Louise Brooks il diavolo a Hollywood

La Stampa, an Italian newspaper, ran an article about or mostly about Louise Brooks in today's paper. The article, by Osvalda Guerrieri, is titled "Louise Brooks il diavolo a Hollywood."

"The Vanity"

Just finished reading "The Vanity," an unpublished story by a published writer which features a distant, almost ghostly Louise Brooks character. The story, which I enjoyed a good deal - it's a kind of gentle fantasy, reminded me of the work of Jack Finney. And what's more, the story contains a couple of incidental shout-outs to the Louise Brooks Society and myself. More on it when it gets published.

A youthful Louise Brooks

This unusual though not rare image of a youthful Louise Brooks is for sale on eBay. I have seen it before, though it has been seldom reproduced. According to the seller, it comes from the September 1925 issue of Arts and Decoration magazine. The portrait of Brooks, then a showgirl and likely no older than 18 years old at the time, is by John DeMirjian - the same photographer involved in the "draped nudes" scandal & lawsuit. The image was part of an article by the famous theater critic George Jean Nathan.

Another significant find!

On and off for more than a few years I have been searching for any sort of record regarding a couple of appearances Louise Brooks made in 1935. At the time, she was working as a ballroom dancer as part of a dance act known as Dario and Brooks.

In his biography, Barry Paris recounts a number of Brooks' dance performances. "Louise and Dario danced at the Place Pigalle for almost three months - until January 5, 1935 - a phenomenal run by dance-act standards. From there they went on tour, performing at the Embassy Club in Miami, the Patio in Palm Beach, and clubs in Indiana and Kentucky, returning to New York in between engagements at the Central Park Casino and the Capital Theatre . . . ."

Over the years, I have been able to find material (listings, advertisements, articles, etc...) about each of these performances. Sometimes, that material has been interesting and surprising. However, the only two performances I couldn't find material on were the appearances in Indiana and Kentucky. They were the two I had the least to go on.

Well, eureka. After more than a few years and a number of attempts, I finally found something on the Kentucky appearance. It took hours of looking through microfilm of Kentucky newspapers, scrolling and skimming and reading each day's paper for months on end. Here is what I found.

This plain advertisement may not seem like much, but it is the first record found on this particular 1935 engagement in Kentucky. I was thrilled to find it. And hopefully, I'll be able to uncover even more with additional searching. Now that I know when and where to look.

Flying Elephants

Today, I finally had a chance to see Flying Elephants, a 1928 silent short starring Laurel & Hardy. I'm not a big, big fan of the comedic duo. (My Father was, however. I remember him watching their sound films on numerous occasions, just about whenever they were shown on TV back in the 1960's. Somehow, I simply didn't inherit the gene.) Nevertheless, I found this film quite amusing.

My interest in this particular Laurel & Hardy film lay in the fact that Fay Lanphier has a bit part in it. Though bit part may be putting it generously. Lanphier, of course, was the 1925 Miss America, a San Francisco Bay Area celebrity during the Jazz Age, and the nominal star of the 1926 film, The American Venus. That film, of course, also features Louise Brooks.

I have long been interested in Lanphier, via her connection with Brooks. She's an interesting figure. At the time, much was made of her appearance in The American Venus and of her prospects for a career in the movies. That career, however, never materialized for reasons not readily apparent.

Lanphier's brief appearance in Flying Elephants was her second and last role in the movies. It came two years after her role in The American Venus. Lanphier, an attractive honey blonde, is on screen for no more than a minute or so near the beginning of the film. Lanphier is easily noticed. She is the only blonde in the entire 17 minute short!

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a copy of Flying Elephants available for online viewing. Nevertheless, those interested in Lanphier can catch a glimpse of her in all that remains of The American Venus, a minute long trailer. It can be found on YouTube. Lanpier is the bobbed-hair blonde at the center of a group of women standing on stage. There quickly follows a brief close-up. The trailer is embedded below.

Are there any other Fay Lanphier fans out there? If so, please contact me. I would like to share information. I have a two inch think file folder of material about her.

1920's Louise Brooks Cuban Tobacco Card

For sale on eBay, a 1920's tobacco card from Cuba depicting Louise Brooks (identified as "Louise Brook"). Spanish language text on the reverse identifies this card as number 716 in the "Serie Artistica."

Tobacco cards, sometimes also referred to as cigarette cards (or candy cards), were small promotional items packaged along with items like cigarettes or candy.

The image on the card was taken by M.I. Boris. The actress looks especially lovely in this portrait. She was probably no older than 18 or 19 at the time.

Interestingly, Louise Brooks had something of a presence in Cuba. I have managed to look through a few Cuban magazines and newspapers from the 1920s and have run across her image a number of times. Paramount did a good job promoting the actress on the island.

I also own a vintage box of stick matches which features Brooks' image. I've bid on this item. Let's hope I win. Then, at last, the match box will be "reunited" with the cigarette card. (Who knows, maybe the matches once lit a smoke from a package which contained just such a card....)