A cinephilac blog about an actress, silent film, and the Jazz Age, with occasional posts about related books, music, art, and history written by Thomas Gladysz. Visit the Louise Brooks Society™ at www.pandorasbox.com
I recently came across a reference to The Rocky Twins -- a pair of Louise Brooks look-alike drag queens whose real names were Paal and Leif Rocky. They were Norwegian twins. According to the online endnotes Kay Thompson: From Funny Face to Eloise (Simon & Schuster) by Sam Irvin, The Rocky Twins "were known to prance around the stage practically naked, wearing only thongs to conceal their family jewels. At other times, they would dance in drag as Jazz Age beauties, dead ringers for Louise Brooks."
During the Pansy Craze of the early 1930s, they "danced in the capitols of the world" and performed with and for the likes of Josephine Baker, Mistinguett, Charles B. Cochran, Max Reinhardt and even the Dolly Sisters - who they were said to impersonate. They also knew Lorenz Hart, Lew Cody, Edmund Goulding and other artists and actors, and were photographed by George Hoyningen-Huene. The Rocky Twins can also be seen with Marion Davies in the 1933 film Blondie of the Follies.
While there is nothing to tie them specifically to Louise Brooks -- especially as they were said to impersonate the Dolly Sisters, who also resembled Brools, I wonder if Brooks knew of them. She was certainly comfortable with men in drag and others gay entertainers of the time (Brooks frequented Bruz Fletcher's nightclub in Hollywood). Here is another pic of The Rocky Twins.
Diary of a Lost Girl
The second and final collaboration of actress Louise Brooks and director
G.W. Pabst (Pandora's Box), DIARY OF A LOST GIRL is a provocative
adaptation of Margarethe Böhme's notorious novel, in which the naive
daughter of a middle class pharmacist is seduced by her father's
assistant, only to be disowned and sent to a repressive home for wayward
girls. She escapes, searches for her child, and ends up in a high-class
brothel, only to turn the tables on the society which had abused her.
It's another tour-de-force performance by Brooks, whom silent film
historian Kevin Brownlow calls an "actress of brilliance, a luminescent
personality and a beauty unparalleled in screen history."
- Thomas Gladysz
Germany 1929 112 Min. B&W 1920x1080p (1.33:1) Stereo 2.0
German inter titles with optional English subtitles
DIARY OF A LOST GIRL (Tagebuch einer Verlorenen)
Directed by G.W. Pabst
Based on the novel by Margarethe Böhme
Photographed by Sepp Allgeier
With Louise Brooks, Fritz Rasp, André Roanne, Franziska Kinz
Music by Javier Perez de Azpeitia (piano)
Reconstruction and Restoration: Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna;Deutsches
Filminstitut - DIF, Frankfurt am Main;
Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung, Wiesbaden
Audio commentary by Thomas Gladysz, Director, Louise Brooks Society
Bonus: "Windy Riley Goes Hollywood" (1931, 18 Min., featuring Louise Brooks)
"We are impressed with the image quality of this new home video edition
of Louise Brooks' last great film and recommend it enthusiastically to
Brooks fans and silent film collectors alike." - Silent Era
"With a good commentary, and a later American short subject starring Brooks.... The Kino ClassicsBlu-ray of Diary of a Lost Girl is a marvelous reconstruction and restoration. With their plain title
cards and tight continuity, German films of this time can be a little
abrupt. But the film is surprisingly easy to follow. The inter-titles
are in German, with English subs. We’re told that pieces of the picture
came from different sources. All blend well save for one obvious
recovered censor scene in which Meinert actually lays Thymian down on a
bed. Most of the rest of the picture is in great shape. It was indeed
strange, recognizing bits of the show from the long-ago screening, but
only now having a clue as to what’s going on. . . . The presentation is given a piano score by Javier Perez de Azpeitia,
which plays very well. Thomas Gladysz’s commentary is thorough and
informative. . . . The commentary tells us everything known about
practically everybody who shows up on screen." - Glenn Erickson, Trailers from Hell
"The
Kino blu ray is a beautiful high def transfer . . . The insightful
audio commentary by Thomas Gladysz offers a wealth of fascinating
information about the movie and about Ms. Brooks" -- film historian
James Neibaur, examiner.com
Emmy award winner and longtime Louise Brooks Society member Dana Delany was recently asked by the New York Post which books figure prominently in her library. Her answer came as no surprise.
Lulu in Hollywood by Louise Brooks
When I was in my 20s, Nick Kazan — Zoe’s dad — told me I reminded him
of Louise Brooks, but I didn’t know who she was. Then I saw “Pandora’s
Box” and was blown away. Her acting was so naturalistic, sexual and
innocent at the same time. She didn’t find her voice until the end of
her life, with these essays, which were published in the New Yorker.
