Now We're in the Air, the story behind the Louise Brooks film and its finding

In celebration of today's showing of Now We're in the Air at the Pordenone Silent Film Festival in Italy, here is a reprise of my March 30th Huffington Post article about the film and its finding. Further information about this special screening can be found HERE. Also, don't fail to read Jay Weissberg's program essay on the film, which can be found HERE. (It mentions the LBS.) And for those who can't get enough, HERE are my program notes for the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.

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Long Missing Louise Brooks Film Found
by Thomas Gladysz (3/30/2017)

Approximately 23 minutes of a long missing 1927 Louise Brooks film, Now We’re in the Air, has been found in an archive in the Czech Republic. The discovery is significant, not only because of Brooks’ widespread popularity, but because it helps fill a gap in the legendary actress’ body of work. Until now, each of the four films Brooks made in 1927—at the peak of her American career—have been considered lost.

The San Francisco Silent Film Festival revealed the existence of the film while announcing the lineup of works to be shown at its upcoming event. The newly restored partial film will be shown at the Festival, which is set to take place June 1 through June 4 at the Castro Theater in San Francisco.

Now We’re in the Air will be paired with Get Your Man (1927), a Dorothy Arzner directed film starring Clara Bow. The Library of Congress has reconstructed Get Your Man from recovered materials, filling in missing sequences with stills and intertitles. Festival Executive Director Stacey Wisnia noted that the pairing brings together not only two recovered films, but also the era’s two “It” girls, Bow and Brooks.

The discovery of Now We’re in the Air came about, in part, through the efforts of film preservationist Robert Byrne, president of the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Byrne has made a name for himself of late, having helped in the recovery and restoration of a handful of important films over the last few years. Prominent among his discoveries were two films identified in the collection of Cinematheque Francaise, Sherlock Holmes (1916), and Silence (1926). The latter, a Cecil B. DeMille production directed by Rupert Julian, will also debut at the June event. Another of Byrne’s efforts, Behind the Door (1919), is due out on DVD / Blu-ray from Flicker Alley.

In a recent interview, Byrne related how he mentioned to English film historian and Academy Award honoree Kevin Brownlow that he would be going to Prague to visit the Czech Národní filmový archiv (the Czech Republic’s National Film Archive). It’s known they have an extensive collection of silent era material, including the only remaining nitrate copies of a number of American silent films. Unsure as to what might be found, Brownlow provided Byrne with a list of about a dozen titles he should ask to see. That list included Now We’re in the Air. Though popular in its time, the 1927 film is little known today except for the fact it includes Brooks in an important supporting role.

When Byrne inspected the elements for Rif a Raf, Piloti (the Czech title for Now We’re in the Air), he found the film had only partially survived in a state which also showed nitrate decomposition. Additionally, the surviving scenes were found to be out of order, and there were Czech-language titles in place of the original American titles. Byrne spent more than eight months reconstructing the surviving material, including restoring the film’s original English-language inter-titles and original tinting.

“As is often the case, the most challenging aspect was not the technical work of cleaning up the image,” Byrne stated, “but rather the research that ensured we were making a faithful restoration, especially when it came to replacing the Czech language inter-titles with the original English versions.”

Byrne was especially appreciative of the help given by the Národní filmový archive. “They were incredibly gracious and generous with their time and resources; in addition to granting access to their nitrate print, they are responsible for the color-dye tinting of our new 35mm print. This is the first San Francisco Silent Film Festival restoration where we have used the traditional dye-tinting process to restore a film’s original color. In prior projects, we have used a modern method that utilizes color film stock.” Byrne added, “This is what an American audience would have seen when the film was released in 1927.”

Byrne said he was “thrilled” to find a missing Brooks film. “The shame is that so many of her American films are lost. Seeing Now We’re in the Air projected for the first time was pretty amazing. I have seen stills of her in the black tutu a million times, but actually seeing the sequence where she is wearing it was like watching a still photograph magically come to life.” Byrne’s excitement for the newly found Brooks’ film was matched by Judy Wyler Sheldon, a longtime Brooks’ fan and the daughter of legendary director William Wyler. Festival Artistic Director Anita Monga was likewise excited, and thought the fragment was “revelatory.”

Directed by Frank Strayer, Now We’re in the Air is a World War One comedy starring future Oscar winner Wallace Beery and the once popular character actor Raymond Hatton. The film, released by Paramount, also features Brooks in two supporting roles. The actress plays twins, one raised French, one raised German, who are the love interest of two goofy fliers. The surviving footage of Brooks only includes her in the role of the French twin, a carnival worker dressed in a short, dark tutu.

Raymond Hatton, Louise Brooks, Wallace Beery

In the 1920s, Beery and Hatton were teamed in a number of popular Dumb and Dumber-like comedies. With its aviation-theme, Now We’re in the Air was one of the pair’s “service comedies,” following similar themed movies like Behind the Front (1926) and We’re in the Navy Now (1926).

