The Louise Brooks Legacy

What is Louise Brooks' legacy? How was she thought of in the 1920's. How is she thought of today? 

Over on Nitrateville.com - a bulletin board / message board / discussion group for fans of early film - there had been quite a lively discussion taking place on the topic. 

The discussion started (and largely took place) in 2008; however, it was just updated the other day. Check it out at http://nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?t=305&sid=7ef895314254216b0153293a2b1963b8

Agree? Disagree? Why not add your two cents?

Louise Brooks

High Class pictures

I came across this newspaper advertisement just the other day, while going through some microfilm of the West Side Index, the local newspaper in Newman, California (a small town east of San Jose & west of Merced, in Stanislaus County). It, and the other advertisements depicted in this post, are typical of the material I dig up on a regular basis. They also help sketch the history of film exhibition in the region.

By my calculations, it was 82 years ago today that the Star Theater in Newman was showing a high class Paramount Picture "Not Yet Determined." Was it a  film starring Louise Brooks or some other Paramount actor? We'll never know. [Oops, the typesetter misspelled "A Hight Class."]

At this time, in March of 1928, the Star Theater - of which Gus Johnson was proprietor, was showing Paramount films. That wasn't always the case. In my research, I uncovered listings for six of Brooks films having shown in Newman at the Star. I found ads for The Street of Forgotten Men (1925), The American Venus (1926) - and then a gap - and then The City Gone Wild (1927), Now We're In the Air (1927), Beggars of Life (1928), and The Canary Murder Case (1929).

Why there was a gap in the exhibition of Brooks' films isn't known. However, I would guess from having scrolled through reels of microfilm that the theater started out tied to Paramount, shifted over to another studio or went independent, and then shifted back. Remember this was the time of block booking, when local theaters were allied to certain studios and were "obligated" to show most all of that studio's output - whether they wanted to or not. After The American Venus, which the Star screened in April of 1926, the theater seemed to drop Paramount films and instead screened a mix of motion pictures from studios like Universal or MGM. By early 1928, they had shifted back.

Here is another newspaper advertisement for the Star Theater, which dates from the beginning of Brooks' film career and from a time when the Star was allied to Paramount.

This ad dates from early September of 1925, and lists The Street of Forgotten Men as a coming attraction. It is typical of the dozens of "Paramount Week" ads I have collected from all over Northern California and from around the United States. (The Star eventually screened The Street of Forgotten Men in late October.)

Paramount had a stronghold in Northern California. And, as a matter of fact, hardly a week went by in 1926 and 1927 when one of Brooks' films wasn't showing somewhere in the Bay Area. (By my calculations, only 11 weeks passed when a Brooks film wasn't being shown during this 104 week period. That's kinda wow! The question arises: Was it because Brooks was so popular? The answer: Probably not. In all likelihood, Brooks Paramount films were shown as often as they were because her studio was so dominant in the region.)

Here is one last ad, for the Gustine Theater in nearby Gustine, California (just south of Newman). It was also found in the Newman newspaper and dates from March of 1937, near the end of Brooks' film career. 

What's interesting and even unusual about it is that it lists two Brooks' films, Empty Saddles (1936) and When You're in Love (1937) in one ad! I haven't found many instances of such overlap. 

As a matter of fact, and comparatively speaking, I don't have that many ads or listings for Empty Saddles. As a sort of B-Western, it didn't show all that much. Especially compared to When You're in Love, which was a major release from Columbia starring Grace Moore and Cary Grant. It was the most widely shown (in Northern California) of all of Brooks' films. It's too bad that Brooks herself is impossible to spot in it!

I did a search of www.cinematreasures.org for the Star Theater, but wasn't able to find an entry. Nor could I find anything on the Gustine Theater. I will search a little further.

HELP: need Diary of a Lost Girl program or press book

I am currently working on a project concerning the Louise Brooks film, Diary of a Lost Girl (1929). I realize I don't have either a program or press book or campaign book for the film. (A few have slipped through my hands via eBay bidding wars.) And I would really like to look at it.

Does anyone have the issue of Film Kurier with Brooks on the cover (pictured here) which served as a kind of program for the film? Or does anyone have a French campaign book?

I would like to obtain high-res scans (300 dpi) of the Film Kurier issue or of a press book. I would also be interested in stills from the film, as well.

In return, I would be willing to trade high-res scans of other Louise Brooks' French or German press books. I have a bunch of them Please email if you can help.

