A New Hampshire theater will host a relocated version of the Kansas Silent Film Festival, an annual vintage film event cancelled this year due to Covid-19. In honor of the scrubbed Kansas festival, a three-day program of classic silent films with live music will be shown on the last weekend of February at the Town Hall Theatre, a two-screen independent movie house in Wilton, N.H. 

 

 

 

 

Today is World Book Day. #WorldBookDay2021 And so, I thought I would post something about my favorite book, which it turns out, is the reason why I started this blog ever so long ago. But first a short something about books in my early life....

When I was a teenager, I had a couple of jobs. I went to a private high school, and payed my own tuition. I also saved up for college. With my extra spending money I bought books, usually one a week, at the local B. Dalton, which was located in a nearby shopping mall named Eastland. I grew-up in Harper Woods, an uneventful suburb of Detroit, and besides the local public library -- which I rode my bicycle to on a regular basis -- the local B. Dalton comprised my entry into the world of books. I liked to read books, and I liked to browse books. I was a nerdy kid. Books, and the worlds they represented, were what I had going on.

Three of the books which had the biggest impact on my life I came across as a teenager. They are Walden, by Henry David Thoreau; the Collected Stories of Franz Kafka; and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I can't remember exactly how I came across the first two. Like most teens, I was idealistic, and that's what likely led me to Thoreau and his literary philosophy. I also used to tune into radio documentaries broadcast on the CBC out of Canada, which was just across the Detroit river. That's likely how I first heard about Kafka, a strange and awkward fellow who no doubt appealed to the awkwardness I felt as a young person. I also recall, quite vividly, having seen Truffaut's terrific film of Fahrenheit 451 broadcast on Canadian television, channel 9 out of Windsor. It made a big impression, and that's what led me to read Bradbury's great novel. I still have those same books I bought ever so long ago. They remain favorites.

My interest in Thoreau led me to another book which I still own and which also made a big impact on my life. That book was a biography, The Days of Henry David Thoreau, by Walter Harding. I recall reading it and when I came to the end of the book and the end of Thoreau's life, I cried. Perhaps I shouldn't admit it, as it may make me look foolish -- a teenage boy crying in his basement at the death of someone from long ago. Of course, intellectually, I knew Thoreau was dead. He died in 1862, more than 100 years before I was born. But emotionally, while reading Harding's beautifully told story of one man's life, I became so involved in Thoreau that I thought it was unfair that he was taken from the world.

Walter Harding was a great Thoreau scholar, and the author or editor of a shelf-full of books on the solitary transcendentalist. Not only did his The Days of Henry David Thoreau have a big impact on me, it also got me hooked on biographies. Some people enjoy reading fiction, or poetry, or true crime books, or history or sci-fi. As a genre, I really like biographies. A great biography -- an empathetic biography well told, can put you into the shoes of another and in some small way let you experience another time and place. Harding's book did that for me as a teen, and it lead to a longstanding interest in 19th century New England and the writers of the American Renaissance. One of the highlights of my life was a trip to Concord, Massachusetts where I visited Walden Pond, the Alcott House, Emerson's house, Hawthorne's house, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, etc.... 

There have been other biographies which I have greatly enjoyed, like Neil Baldwin's Man Ray: American Artist and Mark Polizzotti's Revolution of the Mind: The Life of André Breton. Each tie-into my love of surrealism. But none after the Harding biography of Thoreau have had as large an impact on  my life as has Barry Paris' biography of Louise Brooks. I first read Paris' book in the early 1990s, a few years after it was published and not long after I had first watched a rented VHS of Pandora's Box. I had to find out more about more about the actress who played Lulu! Paris' book was not so much the answer to my many questions, but the perfect book at just the right time in my life. It started me on a quest to explore all I can about Brooks and her life and times, which of course has led me toward even more areas of interests -- from silent film and the Jazz Age to Denishawn and the culture of Weimar Germany. 

I have written and blogged about the Barry Paris biography in the past. And as I have said in the past, the Barry Paris biography of Louise Brooks is the best biography I have ever read and the best biography I will ever read. The San Francisco Chronicle used to run a small feature called "What's Your Most Treasured?" They recruited local personalities (like Isabel Allende, the celebrated novelist, or Craig Newmark, the founder of Craig's list, or Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the late poet) to pen a few words about books that mattered to the contributor. In 2011, they asked me to contribute a piece. I wrote about the Barry Paris biography, a book I had first read nearly twenty years earlier.

I launched the Louise Brooks Society and its website in 1995, and would occasionally hear from fans wanting to know were they could purchase the biography of Brooks. More than once, but trying not to be a nuisance, I wrote to Random House and Barry Paris' editor urging them to bring the book back into print, but to no avail. I believed in this book, but I was just one voice. It was early on in the development of the internet, and petition drives were the thing. I figured I would try my hand at a bit of cultural activism, and launched an online petition drive through the Louise Brooks Society to bring the Barry Paris biography back into print. And it worked!

Sometime in 1999 or 2000, the rights to both the Barry Paris biography and Brooks' own Lulu in Hollywood (which had also fallen out of print) were sold to the University of Minnesota Press and their burgeoning series of books on the movies. And both were brought back into print in shiny new editions! And what's more, I and the Louise Brooks Society were acknowledged in each of the new editions. I was proud. I was pleased for Brooks' many fans and many new fans. And I felt I had done some good about something I cared about.

At the time, I was working in a San Francisco bookshop where I arranged and hosted the store's many author events. As a thank you and an acknowledgement for my efforts, the University of Minnesota Press agreed to send Barry Paris from his home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to San Francisco for a special author event. This was very unusual, as his book was an older title and from a relatively small university press. Such expense, and what profit could there be? But I made it work. The store drew a good size crowd (I recall a couple came all the way from Los Angeles) and we sold lots of books, at least 100 signed copies went out the door or were mailed off to fans around the country. Incidentally, I had been in touch with the press since then, and was told in the years following their re-release of the books that each of these two titles was among the press' best backlist selling books. And they are still in print today.