Here I am holding advance copies of the new KINO DVD and Blu-ray of The Diary of a Lost Girl (1929), for which I provided the audio commentary -- and in which are revealed are number of previously unknown and little known facts about the film and its making. Like, the name of the musical group seen performing in the nightclub scene, and the actor (who was James Joyce's friend) who appears in the film who also had a part in the first ever staging of Pandora's Box in Vienna (alongside Frank Wedekind), and the Cabinet of Doctor Caligari connection, and the fact that one scene was filmed in present day Poland, and more.....
The discs release on October 20th. And, there will be a release party in San Francisco on November 14th (Louise Brooks birthday) at Video Wave in Noe Valley at 2:00 in the afternoon. Details to come.
Pandora's Box, the G.W. Pabst directed film starring Louise Brooks, will be shown one month from today at the Brooklyn Public Library on Sunday, November 8.
The screening is free, and is part of a series of silent film screenings at the library curated and hosted by Ken Gordon. More information may be found HERE.
This special screening of the 1929 film coincides with the William Kentridge staging of the 1937 Alban Berg opera, Lulu, at the Metropolitan Opera in Manhattan on various dates during the month of November.
The film and the opera are both based on Frank Wedekind's plays Erdgeist (Earth Spirit, 1895) and Die Büchse der Pandora (Pandora's Box, 1904).
The screening, with live piano accompaniment by Bernie Anderson, will take place at the Central Branch of the Brooklyn Public
Library, at 10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11238, which is at the
corner of Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway.
Although the branch does
not open until 1:00 pm, a side-door, on Eastern Parkway, will open at 12:00 noon, to allow entry to the Dweck Center Auditorium, where introductions will begin at 12:30 pm, and the film soon after.
Louise Brooks' birthday takes place on November 14th. Why not attend this special event to celebrate?
I recently came across this 1930 newspaper advertisement from Slovenia which promotes the showing of two films, Sinji angelj (The Blue Angel) with Marlene Dietrich, and a Louise Brooks film, here titled Zrtev velike ljubezni, which translates into Victims of a Great Love.
I am stumped as to what Victims of a Great Love would be -- either I would guess Diary of a Lost Girl or Prix de Beaute. Can any Slovenian speakers help?
Here are a few more Louise Brooks movie advertisements from late 1920's Singapore (then British Malaysia) newspapers. Paramount films sure did get around!
While working on the Louise Brooks filmography pages on the Louise
Brooks Society website, I have been digging around some newspaper
archives in search of advertisements for screenings of the actress'
films in other countries. I recently came across some articles and ads
from Singapore (then British Malaysia), where a handful of Brooks' films American silent films were shown. Here are a few examples of the sort of things I found.
A follow-up to yesterday's post, about Louise Brooks related material found in vintage New Zealand newspapers. Here are a couple of nifty clippings which I am sure you will appreciate.
While working on the Louise Brooks filmography pages on the Louise Brooks Society website, I have been digging around some newspaper archives in search of advertisements for screenings of the actress' films in other countries. I recently came across some articles and ads from New Zealand, where every one of Brooks' films from The Street of Forgotten Men (1925) through The Canary Murder Case (1929) were shown. I was also able to find listings or ads for It Pays to Advertise (1931), When You're in Love (1937) and King of Gamblers (1937).
These nifty advertisements are typographical in design, and rather unusual. They are almost like concrete poetry. Perhaps the printer assigned to lay out the page was bored? However, I would assume that the newspapers were not able to print any sort of line art in their advertisements. This first one, with a play on Adolphe Menjou's initials, is my favorite.
Louise Brooks listed among "The Fatal Woman" types in this 1953 advertisement for the season of films at the British Film Institute. This inclusion in a film series, just eight years after the end of the second World War, shows that the actress was not forgotten -- and is incredibly early in the historical timeline of Brooks' rediscovery.
And here is another newspaper article about the 1931 Louise Brooks' film It Pays to Advertise and the controversy stirred up by the film's prolific use of product placement. The article is in two parts. It concludes (a bit ironically) on the newspaper's page featuring want ads.
Yesterday's blog post discussed the 1931 Louise Brooks' film It Pays to Advertise and the controversy stirred up by the film's prolific product placement. The post also discussed the campaign against product placement initiated by Harrison's Reports, a motion picture industry trade journal. Reproduced below is one newspaper editorial about the issue, from an Oregon newspaper.
The 1931 film It Pays to Advertise is a farce about rival
soap companies, an advertising agency, and a ne’er do-well playboy who
attempts to make good. Louise Brooks plays Thelma Temple, a dancer
appearing in a musical entitled Girlies Don’t Tell.
It Pays to Advertise was based on a popular stage play of the same name from 1914. Updated and set in the advertising and business worlds, the film referenced a number of actual products and their slogans. As a result, one trade journal took exception.
Harrison’s Reports, which billed itself “a reviewing service
free from the influence of film advertising,” objected to product
placement in film — be it verbal or visual. Over the course of four
months (in articles titled “The Facts About Concealed Advertisements in
Paramount Pictures,” “This Paper’s Further Efforts Against ‘Sponsored’
Screen Advertisements,” and “Other Papers That Have Joined the Harrison
Crusade Against Unlabelled Screen Advertising”) editor P. S. Harrison
railed against this business world farce in particular and product
placement in films in general.