Molly, in Love em & Leave em

While scrolling through microfilm the other day, a certain cartoon strip caught my eye. It's a four-panel strip from 1929 titled "Molly." Its by John P. Medbury. What caught my eye was the its flapper / Louise Brooks look-alike character (which in itself wasn't uncommon in the late 1920's, especially in the world of cartooning. One need only think of J.P. McEvoy and John Striebel's "Dixie Dugan," or Bill Conselman and Charles Plumb's "Ella Cinders.") The bobbed flapper is kinda cute, and the story here reminded me of the plot behind the Brooks film, Love Em and Leave Em (1926).

I wasn't able to find much on Medbury (1893-1947), except that he was a well known humorist in his day and was involved with the film world as a narrator and contributor of dialogue. He even appeared in Screen Snapshots Series 10, No. 6 (1931) along with Zasu Pitts, Bebe Daniels, Mary Pickford, Cecil B. DeMille and others. Two of Brooks one-time  stage and film co-stars,Will Rogers and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., also appeared in that short.

Medbury was a contributor to the New York Evening Journal, where he was a contemporary of Rube Goldberg and George “Krazy Kat” Herriman. According to the newspaper, Medbury's "writings in the Evening Journal are the most sensational, humorous additions to the present era of American literature. Recognized among humorous writers of the country as the 'greatest giggle generator,' 'the liveliest laugh laureate' and 'the champion chuckle cannonader.'" And indeed, his four-panel "If Not, Why Not" put a smile on my face.

Doubly interesting

On Friday, I spent the afternoon at the State Library of California in Sacramento going through yet more microfilm of California newspapers. This time, I went through a few years of newspapers from both Yuba City and Marysville, as well as a few reels from Grass Valley and Merced. One advertisement I came across turned out to be unique - and doubly interesting.

So far, in my quixotic quest to document instances of Louise Brooks films being shown in Northern California, I have documented some 750 to 800 screenings. Most took place in the Twenties and Thirties. One screening I came across - from the Atkins Theatre in Yuba City - is unique. I have never come across anything like it. Here is an advertisement for that event.

Many times, as was common in the silent film era, a film was preceded by a short or a stage act with musicians or Vaudeville performers. This was true for Brooks' films. Sometimes, a film played as part of a double bill. Once or twice, two of Brooks' films were even shown together.

What makes this screening unique is that The Street of Forgotten Men (1925) was preceded by a live stage play, The Waifs of New York. Of all of the hundreds of ads I have looked at - I have never come across such a pairing, a film with a stage play. What also makes this doubly interesting is that the film was paired with a thematically similar work. Both stories are set among the down-and-out in New York City.

And if that isn't enough, this unique event took place in February of 1927 - that's nearly a year-and-a-half after The Street of Forgotten Men was released! That's pretty late in the film's history, as most films did not continue to circulate after more than a year or so during the silent film era.

[I haven't been able to find much about The Waifs of New York. It may date from the late 1800's, and may be a one-act. Does anyone know anything about it? Otherwise, I was able to find a little about the Atkins Theatre. I believe it was one of two in Yuba City, and was owned by a fellow named Atkins who lived in nearby Marysville.]

Brazilian musical tribute

F.C. Perini is a Brasilian fan of Louise Brooks as well as a songwriter. He only just recently discovered the actress, and just as soon joined the Louise Brooks Society. Apparently, Perini was so taken by Brooks that he put together this musical tribute which features his music. Enjoy.

Turning Japanese

Continuing the international flavor of some of the recent LBS blog posts, I notice that a copy of a scarce Japanese book about Louise Brooks is currently for sale on eBay. The seller's description reads, in part: " . . . published by Chuokorou-Sha, Tokyo, 1984, 122 pages, large hardcover in dust jacket with photographic endpapers, 10.25" by 10.25". Text in Japanese. Scarce Japanese book on silent screen legend Brooks, profusely illustrated with over 100 film stills, portraits, and publicity images. Beautifully printed and very uncommon."

Indeed, it is an uncommon and rather nifty book. I have a copy in my collection. Here is a dusty scan of my scuffed copy.

Creamer tops issued in Switzerland

This always amuses me when ever I come across it. Pictured above is a set of contemporary creamer tops issued in Switzerland by Floralp. It is currently for sale on eBay. 

These are foil tops from the small plastic milk / cream pots used in restaurants. This set carries pictures of famous movie stars on the front - including Marilyn Monroe, Louise Brooks, Errol Flynn, John Wayne, Judy Garland, Steve McQueen, Vivien Leigh, and Clark Gable. The reverse side of each top carries the name of a film the actor or actress appeared in.

Louise Brooks appeared in films with two of the stars pictured above. Do you know which two? She also may have had an affair with another. . . .