Louise Brooks

1906-1985

Although Louise Brooks does have some work included on her resume, her portraiture far outshines any of it so she will reside in the Portrait section at BettieMaePage. What it boils down to is that Louise Brookse had an exquisite face. Mary Louise Brooks)was born on Nov.14, 1906 in the town of Cherryvale, Kansas. Louise Brooks' mother and father supposedly lacked providing discipline for their children. Louise Brooks' father was a workaholic lawyer and her mother would let the "squalling brats" settle their own problems. Her mother was not without merit, she was a pianist who helped instill a love of the arts in Louise. Louise Brooks fell victim to a neighborhood sexual predator which forever scarred her. Louise Brooks stated later in life that she was not capable of love and always had "a passion for some kind of bastard". Louise Brooks left for a job with the Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts. Louise Brooks was fired from there then moved on to dance with the Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway in 1925 where she became a featured dancer. That same year, Charlie Chaplin was in town to attend the premiere of his movie "The Gold Rush". He and Louise Brooks met and had an affair. She was soon noticed by New York movie executives and signed on with Paramount Studios.

Louise Brooks had a tempestuous relationship with Paramount and left the States for Germany during a pay dispute to work with famed German director G. W. Pabst, best known for his Expressionist filming style. There Louise Brooks made what is considered her greatest film and the greatest silent film of all time "Pandora's Box". "Pandora's Box" was considered very risque during the time. Amazon has some great reviews on "Pandora's Box" which are very informative and well worth reading. Louise Brooks made two more films with Pabst "Diary of a Lost Girl" in 1929 and "Prix de Beaute" in 1930. Louise Brooks quit Paramount during her stay in Europe. When Louise Brooks returned to the States, she found that she had been blacklisted and worked in B movies for the remainder of her Hollywood career.

Louise Brooks was known for her stunning Bob hairstyle which is credited as being one of the 10 most influential in history. Her hairstyle was copied the world over by millions of Flappers during the 1920s. You can see evidence of this through risque French postcards. Louise Brooks had worn her hair as a Bob since childhood.

Louise Brooks was well read and intelligent which intimidated many. Louise Brooks was a sexually liberated woman, slept with many famous people (but this is par for the course in the film industry), used foul language when she felt like it and did not mind posing . She had a self-destructive personality which manifested itself by alcoholism. This affected her performances and may have contributed to a shorter Hollywood career. After she quit working in films, Louise Brooks even tried her hand working as a store clerk. Louise Brooks lived for many years in poverty and as a recluse. She later met James Card a curator who worked for the George Eastman House. He befriended her and talked her into moving to Rochester New York and helped her get her start as a film writer from the 1950s throughout the 1970s. In 1982 a collection of Louise Brooks' work was published titled "Lulu in Hollywood" which gets five stars at Amazon. Another book considered the definitive biography on Louse Brooks is titled "Louise Brooks: A Biography" by Barry Paris. It is suggested that the reader delve further into the life of Louise Brooks, a free spirit with a very colorful personality, which was not adequately covered on this page. Louise Brooks died in 1985 after years of fighting arthritis and emphysema.

A few highlights of the Louise Brooks scans on this page are: although the model in scans 048 - 050 really look like her, it is not Louise Brooks, scans 054 - 057 were taken by Alfred Cheney Johnston while she was a Ziegfeld dancer, scan 058 was taken by Nicholas Murray, scans 082 - 089 were taken by Eugene Robert Richee and scan 051 is by Russell Ball. I have read that Louise made a conscious effort not to smile for photographs unless she really felt like it.

1925 The Street of Forgotten Men, (uncredited) A moll
1926 The American Venus, Miss Bayport
1926 Love 'Em and Leave 'Em, Janie Walsh
1926 A Social Celebrity, Kitty Laverne
1926 It's the Old Army Game, Mildred Marshall
1926 The Show Off, Clara, Joe's Girl
1926 Just Another Blonde, Diana O'Sullivan
        The Girl from Coney Island
1927 Ten Years Old, Photo used in newspaper
1927 Evening Clothes, Fox Trot
1927 Rolled Stockings, Carol Fleming
1927 Now We're in the Air, Griselle/Grisette
1927 The City Gone Wild, Snuggles Joy
1928 A Girl in Every Port,
        Marie, Girl in France
1928 Beggars of Life, The Girl (Nancy)

1929 The Canary Murder Case, Margaret Odell
1929 Tagebuch einer Verlorenen, Thymiane
        Diary of a Lost Girl (USA)
1930 Prix de beaute' (Miss Europe), Lucienne Garnier
        Beauty Prize (International: English title)
        Miss Europe (UK)
        Prix de beaute' (France: poster title)
1931 It Pays to Advertise, Thelma Temple
1931 God's Gift to Women, Florine
        Too Many Women (UK)
1931 Windy Riley Goes Hollywood, Betty Grey
        The Gas Bag (UK)
1931 Who's Who in the Zoo
1936 Hollywood Boulevard, (scenes deleted)
1936 Empty Saddles, 'Boots' Boone
1937 When You're in Love, (uncredited) Chorus Girl
        For You Alone (UK)
1937 King of Gamblers, (scenes deleted) Joyce Beaton
        Czar of the Slot Machines
1938 Overland Stage Raiders, Beth Hoyt