I had met Barry Paris once before, in 1998. It was a thrill and a pleasure and an honor. He is a good guy, and I was pleased to meet one of my heroes. Then, he signed a copy of my hardback first edition of his biography, inscribing it to me and my wife as the "Tsar and Tsarina of the Louise Brooks Society." However, it was at that later event in 2000 that he so graciously signed my original softcover reading copy of his book - the biography that has and still does mean so much to me that I have spent 25 years learning all that I can about my favorite silent film star. In my book Barry wrote "For Thomas - who resurrected me & LB the way Tynan did in the New Yorker." I almost cried.

I wonder if anyone can tell me something more about this four page article. It appeared in a Japanese magazine devoted to proletariat issues in 1930. Is it about Louise Brooks, who is pictured, or is it, more likely, about left-leaning director G. W. Pabst? Is the piece complete? I think so, but am not sure. Any and all help would be appreciated. Double-click on a page to make it bigger.

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day from the Louise Brooks Society. The actress wasn't Irish, but her films certainly showed in Ireland. To mark the day, here are a few vintage bits and pieces from my forthcoming two volume work, Around the World with Louise Brooks. To start, here is an early magazine portrait.

Brooks' first film, The Street of Forgotten Men, was one of her biggest successes in Ireland. The film's director, Herbert Brenon, was Irish-born, and the film was well received in his country of birth. In fact, it was given the honor of being shown in Dublin’s La Scala theatre (later renamed the Capitol), the largest cinema house in the country. Here is the newspaper listing from the time.

And not only did the reputation of Jim Tully attract Irish movie goers to Beggars of Life, so did, perhaps, the films memorable theme song, which was available in Irish shops on a 78 rpm recording. Here is a newspaper advertisement listing the recording by The Troubadours, who helped make the song a hit in the United States.

Be sure and check out Pamela Hutchinson's outstanding new piece on the Silent London blog, "Prix de beauté (1930): Louise Brooks pays the price of beauty". It is an insightful look at a too little regarded film, a minor masterpiece if ever there was one and a historically important film deserving greater recognition. And if ever the silent and sound versions of Prix de beauté are released on a DVD in the English speaking world, these could be the linear notes. (Hint hint Kino Lorber, Criterion, Milestone, Masterpieces of Cinema, Flicker Alley, etc...)

On this blog in the past, I have posted a checklist of some of my Louise Brooks related articles, most written for various on-line publications and websites. What follows now is a checklist of some of my articles and essays on other stars, films, and topics related to the silent film era. I have left out my long running "best books of the year" and "best DVDs of the year" pieces.  As well, I have hyperlinked to as many pieces as possible. Unfortunately, the old examiner.com and Open/Salon pieces were scrubbed from the net when those websites were taken down. I hope a few readers, at least, will read a few of the following pieces. A few may even appeal to those interested in Brooks and her career.

“Mank and Lulu, and contact tracing the origins of Rosebud. ” Louise Brooks Society blog, December 11, 2020.
— did Herman Mankiewicz learn of William Randolph Hearst’s special pet name for Marion Davies clit from Louise Brooks?

“Buster Keaton’s Genius, Derailed: The Cameraman (Criterion Collection).” Film International, July 6, 2020.
— review of a Buster Keaton DVD release

“(Re) Considering Rudolph Valentino.” Film International, March 4, 2020.
— review of three new DVD releases

“Marion Davies: Gifted Actress and Impossible Boy.” Film International, December 23, 2019.
— article on the early film actress

“Mendocino Made Film to show at San Francisco Silent Film Festival.” Ukiah Daily Journal, April 30, 2019.
— article in local newspaper

“The Real Stan and Ollie.” San Francisco Silent Film Festival, Winter, 2018.
— program essay

“The Beginnings of Fritz Lang.” Louise Brooks Society blog, April 3, 2018.
— review of a DVD box set

“Pola Negri: Her films were silent. She wasn’t.” Huffington Post, December 4, 2017.

“Rescuing the Past: The Fall and Rise of Silent Film.” Huffington Post, November 30, 2017.

“A World Turned Over: Wellman’s BEGGARS OF LIFE.” University of Wisconsin Cinematheque, November 28, 2017.

“The Case for Marion Davies.” Huffington Post, November 22, 2017.

“Before Hollywood, there was Fort Lee, New Jersey.” Huffington Post, September 22, 2017.

“Two Film Historians and Their Lifelong Labor of Love.” Huffington Post, September 6, 2017.

“Laurel & Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies.” Huffington Post, November 21, 2016.
— sometimes I have notable readers (see below)

“Girls Will Be Boys in San Francisco.” Huffington Post, May 25, 2016.

“getTV Premieres Rare Cary Grant film.” Huffington Post, May 4, 2016.

“I Like Una Merkel, Helen Twelvetrees, and Sally Phipps.” Huffington Post, March 10, 2016.

Best Films Books of 2015.” Huffington Post, November 23, 2015.
— this piece received a fair amount of attention (see below)

“William Gillette and the Making of SHERLOCK HOLMES.” EatDrinkFilms, May 22, 2015.

“Hobo Author Jim Tully Celebrated in New Documentary on PBS.” Huffington Post, February 11, 2015.

“Disney’s Fantasia at San Francisco Symphony.” Huffington Post, May 29, 2014.
— this piece ran on Huffington Post San Francisco

“Our Ramona at Our Silent Film Festival.” Huffington Post, May 27, 2014.

“He Who Gets Slapped.” Ebertfest (16th Annual Roger Ebert Film Festival), April 2014.
— reprint of an earlier essay

“Singin’ in the Rain at SF Symphony.” Huffington Post, December 1, 2013.
— this piece ran in Huffington Post San Francisco

“Music to Murder By: San Francisco Symphony Screens Hitchcock.” Huffington Post, October 29, 2013.
— this piece ran on Huffington Post San Francisco

“Lost Movie by First Film Superstar Found.” Huffington Post, October 3, 2013.

“Tears of a Clown.” Telluride Film Festival, 2013.
— essay in festival program; this piece was reprinted on August 29, 2013 in The Watch, a Telluride, Colorado alternative newspaper

“Last Edition screens again at SF Silent Film Fest.” San Francisco Silent Film Festival blog, July 19, 2013.