Harrison wrote, “The Paramount picture, It Pays to Advertise,
is nothing but a billboard of immense size. I have not been able to
count all of the nationally advertised articles that are spoken of by
the characters.” In the next issue, Harrison stated “In last week’s
issue the disclosure was made that in It Pays to Advertise there
are more than fifteen advertisements in addition to the main
advertisement, '13 Soap Unlucky for Dirt,' which Paramount is accused of
having created as a brand for the purpose of selling it.”
Taking the high moral ground, Harrison’s Reports spurred a
campaign against “sponsored moving pictures – meaning pictures which
contain concealed or open advertising of some one’s product.” Harrison
wrote to the studios – and Harrison’s Reports noted that a
handful responded with pledges to not include verbal or visual product
placement. The crusading editor also wrote to more than 2,000
newspapers, and a number published articles and editorials decrying the
practice.
Among those papers that joined Harrison’s cause were four of
the New York dailies, the Gannett chain, scores of small town
papers, as well as the Denver Post, Detroit Free Press, St. Louis Globe-Democrat, and Tulsa Tribune. The Christian Science Monitor
added to the chorus of complaint when it remarked, “Paramount should
have been well paid for the large slices of publicity for trade-marked
products that are spread all through this artificial story.”
Because of tepid reviews and negative publicity, It Pays to Advertise did
poorly at the box office. At best, most exhibitors reported only fair
business. In Los Angeles, according to one report, the film “set a new
low.”
And what of "13 Soap -- Unlucky for Dirt"? The name of this fictional brand originated with the original story. I don't know that such a brand actually existed at the time the 1931 film was released, but according to news reports from the time (and this could be ballyhoo -- see tomorrow's blog post), an offer of $250,000 was made to secure the trademark for "13 Soap -- Unlucky for Dirt".
Sometime in the last number of years, a company called LUSH manufactured a hand-made soap called "13 Soap -- Unlucky for Dirt". (Unfortunately, this product has since been discontinued.) According to the company's website, the soap was named for the fictitious product in the 1931 film, It Pays to Advertise, starring Carole Lombard, Norman Foster, Skeets Gallagher, and featuring Louise Brooks. Here is a picture of that product, followed by the company description.
Ingredients: Oregano and Rose Petal Infusion
(Origanum vulgare and Rosa centifolia), Propylene Glycol, Rapeseed Oil
& Sunflower Oil & Coconut Oil (Brassica napus, Helianthus
annuus, Cocos nucifera), Water (Aqua), Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Honey,
Perfume, Sodum Hydroxide, Manuka Honey, Sodium Stearate, Oregano Oil
(Origanum vulgare), Rose Absolute (Rosa damascena), Geranium Oil
(Pelargonium graveolens), Sodium Chloride, Geraniol, *Limonene, Colour
18050.
Lush Times: Our beautiful rose and oregano soap gets
its name from a 1931 Hollywood film about a soap company; the son
advertised a soap that didn’t exist and demand was so high, the dad had
to make it. Sounds like typical Lush, except for the advertising part.
Sue from Chelmsford and Dawn from Cambridge had been asked by nurses for
an oregano soap because they'd heard that oregano kills MRSA bacteria.
(University of the West of England 2008.) This lovely soap has been like
gold dust; we adore its translucent loveliness, its scent and its very
effective cleansing properties.
Here is a full page relating to It Pays to Advertise, the 1914 play that became the 1931 film featuring Louise Brooks. Pages similar to this were run in newspapers in 1931, typically groups of smaller ads from local merchants which tied in with the local showing of the Frank Tuttle directed film.
Pandora's Box (1929) starring Louise Brooks will be shown in Brussels later today, Thursday September 24, 2015 @ 20h. The screening is part of the UFA nights series. Music to accompany the film will be provided by the Brussels Philharmonic. More information at http://bit.ly/UFApandorasbox
Brussels Philharmonic – Christian Schumann director Pandora's Box (1928/29) Georg Wilhelm Pabst Music : Peer Raben, adapt. Frank Strobel Pandora’s Box,
G.W. Pabst’s controversial film which made actress Louise Brooks
instantly world famous, transcends its time. The film tells the story of
Dr. Schoen and his eventful affair with the sensuous Lulu, who, after
she has shot him, takes to her heels towards London, where she will meet
her fate in the hands of Jack the Ripper.
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the Louise Brooks Society
is soliciting short essays from the actresses' many fans asking them to
describe how and when they first came across Louise Brooks, and what
the actress means to them. The length of the piece is up to the writer,
with the only requirement being that it be detailed and individualized.
Pieces that range from short anecdotes to full fledged compositions are
welcome.
