Happy Birthday Pola Negri

Happy Birthday Pola Negri, the Polish-born actress who achieved worldwide fame during the silent and early sound eras. By most accounts, Pola (born Apolonia Chalupec) came into the world on this day in 1897. She began her career in Europe, making early films in Germany before moving to the United States and signing with Paramount. She was a near contemporary of Louise Brooks, and worked with some of the same actors and directors. Pola was also considered a great beauty, and reportedly had affairs with both Charlie Chaplin and Rudolph Valentino. Her last screen credit was in Walt Disney's The Moon-Spinners (1964). Read her Wikipedia page HERE.

At times, Pola Negri resembled Louise Brooks just a bit. At other times, she look like a dark haired Garbo. Most of the time, however, she looked like Pola!

Want to learn more? Here are some worthwhile books. I recommend each.

 

Meet Myra Brooks and her daughter Louise

I can't believe this gem of an article has escaped me until now. "Meeting the Mother of a Film Favorite," a profile of Myra Brooks, dates from February 1927. It paints a vivid portrait of a vivid personality. I hope you will read it and enjoy. 

BTW, as this article appeared in a Chicago newspaper, I would guess that the journalist, Bertha Fenberg, conducted her interview with Myra in Chicago, where Brooks' Mother was living and working for Golden Rule Magazine, which today we might term a "self-help"journal. It was also around this time that Myra was trying to land a position with the Redpath Chautauqua.

But first, two comments on the imagery. Notably, the M.I. Boris portrait of Louise Brooks is inscribed "Dear Mother from Louise"! I would guess Myra supplied this to the newspaper. I hope she got it back. Secondly, I am not sure that the portrait of "Louise at the age of 8" is the future actress. I don't believe I have ever seen this picture before, and it doesn't really look like her. But, I could be wrong.... I have been before.

 

Mary Louise Brooks (November 14, 1906 – August 8, 1985)

Remembering  Mary Louise Brooks (November 14, 1906 – August 8, 1985),
known professionally as Louise Brooks.

 From my collection of fan art.

"The Magic of Lulu"

by Ana Rosa 

acrylic on 11" x 14" board, 2003

Louise Brooks died on this day in 1985

Louise Brooks died on this day in 1985. Her passing made news around the United States and the world. The most extensive coverage came from the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester, New York, where Brooks had lived since the late 1950s. There, her death was front page news. LBS friend Jack Garner contributed many articles.

 
Wire service articles appeared in just about every newspaper in the United States, Canada, Australia  and elsewhere the following day. Here are two examples of note.

Obituaries and articles also appeared in Europe, where Brooks' passing was major news. There were even front page articles in newspapers in France, where the actress was a beloved figure. A half-page of articles devoted to Brooks and her film career were printed in the Italian newspaper shown below. As in France, Brooks was also a beloved figure in Italy.

The end.

Charming Louise Brooks look-alikes from afar - Lotti Loder & Maria Louise Iribe

While researching Louise Brooks and scouring materials near and far, I come across various actresses and show business personalities that somewhat resemble Louise Brooks. Off course, they catch my eye, especially since they often sport bobbed hair, a style popular in the late 1920s. Here are two examples of actresses which I recently came across.

Lotti Loder was a brunette leading lady of German / Hungarian ancestry who briefly featured in a few early Warner Brothers talkies. She was born in 1910 in Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany as Lottie Kathe Lodermeyer, and died on March 28, 1999 in Miami, Florida. As an actress, she is best known for roles in Oh, Sailor Behave! (1930), A Soldier's Plaything (1930 - directed by Michael Curtiz, who went on to direct the 1931 Louise Brooks' film, God's Gift to Women), and Men of the Sky (1931). It seems her career never really took off, despite the fact she received significant billing in two of the three prior films. Playing herself, she can also be seen in the 1930 short, An Intimate Dinner in Celebration of Warner Bros. Silver Jubilee. She was married to John "Jack" Raymond. A few further details can be found on her Imdb page.

Marie-Louise Iribe was born in 1894 in Paris, France as Pauline Marie Louise Lavoisot. She was an actress and director, best known for co-directing and acting in Hara-Kiri (1928), and directing The Erl King (1931) and Der Erlkönig (1931). Her acting credits mostly date from the Teens in a handful of shorts, including a few directed by Louis Feuillade and Jacques Feyder. She appeared in a few more films in the Twenties, including Marquitta (1927), directed by Jean Renoir and produced by Iribe. Her last acting credit was in Le Roi des aulnes (1930). Iribe's first marriage, in 1921, was to the French actor André Roanne, with whom she co-starred in  L'Atlantide (1921); Roanne went on to appear in the Louise Brooks' film, The Diary of a Lost Girl (1929). Marie-Louise Iribe died in Paris on April 12, 1934. A few more details can be found on her Imdb page.