“The Patsy.” San Francisco Silent Film Festival, 2013.
— program essay in festival booklet

“Alma Rubens: A Marked Woman.” San Francisco Silent Film Festival, 2013.
— feature in festival booklet

“Rare Alfred Hitchcock Films Debut in San Francisco.” Huffington Post, June 11, 2013.

“Mary Pickford event at Rafael Film Center.” San Rafael Patch, January 30, 2013.

“Q & A with Christel Schmidt, editor of Mary Pickford: Queen of the Movies.” San Francisco Silent Film Festival blog, January 29, 2013.

“Marguerite Clark: America’s Darling of Broadway and the Silent Screen.” San Francisco Silent Film Festival blog, January 10, 2013.

“Salomy Jane: Once Lost Silent Film Returns to Marin.” San Rafael Patch, September 25, 2012.

“Once Lost Film Returns to Bay Area.” Huffington Post, September 19, 2012.
— cited in Jeremy Geltzer’s Film Censorship in America: A State-by-State History (McFarland, 2017)

“Silent film star recalls 1924 Democratic Convention.” Open Salon, September 5, 2012.
— a Salon editor’s pick, and one of the most viewed pieces on Salon that day; the text of the piece has been archived here

“Peter Pan shows in Vacaville.” San Francisco Silent Film Festival blog, August 11, 2012.

“Wings.” San Francisco Silent Film Festival, Summer 2012.
— program essay in festival booklet

“Actor Paul McGann Talks about Silent Film.” San Francisco Chronicle, July 11, 2012.
— the eighth Doctor Who

“Film historian Jeffrey Vance talks about Douglas Fairbanks.” San Francisco Chronicle, July 8, 2012.
— footnoted in a book found here, and reprinted on the website of the Douglas Fairbanks Museum

“Could WINGS have been a 3-D film?” San Francisco Silent Film Festival blog, June 11, 2012.
— see also related posts on June 13th “Newspaper advertisements for WINGS,” June 14th “WINGS See it at popular prices“, and June 17th “WINGS with sensational sound effects”

“Laurel y Hardy en Español.” San Francisco Chronicle, May 10, 2012.

“Robert Flaherty’s Man of Aran screens in Niles.” San Francisco Chronicle, April 27, 2012.

“Buster Keaton gets a beat courtesy of the tUnE-yArDs.” San Francisco Chronicle, April 22, 2012.

“In cinematic form, Napoleon conquers all.” San Francisco Chronicle, March 26, 2012.

“Napoleon– “greatest film ever made” screens in Oakland.” San Francisco Chronicle, March 22, 2012.

“Historic Bay Area Film to Screen in Niles.” Union City Patch, February 23, 2012.

“Dizzy Heights: Silent Cinema and Life in the Air.” Berkeley Patch, February 20, 2012.

“More than 10 reasons not to miss Napoleon.” San Francisco Chronicle, February 16, 2012.

“Napoleon: A Lost Masterpiece Returns.” Huffington Post, February 13, 2012.

“Dashiell Hammett at Film Noir Festival.” Huffington Post, January 25, 2012.
— this piece got a shout-out on author Don Herron’s website 

“Historic San Francisco film emerges after 95 years.” San Francisco Chronicle, January 19, 2012.

“Howard Hawks Retrospective in Berkeley.” Huffington Post, January 11, 2012.

“Georges Méliès, Inspiration for Scorcese’s Hugo, At Niles.” San Leandro Patch, January 7, 2012.

“Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush is cinematic masterpiece.” San Francisco Chronicle, December 23, 2011.

“Oscar-Winner Kevin Brownlow Continues His Labour on Behalf of Cinema.” Huffington Post, December 2, 2011.

“Theaters of the San Francisco Peninsula.” San Francisco Chronicle, November 17, 2011.

“Spencer Tracy biographer talks about his new book.” San Francisco Chronicle, November 14, 2011.

“Susan Orlean talks Rin Tin Tin.” San Francisco Chronicle, October 26, 2011.

“Theda Bara – the first movie vamp.” examiner.com, October 19, 2011.

“Director John Huston – the story of a story-teller revealed in new book.” San Francisco Chronicle, September 28, 2011.

“Once banned film resurfaces 90 years after scandal.” Open Salon, August 25, 2011.
— a Salon editor’s pick

“John Bengtson, archeologist of early cinema.” San Francisco Chronicle, August 17, 2011.

“Walt Disney’s silent inspirations.” San Francisco Chronicle, August 9, 2011.

“The return of Baby Peggy, the last silent film star.” Open Salon, August 4, 2011.

“He Who Gets Slapped.” San Francisco Silent Film Festival, Summer 2011.
— program essay in festival booklet

“He Who Gets Slapped.” San Francisco Chronicle, July 4, 2011.

“Reading the stars: books from old Hollywood.” San Francisco Chronicle, June 27, 2011.

“Marc Ribot accompanies Chaplin’s The Kid.” examiner.com, March 14, 2011. 

“Sherlock Holmes vs Herlock Sholmes” examiner.com, December 24, 2010.

“Italian Straw Hat to screen in Sacramento with Orchestra.” examiner.com, December 13, 2010.

“Two New Releases Show Genius of Charlie Chaplin.” Huffington Post, November 24, 2010.

“Vernon Dent shines with new book, screenings in Niles in November.” examiner.com, November 4, 2010.

“Valley of the Giants.” San Francisco Silent Film Festival blog, October 26, 2010.

“Early Warner Bros. Studios.” examiner.com, October 12, 2010.
— book review

“Kevin Brownlow talks about archives and Louise Brooks.” examiner.com, September 29, 2010.

“The Remarkable Life of Valeska Gert.”Huffington Post, September 24, 2010.

“Six questions with novelist Glen David Gold.” San Francisco Silewnt Film Festival blog, September 15, 2010.

“An encounter with a curious character.” Open Salon, September 14, 2010.
— about F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre; a Salon editor’s pick

“Rare Oscar to a Film Historian… and the Award Goes to Kevin Brownlow.” Huffington Post, August 31, 2010.

