New Chaplin bio

It seems as though there is a new book or two out on Charlie Chaplin every few years. Forthcoming from Faber and Faber isChaplin: The Life and Times of a Tramp, by Simon Louvish. That should be good. I have a couple of other film books by this noted British film biographer, and each is worthwhile.

Just released is Chaplin: A Life, by Stephen Weissman, M.D. What makes this book stand out among the dozens of earlier books on the actor is the fact that it is not by a film historian or biographer, but a medical doctor. And what's more, the book is endorsed by Geraldine Chaplin, Charlie's daughter. Geraldine (who will always be favorite of mine because of her role as Tonya in Dr. Zhivago) wrote an introduction to the book, and a quote from that short piece graces the cover. "Always provocative and at times heart wrenching . . . An important addition to an understanding of my father's genius and art."

As every Louise Brooks fan knows, Chaplin had a brief but intense affair with then 18 years old Brooks in the summer of 1925. The affair is detailed in Barry Paris' outstanding biography of the actress. In his new book, Weissman cover the same ground in a few paragraphs over the course of a couple of pages. Weissman notes "Looking back on their amorous interlude many years later, Louise recalled with good-natured amusement Chaplin's odd habit of painting his penis with iodine to protect himself from contracting a venereal disease. As she put it, 'Charlie came running at me with his little red sword'."

Seemingly, this is a new source for this particular anecdote. The red sword-iodine detail is attributed to an "Unpublished letter from Jan Wahl to the author" dating from 1989. Today, Wahl is a well-known children's book author. But in the 1950's, as a young man on a Fullbright in Denmark, he met and befriended the then middle-aged actress. Brooks and Wahl corresponded for years afterword.



Chaplin: A Life, by Stephen Weissman, M.D., looks like a good read. It takes a psychoanalytical approach to the Chaplin's life and films. Thank you to my longtime friend Tom McIntyre - publisher sales rep extraordinaire - who alerted me to this new book. Thanx Tom! You are a gentelman and a scholar.

100 Most Influential People in Fashion

The editors of Zimbio.com have named the 100 people who they think have made the greatest impact on the way we dress - from Coco Chanel to Andre 3000. Louise Brooks comes in at #83, in between Gwen Stefani at 82 and David LaChappelle at 84. The complete list, for those curious to know who made the list (and who didn't), can be found here.

Our favorite silent film star also got her own facile Zimbio.com page outlining her career and contributions to 20th century fashion. (Hey - it's Kenneth Tynan, not "Kenneth Tyman.")

New Victor Fleming book

There is a new book out on director Victor Fleming. The book is called Victor Fleming: American Movie Master, and it is by Michael Sragow, film critic for the Baltimore Sun and a contributor to the New Yorker.  The book - which looks like a great read - received a nice review by Jeanine Bassinger in today's New York Times.

Fleming, for those not familiar with his name but undoubtably familiar with his work, was active during the silent film era. He directed Clara Bow in Mantrap, but is best known today for two later films, The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind. Fleming and Bow also had an affair.  Though they never worked together, Louise Brooks is referenced a few times and quoted twice in this new book.

Louise Brooks in Vanity Fair

Thanks to film and magazine maven Jim Barter, who pointed out that Louise Brooks is included in an image in the January 2009 issue of Vanity Fair.

The magazine, which has just hit newsstands, includes a picture of the exterior of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), which in turn features some of the images included in a traveling photography exhibit, "Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913-2008." Louise Brooks, Gloria Swanson, Jean Harlow and Leslie Howard are among those seen on page 45 of the magazine. Check it out.

Prix de Beaute in Pittsburgh tonight!

Prix de Beaute will be shown in Pittsburgh tonight! An article in today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes

 

A little-seen Louise Brooks film called "Prix de Beaute" will screen tonight at 8 at the Andy Warhol Museum. It's part of an "Unseen Treasures From the George Eastman House Film Series."

Tickets, $7.50, will be available at the door.

Brooks plays a French typist who wins a Miss Europe beauty contest, only to find it complicates her life. Dialogue is in French, with no subtitles, but Cecile Desandre will speak Brooks' lines in English.

PG film critic Barry Paris, author of a biography on Brooks, will introduce the 1930 film directed by Augusto Genina. Go towww.warhol.org for directions and other details.

Additional information about this 8:00 pm screening can be found on the Warhol Museum website. I wish I could be there!

Pandora's Box popular again

According to an article in today's Capital Times, a 1929 Louise Brooks film is proving to be popular once again, at least in Madison, Wisconsin. The article, "Local stores have the best flicks you've never heard of," starts by declaring "Three of Madison's independent video stores take pride in their eclectic selections." The article then goes on the note a few of the more in-demand though lesser known titles in the area.

At Video Station, manager Jerry Shank takes some glee out of the fact his store carries "Tuya's Marriage."

Haven't heard of it? "Who has?" he said. "It's a Mongolian comedy about sheep herders."

Shank is also proud of the restored silent version of "The Passion of Joan of Arc" the University Avenue store carries. Another silent film, "Pandora's Box" with Louise Brooks, has been a popular rental lately.

"The Chicago Lyric Opera was doing 'Lulu,' and 'Pandora's Box' is based on that," Shank said. "I guess people who were going to Chicago were renting it."

Let's hear it for Madison, Wisconsin.

Did they ever meet?

Just recently, Google announced that they were incorporating magazines into their book search. So, being the dutiful bibliographer, I spent the afternoon searching on Louise Brooks at http://books.google.com/

The program is new, and apparently there aren't too many magazines so far indexed. And the ones that have been indexed, like Popular Science and Popular Mechanics and the Bulletin of Atomic Sceientists, aren't likely to turn up results of interest to me. However, one periodical that did yield some worthwhile results was New York magazine. Searching under "Louise Brooks" turned up a couple or three articles I was already familiar with, as well as numerous listings for screenings of Brooks' films (especially Pandora's Box) throughout the 1980's and 1990's.

The most unusual material I came across using this new keyword search ability was a couple of classified advertisements from 1995. The first dates from August, and the second from October, of that year. I wonder, did these two lonely souls with a penchant for Lulu ever meet?

Have you seen?

As I mentioned in my previous post, a large number of images featuring Louise Brooks are for sale on eBay. (A search under the actress' name should reveal the auctions in question.) On each auction page, individuals may view nice big scans of the prints for sale; and what's more, there are a some scarce images to be found. Here is a particularly nice example. The photo is by Nishiyama.

Go look, go look

Go look, go look. A bunch of portraits of Louise Brooks have just shown up on eBay. They are part of a lot being auctioned by Profiles in History auction house. The opening bids for each item is $100.00 - though I am sure each will go for a lot more. (Curiously, the estimates are only in the $200.00 to $300.00 range! How cheap!)

Interested individuals can view nice big scans of the prints for sale, and what's more, there are a some scarce images. I had not seen a few of these before - including a one or two by George P. Hommel and Otto Dyer. There is also a lovely example of a Eugene Richee image.