Selected submissions will be run here on the
Louise Brooks Society blog, and the best piece (in the eyes of the LBS)
will be awarded some Louise Brooks swag - like the forthcoming KINO Diary of a Lost Girl Blu-ray bundled together with a signed copy of the Louise Brooks edition of The Diary of a Lost Girl
(PandorasBox Press). The deadline for submissions is December 1, 2015
with the prize awarded later that month (before Christmas).
Sharpen your pencils, start your engines. Send submissions to LouiseBrooksSociety@gmail.com
One month from today, KINO will release Diary of a Lost Girl on Blu-ray and DVD! Be sure and pre-order your copy today. Here are some details.
"The second and final collaboration of actress Louise Brooks and director
G.W. Pabst (Pandora's Box), DIARY OF A LOST GIRL is a provocative
adaptation of Margarethe Böhme's notorious novel, in which the naive
daughter of a middle class pharmacist is seduced by her father's
assistant, only to be disowned and sent to a repressive home for wayward
girls. She escapes, searches for her child, and ends up in a high-class
brothel, only to turn the tables on the society which had abused her.
It's another tour-de-force performance by Brooks, whom silent film
historian Kevin Brownlow calls an 'actress of brilliance, a luminescent
personality and a beauty unparalleled in screen history'."
Special
Features: Mastered in HD from archival 35mm elements, and digitally
restored; Audio commentary by Thomas Gladysz, Director, Louise Brooks
Society; includes the short Windy Riley Goes Hollywood (1931, 18 Min., featuring Louise
Brooks).
This Fall, the Louise Brooks Society celebrates 20 years on the web. Launched in 1995, the LBS was a pioneer among silent film websites, and it remains today the #1 source for all things Lulu. Here are a few links to some of the many articles about and mentioning the LBS.
Meddis, Sam Vincent. “Net: New and notable.” USA Today, May 23, 1996.
— “Silent-film buffs can get a taste of how a fan club from yesteryear
plays on the Web. The Louise Brooks Society site includes interview,
trivia and photos. It also draws an international audience.”
Silberman, Steve. “Fan Site Sparks Biopic.” Wired, April 10, 1998.
— article on Wired magazine website (additionally referenced online by Roger Ebert)
O’Connell, Pamela Licalzi. “Dreaming Celebrities and the Earth’s Eye Candy.” New York Times, August 29, 2002.
— “The Louise Brooks Society (www.pandorasbox.com) is an excellent
homage to the art of the silent film as well as one of its most luminous
stars.” – mention in New York newspaper
Caloudas, Constantine. “Louise Bobs Her Hair.” Washington City Paper, July 22, 2005.
— referenced in Washington, D.C. weekly
Maltin, Leonard. “Links We Like: Louise Brooks Society.” Leonard Maltin’s Movie Crazy, August 1, 2005.
— “Not many sites of any kind can claim to be celebrating a tenth
anniversary online, but that’s true of the Louise Brooks Society,
devoted to the life and times of the magnetic silent-film star and
latter-day memoirist. Thomas Gladysz has assembled a formidable amount
of material on the actress and her era; there’s not only a lot to read
and enjoy, but there’s a gift shop and even a ‘Radio Lulu’ function that
allows you to listen to music of the 1920s. Wow!”
Matheson, Whitney. “Happy birthday, Louise!” USA Today, November 14, 2006.
— “My favorite Louise Brooks site belongs to the Louise Brooks Society, a
devoted group of fans that even keeps a blog. There, you can find just
about everything about the actress: articles, filmography, photos, links
and more.”
Smurthwaite, Nick. “The Archive: Louise Brooks – something of an enigma.” The Stage, September 1, 2015.
— “One of the most luminous stars of the silent era, Louise Brooks has
been all but erased from cinema history. Only a handful of movie buffs
keep her memory alive, mostly through the 20-year-old Louise Brooks
Society, whose aim is to honour the charismatic actor and stimulate
interest in her life and work.” – mentioned in UK theater publication
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the Louise Brooks Society
is soliciting short essays from the actresses' many fans asking them to
describe how and when they first came across Louise Brooks, and what
the actress means to them. The length of the piece is up to the writer,
with the only requirement being that it be detailed and individualized.
Pieces that range from short anecdotes to full fledged compositions are
welcome.
Selected submissions will be run here on the
Louise Brooks Society blog, and the best piece (in the eyes of the LBS)
will be awarded some Louise Brooks swag - like the just released KINO Diary of a Lost Girl Blu-ray bundled together with a signed copy of the Louise Brooks edition of The Diary of a Lost Girl
(PandorasBox Press). The deadline for submissions is December 1, 2015
with the prize awarded later that month (before Christmas). Send submissions to LouiseBrooksSociety@gmail.com
What follows is a brief excerpt from chapter 26 of the Louise Brooks-inspired novel The Roaring Road: Book 2 The Road East. According to author Johann M.C. Laesecke, "There are things not evident in this excerpt, including a description of how Louise transfers the derringer to Laure. Too much of a spoiler. But the excerpt is a good example of one of Louise's actions in The Roaring Road."