“The Secret Historian and the Silent Film Star: One Was Gay.”Huffington Post, August 31, 2010.
— commented on by New York Times critic Dave Kehr;  referenced on the Smithsonian magazine blog; and footnoted in Joseph A. Boone’s The Homoerotics of Orientalism (Columbia University Press, 2014); this article led the publisher, Farrar, Strauss & Giroux to revise later editions of the book

“First Ever Oscar to a Film Historian Goes to Kevin Brownlow.” examiner.com, August 27, 2010.
— this piece was archived on nitrateville.com

“New Chaplin book by Kevin Brownlow.” San Francisco Silent Film Festival blog, August 15, 2010.

“G.W. Pabst: A Film Director for All Seasons.”Huffington Post, July 13, 2010.

“George O’Brien – a man’s man in Hollywood.” examiner.com, July 10, 2010.  

“Daisy D’Ora, one-time German actress, dies at age 97.” examiner.com, June 27, 2010.

“Remembering H.A.V. Bulleid, Author and Pioneering Film Historian.” Huffington Post, June 14, 2010.

“20,000 Leagues Under the Sea resurfaces in San Francisco.” examiner.com, May 3, 2010.

“Georges Méliès – Cinemagician of early movies.” examiner.com, April 23, 2010.
 — this DVD review was also archived on nitrateville.com

“Starstruck : Vintage Movie Posters from Classic Hollywood.” San Francisco Silent Film Festival blog, April 20, 2010.
— book review

“Exploring the avant-garde, or Weldon Kees where are you?” examiner.com, April 7, 2010.
— DVD reviews

“A Century of Cinema (in Sacramento).” San Francisco Silent Film Festival blog, March 31, 2010.

“Anna May Wong.” San Francisco Silent Film Festival blog, March 22, 2010.

“Edison’s Frankenstein – It’s Alive.” examiner.com, March 18, 2010.
— book review

“Miss Mend is masterful melodramatic mash-up.” examiner.com, March 16, 2010.
— DVD review

“Silent-era actress Dorothy Janis dies at age 100.” examiner.com, March 12, 2010.

“Mack Sennett’s fun factory.” examiner.com, March 9, 2010.
— book review

“The personal touch, with smallpox.” San Francisco Silent Film Festival blog, March 2, 2010.

“Robert Birchard’s universal history.” examiner.com, February 23, 2010.
— profile / book review

“Silent Film Festival to screen restored Metropolis this summer.” examiner.com, February 17, 2010.

“Silent film star Karl Dane revealed in new book.” examiner.com, February 15, 2010.

“Kevin Brownlow’s Photoplay Productions now online.” examiner.com, February 10, 2010.
— Six months after I wrote “Someday, Brownlow should be given an honorary Oscar for all that he has done,” he became the first film historian given an Academy Award.

“Image magazine, and the GEH.” San Francisco Silent Film Festival blog, February 9, 2010.

“Early Westerns featured in new book.” examiner.com, January 21, 2010.
— review of Western Film Series of the Sound Era by Michael R. Pitts

“Early Frank Capra films featured in Berkeley.” examiner.com, January 14, 2010.

“New book on Edison’s Frankenstein.” San Francisco Silent Film Festival blog, January 11, 2010.

“Screen hero Richard Dix celebrated in Niles.” examiner.com, January 8, 2010.

“J’Accuse– masterpiece not to be missed.” examiner.com, December 10, 2009.

“Considering Abel Gance.” San Francisco Silent Film Festival blog, December 9, 2009.

“When Chang came to town.” San Francisco Silent Film Festival blog, December 3, 2009.
— see also “When Chang came to town, part two”

“Stuart Oderman: talking to the piano player.” examiner.com, November 22, 2009.

“Francis X. Bushman – King of the Movies revealed in new book.” examiner.com, November 6, 2009.
— review of King of the Movies: Francis X. Bushman by Lon and Debra Davis

“Celebrating Carla Laemmle and early Universal.” examiner.com, October 28, 2009.

“Sad tale of Oakland comedian told in new book.” examiner.com, October 8, 2009.
— my review of this biography of Lloyd Hamilton was archived on nitrateville.com

“Anna May Wong documentary at film festival.” examiner.com, September 16, 2009.
— this piece, like others, were syndicatedaggregated hijacked by World News network

“Six silent film stars in need of a biography.” examiner.com, September 6, 2009.
— this piece was archived on nitrateville.com

“Silent films show in Berkeley.” examiner.com, August 15, 2009.
— about The Salvation Hunters (1925)

“Bardeleys the Magnificent is that.” examiner.com, August 11, 2009.

“Black Pirate screens in San Jose with Dennis James on organ.” examiner.com, August 6, 2009.

“From silents to sound – book details tipping point in Hollywood history.” examiner.com, June 16, 2009.
— review of Silents to Sound: A Biographical Encyclopedia of Performers Who Made the Transition to Talking Pictures, by Roy Liebman

“Reviving the art of silent film, one note at a time.” examiner.com, May 25, 2009.
— interview with musician Dennis James

“The Silent Cinema in Song.” examiner.com, May 19, 2009.
— book review of The Silent Cinema in Song, 1896 – 1929, by Ken Wlaschin

“Chaplin biographer to speak in San Francisco.” examiner.com, May 8, 2009.

“Emil Petaja.” Classic Images, October 2000.
— obituary of the noted writer & film collector

 “A Window into Old Hollywood: Three Biographies.” Booksense.com, August, 2000.
book reviews

It is a sure sign that things are getting better when what might well be the best film book shop in the world reopens. I'm talking about Larry Edmunds bookshop in Hollywood. The store's owner recently wrote on his Facebook page, "It is my pleasure to announce that after 53 weeks... the Larry Edmunds Bookshop will be open to the public from 11 am to 4 pm. Rules pertaining to occupancy & masks & such will be in full effect. Call & make an appointment w/ us and we’ll make sure you get in. Thank you to all of you who have continued to support the LAST bookstore on Hollywood Boulevard! We look forward to selling you a book (or books 😊) soon! Don’t call it a comeback, been here for years..." For more information, visit the store website HERE.

