Happy New Year from the Louise Brooks Society

Happy New Year from the Louise Brooks Society. Best wishes to everyone who reads and follows this blog and the LBS website at www.pandorasbox.com. To mark the occasion, here are a few little seen images from the Louise Brooks Society archives. To learn more about the LBS, visit the "About the Louise Brooks Society" tab just above.

For all the latest from the Louise Brooks Society, be sure and follow this blog (see right hand column), or follow the LBS on Facebook and Twitter, or YouTube or LinkedIn. And again, Happy New Year from the Louise Brooks Society!

Louise Brooks - the year in review 2020

It has been quite a year. 

Louise Brooks passed away 35 years ago, but still there is considerable interest in this singular dancer, silent film actress, & writer. This year, 2020, saw new articles, books, DVDs and despite the pandemic,  a few screenings and a major film retrospective. And too, Brooks' name and image continues to pop up here and there in the realms of fashion and popular culture, proving she remains a memorable 20th century icon.

At year's end, I thought it would be a good time to look back at 2020 through the prism of the LBS blog and some of the articles about the actress that have appeared on-line. Most of the headlines below come from this blog, with exceptions noted. The most recent news-worthy headlines are given first. Happy new year from the Louise Brooks Society, let's hope it's a good one, without any fear....

Update on Around the World with Louise Brooks, forthcoming in 2021 provided we all survive the pandemic

Beggars of Life, starring Louise Brooks, screens in theatre December 27 

Little seen Louise Brooks film The Show Off to screen in Australia 

New Louise Brooks novel released in Switzerland

"Lulu Forever: the 2020 Louise Brooks FilmPodium Retrospective (Zurich)" by Thomas Gladysz (Film International)

Louise Brooks - Lulu and Beyond online event with Pamela Hutchinson on October 28 

Once Lost Louise Brooks Film Now Online - Watch it NOW  

New Louise Brooks DVD - Prix de beaute released in Italy

"The Last Days of Louise Brooks" by Jan-Christopher Horak (Archival Spaces: Memory, Images, History, scroll down) 

Jack Garner, longtime film critic and friend to Louise Brooks, dies

"Double Lives: On Louise Brooks’s 'Thirteen Women in Films'” by Maya Cantu (Los Angeles Review of Books)

Pandora's Box for sale, belonged to producer of Louise Brooks film 

Louise Brooks - Two Parallel Lives by Laura Scaramozzino  

Richard Sala (1959-2020), friend of the Louise Brooks Society  

As seen on TV - Louise Brooks the Persistent Star gets screen time during LA news story  

Louise Brooks retrospective in Switzerland postponed 

Louise Brooks locations tour postponed until 2021  

Louise Brooks Society announcement regarding RadioLulu 

Louise Brooks film Prix de beauté made available for online streaming during coronavirus crisis 

Louise Brooks film Beggars of Life to show in UK on March 15

Louise Brooks Onscreen in Hollywood!

Pandora's Box starring Louise Brooks at Cinema City in Norwich, England  

Louise Brooks inspired film The Chaperone shows in Australia  

Diary of a Lost Girl, starring Louise Brooks, screens in Tulsa, Oklahoma 

New G.W. Pabst DVD Blu-ray set features Louise Brooks

Frank Martin signed etching of Louise Brooks for sale

Louise Brooks screening and booksigning at the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles

New Book on German Cinema features Louise Brooks 

In the summer of 1995, I posted my first webpages about Louise Brooks and proclaimed the formation of a society dedicated to the silent film star. That was 25 years ago, at the beginning of the internet. The Louise Brooks Society is a pioneering website. It was the first site devoted to Brooks, one of the very first about silent film, and one of the earliest related to the movies. I am proud that I have kept it going to this day, making the LBS one of the older websites around.

At the beginning of this year, I was looking forward to this summer and celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Louise Brooks Society. But now, with all that has happened in 2020 — things I could not have imagined in January or February, I am resigned to merely marking the occasion. The pandemic, and Trump's failure to help the nation get through it, has certainly sucked the air out of the room. Who feels like celebrating when one is only trying to get by.... Happy 25th anniversary to the Louise Brooks Society.

Louise Brooks biopic screens on PBS in NYC on December 31

Is The Chaperone, the Louise Brooks biopic about her early days as a dancer, becoming a new holiday TV favorite? The PBS produced film made its television debut in 2019 just before Thanksgiving, with encore showings around the country on Thanksgiving day. And now, this year, The Chaperone is set to air again on at least one station on December 31, New Year's Eve. 

Many PBS stations have not yet released their program schedule for the end of this month, but one that has, WNET in New York City, is set to show The Chaperone at year's end. Here is their announcement.

New Year’s Eve TV

Stay in, stay healthy, and say goodbye to 2020 on Thursday, December 31.

Ring in the new year with United in Song: Celebrating the Resilience of America (Thursday, December 31, 8 p.m.), featuring Anna Deavere Smith and Denyce Graves. Say goodbye to 2020 with a concert celebrating the irrepressible strength of Americans. From the enormity of COVID-19 to the presence of social injustice, this special evening brings us together in the pursuit of our uniting as one America.

The special is followed by encores of two Masterpiece series. The Chaperone (Thursday, December 31, 9:30 p.m.) is a fictionalized story of young Louise Brooks leaving Kansas to pursue a dance career in New York City, escorted by her aunt, played by Elizabeth McGovern (Downton Abbey).  

My Mother and Other Strangers (Thursday, December 31, 11:30 p.m.) is set in Northern Ireland during World War II. A village is transformed by the presence of American soldiers at the nearby base.

