Louise Brooks

A somewhat serious, though nice portrait of Louise Brooks, by George P. Hommel (circa 1928)

Inglourious Basterds

According to an article on MSNBC.com, Pandora's Box director G.W. Pabst is mentioned in the new Quentin Tarantino film, Inglourious Basterds. I'm not sure if Louise Brooks - the star of Pandora's Box - get's a shout out or not.

According to the article, characters in the film (who include French Resistance cinephiles) talk about the movies while dropping the names of various films and historical figures. It doesn't quite make sense to me, but like any Tarantino movie, I guess you have to see it to understand it. Here is what the article says about Pabst.

• G.W. Pabst: Famous German Expressionist director, mostly known for “Pandora’s Box,” starring Louise Brooks. Another filmmaker referenced in “Basterds” by its cast of movie-mad characters who talk and talk and talk about films when they’re not plotting each other’s demise, the Nazis weren’t fans of his Weimar era “decadence.”

Has anyone see Inglourious Basterds? And if so, what gives ?

Lulu - Peyote Beaded Bracelet

This nifty Peyote Beaded Bracelet, currently for sale on Itsy, was featured today on the local NBC website here in the San Francisco Bay Area. The bracelet features an image of Louise Brooks. Maria C. Baca, the nbcbayarea.com correspondent, wrote "We're impressed with anyone who does anything remotely crafty, but you have to agree that this bracelet is ridiculously awesome. Local jewelry maker Roia O'Brien strung together hundreds of beads to create this photographic-like image of flapper Louise Brooks ($468)."

O'Brien's Itsy description reads, "Handmade Art Deco style copper clasps adorn this beautiful beaded bracelet. The image of Louise Brooks, the original flapper is beaded using a peyote stitch. All the shading is created with various colored seed beads placed in just the right position to create an almost photographic effect. A copper lobster clasp and handmade chain, embellished with pale mint swarovski crystals and vintage charms secure Louise to your wrist at whatever length will fit you best."


I think it is kinda cool, and well done. If I were a girl and had an extra $468.00, I would snap it up (pun intended).

Shout out

I gave a shout out to Louise Brooks in my new article on the recently released Bardeleys the Magnificent DVD at http://www.examiner.com/x-7605-SF-Silent-Movie-Examiner~y2009m8d11-Bardeleys-the-Magnificent-is-that Please do check it out.

Budd Schulberg

Budd Schulberg, writer and screenwriter, dies at 95. He appeared in the documentary, Louise Brooks, Looking for Lulu.

Budd Schulberg was the son of film mogul B.P. Schulberg (and knew many early film stars), collaborated with F. Scott Fitzgerald, arrested the Nazi filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, and wrote the screenplay for On the Waterfront and A Face in the Crowd. I will treasure my signed copy of his classic Hollywood novel, What Makes Sammy Run?

Be sure and check out the long New York Times obit at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/06/movies/06schulberg.html It includes a worthwhile, 17 minute video interview.

A turn of fate

I was lucky.

Or perhaps fate was making up for having dealt me such a poor hand in Sacramento - but today's trip to the San Francisco Public Library was especially productive. I went through four months of the San Francisco Examiner, and found more than a dozen listings for 1937 screenings of When You're in Love.

And that's not all! I also found three listings for Empty Saddles, Louise Brooks' 1936 western with Buck Jones. Such listings - especially from a large metropolitan area - are very rare. Empty Saddles was a B-western, and such films didn't screen in the big cities. (See my bibliography and its dearth of reviews.)

Naturally, I was excited.

One of the listings I found paired Empty Saddles with When You're in Love! Imagine that, a Louise Brooks "double bill" (well almost) in 1937. I wonder if anyone in the Lincoln theater (located at 6th Ave. and Clement) realized as much. And what's more, another of the listings I found was for a screening at the Noe theatre (located at 24th and Noe). That theatre, which no longer exists, was located just 10 minutes from where I now live in San Francisco.

So far, here is what I have found for Empty Saddles.

Empty Saddles Bay Area Screenings: Jose in San Jose (June 20-21, 1937); Lincoln in San Francisco (June 20-22, 1937 with When You’re in Love); Noe in San Francisco (July 4-5, 1937 with King & the Chorus Girl); Verdi in San Francisco (July 25-26, 1937 with History is Made at Night); Senator in Oakland (Dec. 23, 1937).

Gosh, if anyone knows of any other screenings of Empty Saddles in San Francisco, or anywhere, I would love to know.