Notably, the film’s cinematographer is Harry Perry, who worked on two other significant aviation pictures, Wings (1927), and Hell’s Angels (1930). Perry was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on the latter. Interestingly, a notation in the script for Now We’re in the Air uncovered during its restoration calls for the use of left-over footage from the William Wellman-directed Wings, another WWI movie, and the first film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture. That footage can be seen during the Armistice scene in Now We’re in the Air, near the end of the surviving footage.

Though some winced at its crude humor (not evident in the surviving material), the Beery-Hatton film proved to be one of the more popular comedies of 1927. Generally liked by the critics, the film did big box office where ever it showed. In New York City, it enjoyed an extended run, as it did in San Francisco, where it proved to be one of the year’s biggest hits. At a time when most new releases played only one week, Now We’re in the Air ran for a month in San Francisco, according to local newspaper listings. In Boston, the film also did well, opening simultaneously in five theaters. At the time, the Boston Evening Transcript noted the audience at one screening “was so moved by mirth that they were close to tears.”

The recovery of Now We’re in the Air comes 90 years after its first release, and 100 years after the United States formally entered what became known as the First World War, on April 6, 1917. Though a comedy, Now We’re in the Air was one of a number of silent films from the time—including Behind the Door (1919), The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921), The Big Parade (1925), What Price Glory? (1926), and Wings (1927), which depict the international conflict.

Byrne and others involved in the restoration of Now We’re in the Air believe the surviving footage lives up to the promise of its original reviews. In June, Festival goers and Louise Brooks fans will have the chance to see for themselves. More about the lineup of films at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival can be found at www.silentfilm.org.

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My wife and I had a small hand in helping bring this film back to the screen, and we and the Louise Brooks Society are thanked in the credits which follow the restored fragment. It was an honor and a pleasure to be asked to help work on the project. It was also exciting! I got to see raw footage of the surviving material (still with Czech intertitles), and helped put the fragmented pieces back into proper order and with correct English-language intertitles. The story of this film will be told in a new book, which is forthcoming later this year.

After the above article was published and before the film debuted in San Francisco, I was given a Louise Brooks / Now We're in the Air giphoscope to honor my contribution to bringing this once lost film back into circulation -- 90 years after it was first shown.


What's a giphoscope? Simply put, it's an analog GIF player. And this model displays a 24 frame animated GIF excerpted from Now We're in the Air. Only a few copies of these handmade, Italian objects were produced.  Here is one in action, followed by a snapshot of Robert Byrne and myself (right) holding my player.

Huffington Post: Long Missing Louise Brooks Film Found

Approximately 23 minutes of a long missing 1927 Louise Brooks film, Now We’re in the Air, has been found in an archive in the Czech Republic. The discovery is significant, not only because of Brooks’ widespread popularity, but because it helps fill a gap in the legendary actress’ body of work. Until now, each of the four films Brooks made in 1927—at the peak of her American career—have been considered lost.

The San Francisco Silent Film Festival revealed the existence of the film while announcing the lineup of works to be shown at its upcoming event. The newly restored partial film will be shown at the Festival, which is set to take place June 1 through June 4 at the Castro Theater in San Francisco.

Now We’re in the Air will be paired with Get Your Man (1927), a Dorothy Arzner directed film starring Clara Bow. The Library of Congress has reconstructed Get Your Man from recovered materials, filling in missing sequences with stills and intertitles. Festival Executive Director Stacey Wisnia noted that the pairing brings together not only two recovered films, but also the era’s two “It” girls, Bow and Brooks.

The discovery of Now We’re in the Air came about, in part, through the efforts of film preservationist Robert Byrne, president of the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Byrne has made a name for himself of late, having helped in the recovery and restoration of a handful of important films over the last few years. Prominent among his discoveries were two films identified in the collection of Cinematheque Francaise, Sherlock Holmes (1916), and Silence (1926). The latter, a Cecil B. DeMille production directed by Rupert Julian, will also debut at the June event. Another of Byrne’s efforts, Behind the Door (1919), is due out on DVD / Blu-ray from Flicker Alley.

In a recent interview, Byrne related how he mentioned to English film historian and Academy Award honoree Kevin Brownlow that he would be going to Prague to visit the Czech Národní filmový archiv (the Czech Republic’s National Film Archive). It’s known they have an extensive collection of silent era material, including the only remaining nitrate copies of a number of American silent films. Unsure as to what might be found, Brownlow provided Byrne with a list of about a dozen titles he should ask to see. That list included Now We’re in the Air. Though popular in its time, the 1927 film is little known today except for the fact it includes Brooks in an important supporting role.

When Byrne inspected the elements for Rif a Raf, Politi (the Czech title for Now We’re in the Air), he found the film had only partially survived in a state which also showed nitrate decomposition. Additionally, the surviving scenes were found to be out of order, and there were Czech-language titles in place of the original American titles. Byrne spent more than eight months reconstructing the surviving material, including restoring the film’s original English-language inter-titles and original tinting.

“As is often the case, the most challenging aspect was not the technical work of cleaning up the image,” Byrne stated, “but rather the research that ensured we were making a faithful restoration, especially when it came to replacing the Czech language inter-titles with the original English versions.”

