wezens (Dutch Guiana); Varjojen lapsi (Finland); L’école des mendiants – primarily, but also on a few occasions as Le roi des mendiants and La rue des hommes perdus (France); Die Straße des Grauens (Germany); Konungur Betlaranna (Iceland); 或る乞食の話 or Aru kojiki no hanashi (Japan); L’école des mendiants (Luxembourg); La calle del olvido (Mexico); De School der Bedelaars and De Vakschool der bedelaars (Netherlands); Varjojen lapsia (Norway); Vidas Perdidas (Portugal); Улица забытых людей (Soviet Union); La calle del olvido (Spain); and Skuggornas barn (Sweden).

SOME THINGS ABOUT THE FILM YOU MAY NOT KNOW:

— According to one newspaper article, some of the names or ‘monackers’ scrawled on the beggars’ lockers include Bridgeport White Eye and Easy Money Charlie, as well as London Tip, Ed the Flop, Chicago Stick, Handsome Harry’ and Diamond Dick.

— The role of Portland Fancy was played by Juliet Brenon, the niece of the director.

— In one scene, Mary Brian is shown playing the piano. The sheet music is from Peter Pan, which Brian had starred in the year before under the direction of Brenon.

— The dog in the film was played by Lassie, who also appeared in Tol’able David and other silent films. According to the New York Times, Lassie was a star, earning $15,000 a year as a canine actor. The article noted “It is said that the death of Lassie in The Street of Forgotten Men was so impressive that persons were convinced that she must have been cruelly beaten.”

— A 1926 article in the New York Times reported that the film may have inspired a group of beggars to feign handicaps. “The police are investigating the speakeasy. It was recalled that several months ago a motion picture, The Street of Forgotten Men . . . showed just such an establishment for equipping ‘cripples’ as that described by Williams, and the police thought the movie idea might have been put to practical use.”

 — The first ever book on the film, The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond, was published by the Louise Brooks Society in 2023. The book is authored by LBS Director Thomas Gladysz, and features forewords by film preservationist Robert Byrne and Oscar Honoree Kevin Brownlow. (Purchase on amazon.)

“It’s very much a ‘start to finish’ look at the film’s history…. The book is not only a deep dive into the history of this particular film, but it also serves as an excellent example of precisely how silent Hollywood created and marketed some of its finest products back in its heyday. It’ll be both interesting and helpful for film history scholars, and perhaps be a springboard for similar book projects in the future.” — Lea Stans, Silent-ology 

More about the film can be found on The Street of Forgotten Men (filmography page) on the Louise Brooks Society website, which this year is celebrating its 30th anniversary online.

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 © 2025. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 

The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond

Following the 100th anniversary of the debut of Louise Brooks' first film, The Street of Forgotten Men, I thought to post this about my 2023 book, The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond, the most recent publication of the Louise Brooks Society. Click HERE to purchase a copy. Or, click HERE to learn about other publications of the LBS.

 

The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond is a deep dive into the history of a single film - its literary source, its making, exhibition history, critical reception, and, most surprising of all, its little known legacy. Few film titles become a catchphrase, let alone a catchphrase which remained in use for half-a-century and resonated throughout American culture. The Street of Forgotten Men (1925) is one such film.

This provocative stab at realism was described as "strange" and "startling" at the time of its release. The Street of Forgotten Men was directed by Herbert Brenon, who is best known for Peter Pan, The Great Gatsby, Beau Geste, Laugh, Clown, Laugh and other early classics. The film was shot by Harold Rosson, one of the great cinematographers whose credits include Gone with the Wind and Singin' in the Rain. And, it features a stellar cast (Percy Marmont, Mary Brian, Neil Hamilton) which includes a future screen legend at the very beginning of her career (Louise Brooks).