For more on this work of historical fiction, check out the interview with the author on the Louise Brooks Society blog from September 8th.
------
“Who do we have watching the Crawford Theater tonight in case any of Pádraigh or any of his people show up?”
“We have not assigned that. Although it’s unlikely they show, we should have someone there who can think fast and call for backup. Someone that Laure, Frank and Buster would recognize, but who is not known to Pádraigh” Dawn said.
“I’ll watch the Crawford” and we all turned in surprise to Louise Brooks. She was in the meeting because she wanted to make sure we would get Buster out soon.
Bill said “Everyone would recognize you Louise, even some of Pádraigh’s gunmen.”
“And what if they do? You guys haven’t let me outside except when I go in disguise. And they don’t know I’m with you guys. My father moved us to Wichita and I went to high school here. I’m well known in Wichita so tonight I can play Louise Brooks, lost little girl from Kansas, an ex-Denishawn, ex-George White’s Scandals and ex-Ziegfeld Follies dancer and now one of Paramount’s new Junior Stars. I danced at the Crawford Theater when I was with Denishawn so it would be natural for me to attend their performance. I can move about the place and no one would be suspicious. I know all the back rooms and hallways and even the basement hidey-hole. It was put there by one of the builders who was also a rumrunner. Montgomery County was dry a long time before Prohibition and I dated guys who knew how to move contraband here.”
“I would like to see the latest Denishawn players and dance routines and the Pádraigh guys probably won’t show up, but if they do I can sneak out to the drugstore around the corner where they have public telephone booths and call you. The best case would be if Buster or Laure or Frank show up so I could pass a message or something.” Louise looked at me and I could tell she was serious. While she was not an experienced operative she was very smart, not a coward, could think on her toes and she was a natural actress. After a short discussion everyone agreed and I asked Louise if she would agree to try to pass Laure’s derringer to her if she was there. It would be dangerous and have to be done with the utmost subtlety so when she agreed I told her to talk to Dawn and Meghan before she went to the Crawford Theater.
After the meeting Louise stopped by to see Dawn and Meghan, who gave Louise a small cloth bag. It was heavy, as if it had a metal object in it. “It’s a derringer, a very small handgun that Laure requested.”
“I’ve shot guns and I know what a derringer is. How do I give it to Laure?” asked Louise.
“There’s no way to plan that because we don’t know if she is really going to be there and how many men will be watching her if she is. You must get it to her without anyone knowing, without any suspicion. If nothing else, try to give it to Buster or Frank. If they are there but if it doesn’t look possible to transfer the gun, call Meghan at this telephone number. Memorize the telephone number so if you’re caught they won’t find it on you. If you call Meghan, just say something like ‘I forgot to feed the dog, can you do it?’ and Meghan will be there as quick as she can. And don’t feel bad about asking for help – even the best and most seasoned operators know that calling for backup is better than forcing the issue and getting caught or blowing the game. When Meghan arrives she will assess the situation. One of the things she might do would be to create a diversion to draw everyone’s attention away from you, to give you a chance to pass the gun to Laure.”
“Is Laure going to shoot the gangster?” Louise asked.
“She will if the opportunity presents itself. She is very courageous and resourceful” said Dawn.
“Like her sister?” Louise asked with a beautiful, rare smile.
“Yes, just like her sister. You OK with this? You don’t have to do this, you know. It’s not your business and it could turn dangerous” said Dawn.
“I’m OK doing this. I love Dan and Laure, they are so wonderful together and they treat me like a loved sister instead of a dumb bunny like some others do. I’ve made a mess of their relationship so maybe I’m feeling a little bit guilty. If Laure is being held against her will I want to help get her out. I also need to get Buster out for my own carnal needs. Since I can be expected to know my way around the theater and talk to lots of people, I will blend into the audience.”
Dawn said “Thank you Louise. You have a good heart. If you call Meghan, I will be somewhere in the background too and I’ll watch for you if there’s any trouble.”
“Me? Have a good heart? Don’t let that get around. I have to keep up my reputation for enraging people” Louise said. Dawn laughed. She was beginning to like Louise.
Laure wanted to be at the theater early to get good seats but Buster called ahead and talked to the theater manager and requested three seats together be held for an important person who would arrive just a few minutes before the show started. The manager reluctantly agreed when Buster promised to pass something along when they shook hands.
They arrived at the theater four minutes before show time and Buster sought out the manager, shook hands with him and the manager found a sawbuck in his hand. The manager was disappointed because the usual tip for these seats was twenty bucks each. Frank, Laure and Buster were seated just six rows back and near the middle of the row, a perfect sight line for the show. Frank and Laure had become very good at talking to each other without moving their lips much and he told Laure that he was sure someone from Dan’s crew would be here too, but not to acknowledge anyone, which could jeopardize any transfer of materials or messages. Frank knew Laure was hoping to get her derringer. Frank told Laure who then passed it on to Buster that he had spotted Tony in the audience a few rows back and that there might be others that he had not seen, so they had to be extra careful. Frank and Buster would have to act like tough bodyguards if she talked to anyone in the theater.