Byrne was especially appreciative of the help given by the Národní filmový archive. “They were incredibly gracious and generous with their time and resources; in addition to granting access to their nitrate print, they are responsible for the color-dye tinting of our new 35mm print. This is the first San Francisco Silent Film Festival restoration where we have used the traditional dye-tinting process to restore a film’s original color. In prior projects, we have used a modern method that utilizes color film stock.” Byrne added, “This is what an American audience would have seen when the film was released in 1927.”

Byrne said he was “thrilled” to find a missing Brooks film. “The shame is that so many of her American films are lost. Seeing Now We’re in the Air projected for the first time was pretty amazing. I have seen stills of her in the black tutu a million times, but actually seeing the sequence where she is wearing it was like watching a still photograph magically come to life.” Byrne’s excitement for the newly found Brooks’ film was matched by Judy Wyler Sheldon, a longtime Brooks’ fan and the daughter of legendary director William Wyler. Festival Artistic Director Anita Monga was likewise excited, and thought the fragment was “revelatory.”

Directed by Frank Strayer, Now We’re in the Air is a World War One comedy starring future Oscar winner Wallace Beery and the once popular character actor Raymond Hatton. The film, released by Paramount, also features Brooks in two supporting roles. The actress plays twins, one raised French, one raised German, who are the love interest of two goofy fliers. The surviving footage of Brooks only includes her in the role of the French twin, a carnival worker dressed in a short, dark tutu.

In the 1920s, Beery and Hatton were teamed in a number of popular Dumb and Dumber-like comedies. With its aviation-theme, Now We’re in the Air was one of the pair’s “service comedies,” following similar themed movies like Behind the Front (1926) and We’re in the Navy Now (1926).

Notably, the film’s cinematographer is Harry Perry, who worked on two other significant aviation pictures, Wings (1927), and Hell’s Angels (1930). Perry was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on the latter. Interestingly, a notation in the script for Now We’re in the Air uncovered during its restoration calls for the use of left-over footage from the William Wellman-directed Wings, another WWI movie, and the first film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture. That footage can be seen during the Armistice scene in Now We’re in the Air, near the end of the surviving footage.

Though some winced at its crude humor (not evident in the surviving material), the Beery-Hatton film proved to be one of the more popular comedies of 1927. Generally liked by the critics, the film did big box office where ever it showed. In New York City, it enjoyed an extended run, as it did in San Francisco, where it proved to be one of the year’s biggest hits. At a time when most new releases played only one week, Now We’re in the Air ran for a month in San Francisco, according to local newspaper listings. In Boston, the film also did well, opening simultaneously in five theaters. At the time, the Boston Evening Transcript noted the audience at one screening “was so moved by mirth that they were close to tears.”

The recovery of Now We’re in the Air comes 90 years after its first release, and 100 years after the United States formally entered what became known as the First World War, on April 6, 1917. Though a comedy, Now We’re in the Air was one of a number of silent films from the time—including Behind the Door (1919), The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921), The Big Parade (1925), What Price Glory? (1926), and Wings (1927), which depict the international conflict.

Byrne and others involved in the restoration of Now We’re in the Air believe the surviving footage lives up to the promise of its original reviews. In June, Festival goers and Louise Brooks fans will have the chance to see for themselves. More about the lineup of films at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival can be found at www.silentfilm.org.
 

this piece originally appeared on Huffington Post

Trivia about Now We're in the Air, with Louise Brooks

As you should know by now, a chunk of the 1927 Louise Brooks film Now We're in the Air has been found in Prague at the Czech Republic’s Národní filmový archive (National Film Archive). The restored, 23 minute fragment will be shown June 2 at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Read more about it HERE on the Huffington Post.

In the meantime, here is some trivia related to the film....

— The film was shot between August 1 and September 8, 1927 at Paramount’s studio in Hollywood, as well as at a local ranch, a local aviation field, and at an amusement pier in Venice, California.

— Now We’re in the Air was one in a series of service comedies teaming Raymond Hatton with Wallace Beery, a future Academy Award winner.  The film follows Behind the Front (1926) and We’re in the Navy Now (1926).

— Early on, William Wellman, James Cruze and even Mauritz Stiller were announced as the director for Now We’re in the Air. Among cast members who were announced but did not appear in the film were Ford Sterling and Zasu Pitts. An outline (by Tom J. Geraghty) and a treatment (by John F. Goodrich) for the film were completed as early as February 2, 1927.

— Frank R. Strayer (1891 – 1964) who was assigned as director, was an actor, film writer, and producer. He was active from the mid-1920s until the early 1950s. Strayer is credited with having directed 86 films, including 13 movies in the series based on the Blondie and Dagwood comic strip.

— Now We’re in the Air cinematographer Harry Perry also worked on two other notable aviation pictures, Wings (1927) and Hell’s Angels (1930). He was nominated for an Academy Award at the 3rd Academy Awards for his work on the latter.

— Fifteen airplanes were hired for the making of the film, including a 76-foot Martin Bomber which was deliberately wrecked for one of the film’s “big thrill scenes.”

— In late August, 1927 the New York Times reported that the combined blast of six wind machines and a dozen airplanes lifted both Raymond Hatton and Wallace Berry into the air and on to an off-screen net set to catch them.