The Chaperone is based on Laura Moriarty’s 2012 New York Times bestselling novel. It tells the story of the summer a teenage Brooks left her Kansas home and headed off to New York City, where she studied dance at Denishawn.The show reunites several individuals associated with the hit PBS series, Downton Abbey. Among them is Julian Fellowes, who scripted Downton Abbey and adapted The Chaperone, and Elizabeth McGovern, who starred in the TV series and produced and stars in The Chaperone. Michael Engler, who directed episodes of the TV show as well as the Downton Abbey film, directed The Chaperone.

The BIG star of The Chaperone is Haley Lu Richardson, a talented young actress who plays Brooks in what I think was an Oscar worthy performance. She is charming, vivacious, and even inspiring. And what's more, I think Richardson gets Brooks. I think she really captures Brooks' spirit. I like the film, and am pleased to own it on DVD. My long article on the film, "Never the Victim: Louise Brooks and The Chaperone," was published on Film International. Please do check it out.

The Chaperone is an inspiring, holiday worthy film because it is essentially a story about overcoming adversity, about redemption, and hope. It is about making something of one's self when you doubted you could. Those who know Brooks' life story will know what I am talking about. If you haven't had a chance to see the film, track it down streaming online, on DVD, or on television.

On Christmas Day in 1927, Louise Brooks celebrates with friends and co-stars

On Christmas Day in 1927, according to various press accounts, Louise Brooks was a guest at the home of Wallace Beery.

Irene Thirer wrote in the New York Daily News about celebrity plans for celebrating Christmas. Among the guests Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Beery are expected to share the holiday are Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Hatton and "Eddie Sutherland and his lovely wife, Louise Brooks." Other newspapers across the country report the same. Rosalind Shaffer's syndicated Chicago Tribune piece, "Lavish Entertainments Mark Christmas in Hollywood," notes "Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Beery have a venison feast off a dear that Wallace killed for their day's feature. Raymond Hatton, Mrs. Hatton, Louise Brooks and Eddie Sutherland, her husband, dine with the Beerys."

Happy Holidays from the Louise Brooks Society

 

 

Happy Holidays from the Louise Brooks Society. Below is a snapshot of the Louise Brooks Chirstmas bulb which hangs on my X-Mas tree. It has done so for a long time.... It is handmade, and crafted by a fan; I believe I purchased it on eBay a number of years ago -- perhaps as long ago as ten or fifteen years? Does anyone else have hand made Louise Brooks ornaments?If so, please share.

Reminder - Beggars of Life, starring Louise Brooks, screens in Wilton, New Hampshire on December 27

REMINDER: In person / in theatre screenings of films featuring Louise Brooks are few and far between these days. But happily, one of the actress' best films will be shown a few days from today. 

On Sunday, December 27th, Beggars of Life (1928) starring Louise Brooks, Richard Arlen, and Wallace Beery will be shown at the Wilton Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, New Hampshire. Admission is free though a $10.00 donations are encouraged to defray expenses - this special event will feature live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis. More information may be found HERE.

The theatre description of the film reads: "Classic late silent drama starring Louise Brooks as a train-hopping hobo who dresses like a boy to survive. After escaping her violent stepfather, Nancy (Brooks) befriends kindly drifter Jim (Richard Arlen). They ride the rails together until a fateful encounter with the blustery Oklahoma Red (Wallace Beery) and his rambunctious band of hoboes, leading to daring, desperate conflict on top of a moving train."

  For those thinking of attending, here are the theatre's Covid 19 rules:

    If you are coughing or have any symptoms of cold or illness, STAY HOME!
    Note the staggered start times of the movies. Plan to arrive earlier than in the past to allow for hand sanitizing and temperature checks. Social distancing must be maintained in the ticket/concession area. Showing up 5 minutes before the film starts is not a good idea!
    Temperature checks will be conducted while purchasing your ticket.
    Social Distancing is required ANYWHERE in the building. Be considerate of others, especially while in the Ticket and Concession area.
    Seating capacity is reduced and is not reserved or blocked. YOU are responsible for Social Distancing within the Theatre. Arrive early to get your spot. Be considerate of others.
    Masks/Face Coverings are required (and not provided by the theatre) when moving within the building and STRONGLY SUGGESTED while seated.
    Please wash your hands at the Hand Sanitizer Station in the Lobby.
    The theatre reserves the right to re-seat you, or ask you to leave if you are not complying with the rules, to maintain a safe experience for the other patrons.

Can't make this New Hampshire event? Want to learn more about Louise Brooks and Beggars of Life? My book, Beggars of Life: A Companion to the 1928 Film, as well as the DVD / Blu-ray of the film from Kino Lorber, are the perfect compliment to one another. And what's more, the DVD, featuring the best copy of the film available anywhere as well as the lively Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra score, also includes an informative audio commentary by your's truly!

My 106-page book on Beggars of Life looks at the film Oscar-winning director William Wellman thought his finest silent movie. Based on Jim Tully’s bestselling book of hobo life—and filmed by Wellman the year after he made Wings (the first film to win the Best Picture Oscar), Beggars of Life is a riveting drama about an orphan girl (played by Louise Brooks) who kills her abusive stepfather and flees the law. She meets a boy tramp (leading man Richard Arlen), and together they ride the rails through a dangerous hobo underground ruled over by Oklahoma Red (future Oscar winner Wallace Beery). Beggars of Life showcases Brooks in her best American silent—a film the Cleveland Plain Dealer described as “a raw, sometimes bleeding slice of life.” This first ever study of Beggars of Life includes more than 50 little seen images, and a foreword by actor and author William Wellman, Jr. (the director's son).

If you haven't purchased a copy of either the book or the DVD / Blu-ray, why not do so today? Each is an essential addition to your Louise Brooks collection.