Louise Brooks: a social celebrity in evening clothes

Louise Brooks: a social celebrity in evening clothes

"World Gin Day" poster features Louise Brooks

Louise Brooks drank more than her fair share of gin, and perhaps that's why the actress adorns this poster for Ginstock, an event taking place today celebrating "World Gin Day" in England. The annual poster is shown below. Apparently, this is the second year in a row the group has made Louise Brooks their poster girl. 

First ever Louise Brooks Society blog on this day in 2002

The first ever Louise Brooks Society blog appeared on LiveJournal on this day in 2002. To mark the occasion, here is that first post:

In search of the perfect bob, in the Philippines

The Philippine Daily Inquirer, from Manila, recently ran a story titled "In search of the perfect bob." In it, the reporter discusses her own quest for the haircut, as well as a bit of it's history.

It has been a long debate on who actually started the classic bob. But American Hairdresser magazine, in an article on March 1, 2007, “The Way We Were,” credited dancer Irene Castle for the bob, which used to be called “Castle Bob” in 1915.

There was also the tale of an unpopular girl whose life changed after she got her new bob, as told in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story, “Bernice Bobs Her Hair,” published in the Saturday Evening Post in May 1920.

Others credit the bob to Coco Chanel or the American dancer and actress Louise Brooks, with her ebony black, blunt bob with bangs.

Anna Wintour has been sporting the page-boy bob since she was 14.

Why is the ’do still popping up to this day?

The popularity of the bob knows no bounds. Neither does its identification with Louise Brooks. Both are a worldwide phenomena!

New Silent Film Documentary - Silence is Golden

Check out this swell new short documentary telling the story of cinema's origins from the pioneers of the first films till the first full talkie The Jazz Singer. I like it, and not just because Louise Brooks makes an appearance.

Louise Brooks at Glastonbury Music Festival

On Saturday June 28th, The Dodge Brothers & Neil Brand become the first band to accompany a silent film at the famous Glastonbury Festival in England. The long running festival, which draws more than 100,00 people, is one of the biggest musical events in the world. On this year's schedule are Jack White, Lily Allen, Metallica, Caro Emerald, Yoko Ono, Arcade Fire, Robert Plant, Bryan Ferry, tUnE-yArDs, and many others.

The film The Dodge Brothers will accompany is Beggars of Life (1928), starring Louise Brooks. I guess that means Louise Brooks is the first silent film star to "play" Glastonbury. This is a trailer of what they'll do...

Cool pic of the day: Louise Brooks, the glance

Cool pic of the day: the glance (Louise Brooks, circa 1928)

Emil Petaja "Photoplay Edition"

I have a few copies of Photoplay Edition, by Emil Petaja, which I would like to sell. This collectors guide was the first book on the subject of photoplay editions, the movie tie-in books of the silent and early sound era. This heavily illustrated, 200 page bibliography contains a delightful introductory essay and a checklist of hundreds of titles. It is also illustrated with dozens of rare book covers and black-and-white stills from the silent era. I am selling these softcover books for $10.00 each (which includes shipping). Personal checks or PayPal accepted. Contact me via email at thomasg at pandorasboxDOTcom to arrange payment and shipping.

 
Emil Petaja (1915 - 2000) was a friend of mine; I knew him during the last half dozen years of his life. Though an accomplished author in the fields of science fiction and fantasy, Emil is best known to movie lovers as the author of Photoplay Edition (SISU Publishers, 1975).

Petaja based this book on his personal collection, which at the time of publication, numbered more than eight hundred titles. He loved film, and was a life-long movie buff and collector of movie memorabilia. He had a large library of film-related books, owned hundreds of 16mm films and videotapes, and enjoyed recounting stories about classic films, actors and actresses. What always impressed me about Emil was his remarkable mind for recalling plots, the stars of films, and even the authors whose books were made into movies. Occasionally, we would take in a movie together. Emil was a gateway to the past. And I enjoyed many conversations with him about the movies.