— Now We’re in the Air was released as sound was coming in. According to the Barry Paris biography, Brooks once suggested there was some thought given to adding dialogue to the film.

— Though a silent, Now We’re in the Air continued to be shown into the early sound era. In January, 1930 it was screened in Fairbanks, Alaska and in December, 1931 it was screened in the Darwin in Northern Territory, Australia.

— Under its American title, Now We’re in the Air, documented screenings of the film took place in Australia, British Malaysia (Singapore), Canada, China, India, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, South Africa, and the British Isles (England, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, and Scotland). Elsewhere, this motion picture was known to have been shown under other-language titles including Dos tiburones en el aire (Argentina); Riff und Raff als Luftschiffer (Austria); Nous sommes dans les air (Belgium); Dois aguias no ar (Brazil); Ted my jsme ve vzduchu (Czechoslovakia); Katu Njosnararnir (Iceland); Aviatori per forza (Italy); Aviatori … per forza (Italy); Ed eccoci aviatori (Italy); Yagi and Kita in the Air (Japan); 弥次喜多空中の巻 (Japan); Reclutas por los aires (Mexico); Hoerawe vliegen (The Netherlands); Luftens Spioner (Norway); Recrutas Aviadores (Portugal); Agora Estamos no Ar (in Portuguese-American newspapers); and Hjältar i luften (Sweden).

Now We're in the Air - A round up of reviews

Now We're in the Air, Louise Brooks' tenth film, was officially released on this day in 1927. The film is a comedy about a couple of "aeronuts" who stumble into an air battle in France in World War I. The film stars Wallace Beery as Wally, Raymond Hatton as Ray, Russell Simpson as Lord Abercrombie McTavish, and Louise Brooks as twins, Griselle & Grisette. It is the only film in which Brooks played two roles in the same film.

The 6 reel Paramount film is drawn from a screenplay by Thomas J. Geraghty, adapted from an original story idea by Monte Brice and Keene Thompson, with titles by George Marion. The director was Frank R. Strayer. Here is a round up of a magazine and newspaper reviews and articles drawn from the Louise Brooks Society archive.

Woodruff, Fuzzy "Beery and Hatton Play Same Lively Tempo." Atlanta Georgian, October 19, 1927.
--- "Nothing however can take away from the roaring technique of the two stars, nor can any subject dim the luster of the beauty of Louise Brooks."

J., L. D. "At the Des Moines." Des Moines Register, October 24, 1927.
--- "Louise Brooks, the charming black haired Follies girl who plays twin sisters in Now We're in the Air, came out of Kansas City to prove that the few screen stars who hail from that state are not mere accidents."

anonymous. "The New Pictures." Indianapolis Star, October 31, 1927.
--- "Louise Brooks is the leading woman for the stars, playing a dual role. She is lovely and capable in the part, but has little to do."

anonymous. "Fight Pictures Prove Feature At The Strand." Portland Evening Express, November 1, 1927.
--- "Louise Brooks is the young lady who is the charming m'm'selle, and she does add something to the picture although unable to lift it entirely from the gutter type of comedy to which it sometimes descends."

anonymous. "The New Saenger." New Orleans Item, November 6, 1927.
--- "The added feature of Now We're in the Air is the presence of Louise Brooks as the heroine. One of the cleverest of the new stars, she has immense ability to appear 'dumb' but like those early Nineteenth Century actresses, commended by Chas. Lamb, she makes the spectators realize that she is only playing at being dumb."

anonymous. "Beery and Hatton in Breezy Comedy Film." Philadelphia Inquirer, November 8, 1927.
--- "Louise Brooks is clever in the double part of the twins."

anonymous. "New Films of Comedy, Romance and Melodrama on Photoplay Programs." Philadelphia Public Ledger, November 8, 1927.
--- "In a helping way, Louise Brooks proves to be the real thing and it is to her that a lot of credit must go for her for her sincere work in a dual role."

anonymous. "Beery and Harry Again." Washington Star, November 13, 1927.
--- "Louise Brooks as the leading lady, too, was a happy selection, it is said. Young, beautiful and charming, in this picture she is doubly so, because she's twins, or in other words she has a dual role. She is French and German as well as clever and cunning."

anonymous. "At The Theaters." Providence Journal, November 14, 1927.
--- "They fall in love with twin sisters, one of whom has been raised a German, the other a French girl, and who can scarecely be told apart, which is not surprising, since Louise Brooks plays both parts."

anonymous. "Offerings at Local Theaters." Washington Post, November 14, 1927.
--- "Just for romance, there are twin sisters, economically and delightfully played by Louise Brooks."

Feldkamp, Frances V. "Movie Reviews." St. Louis Globe-Democrat, November 14, 1927.
--- "Louise Brooks is cast in a dual role of twin sisters, one sympathizing with Germany, the other siding with France in the conflict. She looks good in both parts."

Swint, Curran D. "Great Entertainment at St. Francis, Imperial and Warfield." San Francisco News, November 14, 1927.
--- "Both the hulking and ungainly Beery and the cocky little Hatton give goofingly good accounts of themselves. Then there is Louise Brooks. She's the girl - or the girls - in the case, for Louise is twins in the story, and about this fact much of the comedy is woven."