In fact, Larry Edmunds bookshop has been around since 1938, that is, during the last couple years of Louise Brooks' residency in Los Angeles. So who knows, perhaps she shopped there at one time or another. As mentioned, Larry Edmunds has been in business for nearly three quarters of a century. And as such, it is one of the last surviving cinema and theatre book and memorabilia stores in North America. It features an inventory of 500,000 movie photographs, 6,000 original movie posters and 20,009 motion picture and theater books. This is the place where film buffs come to shop.

During my pre-pandemic trip to Los Angeles in February 2020, I had the chance to visit the store. I've visited the historic bookshop (located at 6644 Hollywood Blvd) many times in the past, but always as a customer. This time, I visited as an author, and dropped off copies of three of my books, each of which are now for sale at the famous Hollywood bookshop. The three titles now available at Larry Edmunds are Louise Brooks: the Persistent Star, Beggars of Life: a Companion to the 1928 Film, and Now We're in the Air: a Companion to the Once Lost Film. In fact, back in May of 2020, Larry Edmunds bookshop was the subject of a TV news story, and in the background, copies of my most recent book, Louise Brooks: the Persistent Star, could be seen in the background (see above).If you live in or around Los Angeles, this is the place to go to check out these Louise Brooks Society publications (and a whole lot more).

Every April 1st, that is every April Fools Day, someone in the silent film community posts something about one of Lon Chaney's lost films being found, like London After Midnight (1927). Other legendary lost films also get mentioned, like original Great Gatsby (1926), directed by Herbert Brenon (Street of Forgotten Men) and starring Warner Baxter, Lois Wilson (The Show Off) and William Powell (The Canary Murder Case). 

This got me thinking about Louise Brooks' lost films. None have turned up since Rob Byrne found a fragment of Now We're in the Air (1927) in Prague back in 2017. And before that, little else has turned up, except for a couple of coming attraction trailers for The American Venus (1926), which I believe were uncovered in New Zealand. 

As of now, five of Louise Brooks' films are considered lost. Two others, the aforementioned Now We're in the Air as well as Just Another Blonde (1926), are partly extant (about 20 minutes survives of each), while her first film, The Street of Forgotten Men (1925), is mostly extant. Which of the five lost films or two partially extant films would you like to have found?  

On April 18th, two weeks from today, I'll be a guest on Hollywood Kitchen, Karie Bible's swonderful and oh so delicious video blog podcast featuring recipes, cooking and conversation from Hollywood's Golden Age. More about this well worth checking out program can be found on its website at https://www.hollywoodkitchenshow.com/  I encourage everyone to take some time and explore some of the program episodes already streamed over Facebook and YouTube. "Try it, you'll like it."

A Polish newspaper clipping depicting Mary Brian and Louise Brooks in a Hollywood Kitchen.

Past episodes of the show have featured Mary Pickford's Hollandaise Sauce, Vincent Price's Rice-Stuffed Green Peppers, Cary Grant's Grandma's Apple Pie, Oliver Hardy's Baked Apples, Bela Lugosi's Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, Rudolph Valentino's Spaghetti Sauce, and many others. Not only does each episode focus on a film star and a particular recipe or two, it also includes a film historian, author, or expert on that star. And that's where I come in. I will be talking about Louise Brooks. Earlier, I shared a couple of related recipes with host Karie Bible, and she plans on making one of them, likely the Knickerbocker Chicken. Be sure and tune-in on April 18th to see how things turn out. And to hear us chat about the one and only Louise Brooks.

On my next blog, in a couple-three days, I will post another recipe ascribed to Louise Brooks which I made recently. Its "Tomatoes Stuffed with Pineapple."  Check back to see how it turned out.

Back in 2015, I went to the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, New York, where I spent a few days reading as much as I could of Louise Brooks journals. I came across all kinds of fascinating material including her 1973 recipe for "Brooks' cookies." Here it is. If you make it, please post something in the comments section about how your cookies turn out.

1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 table spoon milk
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
dates and nuts. lemon rind
350 degrees 45 minutes cut to squares

As mentioned in my last blog, on April 18th I'll be a guest on Hollywood Kitchen, Karie Bible's entertaining video blog featuring recipes, cooking and conversation about Hollywood's Golden Age. More about this program can be found on its website at https://www.hollywoodkitchenshow.com/  

What's for lunch?

In my last blog, I also mentioned I would post another recipe ascribed to Louise Brooks, namely "Tomatoes Stuffed with Pineapple." Here it is, as clipped from a 1927 newspaper.

(Gelfand's is still around. If they are reading this blog and wish to send me a free jar, I would give this recipe a second go. I also found that individuals collect old jars with product labels, and I noticed this Gelfand's jar for sale on eBay.)

Back to "Tomatoes Stuffed with Pineapple." It took less then ten minutes to prepare. Besides the mayo substitute, the only other alteration to the menu I made was not peeling the tomato. That can be a bit tricky, and anyways, I don't mind tomato skins. Chef's choice, as they say.....

The dish turned out well. The mayo helps dampen the acidity of both the tomato and the pineapple, and the nut meats (aka nuts) added a pleasant crunch. Would I make it again? Maybe, though I prefer the simplicity of fruit and cottage cheese. One thing I remain a bit curious about is the clipping's reference to this dish coming from an old French cafe in New York. Might anyone be able to trace this dish to something comparable in French cuisine?

Ahead of my April 18th appearance on Karie Bible's Hollywood Kitchen video blog, I thought I would post a few more vintage recipes by Louise Brooks' co-stars and colleagues, most of whom were associated with Paramount, Brooks' studio. More information about this program, as well as more vintage movie star recipes, can be found at https://www.hollywoodkitchenshow.com/  

Movie star recipes, movie star cookbooks, and general kitchen and household advice from Hollywood celebrities was a thing in the 1920s and 1930s. I have run across numerous examples in the old film magazines and newspapers I have looked through while searching for material on Louise Brooks. I have as well collected a few Hollywood cookbooks and pamphlets. Here is one example.

