Louise Brooks, about to take the plunge

This little seen picture of Louise Brooks is currently for sale on eBay. I am not certain, but it might have been taken at the actresses' Laurel Canyon home nestled in the hills above Los Angeles. If so, it was probably taken during the time Brooks was married to Eddie Sutherland.

The seller, who lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina notes that the image had been printed in Cruzeiro Magazine in the 1920's. That publication came out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Louise Brooks shines in Starstruck

If you haven't already seen it or heard about it, the big new film book of the year is Ira M. Resnick's Starstruck: Vintage Movie Posters from Classic Hollywood (Abbeville).

This gorgeous, over-sized, full color, heavily illustrated, beautifully printed, weighs-a-ton, hardback coffee table book spans the years 1912 to 1962. It includes many rare and wonderful examples of silent era movie art within its 272 pages. All together, the book features vivid reproductions of 250 posters and forty stills. To see some examples, follow the various links contained at the end of this blog. Each of the linked-to pages contains a slide show, picture gallery, or nice selection of images!.

Starstruck includes rare posters and lobby cards featuring the likes of Lillian Gish, Greta Garbo, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino, Gloria Swanson, Marlene Dietrich and many others. AND, I'm also pleased to report, Louise Brooks - whom the author describes as "one of my all-time favorite actresses."

Resnick, who made his name as a photographer and the owner of the Motion Picture Arts Gallery (the first gallery devoted exclusively to the art of the movies) writes about his "passion" for Brooks and relays a couple of anecdotes behind his acquisition of some truly marvelous lobby cards, posters, one sheets, and stills. For those keeping count, there are ten drop-dead gorgeous Brooks-related images in the book. And, courtesy of the publisher, a few of them are included here. I plan on including a couple more in future blogs.

One of the centerpieces of the book and of Resnick's self-described "Louise Brooks collection" was a 1929 Austrian film poster for Das Tagebuch einer Verlorenen. This unique object promotes the opening The Diary of a Lost Girl in Vienna on September 27, 1929 - prior to its better known debut in Berlin in October of the same year.

Resnick found the poster in California, and writes about its exceptional draftsmanship and Brooks' "confrontational and submissive" pose. Resnick adds, "For years it was the centerpiece of my collection, the first thing that a visitor would see upon entering the gallery. It was one of my most precious possessions."

However, after ten years and the pleasure of having owned it for so long, Resnick sold it to a private collector for the record setting sum of $80,000. (A modern poster adapting Brooks' provocative image and issued by the Motion Picture Arts Gallery in the 1980's is also included in this new book. The poster reproduced in Starstruck is signed by the actress with the inscription, "To Ira Resnick love Louise Brooks, June 16, 83.")

To learn more about this exceptional title, visit the publisher's page at www.abbeville.com. Or, check out these informative reviews of the book at Women's Wear Daily (WWD) and Today'sVintage. Also, DON'T MISS this short BBC video which includes Resnick and others. (Louise Brooks is its secret star.)

Upcoming events with the Ira Resnick will take place at UCLA's Billy Wilder Theater in Los Angeles on May 21st at 6 pm, and at the George Eastman House Dryden Theatre in Rochester, New York on June 11th at 8:00 pm. For those in the San Francisco Bay Area, Ira Resnick will be attending this summers' San Francisco Silent Film Festival. (Their blog also has a write-up on the book.) Copies of Starstruck will be on sale at the Festival, and Resnick will be signing books on Saturday, July 17th.

If you can't wait till then, or can't make one of these events, Starstruck: Vintage Movie Posters from Classic Hollywood is available on-line or through independent bookstores.

Ed Sullivan, on Louise Brooks

An East Coast collector recently sent me a scan of this note which he wanted me to share with the Louise Brooks fans which read this blog.I think it pretty much speaks for itself.

According to Wikipedia, "Ed Sullivan (1901 – 1974) was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the presenter of a TV variety show called The Ed Sullivan Show that was broadcast from 1948 until 1971. Its 23-year run made it one of the longest-running variety shows in U.S. broadcast history." Before he got on TV, Sullivan had worked as columnist for the New York Daily News. I have run across a few of his syndicated columns from 1938 and 1939 which mentioned Louise Brooks.

Lulu in London in June

Frank Wedekind's Lulu, the stage plays which was the basis for the 1929 G.W. Pabst film, Pandora's Box, will be performed in west London at the Gate Theatre in Notting Hill Gate. The play will enjoy a month-long run, from June 10 to July 10, 2010. More info here.