Waite, Edgar. "Beery, Hatton at St. Francis." San Francisco Examiner, November 14, 1927.
--- " . . . . may not be as screamingly funny as some, but it's certainly funny enough to please a great many people."

Warren, George C. "St. Francis is Offering Beery, Hatton." San Francisco Chronicle, November 14, 1927.
--- " . . . and they are disporting themselves and making big audiences scream with laughter."

anonymous. "Great Cast in Now We're in the Air." Appleton Post-Cresent, November 20, 1927.
--- "Louise Brooks, the leading woman who has the dual role, playing twin sisters of different nationalities, which can only be done in a comedy, is one of the most popular young beauties of the Parmount organization. Her distinctive bob and charm appeared to advantage in Rolled Stockings, in the Adolphe Menjou picture Evening Clothes, and before that in The American Venus, It's the Old Army Game and A Social Celebrity."

Soanes, Wood. "Now We're in the Air Opens at American." Oakland Tribune, November 21, 1927.
--- "An effort was also made to inject a little romance into the manuscript by having Louise Brooks play twins so that both Beery and Hatton could get a wife without having to hire a pair of leading women."

Parsons, Louella O. "Now We're in the Air. Big Laughfest at Metropolitan." Los Angeles Examiner, November 25, 1927.
--- "Louise Brooks, in a dual role, looks very young and very pretty even though she has very little to do. One would think playing a twin would keep her busy, but the whole film is Beery and Hatton."

anonymous. "Now We're in the Air." Photoplay, December, 1927.
--- "Louise Brooks makes a pert pair of twins supplying two wives which the boys can't tell from one another."

anonymous. "Boob Aviators at Five Houses." Boston Post, December 5, 1927.
--- "You see there are pretty twin sisters, Grisette and Griselle, both played by the fetching Louise Brooks, who marry Wally and Ray, who cannot tell their wives apart except by their dogs, one a poodle, one a daschund."

Heffernan, Harold. "The New Movies in Review." Detroit News, December 5, 1927.
--- "Louise Brooks plays twin sisters and aids greatly in decorating the proceedings."

Tinee, Mae. "Wallace and Raymond Take a Little Flyer in Aviation." Chicago Tribune, December 6, 1927. (United States)
--- "Louise Brooks as twins, is - are - a beautiful foil for the stars and if you think she doesn't marry both of them before the picture ends, why, cogitate again, my darlings."

M., E. F. "Films of the Week." Boston Evening Transcript, December 7, 1927.
--- (the film opened simultaneously in five theaters in the Boston area) "But they are persuasive fellows in their bustling way and most of the audience at the Washington Street Olympia this week were so moved by mirth that they were close to tears. Presumably the experience has been the same at the Scollay Square Olympia, the Fenway, the Capitol in Allston and the Central Square in Cambridge."

Cannon, Regina. "Louise Brooks Puts Snap in Now We're in the Air." New York American, December 12, 1927.
--- "Miss Brooks is the brightest spot in Now We're in the Air, for she may be always depended upon to be interesting, trig and snappy."

Harris, Radie. "Now We're in the Air Seen at the Rialto." Morning Telegraph, December 12, 1927.
--- "Louise Brooks is seen as the feminine lead. She essays the role of twins. Which, if you know Louise, is mighty satisfactory. She is decorative enough to admire once, but when you are allowed the privilege of seeing her double, the effect is devastating."

H., J. K. "New Photoplays." New York Post, December 12, 1927.
--- "Louise Brooks wanders in and out between gags. She is very beautiful. She is especially beautiful when seen beside Mr. Beery."

O., H.H. "Stage and Screen." Ann Arbor Daily News, January 3, 1928.
--- "And this time they actually win the girl, or girls, played by the charming Louise Brooks."

anonymous. "King Is Offering Big Laugh Show At 5th Avenue." Seattle Times, January 9, 1928.
--- " . . . an absurd thing filled with laugh-provoking gags."

anonymous. "Beery, Hatton on Capitol Bill." Sacramento Union, January 25, 1928.
--- "The qualities of the film are emphasized with the appearance of delectable Louise Brooks."

Louise Brooks and Now We're in the Air in Australia

My previous post wrote up the forthcoming Louise Brooks retrospective at the Melbourne Cinémathèque in Melbourne, Australia (October 23 through November 6). Though I won't be able to be there in person, the Louise Brooks Society will be there "in spirit" in the form of the credits which roll following Now We're in the Air (1927).

"Enduring Modernity: The Transcontinental Career of Louise Brooks" features seven Louise Brooks films, including the recently found surviving fragment of Now We're in the Air. The Louise Brooks Society had a hand in the preservation of the 1927 film, and are so credited in the credits of the preserved fragment.

The Melbourne Cinémathèque screening of Now We're in the Air marks the first time the film has been shown in Australia in nearly 90 years. In fact, as my forthcoming book, Around the World with Louise Brooks documents, one of the last known screenings of the film anywhere in the world took place in southern Australia in the small town of Balaklava in 1932 -- five years after its American release and well into the sound era.

