Magic & Romance of Art Dolls

A book I've never seen before, Magic & Romance of Art Dolls, is for sale on eBay. According to the item description,

Some of the real and fictional characters which were fashioned into dolls and illustrated in the book are Ziegfield Follies girl Marilyn Miller, Josephine Baker, Louise Brooks, Gloria Swanson, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Charlie Chaplin, Rudolf Valentino, Shirley Temple, Felix the Cat, Betty Boop, Madame Butterfly, Mimi, Carmen, Pierrot and Madame Pompadour.

Unfortunately, the seller doesn't picture the Louise Brooks doll, as far as I can figure. Here is the book, with Valentino on the cover.

Christina Aguilera does Louise Brooks

According to an article in the Toronto Globe and Mail, pop star Christina Aguilera impersonated Louise Brooks at a recent concert. The newspaper's reporter noted:

Visually, the show felt like a Broadway fantasia on themes from the thirties, with references to the steamy vigour of the Savoy Ballroom, to the white-clad elegance of the Cotton Club, and to the risqué pantomime of Clara Bow and Louise Brooks (both impersonated by Ms. Aguilera in videos made to look like silent films). A montage of tabloid front pages rolling off an old printing press projected Ms. Aguilera (the subject of every headline) into the period's media machinery, while she sang about how women need to defeat double standards.

Libby Holman's word game

This item appeared in a Walter Winchell column back in the early 1930's. Louise Brooks makes an appearance . . . . Brooks Atkinson was a famous critic of the time.

Anna May Wong article

There is an interesting article about Anna May Wong reproduced onto the alt.movies.silent newsgroup. Check it out here.

Inspiration

According to the item description on eBay, the image of Louise Brooks shown below inspired the color study for the cover of Leanta Books edition of Edgar Rice Burroughs A Princess of Mars, also shown below. THe artist is named Burton. Check it out for yourself here.

Care to subscribe?

This recent subscription card for the New York Review of Books features a caricature of Louise Brooks by David Levine. Thanx to Dwight Cocke for passing this along.

Newspapers reject Lulu ad

According to a report in today's Hartford Courant, two newspapers have rejected a newspaper advertisement for an upcoming production of "Lulu." The Courant article stated "An advertisement promoting the upcoming play "Lulu" at Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven was rejected last week by The New York Times and the New Haven Register as not meeting advertising standards." This LiveJournal had blogged about the production a few days ago. Here is a copy of the offending advertisement.



The article went on to note, "Frank Wedekind's 'Lulu' plays were banned when they published in the late 19th and early 20th centuries," says Jacques Lemarre, associate marketing director for Yale Rep. "As a result, we knew that the image created for our upcoming production needed to be provocative. Director Mark Lamos has said that his production will contain nudity and sexual situations, and Yale Rep's advertisements reflect that content. While we are disappointed that some newspapers are rejecting our ads, we believe they are tasteful, yet indicative of the mature content of the Yale Rep production. . . ."

The Courant article also added, "Lulu" centers on a charismatic yet innocent temptress who seduces men, causing their doom. Wedekind's two plays -- titled "Earth Spirit" and "Pandora's Box" -- collectively make up "Lulu" and were made into a celebrated German silent film calledPandora's Box starring Louise Brooks. It was also the basis of an Alban Berg opera of the same name."

I think the ad is tasteful. And I wish I lived nearby and could attend the production. I hope all Lulu / Louise Brooks fans in the New Haven area turn out to show their support. More about the production can be found at  www.yalerep.org/lulu.html