The show began with a short vaudeville act that wasn’t very funny or interesting. Laure wished that W.C. Fields was there. Now he was a man who got the audience to laugh. The dance show began on time and although Laure only knew ballroom and jazz dancing, she thought the Denishawn Dancers were very elegant and graceful, with each dance telling a story. She could see why Louise had enjoyed dancing with Denishawn, even if they did throw her out for being too bold when it came to her relationships with men. At intermission time the lights were turned up and Laure wanted to get up and move around but Frank pushed her back down, a little roughly Laure thought, but then she remembered that the ugly thug Tony was watching.
Seemingly from out of nowhere Louise Brooks came rushing down the row of seats and pulled Laure up from her seat to hug her. She had moved quickly and no one had seen her coming, not even Tony, who stood up and put his hand inside his coat and rested it on his gun. Tony noticed Frank did the same and Buster took Louise by the shoulders and moved her away roughly. Louise had only been able to hug Laure and her hands were visible and empty the entire time so she could not have given anything to Laure. Buster took Louise by the arm and moved her down the row toward the aisle. When they reached the end of the row, Louise turned and slapped Buster’s face hard, then again. She loudly told him to keep his hands off her or she would call her friends in the police department and have him arrested.
Louise turned with an arrogant flounce and stormed her way to the exit. Tony saw the entire incident and did not see how Louise could have given anything to Laure. His only concern was that Laure should be frisked to make sure. From the rear of the auditorium, Dawn had observed everything. She was a Pinkerton-trained observer and saw what Tony did not see, that Laure had received the derringer. Louise had played her part perfectly. But then, Dawn thought, Louise was one of the best movie actresses in the business, she could hardly have done any less. Dawn spotted Tony watching and went to the drugstore’s public telephone to call Meghan and tell her what disguises she should bring for each of them. There was now another part for them to play.
On Friday, September 18th (that's tomorrow), there is a special London Silent Film Meetup to see the new Louise Brooks-inspired play American Venus. The meet-up will take place at the 6 Frederick's Place, off the Old Jewry, London EC2R 8AB, London (map). More about the "Meetup" meetup organized by Amran V. can be found HERE.
More about the new play can be found on the September 2nd Louise Brooks Society blog entry HERE. How can you resist?
If you are near the Oper Halle
(Saale), Germany on December 4, 2015 you might want to check out the premiere of Lulu, a ballet enacted by Jochen Ulrich & the Tanzfonds
Erbe, based on Frank Wedekind's Büchse der Pandora and Erdgeist.
There are performances on Dec. 30th 2015; Jan. 23rd & 31st, Feb. 26th, March 4th and June 25th 2016. For more information see http://buehnen-halle.de/lulu
Gefördert
von TANZFONDS ERBE – eine Initiative der Kulturstiftung des Bundes
Mit der Premiere des Balletts »Lulu« des 2012 verstorbenen
Choreografen Jochen Ulrich, einem der entscheidendsten Wegbereiter des
Modernen Tanzes in Deutschland, knüpft das Ballett Rossa an die
erfolgreiche Vertanzung von dessen »Anna Karenina« an. Auch bei diesem
Handlungsballett nach der gesellschaftskritischen Doppeltragödie
»Erdgeist« und »Die Büchse der Pandora« des deutschen Schriftstellers
und Dramatikers Frank Wedekind steht eine der faszinierendsten
Frauenfiguren der Weltliteratur im Mittelpunkt. Als musikalische
Grundlage dienen Kompositionen des Italieners Nino Rota zu den zwischen
1952 und 1970 entstandenen Filmen »Rocco und seine Brüder« und »Der
Leopard« von Visconti sowie »Der weiße Scheich«, »La Strada«, »8 ½« und
»Die Clowns« von Fellini, die sowohl groteske als auch dekadent
neo-roman- tische Züge tragen. Hierzu erzählt Jochen Ulrich seine »Lulu«
mit seinem unverwechselbaren ausdrucksstarken Tanzstil als Geschichte
einer selbstbewusst mit ihrer erotischen Anziehungskraft spielenden Frau
aus einfachsten Verhältnissen. Alle Männer, die ihr begegnen, erliegen
ihren Verführungs-
künsten. Indem Lulu deren Fantasien befriedigt, bringt sie ihre
Liebhaber um den Verstand und treibt sie in den Tod. Auf der Flucht vor
der Polizei landet sie in London, wo sie sich – inzwischen selbst
emotional ausgebeutet – im finstersten Milieu prostituiert und die
Begegnung mit dem Freier Jack the Ripper tragisch endet.