This newspaper advertisement appeared on the front page of April 14, 1932 edition of the Wooroora Producer, a newspaper based in Balaklava and circulating through Port Wakefield, Bowmans, Long Plains, Avon, Erith, Whitwarta, Mount Templeton, Everard Central, Nantawrra, Hamley Bridge, Mallala Stockyard Creek, Barabba, Alma, Owen, Halbury, Hoyleton and other nearby communities in South Australia. It documents what is in all likelihood the last recorded screenings of Now We’re in the Air. This ad is unusual in that it is dated April 16th, informing locals two days in advance of this small community’s once-a-week screening – in this instance two five year old silent films.

It is probably not coincidental that both films being advertised were released by Paramount. Distant from just about everywhere, Balaklava was likely at the end of the distribution line. Nevertheless, as far as I know, this April 16th screening represented the debut of the film in this part of the world. [Similarly, the last documented screening of another of Louise Brooks' 1927 films, the now lost The City Gone Wild, took place in Darwin, Australia in September, 1931.]

The venue, the Balaklava Institute, was the local town hall. The building opened in 1881, and still stands. Here is what it looks like today.

In researching Around the World with Louise Brook, I've found that Louise Brooks' films were popular in Australia. They showed all over the country, including the island state of Tasmania, in towns and cities both large and small.

If you want to learn more about Now We're in the Air, I would recommend the only book on the film, my 2017 book Now We're in the Air. This companion to the once "lost" 1927 Louise Brooks' film tells the story of the film’s making, its reception, and its discovery by film preservationist Robert Byrne. Also considered is the surprising impact this otherwise little known film had on Brooks’ life and career. The book also features two rare fictionalizations of the movie story, more than 75 little seen images, detailed credits, trivia, and a foreword by Byrne. The book is available on Amazon in many countries, including Australia.

A little something about Now We're in the Air, with Louise Brooks

As you should know by now, a chunk (a technical terms meaning partial) of the 1927 Louise Brooks film Now We're in the Air has been found in Prague at the Czech Republic’s Národní filmový archive (National Film Archive). The restored, 23 minute fragment will be shown June 2 at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Read more about it HERE on the Huffington Post.

In the meantime, here is a little background on the film....

Now We’re in the Air is a comedy about two fliers (a pair of “aero-nuts” also called “looney Lindberghs”) who wander on to a World War I battle field near the front lines. The film was one of a number of aviation-themed stories shot in 1927 (following Lindbergh’s historic solo flight across the Atlantic), as well as one in a popular series of “service comedies” pairing Wallace Beery and Raymond Hatton. Louise Brooks plays the unusual role of twin sisters, one raised French and one raised German, named Griselle & Grisette, who are the love interest of the two fliers.

Arguably, Now We’re in the Air was the most popular American silent in which Brooks appeared. Generally liked by the critics, the film did big box office where ever it showed. In New York City, it enjoyed an extended run, as it did in San Francisco, where it  proved to be one of the biggest hits of the year. At a time when most new releases played only one week, Now We’re in the Air ran for more than a month in San Francisco, where it was extended due to robust ticket sales. In Boston, it also did well, opening simultaneously in five theaters in the area. The Boston Evening Transcript noted, “most of the audience at the Washington Street Olympia this week were so moved by mirth that they were close to tears. Presumably the experience has been the same at the Scollay Square Olympia, the Fenway, the Capitol in Allston and the Central Square in Cambridge.” Newspapers in other large cities like Atlanta, Georgia and St. Louis, Missouri reported a similar reception.

The New Orleans Item noted, “The added feature of Now We’re in the Air is the presence of Louise Brooks as the heroine. One of the cleverest of the new stars, she has immense ability to appear ‘dumb’ but like those early Nineteenth Century actresses, commended by Chas. Lamb, she makes the spectators realize that she is only playing at being dumb.” Radie Harris of the New York Morning Telegraph wrote, “Louise Brooks is seen as the feminine lead. She essays the role of twins. Which, if you know Louise, is mighty satisfactory. She is decorative enough to admire once, but when you are allowed the privilege of seeing her double, the effect is devastating.” The Boston Post added, “You see there are pretty twin sisters, Grisette and Griselle, both played by the fetching Louise Brooks, who marry Wally and Ray, who cannot tell their wives apart except by their dogs, one a poodle, one a daschund.”

The dual role played by Brooks made the film for many critics. Curran D. Swint of the San Francisco News stated, “Both the hulking and ungainly Beery and the cocky little Hatton give goofingly good accounts of themselves. Then there is Louise Brooks. She’s the girl — or the girls — in the case, for Louise is twins in the story, and about this fact much of the comedy is woven.” Across town, A. F. Gillaspey of the San Francisco Bulletin added, “Louise Brooks is the leading woman of this picture. She appears as the twin sisters. This results in some remarkable and very interesting double exposures.”

Mae Tinee, the Chicago Tribune critic who seemed to always champion Brooks, put it this way, “Louise Brooks as twins, is — are — a beautiful foil for the stars and if you think she doesn’t marry both of them before the picture ends, why, cogitate again, my darlings.”