At 389 pages and with more than a hundred illustrations both large and small, The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond tells the story of the film in rich, historical detail. As this book shows, this forgotten gem is exemplary of film making & film culture in the mid-1920s. Along with vintage clippings and unusual images - including rare production stills and location shots, this new book features all manner of historical documents including the short story on which the film was based, the scenario, a rare French fictionalization, newspaper advertisements, lobby cards, posters, and more. Among the book's many revelations:

-- Multiple accounts of the making of the film - suggesting what it was like on the set of a silent film.

-- A survey of the film's many reviews, including one by the Pulitzer Prize winning poet Carl Sandburg, another by a contributor to Weird Tales, and another by Catholic icon Dorothy Day, a candidate for sainthood.

-- Newly revealed identities of some of the film's bit players - a noted journalist, a future screenwriter, a soon to be famous actress, and a world champion boxer - which include accounts of their working on the film. There is also the story of Lassie's role in the film (no, not that Lassie, the first screen Lassie).

-- A look at the music associated with this silent film: the music played on set, the music depicted in the film, the music heard before the film was shown, and the music played to accompany the film itself (including the rare Paramount cue sheet and an alternative score).

-- And more... from the film's censorship records to its mention on the floor of Congress to its showing in multiple churches to its purchase by the United States Navy to a notice for the film's last documented public screening - at, of all places, a Y.M.C.A. in Shanghai, China in 1931 - six years after its release!

The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond includes dozens of illustrations and images and features two forewords; one is by noted film preservationist Robert Byrne, whose restoration of The Street of Forgotten Men saved it from undeserving obscurity. The other, by acclaimed film historian Kevin Brownlow, is an appreciation of Herbert Brenon which reveals little known details about the movie drawn, in part, from his correspondence with Louise Brooks.

All-together, there is much to recommend about The Street of Forgotten Men, which was both a popular and critical success at the time of its release. The film is based on a story by a noted writer of the time; it was made by a significant director, shot by a great cinematographer, and features a fine cast which includes a future screen legend.... these are just some of the many points of interest. My book is a deep dive into the history of just one film, though the primary intention of this book to show how one film might be exemplary of film making and film culture during the silent era.

There is more to this story.... One of John Donne's famous poems begins "No man is an island entire of itself; every man / is a piece of the continent, a part of the main". To me, what Donne's verse says about humanity is what I believe about significant works of art, including films. Everything is connected in some way, in that nothing is created in a vacuum. I have kept Donne's lines in mind while writing this book. If anything, this book achieves one thing - it places The Street of Forgotten Men in the rich cinematic and cultural context of its time. 
 
I had long thought of writing a book about The Street of Forgotten Men, and have been unknowingly gathering material for years, if not decades .... With the film's restoration, it should begin to make its way into the stream of available films. I hope this book prompts the interest of film buffs and film scholars alike, and acts as a companion work for those who have the opportunity to see the film. I also wrote this book for another reason, because it is a book I would like to read about this or any film. Does it matter that The Street of Forgotten Men is a somewhat lesser film in the larger scheme of things, or in the history of film? 

 

No. Because, no film is an island.

“It’s very much a ‘start to finish’ look at the film’s history…. The book is not only a deep dive into the history of this particular film, but it also serves as an excellent example of precisely how silent Hollywood created and marketed some of its finest products back in its heyday. It’ll be both interesting and helpful for film history scholars, and perhaps be a springboard for similar book projects in the future.” — Lea Stans, Silent-ology 

AUTOGRAPHED copies available direct from the author @ $35.00 (includes shipping & handling within the USA). To place an order via PayPal, please send an email to louisebrookssociety AT gmailDOTcom ||| Or buy NEW online from Amazon (USA) | Bookshop.org |  Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

 

The English-language edition may also be purchased through Amazon in Australia | Brazil | Canada | France | Germany | India | Italy | Japan | Mexico | Netherlands | Poland | Singapore | Spain | Turkey | United Arab Emirates | United Kingdom ||| Additionally, the English-language edition is available from Saxo (Denmark) | Open Trolley (Indonesia) | MightyApe (New Zealand) | Waterstones (UK)

More about the film can be found on The Street of Forgotten Men (filmography page) on the Louise Brooks Society website, which this year is celebrating its 30th anniversary online.

