Check out this sketch of Dixie Dugan by John Striebel. It's part of an eBay auction which includes some letters and notes between Louise Brooks (the inspiration behind the long running comic strip) and Striebel (the artist who drew the strip). Very nifty!
Today, I renewed my subscription to Paper of Record, a searchable online database featuring lots of old newspapers. This particular database is especially rich in Canadian and Mexican papers, but it also has a few American papers. I found a couple of advertisements and a review of the March, 1924 Denishawn performance in Galt, Ontario in the Galt Evening Reporter. A nice find! (And now I won't have to do an inter-library loan request for this performance.) I also found some ads and a couple of articles in the Drumheller Mail (from Drumheller, Alberta). Nothing too special, but its always nice to have more Canadian clippings. I also searched El Informador, from Guadalajara, Mexico. I only came up with a bunch of plain advertisements - though in Spanish and featuring the Mexican titles. Except with Mendigos de vida, where she was listed as Louise Brooks, our favorite flapper was listed as Louisa Brooks.
Among the American papers, I found some film advertisements and brief mentions in the Lock Haven Express and the Williamsport Grit (both from Pennslyvania). The Grit was a weekly newspaper, with both a local and national edition. On July 1, 1928 the national edition of the Grit carried a small, captioned photo of Louise Brooks on the front page. The item was titled "Star Gets Divorce." Paper of Record also had a long run of the Afro American. This newspapers was the leading news provider for African-Americans in the Baltimore / Washington, DC Metropolitan area as well as being the longest running African-American, family-owned newspaper in the nation. My search under "Louise Brooks" turned up little, which is not surprising. However, I did find a brief write-up regarding Beggars of Life (1928). The paper noted the important role Edgar "Blue" Washington (and African-American actor) had in the film.
Citations have been added to the respective bibliographies.
A number of new citations have been added to the various Louise Brooks Society bibliographies. . . . As this week's trip to the library turned-up a bit more material. I looked through the Fairbault Daily Times (from Fairbault, Minnesota), and found some articles and advertisements related to the Denishawn performance there in March, 1924. I also went through a few more months of the Hollywood Citizen News, and found a single captioned photo of Louise Brooks and Barrett O'Shea. . . . This week, I have also been scouring some online newspaper databases, and scored some interesting Denishawn clippings from the Davenport Democrat & Leader (from Davenport, Iowa). As well, I also found some small town clippings relating to screenings of Brooks' films in The Bee (from Danville, Virginia) and the Circleville Herald (from Circleville, Ohio) and Daily Courier (from Connellsville, Pennslyvania).
Kino will be releasing Prix de Beaute (1930) on DVD on March 7, 2006. Run time is 88 minutes. (Black & White, Subtitled, NTSC, Region 1.)
Speaking of comic strips, here is a curiousity I recently came across. It dates from September, 1931.
There is an article in today's London Independent newspaper about Baby Peggy. Its worth reading. According to the article, "Baby Peggy was able to reinvent herself. As Diana Serra Cary, she has become a respected journalist and film historian, often mining her own past in her work. She is not the last living silent movie star (fellow child actor Frank "Junior" Coghlan is still alive, as is the silent actress Barbara Kent) but she is the only one still seen regularly in public."
Cary's memoir What Ever Happened to Baby Peggy? is quite good. I read it and "fell in love" with this adorable and talented child star. Her life, however, was something of a tragedy. Cary is very nice in person. I had a chance to meet her a few times, and even hosted her for an event at the bookstore where I work. She was also a guest at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival a few years back, where her four books set a record for most sold during her booksigning. Cary's groundbreaking book on fellow child star Jackie Coogan is also recommended . . . . Somewhere I have some snapshots of Cary and I . . . . (And of course, I asked her about Louise Brooks. Cary never met her, but knew of her. Cary starred in a film with Clara Bow, Helen's Babies, and had much to say about the IT girl.)
This blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society™. Launched in 1995, the Louise Brooks Society is a pioneering website and online archive devoted to the legendary silent film star. The Louise Brooks Society operates with the consent of the Estate of Louise Brooks (Louise Brooks Heirs, LC), and have its permission to use the name and likeness of the actress. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. CONTACT: louisebrookssociety (at) gmail.com