Once Lost Louise Brooks Film Now Online - Watch it NOW

In what is certainly the biggest news since it was found in 2016 (see Huffington Post article), the 23 minute surviving fragment of a once lost Louise Brooks' film, Now We're in the Air, is now online and available for viewing courtesy of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. 

The film located in Prague by Rob Byrne, president of the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. It was restored by the SFSFF and Národní filmový archiv (the Czech National Film Archive). The restored fragment premiered at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival in 2017, and has been shown only a few times around the world since then. It's most recent screening takes place TODAY as part of a major Louise Brooks retrospective at FilmPodium in Zurich, Switzerland. Prior to that, it was shown at the Melbourne Cinémathèque in Melbourne, Australia in 2019.

Now We're in the Air can be seen on the San Francisco Silent Film Festival website  (which features additional information and a program essay) or on the SFSFF's Vimeo page. For this online premiere, the fragment features a musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne. The film is also embedded below.

Now We're in the Air from SF Silent Film Festival on Vimeo.

Now We're in the Air is a farce. And though not a masterpiece, it is still as significant film, not only because of Brooks’ widespread popularity, but because it helps fill a gap in the legendary actress’ body of work. Until now, each of the four films Brooks made in 1927—at the peak of her American career—have been considered lost.

Directed by Frank Strayer, Now We’re in the Air is a World War One comedy starring future Oscar winner Wallace Beery and the once popular character actor Raymond Hatton. The film, released by Paramount, also features Brooks in two supporting roles. The actress plays twins, one raised French, one raised German, who are the love interest of two goofy fliers. The surviving footage of Brooks only includes her in the role of the French twin, a carnival worker dressed in a short, dark tutu. 

My wife and I had a small hand in the preservation of the film, having uncovered the film's continuity as well as other related documents which helped piece the surviving fragments back together in the right order with correct tinting and correct English-language subtitles. Our efforts, along with those of Robert Byrne and others are detailed in my 2017 book, Now We're in the Air: A companion to the once "lost" film. This 130 page, illustrated book tells the story of the film’s making, its reception, and its discovery by film preservationist Robert Byrne. Also considered is the surprising impact this otherwise little known film has had on Brooks’ life and career. With two rare fictionalizations of the movie story, more than 75 little seen images, detailed credits, trivia, and a foreword by Byrne. It is, in my opinion, essential reading for any fan of Louise Brooks. And at a mere $15.00, a bargain as well.

  

 

Help needed to identify actors, airplanes and landscapes from the 1927 Louise Brooks film, Now We're in the Air

I am nearing completion of a project on the once "considered lost" 1927 Louise Brooks film, Now We're in the Air, and need help identifying a few of the actors, the model of airplanes, and perhaps even the locale of some of the exterior shots. As many of you may know, a 23 minute fragment of the film was found in the Czech Republic in 2016 by Robert Byrne, and was shown at the 2017 San Francisco Silent Film Festival and most recently at Pordenone in Italy. IF YOU ARE ABLE TO HELP IDENTIFY ANY OF THE ACTORS OR AIRPLANES OR LOCALES IN THE FOLLOWING IMAGES, PLEASE POST IN THE COMMENTS, OR EMAIL THE LOUISE BROOKS SOCIETY AT silentfilmbuff [AT] gmailDOTcom.   THANK YOU!

Now We’re in the Air was made by Paramount and shot between August 1 and September 8, 1927 at the Paramount studio near Hollywood and on location in nearby Southern California. What else is known is that the following actors appeared in the film:

Wallace Beery as Wally

Raymond Hatton as Ray

Russell Simpsonas Lord Abercrombie McTavish

Louise Brooks as the twins Griselle & Grisette Chelaine

Emile Chautard as Monsieur Chelaine, father of the twins

Malcolm Waite as Professor Saenger

Duke Martin as Top Sargeant

Mattie Witting as Madame Chelaine, mother of the twins (uncredited)

Fred Kohler (uncredited)

The preserved 23-minute fragment of Now We're in the Air show that the film utilized at least a couple dozen additional actors, mostly in crowd shots and/or in the background. A handful of these actors appear again and again (such as the military officers), or are given a fair amount of screen time (such as the carnival workers). I am wondering if anyone can identify any of these uncredited actors?

#1 Group shot of American military officers

 #2 Close-up shot of Allied military officers

 #3 Close-up shot of German military officers
UPDATE: R Michael Pyle identified the shorter officer in the middle left as Theodore von Eltz. Steve Massa identified the the taller officer in the middle as Richard Alexander. 

 

#4 Emile Chautard, the noted French director and actor who plays Brooks' father in the film, is far left. I wonder who the two carnival performers might be?

 #5 Close-up of the knife thrower
UPDATE: Rob Byrne identified the knife thrower as Charles Stevens

 #6 Close-up of the knife thrower's assistant, looking at Wallace Beery

 #7 My understanding is that fifteen airplanes, including some actual WWI aircraft, were used in
the making of the film, including a 76-foot Martin Bomber which was deliberately wrecked
in one of the film’s “big thrill scenes.” Can anyone identify these planes?
UPDATE: fredhedges stated the large aircraft is a Martin MB-1. The scout plane nearest the camera  looks like a Fokker D-VII judging by the tail and struts. The other scout I can't make out from the photos provided.