Stay tuned for another post in a few days, in which I will post yet more recipes including one from Ruth St. Denis, and a couple from Clara Bow including her take on Welsh Rarebit.

This first clipping in this post includes recipes by Jean Arthur (Canary Murder Case) and Mary Brian (Street of Forgotten Men). It is followed by another Mary Brian recipe, as well as a couple by two European stars, Pola Negri and Emil Jannings, who came to work in the United States (both at Paramount).

As mentioned in my last couple of blogs, on Sunday April 18th I'll be a guest on Hollywood Kitchen, Karie Bible's entertaining video blog featuring recipes, a bit of cooking, and conversation about Hollywood's Golden Age. The show will stream live at 12 noon (PST - Pacific Standard Time). It will also be archived on its website. More about this program can be found on its website at https://www.hollywoodkitchenshow.com/  

And as promised in my last blog, I said I would post more vintage celebrity recipes. (Recipes associated with Brooks can be found in earlier posts.) So here goes. Let's begin with Clara Bow take on Welsh Rarebit (I think Winsor McCay would approve!), followed by Clara's baked macaroni. (The second clipping also has recipes associated with Ruth Chatterton, and Nancy Carroll.)

And here's one from the great Fay Wray, one of the few stars of the silent and early sound era who I once had the opportunity to meet! (It was at a party at the home of the daughter of an Oscar winning movie director. . . . ) The actress's Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge sounds tempting.

And here is a rarity, an advertisement for Crisco shortening which includes a recipe for Charlie Chaplin's Steak and Kidney Pie. Crisco was in June 1911 by Procter & Gamble, and this newspaper ad appeared just a few years later. I wonder if Charlie knew about this one?

And finally, here is one of the rarest recipes from my small collection of stuff (that is a technical term meaning "stuff") associated with dancer Ruth St. Denis. It is for Chicken Creole, which is described as an East Indian dish. Had Louise Brooks stayed with the Denishawn Dance Company, she would likely have traveled with them to Asia when they toured Japan, India and elsewhere. And who knows, she might well have eaten this dish at one time or another.

Image Credit: Gloria Swanson in The Affairs of Anatol (1921) Image courtesy of Bruce Calvert, Silent Film Still Archive.

FILM ARCHIVISTS ANNOUNCE SEPTEMBER 29 AS NATIONAL SILENT MOVIE DAY

Apr. 20, 2021– A group of film archivists with a passion for silent movies has established September 29 as National Silent Movie Day—an annual day to celebrate silent film history and raise awareness about the race to preserve surviving silent films.  With an official proclamation from National Day Archives naming the day, the inaugural National Silent Movie Day will be held on Wednesday, September 29, 2021.

Established by film archivists Chad Hunter, Executive Director of Video Trust and Director of the Pittsburgh Silent Film Society; Brandee B. Cox, a Senior Film Archivist at the Academy Film Archive and Steven K. Hill, Motion Picture Archivist at the UCLA Film & Television Archive, the trio met virtually in January to discuss the need to raise greater awareness about silent film history.  “It seems like there is a national day for almost everything - and we thought, why not silent movies?  We were actually sort of surprised there wasn’t already one,” said Hunter.

Decades before the popularity of television and the age of computers, cell phones and Netflix, silent movies reigned supreme. For roughly 40 years between 1890 and 1930, going to see silent movies in theaters was the most popular form of entertainment in the world, and made global stars of Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino, Greta Garbo, Paul Robeson, and Anna May Wong.

Yet tragically an estimated 80% of all American silent feature films are now considered “lost” forever. Films from the silent period were printed on flammable nitrocellulose film stock, and rather than risk deadly fires, theaters and studios often destroyed or reclaimed silver content from prints after their theatrical runs were completed. Nitrate film decays over time as well, and archives around the world are in a race with time to preserve the few silent films that still exist.

Suzanne Lloyd, granddaughter of the great silent film comedian and actor Harold Lloyd, has been managing his legacy of romantic comedy films for 50 years and agrees that silent movies deserve a national day of celebration. “We at Harold Lloyd Entertainment are absolutely delighted to help announce—on Harold’s 128th birthday—the first annual National Silent Movie Day. Archives and theatres from around the world have championed preserving and screening important films, and in doing so, have kept the vibrant and remarkable silent film tradition alive. This is a wonderful event that Harold would be so proud and honored to be a part of, and I am very happy to be able to represent Harold on National Silent Movie Day.”

 “Anyone can participate in National Silent Movie Day—you can ask your local art house cinema to show a silent movie with live music; you can host a virtual watch party; make a social media post about your favorite silent film or star; or organize a petition to help save a silent movie or silent movie landmark—the possibilities are endless,” said Cox. 

LOTS more information may be found at https://www.nationalsilentmovieday.org

Image Credit: Silent film stars Harold Lloyd and Mildred Davis Image courtesy of Harold Lloyd Entertainment.

In the 1920s, various European nobility including a few members of the British nobility came to the United States either on vacation or in exile. And a few even married Hollywood film stars, as when Gloria Swanson married Henri, Marquis de la Falaise, and Mae Murray married Prince David Mdivani.

With the recently passing of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in mind, I was surprised to come across a passage in a biography of Philip's Uncle, Louis Mountbatten, commonly known as Lord Mountbatten. (If you want a feel for how he fits into the story of the current British royal family, watch a few of the last episodes of The Crown, where he is a prominent, behind-the-scenes character and a mentor to Charles, Price of Wales.) The biography I am referring to is The Mountbattens: Their Lives and Loves by Andrew Lownie. In the book, the author discusses a trip Mountbatten's wife, Edwina, took to the United States: 

"In February 1930, Edwina sailed to New York with Marjorie and her husband Brecky, criss-crossing the country via Chicago to California and Mexico to New Orleans and Florida. She now had two new film-star admirers, Ronald Colman and a good-looking friend of Douglas Fairbanks, called Larry Gray. Gray was then at the height of his career as one of Hollywood’s leading men, playing opposite Louise Brooks, Clara Bow, Marion Davies and Norma Shearer, and it was he, rather than Colman, who captured Edwina’s heart and accompanied her when she stayed with Randolph Hearst – whose mistress was Marion Davies – at his fantasy home, San Simeon. ‘Italian villas, French chateaux and Greek Temples all thrown into one,’ as Edwina told Dickie."