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the Louise Brooks Society is soliciting short essays from the actresses' many fans asking them to describe how and when they first came across Louise Brooks, and what the actress means to them. The length of the piece is up to the writer, with the only requirement being that it be detailed and individualized. Pieces that range from short anecdotes to full fledged compositions are welcome.
Selected submissions will be run here on the Louise Brooks Society blog, and the best piece (in the eyes of the LBS) will be awarded some Louise Brooks swag - like the forthcoming KINO Diary of a Lost Girl Blu-ray bundled together with a signed copy of the Louise Brooks edition of The Diary of a Lost Girl (PandorasBox Press). The deadline for submissions is December 1, 2015 with the prize awarded later that month (before Christmas).
Sharpen your pencils, start your engines. Send submissions to LouiseBrooksSociety@gmail.com
There is a new book out that silent film fans will want to know about. It's Sally Phipps: Silent Film Starby Robert L. Harned. It is a self-published work, issued under the CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform imprint (Amazon). Don't let the fact that it is self-published stop you from checking out this book. It is a worthwhile subject, and a labor of love. I purchased a copy recently, and liked it.
Here is the publisher description: "Sally Phipps was only three years old and the veteran winner of several beautiful baby contests when she appeared as the Baby in the film Broncho Billy And The Baby. It was made at the Niles California Essanay Studio in late 1914. This book follows her amazing life and a career that culminated in her receiving the Rosemary (for remembrance) Award shortly before her death in 1978. Her memories of the early years at Essanay include sitting on Charlie Chaplin’s lap and enduring a frightening stage coach accident. In her teens, she was a Fox Studio star appearing in 20 films, including a cameo in the classic Sunrise. There were bad times also. She was on the set of her Fox two-reel comedy Gentlemen Preferred Scotch in 1927 when word reached her of the scandalous death of her father, a state senator. But in that same year, she was selected as one of the 13 Wampas Baby Stars, starlets that were considered destined for future success. Despite her popularity in Hollywood, she left for New York where she became the darling of gossip columnists, particularly Walter Winchell. She appeared in two Broadway shows, made a Vitaphone comedy short, and married and divorced one of the Gimbel department store moguls before she darted off for India and around the world travel. Back in New York, there was another marriage, two children, and later a stay in Hawaii. Earl Wilson wrote about her in 1938 when she was working for the Federal Theatre Project during the WPA period -- headlining his column “Wampas Ex-Baby Lives On WPA $23 – And Likes It.” Her images – especially her pinup photographs – have become highly collectible. The book features 150 pictures from Sally’s personal and professional life, including glamorous portraits and pinups."
Robert L. Harned was born in Des Moines, Iowa, but grew up in Honolulu,
Hawaii. He is a professional research librarian and has worked at the
Library of Congress in Washington, DC, the University of Pennsylvania in
Philadelphia, and in several universities and law firms in New York
City. He now resides in Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York, with his
partner, food journalist, cookbook author, and broadcaster Arthur
Schwartz. Robert’s interests are film history, Greek and Roman
archaeology, and singing. He has recorded four CD albums. And is also the son of Sally Phipps.
The Library of Congress is now soliciting nominees for their 2016
National Film Registry list. Please take a moment to nominate the William Wellman-directed Beggars of Life (1928). It is a fine film, very American, and stars the one and only Louise Brooks.
Learn more about “Beggars of Life” by reading this excerpt from 100 Silent Films by Bryony Dixon (British Film Institute, 2011). Or, check out this essay by Laura Horak from the 2007 San Francisco Silent Film Festival.
You
can nominate as many films as you like. More information can be found HERE. It is easy to do. Just send a simple
email with your nominees
(reasons optional) to filmregistry@loc.gov
Your voice is important! Librarian of Congress Dr.
James H. Billington invites you to submit your recommendations for
movies to be included on the National Film Registry. Public nominations
play a key role when the Librarian and Film Board are considering their
final selections. To be eligible for the Registry, a film must be at
least 10 years old and be “culturally, historically, or aesthetically
significant.”
The National Film Registry historically has included only those
films that were produced or co-produced by an American film company,
typically for theatrical release or recognized as a film through film
festivals or film awards. If in doubt, check the Internet Movie Database
(IMDb) for country of origin. Registry criteria does not specifically
prohibit television programs, commercials, music videos or foreign
productions, however, the original intent of the legislation that
established the Registry was to safeguard U.S. films. Consequently the
National Film Preservation Board and the Librarian of Congress give
first consideration to American motion pictures.
Looking for ideas on possible films to nominate? Check here
for hundreds of titles not yet selected to the National Film Registry.
This link will take you to the complete list of films currently on the
Registry.
For consideration, please forward your recommendations (limit 50 titles per year) via email to: filmregistry@loc.gov.
Please include the date of the film nominated, and number your
recommendations. Listing your nominations in alphabetical order is very
much appreciated, too. There’s no need to include descriptions or
justifications for your nominations unless they’re films that have not
been distributed widely or otherwise made available to the public. For
example, if a film is listed in the Internet Movie Database or the AFI
Catalog of Feature Films, no further information beyond title and date
of release is necessary. Lastly, please tell us how you learned of the
Registry.