 #8 A close-up of the larger plane, the Martin bomber?
UPDATE: T0m M stated that the bomber in photo #8 appears to be the same one as in photo #7. In this case we can see four widely and equally spaced wheels, indicative of a Martin MB-1.

 #9 Another close-up of the larger aircraft. Notice the four-wheel configuration. And notice the round landmark in the distance on the left. (This scene was, no doubt, shot in front of a filmed backdrop.)
UPDATE: T0m M stated "Photo #9 is clearly not the same aircraft in photos #7 and #8. Everything is slightly scaled down and simplified. The radiator tops are not as rounded and the skull and crossbones are notably different. The eye sockets are larger and more oval, the nose socket is longer and the bones cross at much closer to a right angle. I believe this is a mock-up to facilitate simulated (i.e. in-studio) aerial shots"

 

 #10 The three aircraft.
UPDATE: T0m M stated "Photo #10 appears to be from Wings. The scouts are the same Curtis P-1 Hawks used in Wings. They are identifiable by wings which are tapered on both leading and trailing edges. As in Wings, the left scout is dark coloured, while the right scout is light coloured. If this is from Wings, the bomber is a Martin MB-2. The bombers in both films are Martins but different versions. This films uses an MB-1, while Wings employs an MB-2."

UPDATE: Vanwall emailed that he came across a link which notes "a low-budget production of Paramount includes a SPAD VII with the same decorations as that of Wings." 

 #11 Now We're in the Air was shot in Southern California, near Los Angeles. Can anyone identify this landscape? Notice the round landmark in the upper right, and the winding road.
UPDATE: missdupont wrote "The shot of the winding road from the balloon looks like it could be the Topanga Canyon area."

UPDATE: Henry Bisharat thought that the landscape resembled "Mulholland Drive over the Hollywood Hills due to the S shape of the road. Best to find maps of the area from 1920s. Mulholland Drive opened in 1924."

 #12 Another landscape view. The round landmark is in the upper left.

 #13 A view of the carnival and the village. Might anyone recognize this mountain formation?
UPDATE: missdupont wrote "The carnival sequences are at the Lasky Ranch in what is now Forest Lawn Hollywood. The hill visible behind is now called Mt. Lee, and the Hollywood Sign is on the other side."

 #14 I couldn't leave it at thirteen images. That would be unlucky. So, here is a crowd shot with
Louise Brooks and some of the extras. Who might the portly fellow to the right of Brooks be?

Win tickets to world premiere of the once lost Louise Brooks' film Now We're in the Air (1927)

How would you like to win a pair of tickets to the world premiere of the recently found & newly restored Louise Brooks' film Now We're in the Air (1927)? The 23-minute fragment will be shown with the recently recovered Clara Bow film, Get Your Man (1927), on Friday June 2nd at the historic Castro Theater in San Francisco. To enter, simply email the Louise Brooks Society (LouiseBrooksSociety AT gmailDOTcom) a sentence or two or three stating as to why you would like to see this very special program. (This contest does not provide transportation to the theater, simply entrance in.) The winner will be picked and announced on Saturday, May 27th.

And what's more, the lucky winner will have a chance to see this very special item which was given to Thomas Gladysz for his help in the restoration of Now We're in the Air. It is a hand-made, analog gif player. Five were made to be given to the principals involved in bringing this Louise Brooks film back from oblivion.

Imagine being among the first people in the world to see these two films 90 years after they were first released--and what's more, to see them on the big screen in a silent era theater and with live musical accompaniment! It's almost like time travel. Here is a little more about this very special event.

FRIDAY, JUNE 2

 San Francisco Silent Film Festival

1:00 pm  $16 / $14
direct ticket link

GET YOUR MAN with live musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne
Directed by Dorothy Arzner | USA, 1927 | 53 m.
With Clara Bow, Charles “Buddy” Rogers, Josef Swickard

Silent-era “It” girl Clara Bow falls for French aristocrat (Buddy Rogers!) after they are locked overnight in a Paris wax museum. There’s a sticking point, though—Rogers’s blueblood is betrothed to another! The Library of Congress has reconstructed the film from recovered materials, filling in missing sequences with key photos and intertitles—and in the process rescuing Bow’s incandescent performance for posterity.
Restored by the Library of Congress
Presented in 35mm

NOW WE'RE IN THE AIR with live musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne
Directed by Frank Strayer | USA, 1927 | 23 m.
With Wallace Beery, Raymond Hatton, Louise Brooks

Plus: SFSFF’s Rob Byrne made a remarkable discovery in the National Film Archive of the Czech Republic—footage from the lost Wallace Beery/Louise Brooks comedy, Now We’re in the Air! He was able to restore the 23-minute fragment in time for its premiere in this program.
Restored by San Francisco Silent Film Festival
Presented in 35mm

Remember, to enter, simply email the Louise Brooks Society (LouiseBrooksSociety AT gmailDOTcom) a sentence or two or three stating as to why you would like to see this very special program.