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 © 2025. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 

Today in history: 100th anniversary of Louise Brooks' first screen appearance

It is 100 years ago today that Louise Brooks first appeared on a movie screen. The occasion was the debut of the actress' first film, The Street of Forgotten Men, which was first shown at the Rivoli theater in New York City on Sunday, July 19, 1925. The film's very first public screening was an afternoon matinee. Pictured below is one of only two known stills which depict/include Brooks, who had an uncredited bit part in the Herbert Brenon directed film.

(Notably, the film was officially released more than a month later, on August 24th, but like other films during the silent era, it was put into circulation and shown before its official release date. Additionally, and for the record, the film was copyrighted two days before its official release, on August 22, 1925 by Famous Players-Lasky Corporation.) 

The film's two-week run at the Rivoli -- where it generated a reported $60,000 in ticket sales -- marked not only a very successful debut, but also the start of what would turn out to be a long, four-year run in the United States. Within a week of its Rivoli debut, The Street of Forgotten Men opened in a handful of other major markets including Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago, and Bridgeport, Connecticut – followed by Philadelphia and San Francisco. From there, the film would be shown just about everywhere across the country (including pre-statehood Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and in all manner of venues including churches, school gymnasiums, town hall, Y.M.C.A.s and even U.S. naval bases. Its last documented screening in the United States took place at the Savoy theater in Chicago, where it was shown for one-day on December 15, 1928. [* This Chicago screening has come to light only recently. My 2023 book on the film noted the last documented screening of the film in the United States took place at the Dumont Theater in Hackensack, New Jersey, where it showed for one-day on August 15, 1928.]

But back to the beginning... and a little context.

Pictured above is a July 19th newspaper advertisement for the first showing of The Street of Forgotten Men. Along with the film, the ad also promotes the theater’s recently installed, “unbelievably cool” air conditioning, as well as the appearance of popular band leader Ben Bernie, who provided some of the pre-film entertainment. 

Along with Bernie, there was also a film short – a Grantland Rice Sportlight titled Why Kids Leave Home, which Variety said carried “considerable kick” – as well as a novelty program of old-fashioned “Songs that You Have Sung” performed by house organist Harold Ramsbottom. Also part of the pre-film entertainment was an 11-minute pictorial featuring brief films from International, Pathé, Fox, and Kinograms. An additional program titled “Evolution” was shown on Wednesday mornings. Its presentation coincided with the just concluded Scopes Monkey trial. 

The summer months could be a challenging time to release a film. In the mid-1920s, relatively few theaters were air-conditioned, and with warmer seasonal weather, many theaters became stuffy and uncomfortable. Movie attendance was expected to fall off, and usually did. In fact, in many parts of the United States, moviegoers who went to see a picture during the summer often brought their own fan.

The 2,000-plus seat Rivoli was considered a prestige venue, a “movie palace,” and one of the grandest theaters on the East Coast. Over the years, many notable Famous Players-Lasky and Paramount productions played there. Some six weeks prior to the debut of The Street of Forgotten Men, Willis Carrier completed the installation of his much-vaunted air-cooling system at the Rivoli. The installation, among the first in any theater in New York City, would be an important test for Paramount, so much so, studio head Adolph Zukor came from California to experience the new system firsthand. The occasion of Zukor's visit coincided with the showing of an earlier Herbert Brenon release, The Little French Girl, starring Mary Brian. With the system up and running, the Rivoli began to promote itself as “New York’s Refrigerated Cooling Station.” 

The Rivoli, some six weeks prior to it showing The Street of Forgotten Men.