Email is preferred; however, to submit via regular mail, send your nominations to:
National Film Registry
Library of Congress
Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation
19053 Mt. Pony Road
Culpeper, VA 22701
Attn: Donna Ross
William Wellman's 1928 film, Beggars of Life, is considered Paramount's first sound film. Though shot as a silent (and released to some markets in that format), a synchronized musical score, sound effects, a few lines of dialogue, and a song sung by Wallace Berry were added to prints of the film -- against the director's wishes.
The film stars Beery as Oklahoma Red, Louise Brooks as The Girl (Nancy), and Richard Arlen as The Boy (Jim). Beggars of Life was named one of the six best films for October by the Chicago Tribune; it also made the honor roll for best films of the year in an annual poll conducted by Film Daily. Musical Courier called Beggars of Life ” . . . one of the most entertaining films of the littered season.”And Photoplay thought it “good entertainment.”
Beggars of Life was well regarded, as was Wellman's earlier effort, Wings. On the basis of those two films, Film Daily named Wellman one of the world's best directors for the year's 1928-1929. Each was adapted for sound, as the rare newspaper advertisement below indicates. The two films were showing in Buffalo, New York at the same time.
Though the sound elements for the film are lost, newspaper articles and advertisements of the time tell us a little about the nature of Beggars of Life. Commenting on its New York City premiere, Women's Wear Daily noted "All
of these stars outdo themselves in this picture. Wallace Beery talks in
this picture, sings a hobo song and ends with an observation about
jungle rats in general." The New Yorker commented on "the synchronized accompaniment of sentimental music."
Elsewhere, the New Orleans Item observed, "Vitaphone helps the story along with music that is fitting and well arranged. The 'Hallelujah I'm a Bum' rhythm helps the story's speed." Peggy Patton of the Wisconsin News wrote "Wallace Beery, Richard Arlen (also playing in Wings) and Louise Brooks play the featured roles. All do praiseworthy work. By the way it is a sound picture and Wallace Beery speaks a few lines and sings a song. His speaking voice is splendid." Frank Aston of the Cincinnati Post penned, "The direction is admirable. Vitaphonic sounds lend some extra force. Beery is heard singing." The San Diego Union added, "Accompanied by a synchronized musical score of more than average excellence, the picture provides an hour and a half of film entertainment radically out of line with the general run of cinema drama. It is pungent, powerful, appealing, masterfully directed and superbly acted."
Advertisements for the film proclaimed something along the lines of “Come hear Wallace Beery sing!” But what that song was is uncertain. Reliable sources, including the director's son, site one of two similar titles, “Hark the Bells” or “Don’t You Hear Them Bells?” While at least two newspaper advertisements for the film, including the NYC one above, mention the songs "I Wonder Where She Sits at Night" and "Beggars of Life."
At the time of the film's release, a few recordings of the J. Keirn Brennan and Karl Hajos song “Beggars of Life” were released. The label on some of those 78 rpm recordings describe it as the “Theme Song of
the Motion Picture production.” One was by The
Troubadours (with male quartet), another by Scrappy Lambert. Here is the Troubadours' recording. It was issued as Victor 21683-B in 1928.
The lyrics to "Beggars of Life" go this way:
"Beggars of life, beggars of life;
Gypsy hearts that are sighing
For skies of blue, sunlight and dew,
Out where swallows are flying.
Each one longing to be led
To a happy homestead,
Where love will cry,
'Don't pass me by!'
Beggars of life, come home!"
Below is the Scrappy Lambert recording. Lambert (1901 – 1987) was an American dance band vocalist who appeared on hundreds of recordings from the 1920s through the 1940s. Might his or The
Troubadours recording have been appended to the film, the so-called "sentimental music" referenced by the New Yorker?
There was also a cylinder recording of "Beggars of Life" released at the time. A copy of this recording, housed in a rectangular box and with a paper label, is in the archive of the Louise Brooks Society. However, it being a cylinder recording, the LBS doesn't have a way to play and record it.
To conclude, here is more vintage recording, a cover version on 78 rpm, dating from 1928. It is the Bar Harbor Society Orchestra featuring vocals by Irving Kaufman.
While discussing the use of sound in Beggars of Life, it's worth mentioning that it was during the making of this transitional film that the "boom mic" was perhaps first used. According to David O. Selznick, "I was also present on the stage when a microphone was moved for the first time by Wellman, believe it or not. Sound was relatively new [this was Beggars of Life, 1928] and at that time the sound engineer insisted that the microphone be steady. Wellman, who had quite a temper in those days, got very angry, took the microphone himself, hung it on a boom, gave orders to record--and moved it." In the annals of film history, others have been credited with moving a microphone during the production of a film. Selznick's anecdote, which comes from Kevin Brownlow's The Parade's Gone By, is one account.