The reference to Brooks is what caught my keyword attention, though apparently, Brooks and Edwina likely never met. Edwina was also a good friend of the UK newspaper baron and later cabinet minister Lord Beaverbrook, who did know Brooks during her days with the Scandals in 1924 -- that is, before Brooks herself went to England where she danced at the Cafe de Paris in London before who knows who of the British upper crust.

Brooks herself, seemingly, maintained something of an interest in the British nobility throughout her her life. Her notebooks for October, 1957 for example contains entries of her watching television coverage of Queen Elizabeth's visit to the United States. However, it wasn't really nobility that interested Brooks, but rather women in power and how they acted and how they were treated.

Louise Brooks, holding court later in life

Tipped off by a Facebook post, I emailed Welsh artist / illustrator Jonathan Edwards about his book, One hundred and thirty one faces: sketchbook vol 7. This 124 page book features pages from Jonathan's sketchbook as well as a few finished pieces. Most are in color. Among the book many subjects are author James Joyce, singer Francois Hardy, musician John Coltrane and Duke Ellington, artists Andy Warhol and Jean-Michael Basquiat, and many others. . . including Louise Brooks. Below is a quick flip through of the book, in which Brooks is one of the first personalities seen.

Brooks was caricatured a number of times during her career in film -- in the 1920s and 1930s -- and she has also been caricatured a number of times in recent years. I have seen many if not most all of the caricatures from then and now, and this one is a favorite. Like other depictions of the actress, this one is stylistically angular, which I feel depicts a certain hardness in Brooks -- which is true. 

Jonathan Edwards work first appeared in 1993 in Deadline and Tank Girl Magazine with strips such as Dandy Dilemma, Simon Creem, The Squabbling Dandies and one pagers about Scott Walker, Sly Stone, Nancy Sinatra, Kraftwerk and The Beach Boys. Since then he has worked for the Guardian, Mojo, Q, Mad, The Black Eyed Peas, A Skillz & Krafty Kuts, The Jungle Brothers, The Glastonbury Festival, etc. His comics include Aunt Connie & The Plague of Beards, A Bag Of Anteaters (with Ian Carney) and Two Coats McWhinnie (also with Carney). He has also been a regular contributor to the Guardian since 1999, and illustrated the Hard Sell weekly column in the Guide from 2002 - 2011. His character design work includes collaborations with partner, Louise (AKA Felt Mistress), and his vinyl toy, Inspector Cumulus, is available from Crazylabel toys. For more details about the Felt Mistress collaborations (including our Selfridges Christmas window display) please click HERE.

Jonathan Edwards book, One hundred and thirty one faces: sketchbook vol 7, can be purchased HERE. Also available on his website are other books, prints and posters.More about the artist and his work can be found HERE.

As I have mentioned many times in the past, one comes across all kinds of unusual and interesting stuff while researching a subject from the past. That goes for Louise Brooks, as well.

First up, here is a cute Paramount promotional cartoon titled "The Family Selects a Movie" which references Evening Clothes, the 1927 Adolphe Menjou film which features Louise Brooks. The actress herself is not mentioned. Nevertheless, it is rather charming, and speaks to how Paramount saw their films in the American marketplace.

Next up is a bit of verse, with the last piece, "My Best Girl" by Fussy in Beachy Head, England  referencing Louise Brooks (and Clara Bow). These "Kinema Karols" were published in an English film magazine, and also contain a bit of period charm. (And, if I am not mistaken, the Laurel and Hardy caveman still just below the date is from Flying Elephants, a two-reeler from 1928. That film is notable as the only other film in which Brooks'American Venus co-star, Fay Lanphier, made an appearance.)

Louise Brooks remained a recognizable, if not especially popular figure in Europe for at least a few years following the release of the two films she made in Germany -- Pandora's Box and Diary of a Lost Girl. Both were released in 1929, and both continued to be shown on and off around Europe for another two years. Brooks' sole French production, Prix de beaute, was released in 1930, and like the two German films, it too was shown all over Europe for another two years. (Despite speculation to the contrary, Prix de beaute enjoyed a rather robust exhibition history around the globe.) Also still in circulation in 1930 and 1931 in France and Germany and Poland and elsewhere were a few or Brooks' American films including Beggars of Life (1928) and The Canary Murder Case (1929), as well as A Girl in Every Port (1928), which enjoyed a singular vogue in Paris. In fact, A Girl in Every Port was a favorite of the intelligentsia, and Jean Paul Sartre took Simone de Beauvoir to see the film on one of their first dates.

I mention all this because I sometimes wonder about Brooks'"continuing popularity" in Europe, especially after she stepped away from her Hollywood career in 1931. Fame fades for everyone, even our beloved Louise Brooks. As I have found, and as I document in my forthcoming work, Around the World with Louise Brooks (due out later this year), the number of magazine and newspaper articles about the actress dropped off in 1932, as does the paper trail of product advertisements (notably the Lux soap ads), ephemera (postcards, product cards, etc...), and references in "Where are they now?" type articles.

And that's why I was surprised to find Brooks referenced three times in a short humorous story published in an Austrian magazine in November of 1939, two months after the beginning of the Second World War and a few years after Germany had occupied Austria. The publication where I found the reference was a weekly humor magazine titled Die Muskete, and it was published in Vienna between 1905 and 1941. According to it's German-language Wikipedia entry, "Like other humorous magazines founded at the time, Die Muskete combined the works of young local artists and draftsmen with the work of young Austrian writers. At the same time, the magazine attached great importance to the artistic design and the high quality of the content. The magazine was originally intended for officer circles and quickly gained great importance, as the aim was to make it an Austrian counterpart of Simplicissimus, which later made it more widely used and very popular. It fought against excesses in the political, bureaucratic, clerical, military and social areas. During the First World War it developed into a 'funny soldier's sheet'. In 1919 the subtitle 'Humorous Weekly' disappeared and the magazine changed from jokes to an illustrated men's magazine." 