This version of Wedekind's masterpiece is adapted and directed by Anna Ledwich. The play is designed by Helen Goddard, with lighting by Emma Chapman. Sinead Matthews stars as Lulu.

 

According to the Gate Theater, "Wedekind drew inspiration from circus and variety to create a play that would entertain, thrill and shock. This provocative new production revels in the danger of fatal, decadent desires, harnessing the raw power and precariousness of sexuality to unmask the LULU enigma."

Iceland and Louise Brooks, in the news

The recent eruption of a volcano in Iceland and the havoc it is causing across Europe has returned the island nation to the news.

Louise Brooks has also been "in the news" in Iceland. Here is the front page of a November, 1931 issue of the Morgunbladid newspaper from Reykjavik, Iceland. The advertisement in the upper left hand corner is for the 1930 film, Prix de Beaute, which in Icelandic was called Fegurdardrottning Evropu. The actress' name is in bold and all caps.

Other examples of advertisements for Brooks' film can be found. Individuals interested in further exploring the online Morgunbladid newspaper archive should visit this page. It is part of the VESTNORD project (1696-2002). Of course, the handful of newspapers found there are in the Icelandic language, but keyword searches in English under the name of an actor or actress will get some results. And from there, one can start to piece together bit and pieces.

A Girl in Every Port

A recently re-watched the 1928 film, A Girl in Every Port, which stars Victor McLaglen and Louise Brooks.Its a film I don't much care for - but this time I found myself liking it more than ever. Here is a promotional picture for this Fox film.

Louise Brooks art #2

This is the second installment of an irregular series of posts highlighting "Louise Brooks art" - paintings, drawings, photographs, collages, cartoons, sculpture, etc . . . . all featuring the silent film star Louise Brooks, or at least in some way inspired by the actress.

I used to work as a syndicated art critic, and in my day I have looked through a lot of art books - both old and new. My favorite period is the early 20th century. Thus, I thought this entry in the series would focus on a couple of kindred historic examples.

The first is a 1929 photomontage by Herbert Bayer titled "Profil en face." Brooks' likeness is a dominant element in the work. This obscure piece has been reproduced in at least a couple of books including  the way beyond 'art' - the work of herbert bayer (Wittenborn, Schultz), from 1949.

Bayer (1900 – 1985), was an Austrian-born graphic designer, painter, photographer, sculptor, interior designer and architect who at the end of his life was  widely recognized as the last living member of the Bauhaus. His best known work may be "Lonely Metropolitan" (which depicts a pair of hands, eyes in their palms, floating before the facade of a building).

The second example of Louise Brooks in a early 20th century piece of art is by Edward Burra. The piece is titled "Composition Collage," and dates from 1929 / 1930. This equally obscure piece also includes the face of the actress (far right), as well as that of Lon Chaney. I am also sure the female face to the far left belongs to someone I have seen before, but just can't recall at this time. Do you know?

Edward Burra (1905 – 1976) was an English painter, draughtsman and print maker, best known for his depictions of the urban underworld. To my eyes, his work, or at least this piece, has a decidedly German Expressionist feel.

Do you know of other early 20th century art which includes a likeness of Louise Brooks? Perhaps some collage or montage by a Czech surrealist? If so, I would love to hear from you. Send an email or post a comment. Maybe, if there were enough of it, we could create a secret museum devoted to the actress.

Louise Brooks on music flier

Jason alerted me to a flier he found recently which features an image of Louise Brooks. It promotes an upcoming June 12th show in Phoenix, Arizona featuring two bands, Cheap Girls from Lansing, Michigan and The Menzingers from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

According to the Pyscho Steve Presents website, "Cheap Girls from Lansing, Michigan will be back in Phoenix at The Rogue Bar on Saturday June 12th. With them will be The Menzingers.

The honest and straightforward rock that Cheap Girls brings might successfully transport some to the days when slick overproduction was unheard of and autotuned vocals were just a myth. Influenced by the Lemonheads, Superchunk, The Old 97’s, Green Day, Superdrag and Samiam, they produce a sound filled with pounding drums, jangly guitars and super sweet vocal melodies that harkens back to a simpler time and place. The band is now on Paper and Plastick with their last album/first for the label Find Me a Drink Home having come out last year."

I don't know if Cheao Girls has any Louise Brooks connection; the actress may have been placed on their Phoenix flier simply by chance. Nevertheless, I visited the Cheap Girls myspace page and checked out some of their music - and liked it. They have I good sound for a Michigan band. (Full disclosure: I used to in East Lansing some years back.) Their myspace page also has tour info for the next few months.