Along with air-conditioning, the other main attraction on the bill for July 19 was Ben Bernie. He was a popular bandleader whose signature expression, “yowsah, yowsah, yowsah,” became a national catchphrase. Bernie was also a radio personality and recording artist who would go on to record a handful of popular songs. Among them was “Sweet Georgia Brown,” which Bernie co-wrote and which hit #1 in July 1925, just as his orchestra was appearing at the Rivoli.  

Notably, Bernie and his band had already appeared in a 1925 DeForest Phonofilm, a sound short titled Ben Bernie and All the Lads. Happily, that early sound film is still extant. To get a feel for what the Rivoli audience likely experienced during the run of The Street of Forgotten Men, check out this early sound film on YouTube.

In scheduling Bernie’s 11-man group (which, at the time, included noted saxophonist Jack Pettis and a teenage Oscar Levant on piano), the Rivoli was daring to offer something different from what most theaters offered – namely “hot jazz.” Typically, theaters might offer light orchestral music, an organist, or novelty numbers – though nothing that might compete with the theater’s main attraction, the feature film. At a time when jazz, especially up-tempo jazz, was considered suspect in some quarters, Rivoli ads like the one above assured patrons “Everybody Likes the New Jazz Policy.”

Not surprisingly, Bernie proved popular. Variety described the group’s musical offerings – which included a musical sketch titled “Montmartre” (after the bohemian neighborhood in Paris) as a “wow” which went over “tremendously.” Also well reviewed was the featured film, The Street of Forgotten Men.

In the 1920s, New York City was home to a more than two dozen newspapers. And not surprisingly, a number of local critics took an almost proprietary interest in The Street of Forgotten Men, a movie which was set and made in the city, and which featured a handful of local actors likely familiar to critics and to those who went to the theater. One newspaper encouraged every New Yorker to see the film. While another billed the movie as “New York’s Own Picture.”

In fact, the film’s Rivoli debut received more than a dozen local reviews, as well as other write-ups in other newspapers located in the metropolis’ five boroughs, including Brooklyn. The majority of reviews were positive – even glowing, though a few were tempered, and one critical. None, surprisingly, mentioned Louise Brooks, despite the fact she was something of a minor celebrity in the city.

The actress, however, didn't go completely unnoticed. In 1928, after she became a star, film magazines carried a piece -- likely a piece of balleywho -- about Brooks' debut and her reaction to praise sent by a fan. “Louise Brooks must have been very satisfied when she received her first fan letter from a girl in Brooklyn who said she saw her in The Street of Forgotten Men, because after reading it, she immediately took a photograph of herself that she had hanging in her dressing room and sent it to the girl in thanks.” 

Pictured above is a screen grab from the restored print of The Street of Forgotten Men which shows Louise Brooks in her one and only scene. In the film, Brooks plays a "moll," the girlfriend or companion to a gangster or criminal. The bad guy in question, Bridgeport White-Eye, a fake beggar who feigns blindness, is played by John Harrington. He is pictured above seated next to Brooks.

Despite the brevity of Brooks' role, she did manage to garner one "review". It appeared in the Los Angeles Times on August 31, 1925. The newspaper's anonymous critic ended their critique by highlighting the work of an uncredited, bit player in the film. It was the only publication to do so. “And there was a little rowdy, obviously attached to the ‘blind’ man, who did some vital work during her few short scenes. She was not listed.” This brief notice turned out to be Brooks' first film review.

* Most of the above information was adapted from my 2023 book, The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond. It is available on amazon and other online shops. Click HERE to purchase a copy.

This 389 page book includes numerous illustrations, a bibliography, index and more, as well as two forwards -- one by film preservationist Robert Byrne, and one by film historian and Academy Award honoree Kevin Brownlow. The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond is a publication of the Louise Brooks Society.

More about the film can be found on The Street of Forgotten Men (filmography page) on the Louise Brooks Society website, which this year is celebrating its 30th anniversary online.

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 © 2025. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.