The references to Brooks occur in a short story by Josef Robert Harrer titled "Thomas Raverley." I wasn't able to find out much about Harrer except that he was a writer of the time, mainly active during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, with a few novels and books of short fiction and poetry to his credit. Besides this story in a 1939 Austrian magazine, I also found a story of his in a 1930 Estonian publication.

 

American actress Alice Faye appeared on the cover of this issue, notably. And also referenced on the last page of this story are references to other bits of American culture, namely a saxophone and a Jazz band, Prohibition, and even Mark Twain.

I would appreciate hearing from anyone familiar with this story, or with the work of the author, Josef Robert Harrer. This story is not the only shout-out to Louise Brooks which I have come across dating from the 1930s. There was a similar usage in a crime fiction story published in a French pulp. Evidently, as a figure still remembered by some, Brooks served as a descriptor... a cultural reference.

Can anyone who reads or writes Chinese tell me which characters represent the title of the film in the newspaper advertisement pictured below. I think I know but want to be sure. The film is When You're in Love (1937), which was sometimes shown under an alternative title as For You Alone. The film starred Grace Moore and Cary Grant, while Louise Brooks had a uncreditted bit part as a member of the masked chorus.

I assume the title of the film is the four larger bold characters at the bottom of the advertisement. Can these be rendered via Chinese keyboard? Can someone do so and send them to me or post them in the comments.

Is the text in the black box the name of the theater? What are the five larger characters beneath it? Any help would be appreciated. I assume the other text in the advertisement refers to the film and this particular showing.

Here is another newspaper advertisement for another showing of the film in China, circa 1938. I believe the film title (at the bottom of the ad) is the same, but slightly stylized.

Yesterday, I received one of the best packages I have ever received. It came from Benjamin Meissner, a new Facebook friend who I met online during my recent appearance on Karie Bible's Hollywood Kitchen. Benjamin was one of the viewers, a posted some comments and questions which I was happy to answer.

In our chat, Benjamin posted a picture of a Louise Brooks picture which he spotted in a hairdresser‘s shop in a city called Flensburg, near the Danish border; he also offered to send me a Louise Brooks pin and postcard, which are available in Germany. Above is a picture of the Brooks photo in a German shop window, followed by a scan of the postcard and pinback button.

Thank you Benjamin Meissner, Louise Brooks and film fan extraordinaire!
BTW: Benjamin is a BIG classic Hollywood fan and president of the international Marilyn Monroe fan club "Some Like It Hot" in Germany with members all over the world.
https://the-international-marilyn-monroe-fan-club-germany.jimdosite.com

A BIG thank you to the Louise Brooks fans on Facebook who helped translate the two Chinese advertisements for the 1937 film, When You're in Love.

Takeo Yoshida wrote that the big five characters 葛雷絲摩亞 (read right to left) in each ad is the name of Grace Moore, the star of the film which included Louise Brooks in a uncredited bit role as a masked chorus member. She also wrote that the four large characters 鳥語花香 (read right to left) in each ad is the movie’s title. BTW, according to Google's translation app, the literarl translation of the title characters read as "Birds and Flowers".

 

Line 1: Congratulation the movie earned a lot of money.

Line2: the movie palace theater, use the ticket to go in the cinema. Watch the time

Line 3: today, 2:30 afternoon, 5:00 evening, 7:45 evening. Cost of seats: 1 cent or 2 cents

Line 4: ladies and gentlemen, go buy the ticket.

Line 5: Name of the female actor

Line 6: she sings smoothly.

Line 7, 8 and 9: Watching this movie during night can make you feel like it is spring. After watching the movie will make you don’t want to sleep

Line 10: the name of the movie

 

Of all of Louise Brooks films of the 1930s, When You're in Love was likely the most popular. It played to big crowds just about everywhere. Lately, I have been working on a chapter on  the film for my forthcoming book, Around the World with Louise Brooks. So far, I have gathered material from a number of countries. It also played in Japan, where this portrait was published.

Under its American title, I have documented screenings of the film in Australia (including Tasmania), Bermuda, British Malaysia (Singapore), Canada, China, Dutch Guiana (Surinam), Haiti, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Japan, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Palestine (Israel), Papua New Guinea, The Philippines, and South Africa. As well, it was once advertised in Canada as When You Are in Love. In the United States territory of Puerto Rico, the film was exhibited under the title Preludio de amor (Spanish-language press). 

 

The film was also shown under the title For You Alone in British Malaysia (Singapore), Ireland, and the United Kingdom (including England, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, and Scotland).

 

Elsewhere, When You’re in Love was shown under the title Le Cœur en fête (Algeria); Sérénade (Austria); Sérénade (Belgium); Prelúdio de Amor (Brazil); Preludio de amor (Cuba); Když vy jste v lásce (Czechoslovakia) and Ked si zalúbeny (Slovakia, unconfiirmed); Serenade (Denmark); Preludio de Amor (Dominican Republic); Ma olen armunud (Estonia); Rakastuessa (Finland); Le Cœur en fête (France); Otan i kardia ktypa (Greece); Közjáték and Preludio de Amor (Hungary); Serenade (Iceland); Amanti di domani (Italy); 間奏楽 or Kansō-raku (Japan); Wenn die Liebe erwacht (Latvia); Serenade (Luxembourg); Preludio de amor (Mexico); Le Cœur en fête (Morocco); Als je verliefd bent (The Netherlands); Forelsket (Norway); Kiedy jestes zakochana (Poland); Prelúdio de Amor (Portugal); A rioi szerenad (Romania); Preludio de amor (Spain); När man är kär (Sweden); Le Cœur en fête and Wenn Du verliebt bist (Switzerland); Bir ask macerasi and Sen aska dusunce (Turkey), and Preludio de amor (Uruguay).

 

When You're in Love had a rather robust exhibition history. All of the titles listed above are based on vintage advertisements or reviews. If anyone can provide any additional information on a screening of this film anytime in the first few years after its 1937 release, I would be very grateful.

 

Pictured here are portraits of the film's two stars, Grace Moore and Cary Grant.